2021

EDITOR’S NOTE

“This issue features a fascinating mix of citizen science events, bird walks, and outreach activities that highlight the enthusiasm and commitment of our birding community. Our outreach initiatives continue to have an impact. SOF encouraged everyone to a global event ‘International Nature Journaling Week’  that promotes environmental consciousness and creativity. We were glad to see enthusiastic participants embrace the art of nature journaling which is reflected in their works. In this quarter, 13 SOF Sunday Talkies sessions were hosted and it was of great use for the audience.” — Angeline Mano M

BIRD WALK AT YERCAUD

On April 03, 2021, a team of SOF birders Ananth T, Angeline Mano M, Geetha Ananth, Mithran A, Sakthi Chinnakannu, and Subash Babu visited a few birding hotspots at Yercaud, a hill range of Eastern Ghats. The bird walk was led by our SOF’s Bird Educator Angeline Mano M.  The highlights of the bird walk were Indian Cuckoo, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike, Black-hooded Oriole, Black-headed Cuckooshrike, Grey Wagtail, Crested Serpent-Eagle, and White-naped Woodpecker.

BIRD MONITORING AT MANIVILUNDHAN OLD TANK

On April 08, 2021, Angeline Mano M and Ganeshwar S V  visited Manivilundhan Old Tank which is a long-term monitoring wetland. The documentation included a total of 63 bird species including migratory birds and 221 individuals. Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus with a hunt was one notable observation. To see the complete checklist of birds and photographs, please click here.  

OUTREACH (1)

On April 12, 2021, Angeline Mano M was invited to give a lecture on Why Birds Matter. Women: The Hope to Conserve Birds for the Future. The webinar was organized and hosted by the Eco Club & Women’s Cell, Sri Adi Chunchanagiri Women’s College, Cumbum. To watch Angeline’s presentation, please click here.

OUTREACH (2)

On May 04, 2021, Angeline Mano M was invited to give a motivational talk by sharing her birding experiences and challenges with fellow women. The webinar was organized by the Women’s Club of Nallore Vattam, Chennai.

OUTREACH (3)

On June 05, 2021, Ganeshwar S V was invited to give a talk on Citizen science programs in conservation organized by Science Junction. The key takeaways from the session were how contributions to citizen science databases help generate a huge set of data that produces new findings and responsibilities of the students in participating and contributing to citizen science. 

ENDEMIC BIRD DAY 2021

On 8 May 2021 fifteen eBirders from Salem uploaded lists containing 200 bird observations. In all, 83 species including endemic ones were sighted during the seventh edition of the Endemic Bird Day. The day also coincides with the Global Big Day. Senthil Kumar S carried out the bird count in Mettur Taluk where he spotted Marshall’s Iora.  B E Rajendran documented birds at Yercaud including the endemic bird, White-cheeked Barbet. Angeline Mano M, Ganeshwar S V, Sankar V, Raj Guhan, Vadivukkarasi, and Subramania Siva made their observations from home. All the checklists were submitted to ebird.org/india

INTERNATIONAL NATURE JOURNALING WEEK 2021

International Nature Journaling Week was celebrated from June 01-07, 2021 with nature journaling prompts and themes. The themes for this year were Words, Pictures, and Numbers with three prompts I notice, I wonder, It reminds me of. This nature journaling week is a time to come together as a global community to enjoy nature journaling. Nature journaling is one of the best ways of documenting various aspects of nature which will be of great value after many decades. Nature Journaling enthusiasts from Salem and other districts of Tamilnadu participated in this event. To learn more about Nature Journaling, please click here. 

SOF SUNDAY TALKIES – SEASON 1

During the second quarter of the year, thirteen sessions of SOF’s Sunday Talkies were organized by the coordinators and there was a positive response from the participants. School students Raghavee R V, Magizhmathi K H, and Akshara R U shared their birding journey. Aswatha B spoke in the Evolution of Birds. Umarajeswari R gave inputs on understanding nature through bird watching with family. Student storytellers Kayalvizhi G, Kalaiselvi G, Janapriya T, and school teachers Sathya N, and Suji Manikandan K engaged the participants with value-based bird stories. Nivedhini Gopalsamy and Subhashree N shared their memorable birding trips and gave the participants a visual treat through their beautiful bird photographs.  Priyatharsini Rajendran spoke on the Wetlands of Madurai, which has the potential to hold bird diversity. Meghaa presented a brief introduction to Spiders, and Gowri G engaged the participants with a new subject Entomology. Vijayarani Biju K T spoke on the essential ways of Storytelling and parenting. Madhumitha M & Nivedha Biju narrated bird stories. Elamathi T M presented her views and the positive impact that bird watching has created on her. For recorded sessions, do check out Salem Ornithological Foundation’s Facebook and YouTube page. Click here for the playlist link.

