EDITOR’S NOTE
“We are happy to share Salem Ornithological Foundation’s participation in bird awareness and monitoring programs in this issue. The Great Backyard Bird Count, World Wildlife Day, the Pongal Bird Count, the Asian Waterbird Census, the Tamil Nadu Synchronised Wetland and Terrestrial Bird Censuses, World Wetlands Day festivities, and the groundbreaking OrniSchool Project are all covered. Through these initiatives, SOF fostered a community dedicated to biodiversity protection by including the public and schoolchildren in various activities, with assistance from partners such as the ACSEN Foundation. The breadth of SOF’s efforts in citizen science, education, and conservation is demonstrated by the multiple surveys, bird counts, and outreach activities.” – Ganeshwar S V
ASIAN WATERBIRD CENSUS
Asian Waterbird Census 2022 was conducted by the Salem Ornithological Foundation in Salem. It was supported by the ACSEN Foundation. A total of 327 wetland habitats were surveyed by 23 volunteers. Overall, a total of 164 bird species, 33,747 individual birds, were counted. A detailed report will be published in September. For the brief report on AWC 2022, please click here. The previous year’s reports can be accessed by clicking on the respective year: AWC 2019, AWC 2020, and AWC 2021.
PONGAL BIRD COUNT
Pongal Bird Count is coordinated by Tamil Birders Network and Bird Count India. It is an annual bird monitoring program for Tamil Nadu. This year’s Pongal Bird Count took place from 14 – 17 January. All the checklists made by bird watchers across the state were submitted to ebird.org/india. The report will be published soon. Ganeshwar SV from Salem Ornithological Foundation was invited by All India Radio, Tiruchirapalli to speak about Pongal Bird Count.
ALL INDIA RADIO TALK – PBC 2022
On 14 January 2022 Bobby M, Divya Vikraman, Ganeshwar SV, Jeganathan P, Kirubhanandhini, and Selvaganesh were invited for a one-hour talk organized by All India Radio, Tiruchirapalli. All the speakers shared their bird-watching experiences during the first day of Pongal Bird Count.
WORLD WETLANDS DAY 2022
World Wetlands Day was celebrated not just on 02 February 2022 but throughout the month. As a part of these celebrations, eBirding from Wetlands, Wetland Explorers, Webinars & Presentations, and Interactive and play-based awareness programs for school children were conducted by Salem Ornithological Foundation. A Twitter thread titled “Show your Wetlands” was posted every day featuring 28 wetlands from Salem for 28 days of the month. Click here, to view the Twitter thread. For eBirding from Wetlands, Angeline Mano M visited Stanley Reservoir–Pannavadi and documented 34 species of birds. To see the complete eBird checklist, click here.
TAMIL NADU SYNCHRONIZED WETLAND BIRD CENSUS – NAMAKKAL FOREST DIVISION
On 12, and 13 February 2022 Namakkal Wetland Bird Census was organized by Namakkal Forest Division and coordinated by Salem Ornithological Foundation. A total of 137 bird species which includes 47 waterbirds, 22 foreign migrant birds & 33,800+ individual birds were identified from 18 wetlands which were surveyed by 33 volunteers and FD staff. For the brief report of the census, please click here. SOF expresses its gratitude to Thiru. K. Rajangam I.F.S, District Forest Officer, Namakkal for the opportunity, and the rangers, foresters, guards, and the entire staff of Namakkal Forest Division for their wonderful support.
GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT 2022
The tenth Indian edition of Great Backyard Bird Count was held from 18 – 21 February 2022. – Salem is the World’s No. 1 district in terms of maximum checklists (8,175) uploaded. The difference between Salem and San Diego (No. 2) is more than 5,000 lists. Angeline Mano M, Ganeshwar SV, Senthil Kumar S, Subramania Siva, and Vadivukkarasi A from SOF are in the World’s Top 10 Rankings by checklists in individual categories. The overall huge numbers by Salem were possible because of the major consistent contribution from P.U.M.S. Krishnampudur is also ranked World No. 1 in the group category. The school’s contribution was also acknowledged and recognized by the GBBC central team. To see the GBBC 2022 results, click here. To view/download Salem’s GBBC 2022 report, please click here.
GBBC BIRD TALKS (1)
On 16 February 2022, Our GBBC plus Wetlands Day celebrations outreach was conducted by SOF Bird Educator Angeline Mano M at Panchayat Union Middle School, Krishnampudur. The students were taught to make & write a checklist. A quick recall of the common birds was made using bird photographs and Early Bird flashcards.
