The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : All birds of a feather

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Tuesday, Jan 20, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

All birds of a feather

Staff Reporter

Bird-watchers do some stock-taking in the city

— Photo: K. Gopinathan

Graceful: Migratory birds at the Hebbal lake in Bangalore on Monday.

Bangalore: Interesting anecdotes, families dressed in camouflage outfits, children with wildlife stories, cameras, and bird catalogues were some of the things that one saw at the concluding ceremony of the third HSBC Bangalore Bird Race on Sunday evening. The atmosphere was one of complete revelry, as 171 birdwatchers gathered under one roof to share their day’s experiences, of course, to find out who the winners were. The team that spotted the maximum number of species was Pied Harrier, with a count of 145, followed by Spurfowl, which spotted 137 species, with White Throat coming close with 135 species on its list.

The Blue-bearded Bee-eater was the Bird of the Day and the rarest of all the species spotted by team White Throat.

Spotting birds

In teams of four, each member spent a whole day spotting birds in Bangalore across various locations like Puttanahalli lake, Hebbal tank, Nandi Hills, the campus of the Indian Institute of Science, Agrahara lake and Madiwala lake.

The Bangalore Bird Race is one of four races being held in the country as part of India Bird Races, which is also being conducted in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Chennai.

Conceptualised by Sunjoy Monga, a conservationist and photographer from Mumbai, and organised by noted ornithologist S. Subramanya in Bangalore, the event brought together those who have contributed to Bangalore’s bird-watching culture, along with birdwatchers as old as 10.

Felicitations

Some of the evening’s highlights were felicitations given to those who have been working conscientiously towards preserving wildlife or facilitating it. Saleem Hameed, a well-loved Bangalorean who runs a wildlife rehabilitation centre in Bannerghatta, was recognised for his consistent work in rehabilitating animals and birds.

M.B. Krishna, an ornithologist and his colleagues, were felicitated for setting up the internet group “bngbirds” and creating a network for bird lovers. Sudhir Shivaram, Yathin S.K., Kalyan Varma, Vijay Cavale were felicitated for the setting up of www.indianaturewatch.net, a non-commercial website focussed on sharing wildlife photography from India.

Speaking to the audience, Mr. Monga brought to light some issues of urban wildlife. “We have some interesting phenomena taking place which defy traditional wildlife conservation wisdom. In Mumbai, birds such as flamingos are found flocking in large numbers on the landfills — something that never happens,” he said. With this and a light, almost informal prize-distribution, the event boosted the spirits of those who were present. The chief guest was N.D. Tiwari, managing director, Jungle Resorts and Lodges and veteran ornithologist Joseph George, along with a representative from HSBC Bank.

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