By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 27 Nov: Birdwatchers are flocking yet again to Dehradun from all parts of the country to participate in the 11th edition of the pioneering avian base-line population data generation project initiated by ARCH – Action & Research for Conservation in Himalayas – in the year 2008 as a small experiment. This today has popularised bird tourism in the state from all over.
Prateek Panwar, the brain behind this unique conservation initiative, describes the objectives of GHBC as establishing Uttarakhand among the birding community of the country. The other motive is to expose the abundance of diverse species diversity to the birding community. He says that all this would not have been possible without the support and patronage of Uttarakhand Tourism and Prof Durgesh Pant of UCOST.
With the onset of winters, it is time once again for the feathered friends to stretch their wings and migrate to Uttarakhand, and following the birds are the bird watchers, thus making Uttarakhand a dream destination.
The Culture Department Auditorium was the meeting point for the Inaugural, Orientation and Flag-off Ceremony of the four-day Great Himalayan Bird Count. The highlight was the husband/wife team of Arjun and Nithya Subramanian, who drove 2,750 kilometres in their jeep all the way from Coimbatore to Doon. Arvind Kumar was an inspiration for first time participants as he has been participating regularly without break since 2008. Also seen were other regulars like Shanta Ravi Kumar, Ravi Gopal Krishen and Kamal Krisnani from Bangalore. Interesting to mention is the participation of mother Deepali Watve and her two very young sons, Ayan and Abeer, from Pune.
The Great Himalayan Bird Count is planned on 105 popular trekking trails situated in the river valleys stretching from Pabber in the west to Tons, Yamuna, Kamal Nadi, Bhagirathi, Bhilingna, Ganga, Mandakini, Alaknanda, Pindar, Song, Malan and Koshi in the east in Garhwal and Kumaon Hills, representing some amazing Himalayan bird species habitats covering terrains from wetlands to alpine snow meadows giving a trekking opportunity in all representative bird habitats from 300 to 3700 metres altitude in the Himalayas.
GHBC participants have identified around 725 bird species in Uttarakhand out of 1305 reported in the country till date and they feel proud that three species were sighted first in Uttarakhand creating a record of sorts.
GHBC is an annual, repeat transact, avian base-line population dynamics encounter rate survey covering all representative bird habitats falling in all river valleys in Garhwal region from Banganga wetlands in the east to Asan Conservation Reserve in the west and climbing up to Chakrata-Kanasar-Deoban and still further to Arakot-Cheewan bordering Himachal in the extreme north-west, covering alpine snowlines of Har-ki-Doon; Dayara; Yamnotri; Devaria Taal; Chopta-Tungnath-Pung Bugyaals to meadows of Bedni & Ali and Pauri-Khirsu in the east including some bird habitats falling in the watersheds of Malan and Kosi rivers of Kumaon in the east.
Since 2008, participants have added 3 species:
“Rook Corvus frugilegus, Yellowhammer Emberiza citronella in Uttarakhand and Red Kite Milvus milvus in Garhwal” as first species records.
