BNHS to hold two bird census

The Times of India , Friday, January 06, 2017
Correspondent : MankaBehl
Nagpur: January will be an exciting month for birdwatchers who will get a chance to count common as well as migratory birds of the region. The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has announced two pan-India bird counts this month.

Under its initiative of Common Bird Monitoring Programme, the second pan-India bird count will be held on January 15. "The first count was organized in monsoons and the third one will take place during summers. After this, data of all the three seasons will be compiled and analysed to study population of common birds in the country," said NandkishorDudhe, a research assistant at BNHS.

The programme is a citizen-science initiative that aims at involving maximum people in observing birds. "Change in the numbers of some common birds is often unnoticed. Monitoring common birds will help us in establishing a baseline data about species distribution and abundance. This data and long term monitoring will help in understanding population changes of common birds over a period of time," said BNHS scientist Raju Kasambe.

To monitor the status of waterbirds and wetlands, BNHS will be conducting Asian Waterbird Census in association with Wetlands International from January 7-22. "However birdwatchers can count waterbirds anytime during the month. Waterbirds act as key indicators about health of wetlands, highlighting the importance of these wetlands for both humans and birds. The census is a part of the global International Waterbird Census (IWC) which marks the completion of 50 years of monitoring waterbirds," BNHS stated.

The objective of the annual census, which will be conducted all over India, is to obtain information about the waterbird population in wetlands during non-breeding season as it forms a basis for evaluation of sites and monitoring of populations. The census is also expected to monitor the status and condition of wetlands and promote greater interest about conservation of waterbirds and wetlands.

Last year in January, a similar Asian waterbird count was held in which a large number of local birdwatchers had participated. During the survey, they had observed traces of poaching activities at prominent bird habitats of the region.

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/bnhs-to-hold-two-bird-census/articleshow/56360231.cms
 


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