GBBC BIRD TALKS (2)
On 16 February 2022, Angeline Mano M gave a talk on Great Backyard Bird Count and Campus Bird Count for the students of classes 6,7 & 8 from Panchayat Union Middle School, Latchumayur. Thanks to the school management and headmaster Palanivel for the opportunity.
GBBC BIRD TALKS (3)
On 17 February 2022, Angeline Mano M was invited to give a talk on GBBC & CBC organized by the Department of Visual Communications, Rathinam College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore. The session was conducted via Google Meet. SOF expresses heartfelt thanks to the college management for the opportunity.
GBBC BIRD TALKS (4)
On 17 February 2022, a webinar on How to use eBird during GBBC? was hosted by SOF and coordinated by Angeline Mano M, Ganeshwar SV via Zoom. To watch the webinar, please click here.
GBBC BIRD TALKS (5)
On 18 February 2022, SOF Bird Educator Angeline Mano M engaged with bird identification sessions for the students of Panchayat Union Middle School, A.P. Vattam, Tharamangalam block, Salem. After the classroom introduction, the students were briefed on the outdoors within the campus area. They quickly learned to identify some of the common birds visiting their campus. Thanks to the school management and teacher C. Santhosh Kumar for the opportunity.
GBBC BIRD WALKS (1)
Salem Ornithological Foundation organized GBBC bird walks at various hotspots in Salem. On the first day the students of Panchayat Union Middle School, Krishnampudur were taken for a bird walk on their school campus. The bird walk was led by Educators Angeline Mano M and Vadivukkarasi A. A few highlights of the walk were the Short-toed Snake Eagle, Indian Golden Oriole, White-rumped Munia, and Red-backed Kite with a hunt.
GBBC BIRD WALKS (2)
On 18 February 2022 PUMS, Thalavaipatty school teacher Rajangam P conducted a GBBC bird walk for the students of the Horticultural College and Research Institute for Women, Tiruchirapalli at Pethanaickenpalayam Tank.
GBBC BIRD WALKS (3)
On 18 February 2022, SOF’s women birders Angeline Mano M and Vadivukkarasi A took a GBBC bird walk at Kolanthampatty Lake, Thuttampaati Tank, Pavalathanoor Lake, Thaamarai Kuttai (Pond). A few highlights of the walk were Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Lesser Whistling-Duck, Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Ashy Woodswallow, and Large Grey Babbler.
GBBC BIRD WALKS (4)
SOF organized bird walks in hotspots at Yercaud on 19 February 2022. A total of 66 species were recorded during the walk. A team of birders Angeline Mano M, Sakthi Chinnakannu, Senthil Kumar S, Subramania Siva, Vadivukkarasi A, and Venkatraman R participated in the bird walks. The most exciting part of the day was sighting six individuals of Square-tailed Bulbul, Asian Emerald Dove, Jerdon’s Nightjar, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Brown Shrike, Jungle Owlet, Crested Serpent Eagle, Orange-headed Thrush, Verditer Flycatcher, Oriental Scops Owl, and Jerdon’s Nightjar. All the checklists were submitted to eBird. To view the checklists, click here.
GBBC BIRD WALKS (5)
The third-day bird walks were at Danishpet Big Tank, Kottanathan Tank, Sanyasi Varadar Temple Area, and Kurumbapatti Area. The birders split into three teams and identified and documented birds. A few highlights of the walks were the Eurasian Collared-Dove, Common Iora, Woolly-necked Stork, Common Rosefinch, Black-hooded Oriole, and Yellow-wattled Lapwing.
GBBC BIRD WALKS (6)
On 20 February 2022 School teacher, Rajangam P coordinated and conducted a bird walk at Oddapatti Tank & at Thalavaipatty Tank for the school students. All the students participated in the bird walk as well as bird count and made checklists in their notebooks. A few highlights of the walks were Spotted Owlet, Red-wattled Lapwing, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Eurasian Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Glossy Ibis, and Indian Golden Oriole.
GBBC BIRD WALKS (7)
For the last day of GBBC, bird walks were held at Stanley Reservoir–Pannavadi and Karaikadu. The team sighted the White-naped Tit, Indian Grey Hornbill, European Bee-eater, Brown Fish-Owl, Brown-headed Gull, Common Greenshank, and Whiskered Tern. To see the checklists at Pannavadi, click here.