EDITOR’S NOTE

“The new year 2021 kicked off with the bird count events, followed by bird sightings which are the first records for the Salem district. The bird walks conducted during the events are not just about spotting birds but fostering a deeper connection to nature. SOF Sunday Talkies, was in full swing where women nature enthusiasts of Tamil Nadu gathered for lively discussions on a wide range of topics—from species identification to conservation challenges. These sessions are designed to be both informative and interactive, offering a space to learn, debate, and inspire action.’ — Angeline Mano M

ASIAN WATERBIRD CENSUS 2021

Asian Waterbird Census is a citizen science program. Every January, bird watchers visit wetlands and document the waterbirds. This year SOF birders Abilash C, Ananth T, Angeline Mano M, Dharini V, Elavarasan M, Ganeshwar SV, Geetha Ananth, Gowshikha R, Himavat Gouresh, Kalaiselvan V, Kalai Vendhan S, Mithran A, Pradeepa Sudhakar, Rajangam P, Revathi Abilash, Sankar V, Sakthi Chinnakannu, Sathiyamoorthy T, Senthil Kumar S, Srinivasan (Jalakandapuram), Venkatesh S, Vijayasarathy C participated in AWC and documented birds. In total 265 wetlands in Salem were covered during the Asian Waterbird Census. All checklists were shared with the AWC India eBird account. Thanks to Sathyamoorthi T and Sankar V who hosted us at their place. Special thanks to Gowshika R for her guidance at Sankagiri, it was with her help we were able to locate the wetlands. Some of the highlights include Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Blyth’s Swift, Greater Spotted Eagle, Tawny Eagle, European Bee-eater, Marshall’s Iora, Rufous-tailed Lark, Streak-throated Swallow and Red Munia. For a detailed report on AWC 2021, click here.

PONGAL BIRD COUNT 2021

Pongal Bird Count is an annual bird monitoring program for Tamil Nadu which takes place during the Pongal festival in Tamil Nadu. This year’s Pongal Bird Count was from 14-17 January. Every year bird watchers from Salem contribute to citizen science platforms by participating in such citizen science events. All preventive measures were taken by the bird watchers during bird count. All observations of this year’s PBC are uploaded to ebird.org/India.

GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT 2021

The ninth edition of Great Backyard Bird Count was held from February 12 to 15. Just like in previous years, continuing GBBC’s trend, despite lockdown in many regions, this year eBirders from Salem submitted the largest number of 9,290 checklists among all the other districts in the world. Bird watchers from Salem were among the top 10 individuals in the world in submitting the maximum number of checklists. To see the checklists and species numbers in Salem County, click here. To see the GBBC 2021 results, click here.

GBBC BIRD WALKS

Salem Ornithological Foundation organized GBBC bird walks at Vattakadu Lake Small Dam, Kottachedu (Yercaud), Danishpet Lake, Vadamaneri Lake, Kottanathan Lake, and Geetha Nagar Annex and Surrounds. Aishwarya R, Ananth T, Angeline Mano M, Ganeshwar S V, Geetha Ananth, Harini Shri L, Jeyamurugan T,  Kanika M, Manasa S S, Minnila M P, Mithran A, Nila Shri S, Raj Guhan R, Thirumalai Venkatraman, Sadhana J, Suguna R, and Venkatesh S participated in the bird walks. A few interesting sightings during the walks were Indian Thick-knee, Woolly-necked Stork, Garganey, and Marshall’s Iora from Stanley Reservoir. Brown-cheeked Fulvetta, Orange-headed Thrush, and other resident birds were sighted at Yercaud. All mandatory precautions were strictly followed during bird walks.

