Gujarat’s participation in global birding event soars

AHMEDABAD: Birders from Gujarat enthusiastically participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count 2022 (GBBC), an annual global bird watching event. They submitted 3,011 checklists at the fourday marathon this year against just 699 last year. The event, organized by Bird Count India in collaboration with eBird, was held from February 18 to 21. GBBC is an effort to document bird populations in residential backyards, educational campuses, premises of large public institutes, bird sanctuaries and major avian habitats across the country.
According to the final results declared on April 14, 226 participants uploaded 3,011 checklists from 723 locations across the state. Gujarat birders spotted a total of 361 species of birds this year.

AMDAVADI BIRDER TOPS STATE WITH 159 CHECKLISTS:
Dhaval Shukal, a zoologist from the city, submitted maximum checklists from the state — 159. Apart from Shukal, Ahmedabad’s father-daughter duo Kunan and Anaya Naik also secured positions in the all-India top 30 list. Kunan, a lawyer, uploaded 136 checklists while his 12-year-old daughter uploaded 108 checklists. “I started bird watching around 15 years ago. It is my hobby and also related to my profession,” said Shukal, who has a doctorate in zoology, and had been teaching at Gujarat University. Shukal is shortly going to Nebraska in the US for further research. GBBC participants are required to count birds from any location on one or more days of the four-day event. They then upload the photographs, videos, location, and other details of their sightings on www.ebird.org/india or on the app.

361 BIRD SPECIES SPOTTED IN STATE:
During the four-day event this year, a total of 361 species of birds were spotted across Gujarat. Birdwatchers said that, this year, the event saw the highest participation from Gujarat ever since it was launched. They said that it is an important practice that would provide a comprehensive understanding of how bird populations are changing with time. Among other species, two black-bellied terns and a rock-eagle owl were also spotted in the state this year. In GBBC, these two species are considered ‘sensitive’ because they get easily upset and tend to shift if their habitats are disturbed. GBBC does not reveal the locations of these species.