Campus Bird Count

Avian Allies, the Birders’ Club of CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Pune Lavasa Campus organized the first ever Campus Bird Count on 19th Feb 2024. The Campus Bird Count (CBC) is a sub-event of the annual Great Backyard Bird Count, a global event held from 16-19th February 2024. CBC is a coordinated effort to document the birdlife on multiple campuses across India. According to GBBC the term ‘campus’ includes “campuses of educational and training institutions, government institutions, research stations, corporate campuses, etc”. Outside protected areas, campuses in India often contain surprisingly large amounts of important habitat for birds and other wildlife which requires essential documentation. The event was held in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Days before the CBC event, student and faculty volunteers received virtual training from WWF on how to document bird sightings using the eBird App.

The fun and insightful bird walk in CHRIST Lavasa campus commenced at the Gazebo in the Central Block at 8 AM. The walk began with a briefing by the organizers regarding basic etiquettes of bird watching such as wearing dull clothing that would camouflage with the surroundings, moving slowly in small groups without making much noise and maintaining a safe distance from birds engaged in nesting, mating or rearing chicks. The participants were also introduced to the eBird App and the importance of recording bird sightings. 

Field guides such as Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Grimmett and Inskipp and Birds of Maharashtra pamphlets provided by Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) and Early Bird, served as excellent resources. The use of eBird along with Merlin App proved helpful in associating bird sounds/ songs and calls with the species and served as a great learning experience for first-time birders. These apart, seasoned birders and wildlife photographers from Pune joined on the walk and imparted their knowledge regarding bird species. Covering a total duration of 178 minutes and a distance of 3.28 km, around 46 bird species were sighted and/or heard within the campus. 

These included Grey Junglefowl, Rock Pigeons, Oriental Turtle-Doves, Greater Coucals, Little Swifts, Little Egrets, Eastern Cattle Egrets, Shikras, Common Kingfishers, White-Throated Kingfishers, Asian Green Bee-Eaters, White Cheeked Barbets, Yellow-Crowned Woodpeckers, Common Ioras, Black Drongos, White Bellied Drongos, Indian Paradise Flycatchers, Large Billed Crows, Common Tailorbirds, Ashy Prinias, Blyth’s Reed Warblers, Dusky Crag Martins, Wire Tailed Swallows, Red Rumped Swallows, Red Whiskered Bulbuls, Red Vented Bulbuls, Tickell’s Leaf Warblers, Greenish Warblers, Indian Scimitar Babbler, Puff Throated Babbler, Brown Cheeked Fulvetta, Jungle Babbler, Common Mynas, Indian Blackbirds, Oriental Magpie Robins, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Indian Robins, Red Breasted Flycatcher, Pied Bush-chats, Thick-Billed Flowerpeckers, Crimson-Backer Sunbirds, Purple Sunbirds and White-Browed Wagtails. 

Rare species like the Golden-Fronted Leafbird and Forest Wagtail were also sighted. Overall, the event was a great learning experience for the participants who could appreciate the rich avian diversity of the Campus. The list of birds was systematically entered on eBird and shared with all the participants thus contributing to citizen science while also creating history on CHRIST’s Lavasa Campus.

OUTCOMES OF THE EVENT

Outcome 1: Identify and document bird species found on the Campus

Outcome 2: Contribute to citizen science by participating in the global birding event, the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)