Delhi has 202 bird species
They come from different walks of life - some architects, some graphic designers, some retired Armymen, some entrepreneurs and some even Class V students.
But last Sunday, this myriad Group spoke one common language - that of Mynahs, Shovellers, Mallards and Common Coots, not to mention Spot Bill Ducks, Little Grebes and the Common Moorhen.
It was a big event for this unique group of citizens who met in the Capital on February 24 to celebrate the Big Bird Day and in their own passionate way chronicle the number of species they spotted in day-long team walks in the forested areas of the city.
"I am proud to announce that this year we touched the record figure of 500 birders and also a healthy bird count of 202 species ," Bikram Grewal, a bird author and this year's official scorer, announced over dinner.
But the healthy count came with growing concerns which the birders talked of at length - like the vanishing Dadri wetland where rare species nestle. "It is fast drying up and in a year's time will be lost to us," announced Anand Arya who single-handedly handled 137 species, three less than the highest score.
As members recounted their day out, Grewal said it was overall a fruitful day which came with its own set of hits and misses. While some of Delhi's common birds decided to play truant, some rare ones presented themselves at spots you would least expect, the Eurasian Curlew, probably the first image from Dadri Wetland. "Not one but three sightings," said a proud Arya.
Then there was this gutsy black-shouldered kite who fought with a flock of biggies to save its prey. "She was attacked from all sides but did not give up even once. We finally waded though the wheat crop and found her lying dormant - but with the prey still in its beak. As soon as we got nearer, it zoomed up and flew away," recounted Arya as the members applauded the bird's gutsy determination unanimously.
The Delhi Bird Group, though having its origins in the 1950s when British national Michael Hutton established the initiative, is today a committed and fast expanding entity of 3000 members which went online in 2001 and meets regularly to compare notes, discuss the state of Delhi's birds and talk about the depleting resources which are hitting the 500 bird species of the Capital.
Few capitals in the world, these birders tells you, are blessed with such rich and diverse bird-life as Delhi is, coming as it does close to the most birded capital in the world, Nairobi. Delhi's avian visitors have always fascinated citizens. But it is only in the past few years that bird watching has become full fledged activity among the young and the old alike.
Last Sunday, the Delhi Bird Group, along with WWF India, set up a dozen teams of birders for a day-long bird walk covering Delhi Zoo, Asola, Tughlakabad, Yamuna, Khadar, Sanjay Van, Ridge area, the Yamuna Bio Diversity Park, Dadri, Sultanpur, KG Wetlands, Sonepat, Aravali Biodiversity Park, Hauz Khas Lake and the JNU.
"The idea was to spot as many species in and around Delhi," said Nikhil Devasar who revamped the Delhi Bird Group in 2000. The count of bird species was 236 in 2006, 188 in 2007 and an improved tally of 202 this year.
"The number of birds is declining in Delhi. At least such walks boost awareness," said Dr Surya Prakash, an avid bird watcher from Life Sciences department of JNU where he led the team of birders in spotting 68 species.
Spread over 13.8 sq km, "the Jawaharlal Nehru University is home to 127 species, including migratory beauties like Black Redstart, BlueThroat, Red Throated Fly Catcher, Lesser White Throat and residential rarities like Yellow Wattled Lapwing, Alexandrine Parakeets, Plum Headed Parakeets, Sirkeer Malkoha, Common Hawk, Cuckoo and the Grey Indian Hornbill which are hardly seen in any other part of Delhi.
But these days, they are enjoying an extended winter and spring season along with 65 species of butterflies on the campus," said Dr Prakash while ealking a group of spotters through the heavily forested areas of JNU like the Parthasarthy Rock, the Aravali Guest House and the heavily forested areas of JNU like the Parthasarthy Rock, Open-air theatre, JNU stadium, the academic complex and the Check Dam.
Fog in certain areas may have kept visibility low but areas like Sultanpur which recorded the highest spotting of 140 species and the robust chirps in Hauz Khas Lake made up for the day with wonderful spottings like that of the white breasted waterhen and the stone curlew, along with Mallards and ducks snooping around in the placid lake.
Amongst the special birds seen were a juvenile White-tailed Eagle in Sultanpur and Yellow-legged Gull in OBP. Several common species like the jacanas were conspicuous by their absence.
The team that had the highest score was led by Abhijit Menon Sen who covered the Sultanpur area and notched up 140 species. Abhijits tally was 6 short of Peter Jacksons " A Days worth of Delhi Birds" on the 1st of March 1970.
Out of the 1200 species of birds found in India, Delhi is the proud home to around 500. The most significant area in the city is the Okhla Barrage, adjudged "Important Bird Area" by Birdlife International as it holds over 20,000 waterbirds in winter and has a bird list exceeding 330 species.
Bird recording in Delhi dates back to the 19th century. The first birding club, the Delhi Birdwatching Society, was formed in 1950 by Michael Hutton which continued into the 1970s. In the 1970s Tony Gaston was the most serious birder who did a specific study on Delhi Ridge birds. In the 1980s, the Oriental Bird Club was formed specifically to provide a publication of bird records. In the 1990s, bird trip reports started getting posted on the Internet and, thus, became more accessible to common citizens. By 2000, the Delhi Bird Club was revamped as an email-based group which set up its own website in 2001.
The emerging hotspots, members said, were the upcoming Aravali Biodiversity Park in Vasant Vihar & Yamuna Biodiversity Park in Wazirabad. Others talked of the streaming cranes and the red storks which made their day.
And as the annual ritual got close to winding up after a sumptuous dinner, there was a collective pledge to "being with the birds" till next year and a call to "get up, pick up your camera and binocs and start adventuring."
