Despite the scorching heat, over 300 birdwatchers came together on Sunday for the 13th annual Mumbai Bird Race. The enthusiasts, including school and college students, visited wetlands, forests, grasslands and other sites to spot birds.
“We had a fun time identifying various types of birds in Karnala Bird Sanctuary , Chirner, and Uran wetland sites. Among the significant sightings were plum-headed parakeet, rufous woodpecker, sulphur-bellied warbler, white-rumped shama, Eurasian curlew, whimbrel, greater flamingo and lesser flamingo,“ said paediatrician Dr Salil Choksi, who has been participating in the Mumbai Bird Race since its inception in 2005.
Mark D'Mello, a regular birder, told TOI: “We were very excited to spot the grey plower at Bhuigaon in Vasai.Students of Royal College, who were accompanying us, were thrilled to see the Asian paradise flycatcher and the Caspian tern.“ Another participating team spotted the rare Oriental scops owl at Malangad, near Kalyan.
Pravin Subramanian, one of the key organizers, said: “One team has claimed to have seen the grey plower bird, which is a rare find. We will confirm this through their photographs.“
Veteran birdwatcher, naturalist and among the founders of the Bird Race, Sunjoy Monga said: “Bird races have become extremely popular in various cities. The idea is to have a fun outdoors experience watching and appreciating birds and also raise concern about the dwindling bird habitat due to urbanization.“ Every year, 265 to 277 species are spotted at the bird races, he added.
Armed with binoculars and cameras and escorted by their teacher Jennifer Pinto, students of Gopi Birla Memorial School from Walkeshwar were thrilled to see various avian species within the city limits.
In a first, three tribal youngsters, who reside inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park, participated in the bird race, said organizers, who also thanked HSBC for consistently making the bird races a success over the years.
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