Kolkata: Bengal took part in India's third Dawn Chorus Day, recording early morning vocalization of birds across various birding hot spots and backyards on Sunday.
An initiative of Birdwatchers' Society (BWS) in association with the Bird Count India, the event this year saw recording of 223 species across India, according to reports till Sunday afternoon, and participation by close to 130 birders, including 70 from Bengal.
In the first edition in 2023, hardly 25 birders took part in the exercise.
"It is an important citizen science initiative and a conservation tool through which one can record presence of birds in a particular area just by recording their calls. This exercise, when conducted over a period of time, gives us an idea about occurrence and presence of birds in a particular habitat. It also helps us identify arrival of new species in an area," said Sujan Chatterjee of Birdwatchers' Society.
This year, Bengal birders participated in Lava and Daragaon (Kalimpong), Buxa-Rajabhatkhawa (Alipurduar), Jalpaiguri Teesta riverbed, Malda Adina Deer Park, Asansol, Burdwan, Birbhum, Bankura, Hooghly, North and South 24 Parganas, and West Midnapore. In Kolkata, birders recorded early-morning calls in Salt Lake and Rabindra Sarobar.
Across India, participation was recorded in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Pune (Maharashtra), Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana.
"From next year, the Dawn Chorus will be dedicated to the memory of eminent birder and conservationist Sumit Kumar Sen, who had first conceptualised the Dawn Chorus in Bengal several years ago," said Kanad Baidya of BWS.
Internationally, the day is celebrated in May, as it is an European initiative. The month represents spring there, when birds are most vocal.
"But in India, the summer is at its peak in May. So, we organise it in March when the breeding starts here and the birds are also the most vocal. From next year, we have plans to mark the second Sunday of March as the Dawn Chorus Day here," Baidya added.