GBBC BIRD WALKS (8)
The students along with their headmaster Kalaiselvan V and teacher Ravishankar at Panchayat Primary Union School, Jamboothumalai took a bird walk. A few highlights of the walk were Grey Wagtail, Jerdon’s Nightjar, and Tickell’s Blue-Flycatcher.
GBBC 2022 IN NEWS
Great Backyard Bird Count 2022 was a grand success. Salem Ornithological Foundation is thankful to Kalaikadhir news reporter Tamilselvan, Dinakaran news reporter Karthi, Thinaboomi news reporter Suresh, and News7 news reporter Ramanujam, The Hindu Metroplus news reporter Jeshi K for featuring GBBC in their news. Click here, to view the news.
WORLD WILDLIFE DAY 2022
On 03 March 2022, World Wildlife Day was celebrated at the School of Allied Health Sciences, VIMS Hospitals, Salem. Environmental Students Club of SAHS, VIMS Hospitals, Salem invited Angeline Mano M and Ganeshwar S V from Salem Ornithological Foundation to grace the occasion as Resource Persons and guests of Honor. During the bird walk-cum-short trek to a part of Kanjamalai, the team identified 33 bird species including migratory birds. Later in the day, Angeline Mano M delivered a lecture on Restoring Key Species for Ecosystem Restoration with relevance to the Salem region. SOF is thankful to Dr. B Sendilkumar, Dean & Director, SAHS, and Ms. Ganga K, Asst. Prof. and Ms. Ranjitha R, EVS Club Advisor, and the students for their wonderful hospitality, enthusiasm, and support. To see the complete checklist of birds documented during the bird walk, please click here.
FIRST RECORD
On 11 March 2022, Angeline Mano M and Ganeshwar SV sighted and photographed Little Tern Sternula albifrons at Stanley Reservoir–Pannavadi. To see the complete checklists, please click here.
MoU WITH DIET, SALEM
On 27 February 2022, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Salem Ornithological Foundation and the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), Salem. This MoU aims to implement the Communication, Capacity Building, Education, Participation, and Awareness (CEPA) Programme of the Ramsar Convention and to popularize birding and related activities among the school children and teachers in the Salem district. SOF expresses its sincere thanks to Dr. M Selvam Ph.D., Principal, DIET, Salem for his input and continued guidance towards this collaborative project and to SOF activities in general.
ORNISCHOOL PROJECT (1)
On 04 March 2022, the OrniSchool project was started at Government High School, Kurukkalpatti, Edappadi, Salem. Angeline Mano M and Ganeshwar SV from SOF engaged the students with a presentation and activity-based teaching methods. The project will be focused on executing the Ramsar CEPA. Thanks to the headmaster Nandhakumar for the opportunity and DIET, Salem for the support.
ORNISCHOOL PROJECT (2)
On 04 March 2022 Angeline Mano M and Ganeshwar SV from Salem Ornithological Foundation presented a session on Introduction to Bird watching and its uses for the students of Class 5 at PUPS, Kurukkalpatti, Edappadi, Salem. After the session, the children were engaged in Flashcard activities. Thanks to headmaster Ranjith Kumar for the opportunity and DIET, Salem for the support.
ORNISCHOOL PROJECT (3)
On 12 March 2022, Angeline Mano M and Ganeshwar SV from Salem Ornithological Foundation engaged a bunch of enthusiastic kids from St. Nicholas Middle School, Omalur, Salem. The students were involved in flashcard games and Origami sessions. This is the first set of students where every student was attentive, involved, and came up with many questions. Thanks to Headmaster Leo Paul for the opportunity and DIET, Salem for the support.
TAMIL NADU SYNCHRONIZED TERRESTRIAL BIRD CENSUS – NAMAKKAL FOREST DIVISION
On 26 & 27 March 2022, the Namakkal Forest Bird Census was organized by the Namakkal Forest Division. A total of 124 bird species which includes 10 Indian endemics, 15 migrant birds & 1,900+ individual birds were identified from 23 locations that 10 volunteers and 72 FD staff surveyed. For the brief report of the census, please click here. Some of the overall highlights include Yellow-footed Green-Pigeon, Mottled Wood-Owl, Malabar Parakeet, Spot-breasted Fantail, Yellow-browed Bulbul, Large-billed Leaf-Warbler, Indian Scimitar Babbler, Malabar Whistling-Thrush, Rusty-tailed Flycatcher and Blue Rock-Thrush. Salem Ornithological Foundation gratefully thanks the Namakkal Forest Division for the opportunity and support throughout the census.
