Patna, Dec 25 (PTI) Bihar is developing an ‘eBird’ app for the annual waterbird count- 2023 that will catalogue migratory birds coming to the state and list species with conservation concerns.
The bird count, which is part of the Asian Waterbird Census (AWC-2023), will follow similar procedures as this year.
“The list of wetlands selected in the last count will be revisited so that those wetlands with insufficient bird presence could be deleted and new ones added in 2023. The list of coordinators, birders and bird guides needs to be enriched and enhanced,” according to the minutes of the preparatory meeting on the bird census chaired by Chief Wildlife Warden Prabhat Kumar Gupta.
The meeting held virtually on December 24 was attended by Netherlands-based Taej Mundkur, who has worked with Wetlands International, a global non-profit initiative on conservation, for three decades. He is also the coordinator for the AWC.
Apart from developing an ‘eBird App’, keeping a count of migratory birds is one of the primary objectives of the exercise.
Bihar gets a flock of migratory birds, including Comb duck, Red-crested Pochard, Gadwall, Garganey, Eurasian Coot, Northern Pintail, White Wagtail, Citrine Wagtail, Ferruginous Duck, Eurasian Kestrel, Striated Babbler, Greylag Goose, Ruddy Shelduck, Bar-headed Goose, Common Sandpiper, Long-legged Buzzard, Temminck’s Stint, Little Stint, Pallas’s Gull, Spotted Redshank, Taiga Flycatcher and Dunlin, Gupta told PTI.
He said that after completing all formalities and pre-surveys of the wetlands in all districts, the counting exercise of waterbird will begin by the first week of February 2023.
“We have already started working on developing an ‘eBird App’ for completing the exercise fast. Training on it to be imparted to our officials and recording will be done in hybrid mode—that includes digitization of all records pertaining to Waterbirds”, the Chief Wildlife Warden said.
While explaining the 2022 Annual Waterbird Count, Gupta said, “A total of 15 teams comprising 413 human resources covered a total of 68 wetlands from 23 districts of Bihar, investing approximately 986 human hours in the count during the AWC-2022. A total of 45,173 individuals of birds of 202 species belonging to 61 families were reported. Of these, 39,937 individuals of 80 species were waterbirds, 2,271 individuals of 21 were water-dependent birds, and 2,965 individuals of 101 species were Land birds”.
He said the exercise had, for the first time, provided baseline data that could be used in building management strategies for the conservation of birds in Bihar. PTI PKD RG RG
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