Dharwad: To mark the 129th birth anniversary of ‘birdman’ Dr Salim Ali, the Nature Research Centre (NRC) and Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), held a bird watching event at the Botanical Garden on the Karnatak University campus.During the ‘small trail’ of 1.5 kms, the bird watchers documented as many as 49 bird species. Among the birds observed were the chestnut-tailed starling, Indian coppersmith barbet, golden oriole, yellow-footed green pigeon, Indian grey hornbill, Tickell’s flowerpecker, Tickell’s blue flycatcher, white-browed fantail, greenish warbler, cinereous tit, treepie, small scarlet minivet, and pale-billed flowerpecker, among others.Teams were led by ornithologists Gangadhar Kallur, RG Thimmappur, Krishnakumar Bhagwat, Anil Kumar Kittur, Dheeraj Veeranagoudar (zoologist), and Harshavardhan Sheelavantar.Undertrial prisoners at Dharwad Central Prison had prepared birdhouses in the carpentry workshop. RG Thimmappur distributed these and appealed to people to place them in their courtyards to provide shelter for sparrows.Citizen science and citizen scientists play a crucial role in the conservation of environment and wildlife, said NRC executive president Panchakshari Hiremath. “Under expert guidance, we have been documenting local bird data and uploading it to the ‘eBird app’ for the last seven years, aiding in the protection of habitats and the recording of migratory birds” he added.Students and researchers from Karnatak University department of postgraduate studies and research in zoology, doctors from SDM College of naturopathy and yogic sciences, and members of the Rotary Club also participated.Bird watching weekThe data collected from the bird-watching event has been uploaded to the eBird app, developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the report link has been submitted to BNHS. As part of Dr Salim Ali’s 129th birth anniversary celebrations, Bird watching week was observed from Nov 6 to 12. At KE Board’s High School, Malmaddi, a slide show on birds by wildlife photographer Anil Kumar Kittur and a live demonstration by ornithologist Gangadhar Kallur were organised.
