Written by Environmentalist, Simarjeet Chadha
New Delhi: Big Bird Day is an annual bird spotting event of the delhibird foundation,held every year since 2004. It’s a wonderful celebration of our avian friends through the dedication of an entire day, to bird watching and recording the number of species sighted in a region.
A day, entirely, dedicated to the feathered creations of God. This year the big Bird Day was celebrated on the 5 th February, 2023. Bird watchers from all over participated in the counting on this day.
Hundreds of bird-watchers set out across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on Sunday morning as part of the Big Bird Day (BBD) count of 2023, equipped with notebooks, binoculars and cameras to identify and record resident and migratory birds.
At 253, the number of different bird species spotted across Delhi NCR, as part of the Big Bird Day count was significantly higher than last year’s count of 214. This year’s number includes 23 rare species. A total of 97 locations were covered.
This year, Dhanauri wetland recorded the maximum number of species of birds (116) followed by Surajpur Wetland (89). At least 80 bird- watchers carrying notebooks, binoculars and cameras observed andrecorded the resident, winter migratory and rare species of birds.
This celebration of the Big Bird Day helps bring the people close to nature. Spending the day observing birds, recording the species on the e-bird portal, and then comparing the data with that of the previousyears.
The analysis helps to understand the rise/decline in the speciesand thereby plan appropriate action. Nature Walks/Bird Walks are organized all through the year to enrichour knowledge about nature and its creations.
Tree Walks help people understand the importance of different types of trees. Birds are very important for our ecosystem. They help control insect population, thus helping to balance the food chain. Humming birds dive deep within the flower to consume nectar.
While doing so, pollen sticks to their body. They spread the pollen to other flowers, allowing plants to reproduce.
Birds also serve as a natural pest control and help in dispersing seeds. They bring joy to millions of people around the world.
People love to observe and identify birds in their natural habitats.
Owing to climate change, habitat loss due to urbanization, use of pesticides, pollution, entanglement and entrapment, bird species have
declined rapidly.
But…with a change in the attitude of people towards nature and its creations, with an intimate relationship developed during the covid pandemic, focus is being given on the dwindling population of various species.
One such truly commendable effort is that of Rakesh Khatri, an environmentalist, who is also called the Nest Man of India.
He has already built over 36000 nests for sparrows in the last decade. His mission is to bring back the sparrows all around us. He has been holding workshops across Delhi-NCR to impart information to people on ways to bring back the sparrow.
According to his experience, if the nest is well made and kept at a suitable height, then the sparrows inhabit it within a matter of days.
Another instance is, of the dewatering of the Haiderpur Wetland, in Uttar Pradesh. The wetland was drained off water on the behest of the farmers facing the issue of water logging in their fields, due to high groundwater level.
This caused tens of thousands of migratory birds to leave the nesting site on account of lack of enough water. But as soon as this issue was escalated, the government stepped in and stopped further draining.
Directives, for future, were issued to plan any such activity in line with migratory pattern of the birds. The covid time revealed a spike in the number of birds that could be heard chirping. Minimal traffic on the road, mimimal pollution could be the reasons that contributed to this.
This clearly indicates that human beings have to be mindful of their actions. A particular action may have a negative impact on our winged friends.
Over the years, somewhere human beings had lost their connection with nature. Technology and electronic gadgets had consumed our time and taken our focus. But as we move on, we realize the impact of taking care of nature. Devastation and natural calamities are God’s way of telling us to go slow and not exploit the planet.
