THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is that time of the year again when the bird watchers in the city, armed with binoculars and camera, venture out to the suburbs and forests, to compete with each other to spot the maximum number as well as the most unique of birds. Like every other year, the bird race is held on a convenient date close to the birthday of the renowned ornithologist and the ‘Bird Man’ of India, Salim Ali. The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC), along with Kerala Birder, an Internet mailing group of bird watchers, and Yuhina Eco-Media, a Mumbai-based organisation specialising in natural history and environment-related activities and events, will organise the 5th HSBC Bird Race in Kerala, a signature event of the Bank, on November 13. The bird race will be conducted simultaneously in three cities in Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, and Kozhikode. This is the only race that is conducted across multiple cities in the state on a single day. The dawn-to-dusk event will see a large gathering of experienced and budding bird watchers spending an entire day spotting and identifying birds in an effort to record as many species of birds as possible. The objective of the Bird Race is primarily to promote and popularise bird watching among the general public so as to create awareness on birds and its related facts. By evening, all teams will meet at a common venue and have interactive experience-sharing sessions closing the day’s activities with dinner. Prizes will be given away to the team that records the maximum number of birds, bird of the day, eldest and youngest bird watcher of the day and so on. Bird watchers from several organisations involved in conservation in Kerala like Malabar Natural History Society (MNHS), Kottayam Nature Society (KNS, and World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF-India) Thiruvananthapuram, Warblers and Waders (W&W), Nature Educational Society, Thrissur (NEST), and Cochin Natural History Society (CNHS) would provide leadership to the Kerala Bird Race. During the 4th Kerala Bird Race held last year, more than 250 species of birds were spotted on a single day. The HSBC India Bird Race has been positioned as a fun event and is aimed at generating awareness among people about the bird life surrounding the region as well as gathering support for the conservation of nature and the environment. In Thiruvananthapuram, the Bird Race is being organised by WWF-India. Registration has already begun and interested participants should contact A K Sivakumar, WWF-India over telephone numbers 0471-2302265 / 94473 86978 or by e-mail: [email protected].
Comments
0 comment