AHMEDABAD: Campuses in the city have been abuzz for the past two days with
bird enthusiasts
taking part in the annual
Great Backyard Bird Count
, a global event in which over 1 lakh people participate. India is the third highest contributor to the exercise. It started from February 17 and will conclude on February 20.
This year, the participating campuses in the city include ATIRA, CN College of Fine Arts, CEE, Gujarat University, ISRO Colony Vastrapur, PDPU, SAC-ISRO Bopal Campus, Shreyas Foundation, and Bhavan’s College. In all, 26 campuses registered for the event, up from 10 last year.
S Sivakumar, the park manager of Sundarvan, said that an orientation programme was organized on February 12 which drew bird-watchers and enthusiasts from different parts of the city. “They were trained to count, write down their observations online, and register campuses. A mock session was also organized,” he said.
The participants said that the survey reveals much more than numbers. “In previous years, we have observed changes in birds’ usual habitat, increase in population, preferred spots for nesting, food habits, and so on,” said a participant. “The figures, compiled at the global level, provide a better understanding of the flora and fauna around us. The city is blessed with some good campuses and we are hopeful of identifying and recording more birds, as the area this year is wider.”