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Tokhü Emong Bird Count
4 November - 7 November
“Tokhü Emong” is the post-harvest festival of the Lotha Nagas. With the harvest done and the granaries full, the people now take a respite from the toils and sweat and settle down to enjoy the fruits of one’s hard labour. Celebrate this festival by participating in the Tokhü Emong Bird Count (TEBC), an annual ‘winter’ event in Nagaland’s birding calendar!
November in Nagaland is a fantastic time for bird enthusiasts. Many migratory birds, join the vibrant resident species and the cool weather sets the perfect backdrop for birdwatchers to explore the region’s forests, mountains, and remote areas. A count during this period across the state can help keep track of migrating as well as resident birds. As temperatures shift and weather patterns evolve, these snapshots over time can inform us about impacts of climate change on the migrants that arrive in Nagaland.
WHEN
4 Nov–7 Nov 2024
WHERE
Anywhere in Nagaland
How
- Watch and count birds from anywhere in Nagaland, on any or all days of 4- 7 Nov.
- Upload your bird lists through the eBird App
- Upload as many lists as you can through out the four days of the count however, ensure that each list is of at least 15 minutes or more
- In fact, if possible, try to make lists that are exactly 15 minutes so that there is easy comparability between years
- All lists should be complete checklists with counts of all birds that you could identify by sight and/or sound to the best of your ability
- Tokhü Emong Bird Count runs from midnight of 3rd Nov to midnight of 7th Nov, so you can make multiple checklists during the day and a few lists at dawn, dusk, and night!
- Birders uploading their checklists outside Nagaland should share their checklists with eBird UserID: tokhuemong
This event is being organised in collaboration with the Wokha Forest Division and the Divisional Management Unit, Nagaland Forest Management Project (NFMP), Wokha, Nagaland and Bird Count India.
Please upload all your TEBC lists by 15 Nov 2024.
General Instructions
Visit multiple habitats from the various different regions in the state. Avoid using ‘X’ in your checklists and attempt to arrive at a number each time. Multiple checklists from the same site are also encouraged.
We can also organise online webinars on how to participate for anyone interested.
For further information, Email: [email protected]
Happy Tokhü Emong birding!
Results of Previous TEBC Events
About Tokhü Emong Festival
The Tokhü Emong is the post-harvest festival of the Lotha Nagas. With the harvest done and the granaries full, the people now take a respite from the toils and sweat and settle down to enjoy the fruits of one’s hard labour. During the festival, the entire village takes part in the celebration with extraordinary prompt and splendour. Tokhü Emong is celebrated in the 1st week of November. Friends, families, neighbours are invited to each other’s houses and this continues for 9 days. Inorder to carve uniformity, the elders of the Lotha community fixed the 7th November as the date when the feast is celebrated every year.
Tokhü Emong is also a festival of thanksgiving, sharing, and reconciliation but the most beautiful aspect of this festival is that past rancours are forgiven, new ties are formed and bonds of closer intimacy are formed. Everyone in the community attires themselves in their beautiful traditional dresses and costumes.
Header Image: Streaked Spiderhunter Arachnothera magna © Abhishek Das / Macaulay Library