Indian Bird Race: City folks record 102 avian species
LUCKNOW: Bird watching enthusiasts spotted over 100 avian species in the state capital during the event ‘Indian Bird Race 2017’ on Sunday.
“We could register 102 bird species. We also saw some seasonal ones, including the Hawk Cuckoo, popularly known as the brainfever bird,” said Neeraj Srivastav, honorary secretary of the event.
The Indian Bird Race is an annual event that aims at helping people learn more about various avian species and doing their bit in conserving the nature. Lucknow is a prized destination among the 13 cities that host this event.
”This unique event helps in bringing about people’s rendezvous with these amazing winged creatures,” said Srivastav.
During the dawn-to-dusk event, people from different walks of life experienced and bonded over bird watching. The participants spent the day spotting and identifying bird species in an effort to record as many as they could. Doctors, chartered accountants, government employees and students learnt the finer points of bird watching from experts as they visited different locations.
Overall, 18 teams went to different spots, including Lucknow University, Gomti riverfront, Kukrail forest area, Indira Canal, Dilkusha, IIM road and Moosabagh.
“They watched and enjoyed, and also recorded their observations. So far, a tally of around 170 bird species have been located in Lucknow, and today (Sunday) we crossed the ‘100 mark’, which is pretty good at this point of time when most migratory birds have already left,” said Srivastav.
The avian population of a place is the best indicator of its ecological health. Noting the presence or absence of different bird species, experts can get a fair idea about the ecological condition of any area.