Challenges

Birding and eBird challenges

Thanks to all the birders who participated in Wild Bird Day/ October Big Day and Global Bird Weekend! As a result, this month saw an increase in birding activity. Here is the break-up of eBirding in India in October 2020 (with the previous month in brackets). Number of birders: 2502 (1,946) Number of lists (all types): 25609 (17,932) Number of… read more »

October 2020 eBirders of the Month

Challenges
The enthusiasm of Wild Bird Day/ October Big Day continues this month, as we take part in two uniquely Indian birding events in November- Salim Ali Bird Count and Maharashtra Pakshi Saptah  This month’s eBird challenge is designed to highlight these two events. The challenge is to submit 1 checklist every day in November. In addition to this, between 5-… read more »

November 2020 eBirding Challenge

Challenges
September produced some excitement among birdwatchers as the season’s first migrant Grey Wagtails and Blue-tailed Bee-eaters were seen from balconies and rooftops. Bird enthusiasts in Tamil Nadu celebrated the arrival of the Common Sandpiper, Greenish Warbler, and Grey Wagtail with posters :). October marks the beginning of the winter in most of India when many of our migrants have already… read more »

October 2020 eBirding Challenge

Challenges
With the early migrants trickling in, there has been a slight increase in birding activity. Here is the breakup of eBirding in India in the month of August 2020 (with the previous month in brackets): Number of birders: 1,810 (1,745) Number of lists (all types): 17, 293 (16,892) Number of observations: 2.7 lakh (2.6 lakh) August challenge The challenge for… read more »

August 2020 eBirders of the Month

Challenges
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September is a powerful month in terms of bird activity. Be it a non-descript brown-grey warbler or a flock of grey-yellow buntings, migrants are flying into various parts of the country. Whether you are birding from your backyard or rooftop, do keep an eye out for such migrants as many are looking for a place for a pitstop. One great… read more »

September 2020 eBirding Challenge

Challenges
While fledglings and immature of many species are seen in July, there are still a few species that continue breeding. Here is the breakup of birding in India in the month of July 2020 (with the previous month in brackets): Number of birders: 1,745 (2,014) Number of lists (all types): 16,892 (20,100) Number of observations: 2.6 lakh (3.08 lakh) July… read more »

July 2020 eBirders of the Month

Challenges
August is an interesting time of the year for birds and birdwatchers. Migrants are on the move and are so are the birders! This year a long-distance trip to watch specific migrant species may not be possible, but it still gives us immense joy and excitement to spot the ‘first’ of the migrants in our nearby birding sites. Some of… read more »

August 2020 eBirding Challenge

Challenges
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With the monsoon reaching many parts of India in June, many birds are breeding — either building nests and incubating eggs, or busy feeding young and taking care of fledgelings. To mark this, the India eBirding challenge for June included looking for and reporting breeding activity. Here is the breakup of eBirding in the country in June 2020 (with previous… read more »

June 2020 eBirders of the Month

Challenges
With several states extending travel restrictions, and the monsoons ramping up as well, it will be difficult for birders to travel in July. However, for many of our breeding birds, July is an important time of the year as young birds and fledglings have begun to move about on their own, trying to be independent and making their own decisions. From… read more »

July 2020 eBirding Challenge

Challenges
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The Lockdown Birding Challenge ran from 27 March to 16 May 2020. The idea was to try and turn a difficult time into a positive contribution towards understanding India’s birds. The basic idea was to watch birds every day, twice a day (morning and evening) in a standardised manner so that the information generated could be compared over time and… read more »

Lockdown Birding Challenge Results

Challenges
The usual onset of southwest monsoon starts in June bringing some respite from the heat. Be it finding a suitable nest site or incubating eggs, or carrying food to young chicks – the breeding of our resident birds continues in June. A flurry of movement- one minute it’s here and the next gone… keep an eye out for the many… read more »

June 2020 eBirding Challenge

Challenges
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The all-India lockdown began towards the end of March, but people had already begun restricting their movements some days before. Despite this, there was a lot of birding in March. It isn’t straightforward to compare birding with the previous months, though, because February has higher-than-average birding due to the Great Backyard Bird Count. Here is the breakup of eBirding in… read more »

March 2020 eBirders of the Month

Challenges
A Black Drongo swings to and fro mobbing a perched kite, a noisy Ashy Prinia visits a certain undergrowth repeatedly, a Purple Sunbird in his brilliant metallic blue plumage sings loudly from its favorite wire perch while turning its head side to side. All these, indicate that our birds have started breeding! From defending their nests by mobbing larger birds… read more »

May 2020 eBirding Challenge

Challenges
Birding can be uplifting in such difficult times. Birders crave opportunities to spend time in a quiet place with their favourite distractions: birds! We might be forced to stay in one place — but that still gives plenty of opportunities to observe the birds around us. The lockdown birding challenge has generated tremendous response amongst bird watchers across the country.… read more »

April 2020 eBirding Challenge

Challenges
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The Lockdown Birding Challenge ran from 27 March to 16 May 2020. See here for a summary of results. While the country is under lockdown, what better way to turn this into a positive contribution than to record the birds around your home? Do you see species you haven’t recorded before? Which species are found where in your city? What… read more »

Lockdown Birding Challenge

Challenges