FIRST RECORD (1)

On January 06, 2021, the team of Angeline Mano M, Dharini Venkatachalam, and Ganeshwar S V sighted Blyth’s Swift (Fork-tailed Swift) Apus leuconyx for the first time in Salem at Vadamaneri Lake. To see the complete checklist of birds and photographs, please click.

FIRST RECORD (2)

On January 15, 2021, Angeline Mano M and Ganeshwar S V photographed Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles exustus for the first time in Salem at  Govindampalayam Lake. To see the complete checklist of birds, please click.

FIRST RECORD (3)

On January 20, 2021, Angeline Mano M and Ganeshwar S V sighted Blyth’s Pipit Anthus godlewskii for the first time in Salem at Paavayi Kuttai or Paarai Kuttai, Olakkachinnanur. To see the complete checklist of birds, please click here. Photographs are uploaded to eBird.

FIRST PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORD 

On January 14, 2021, Angeline Mano M and Ganeshwar S V photographed Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax for the first time in Salem at  Sarvoy Big Tank. To see the complete checklist of birds, please click here.

REFRESHING BIRD WALKS

On March 29, 2021, Angeline Mano M, Kishore R, and Kishore M P took a bird walk at the 40 & 60 feet bridge, Yercaud, and at Kannankurichi (Mookaneri) Lake. The highlights of the walk at Yercaud were Gray-bellied Cuckoo Cacomantis passerinus, Blue-bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis athertoni, Yellow-throated Bulbul Pycnonotus xantholaemus, winter visitors such as Blue-capped Rock-Thrush Monticola cinclorhyncha and Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus were sighted.

BIRD MONITORING AT MANIVILUNDHAN OLD TANK

From January to March, SOF bird watchers Angeline Mano M, Ganeshwar S V, B E Rajendran, and Vijaysarathy Chinnaiah documented birds at Manivilundhan Old Tank. Winter visitors such as the Northern Shoveler, Garganey, Booted Warbler, Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Common Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Brown Shrike, Bay-backed Shrike, and other resident birds were sighted. All observations are uploaded to eBird India.

OUTREACH

On February 02, 2021, our bird educator Angeline Mano M was invited to give a lecture on Students and Youth: The Hope to Conserve Birds for Future organized by BI-PLAN Care and Conservation Club of Ayya Nadar Janaki Ammal College, (Autonomous) – Sivakasi. Salem Ornithological Foundation sincerely thanks the college management for the wonderful opportunity. To watch Angeline’s presentation, please click here. 

SOF SUNDAY TALKIES – SEASON 1

In the first quarter of this year, between January and March, thirteen sessions were hosted by the coordinators of SOF’s Sunday Talkies. Rama Neelamegam gave an introduction to Ebird and its uses. Sahithya Selvaraj gave a book introduction, Birds of Coimbatore (second edition). Abarna R, Bobby M, Dharini V, Divya Vikraman R, Narmatha K, Pavithra K, Sowbhashini S, Tharini E, Yogeswarie Sreedharan shared their experiences and their journey into bird watching. Sankaradevi D gave a talk on the impact of bird watching on school children. Merlynna Esther Maxmellion P gave an introduction to the Sparrow species and presented her research compilation on House Sparrow. A brief introduction to Citizen Science programs such as Great Backyard Bird Count and Asian Waterbird Census was also a part of the session. For more details about the upcoming webinars and recorded live sessions, do check out Salem Ornithological Foundation’s Facebook and YouTube page. Click here for the playlist link. In the first quarter of this year, between January and March, thirteen sessions were hosted by the coordinators of SOF’s Sunday Talkies. Rama Neelamegam gave an introduction to Ebird and its uses. Sahithya Selvaraj gave a book introduction, Birds of Coimbatore (second edition). Abarna R, Bobby M, Dharini V, Divya Vikraman R, Narmatha K, Pavithra K, Sowbhashini S, Tharini E, Yogeswarie Sreedharan shared their experiences and their journey into bird watching. Sankaradevi D gave a talk on the impact of bird watching on school children. Merlynna Esther Maxmellion P gave an introduction to the Sparrow species and presented her research compilation on House Sparrow. A brief introduction to Citizen Science programs such as Great Backyard Bird Count and Asian Waterbird Census was also a part of the session. For more details about the upcoming webinars and recorded live sessions, do check out Salem Ornithological Foundation’s Facebook and YouTube page. Click here for the playlist link.