birdwatching: an introduction

Birdwatching (and Ornithology)

An introduction

Ashish Kothari, Kalpavriksh

Why Birdwatching• Fascinating creatures,

colourful, musical, active

• Easy to watch, all around us (even cities!)

• Hardly any specialised equipment needed– Binoculars (or just bare eyes!)– Field guide– Notebook and Pen/pencil

Getting started• Learn a few basics

(physical features, behaviour…)

• Go birding with an experienced birdwatcher….or alone with a field guide

Detecting birds

• Visually– Using bare eyes or

binoculars• Vocally

– Listening to distinct calls

Observe the bird closely, & take notes:

1. Physical features (size, shape, colours, etc)2. Behaviour (call, flight/gait, feeding, etc)3. Habitat: Macro (forest, wetland, etc) & Macro

(tree hole, river bank, etc)4. Season (winter, summer, monsoon)

HOW TO IDENTIFY A BIRD?

1. Physical features

i. Size (relative to common bird)

Sparrow+/-Bulbul+/-Myna+/-Pigeon+/-Crow+/-Kite+/-Vulture+/-

1. Physical features (contd)

ii. Shape

Tall and slender (e.g. crane, egret)Round and dumpy (e.g. partridge)Awkward (e.g. babbler)Neat/smooth (e.g. drongo)

1. Physical features (contd)

iii. Colour(s)

Mainly one colour (white, black, green, red, blue, etc)

Black and white 2-3 main colours Lots of colours (like rainbow!)

Note: Different colours may show in flightMale and female may be v. different!

1. Physical features (contd)

iv. Distinct marks and patchesSpotsStreaks Bars Rings EyebrowsDark/bright patches

Note: Different marks may show in flight

1. Physical features (contd)

v. Peculiar/strange features

CrestWattle Hair bristles on beakBeard!

1. Physical features (contd)vi. Beak (size, shape, colour)

1. Physical features (contd)

vii. Eyes

Small/large (relative to bird)Colour Eye-ring

1. Physical features

viii. Legs/feet (length, shape, colour)

1. Physical features (contd) viii. Tail (length, shape, colour)

1. Physical features (contd)

viii. Wings (length, shape, colour)

2. Behaviour

Activity period Purely day (most species) Purely night (most owls,

nightjars) Overlapping (lapwing, magpie-

robin, spotted owlet)

2. Behaviour (contd)

Flight Constant/erratic Fast/slow Straight/up-&-down Circling/soaring Diving Hovering Wings flapping/gliding

2. Behaviour (contd)

Food

Insects Grain Nectar Fruits Meat

2. Behaviour (contd)

Communication

Vocal Contact calls Songs / Breeding calls Alarm calls

Non-vocal Drumming

2. Behaviour (contd)

Social behaviour

Mostly single Mostly in group (gregarious) Mostly/often in mixed flocks

2. Behaviour (contd)

Breeding

Territoriality Nesting Eggs & incubation Care of young Brood parasites

2. Behaviour (contd)

Other aspects

Silent/noisy? Constantly active/occasionally moving? Tail active (fanning/bobbing up-&-down)? Shy/bold in front of humans? Camouflaged/conspicuous? Any other peculiar behaviour…

3. Habitat

Macro-habitat Forest (evergreen, deciduous, scrub…) Grassland Wetland (lake, river, pond …) Marine/coast (sea, beach, mangrove …) Mountain (snowpeak, hill …) Desert (cold, hot, salt) Human settlement (village, town, city)

Terrestrial ecosystems…. deserts

Terrestrial ecosystems…. grasslands

Terrestrial ecosystems…forests

Terrestrial ecosystems…forests

Terrestrial ecosystems…mountains

Aquatic ecosystems….freshwater

Aquatic ecosystems….freshwater

Aquatic ecosystems….marine

Human-dominated ecosystems

Urban wildlife….

3. Habitat (contd)

Micro-habitat (in forest) tree hole, forest floor, ant’s nest… (at wetland) on water, edge, boulder … (in grassland) grass, rock … (in desert) dune, grassy patch … (in marine/coast) open sea, tide line … (in settlement) roof, wall, garbage dump …

4. Season & resident status

Season

Through the year Winter Summer Monsoon

4. Season & resident status (contd)

Resident status

Resident Migrant (from outside country) Local migrant Passage migrant

Group exercise…

Describe: •Physical features •Behaviour•Habitat

• Use field guide (or ask an experienced birdwatcher)

• Refer to local checklist if available (e.g. Dehradun, Rajaji NP, New Forest, Asan Barrage)

• Consult other books later

ONCE YOU’VE OBSERVED THE BIRD, TO IDENTIFY IT…

Field Guides• Pocket guide to the birds

of Indian Subcontinent: Grimmett, Inskipp & Inskipp

• Field Guide to the birds of India: Krys Kazmeirkzac

• Pictorial Guide to the birds of Indian Subcontinent: Salim Ali and Dillon Ripley

• Collin’s guide to birds of Indian Subcontinent

• Book of Indian Birds: Salim Ali

Reference Books Hand book of Birds of

India and Pakistan : Salim Ali and S. Dillon Ripley

Birds of South Asia: A Ripley’s Guide: Pamela Rasmussen and John Anderton

Birds of Indian Subcontinent: Grimett, Inskipp and Inskipp

Birdwatchers guide to India: Krys Kazmeirkzac

Hornbill / Buceros (BNHS) Indian Birds Newsletter for Birdwatchers Sanctuary Asia Forktail

Magazines / journals

Films/CDs• Audio CDs/DVDs

Bird-watching is a field hobby. There can be no better place to get initiated in it than the beautiful locales of Uttarakhand, in the lap of the mighty Himalayas. So go out and enjoy the beauty of these winged wonders…

Thanks to….

Pix: Ramana Athreya, Pallava Bagla, Rajat Bhargava, Bharat Bhushan, Ashok Captain, Raghu Chundawat, Ajay Desai, Clement Francis, R.K. Gaur, Joanna van Gruisen, Jean Howman-WPA, Girish Jathar, Ashish Kothari, Sujatha Padmanabhan, Vibhu Prakash, Asad Rahmani, Nitin Rai, Vijay Mohan Raj, Sunita Rao, Ravi Sankaran, Pankaj Sekhsaria, Krupakar Senani, Rajpal Singh, Farhad Vania, Mahendra Vyas, Shimpei Watanabe

Illustrations: Aranya Pathak Broome (courtesy Kalpavriksh’s ‘What’s That Bird?’)