Birders set for summer count in state on Poila Baisakh weekend
Times of India | 13 April 2024
Kolkata: For the second consecutive year, the Birdwatchers’ Society, in collaboration with Bird Count India, is set to conduct the Poila Baisakh bird count throughout Bengal over the weekend.
The initiative aims at gathering data on birds during the summer in the region. The count is similar to the Great Backyard Bird Count, which focuses on bird life in spring.However, the Poila Baisakh count will provide insights into the habitat and behaviour of birds in the hotter months.
Kanad Baidya of the Birdwatchers’ Society highlighted the significance of April for birdwatching in Bengal. “April is an interesting time for birds in the region — many are already singing and breeding, particularly in the western and northern hills — but many others are still moving through towards more northerly breeding grounds. A count during this period can help monitor the status of breeding birds as well as the migrants moving through,” he explained.
Sujan Chatterjee, secretary of the Birdwatchers’ Society, emphasized the long-term benefits of such counts. “Over time, these snapshots during summer can inform us about impacts of climate change on migration and breeding phenology,” he said. The data collected can help in understanding if climate change is affecting breeding cycles. According to him, the exercise will also give an idea on some birds’ reverse migration trend.
The previous year’s count, held on April 15 and 16, saw significant participation and impressive results. As many as 176 birders recorded 544 species across 20 districts. This year’s bird count is expected to build on the success of the last year and provide even more valuable data on the avian population in Bengal in summer.
Organizers have also asked participants to report breeding codes on eBird — an online database of bird observations. “This is an important step to help fulfil one of the objectives of the count — to monitor breeding activity over time. More the number of checklists with breeding codes, better our understanding of the incidence of each breeding behaviour,” added Baidya.