Campus Bird Count 23....An experience to cherish

 “Shrew!” came a shrill call, piercing through the hushed silence of the breezy dawn.

It was still January, yet felt like Spring was just around the corner. The call was ignored by the 10-15 of us who were practically laymen in the field of bird watching, but all our coordinators immediately perked up. We were gathered near the IMDR canteen, a merry group of around 20 people, with slightly sleepy faces but bearing enthusiasm nevertheless for yet another birding session. It was already past 7, and volunteers for the Greater Backyard Bird Count, GBBC for short, were still coming in for one of the many training sessions for that morning.

We were almost about to start the day when the call quietened the coordinators. “Shrew!” it came again. They looked at each other and quickly exchanged a knowing look. Siddhant was the first to react. He immediately strode in the direction of the sound, taking huge steps yet trying to be as quiet as possible. The rest of the coordinators immediately started following him and all of them stood under the huge Acacia tree, frantically searching for the source of the call. One look at their eyes was enough to tell us that this was not a common catch. Without waiting, all the volunteers hurried in the direction of the tree and stood there just like that, our eyes towards the slender branches cutting the crisp blue morning sky, all ears and not one uttering a single word.

“Shrew! Shrew!” it was clearer than ever and now everyone had heard the call. The next few minutes were spent in hastily removing the binoculars and cameras from their cases, all the while keeping our eyes glued to the tree. And then we just waited. We were pretty accustomed to waiting now, over the course of the past few days, just observing between the branches of trees for the slightest movement. Apart from the binoculars and the cameras and the field guides, the most important thing you needed for birding was patience. Fortunately, she didn’t keep us waiting for long. The Indian Paradise Flycatcher jumped from a twig, majestically spreading its wings for a brief amount of time and settled onto a lower branch, giving us a clear view of the bird. With a striking blue head and cinnamon-brown wings and a moderate-sized tail with a contrasting white breast, this female was truly a sight to behold. Prabhav, the chief co-ordinator of the GBBC started telling us about the significance of the bird while all those with a camera started clicking shutter snaps of the bird. The coordinators went gaga over such a fine sighting early in the morning and it wasn’t long before someone started calling Aditya Kulkarni.

I had known that Aditya Kulkarni had spent years to catch the perfect glimpse of this beautiful bird and watching this bird live was a dream come true for him. The Indian Paradise Flycatcher (IPFC) soon flew away to some distance, away from our view, and Aditya arrived at the location 10 minutes later. He soon became a victim of casual mockery and fun for his bad timing and one could see the remorse in his eye, especially me.

I was once part of a 7-8 membered team led by Aditya himself a month or two ago to try and spot the IPFC. It was seen near the JGRVTI department on the campus itself multiple times, but my good friend here wasn’t present there even once.

The Indian Paradise Flycatcher was arguably the most decorated bird among us not only during the time of the GBBC but even before that and thus, the sightings of it created quite a stir in the Nature Club of our college. Our mini-expedition was unsuccessful, which hurt more because Aditya had missed the bird just by 10 minutes now. But Siddhant was quite the saviour for Aditya that day as he spotted the female again just a few meters ahead. Aditya, along with us all, rushed to the spot once again and sure it was, perched on a dried tree and this time, feeding on a butterfly. There was again a frenzy of snapshots and exclamations as we saw the bird minding its own business, oblivious to us. But the best part was seeing Aditya falling to his knees with a hand on his heart (probably a futile attempt to calm down his heartbeats) and tears welling up in his eyes as he got the shot of a lifetime. This memory is one of my favourite moments from the Campus Bird Count event.

Pune is blessed with mountains and hillocks which are situated in the very heart of the city. Once home to the Savannah ecosystem, these hills now boast dense forestry and overgrowth. Naturally, this vegetation has become a humble abode to different kinds of birds apart from other fauna which are indigenous as well as migratory. The Fergusson Hill, located towards the western end of the Fergusson College campus, along with tall, robust trees which adorn the premises play the lion’s share in the bird species which is observed in the college. Apart from the common ones like the species of Crows, Mynas, Parakeets and also Grey Hornbills, Hummingbirds, Bee Eaters and Kites, various migratory as well as uncommon ones prove to be flamboyant in the months of winter and spring. Whether it be Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher with its vibrant blue body and an orange belly hopping amidst tree branches or the bright-coloured Small Minivet with its low ‘swee-swee’ call; from the Indian White Eye with its vivid white circular patch around its eye to the White Throated Kingfisher with its long orange beak and a subtle combination of colours, these tiny birds, to name a few, are truly magnificent to look at. The daunting calls of the Red Wattled Lapwing or the short and repeated reverberating song of the Indian Nightjar echo in the premises as dusk settles solemnly on the quiet campus. Spottings like the White-breasted Waterhen and various species of Cormorant apart from the Indian Spot-Billed Duck and the Pond Heron showcases the diversity of water birds on the campus. Raptors like the majestic Shikra or the Booted Eagle with finger like feathers on the tip of its wings add to the glorious list of birds of prey like the Pallid Harrier or the Crested Honey Buzzard which, with a keen eye and some forbearance, can be seen gliding past over the historic buildings of the college. The queer laugh of the Laughing Dove, the tri-syllable whisper of the Green Warbler, the dazzling look of the Indian Golden Oriole, the pink feet of the Tree Pipit; the beautiful tail of the Spot- breasted Fantail, the minuscule appearance of the Pale-Billed Flowerpecker – all these aspects of the birds, to name a few, and many more of them, grace the diversified vicinity of the Fergusson College Campus which makes birding in the campus notably important.

It was the month of December when our EVA teacher, Mr Avishakr Munje told the class about the GBBC event. It was open for everyone to participate, and no prior birding experience was required. There would be training sessions spread across the whole month of January to help us get acquainted with birds and precisely identify them for the final event, which was at the beginning of February. I had participated in my first birding session ever a few weeks back under Avishkar Sir. To be very honest, I was excited just at the prospect of observing different birds through those high-powered binoculars. Besides, January was just the start of the new semester and the workload would be at a minimum. And just like that, I was sold at the idea of birding for almost the next whole month. We were told to install an app on our smartphones called the ‘eBird.’ The app had a checklist system with timers and you had to note down all the species you observed in a minimum of 15 minutes in it. This very app would be used on the days of the GBBC event, so it was mandatory for all. Not only did it record our observations of birds, but being used on a global platform, it also told us where we ranked individually around the world.

My first training session turned out to be pretty fantastic. We were around 40 people that day and were divided into 4 groups of 10 people each. Each group was to disperse to various places around the campus as far as possible from each other. The idea was to avoid noting down the same species in 2 or more checklists. This also ensured that we covered the maximum area of the campus in a short while. Our daily routine started with assembling near the IMDR at around 7:30 in the morning. Prabhav took everyone’s attendance. It was mandatory to attend at least 10 training sessions to be eligible for the golden event and thus, daily attendance was carefully taken. After splitting into groups which were randomly decided every day, we went our own ways. It was really appreciable how the coordinators just mutually decided which guys to take with them and which spots to visit that day without having an argument even once. Because after all, birding is what mattered the most to us and trivial things like these were not given heed. The training sessions stood witness to some amazingly rare sightings on the campus and if it wasn’t for the GBBC, we could’ve missed opportunities of our lifetimes. 

One such incident happened during one of our regular training sessions. Avishkar Sir was accompanying us that morning, and volunteers were present in huge numbers. It was past 8:30 in the morning, and we had already wrapped up the session. Everyone was gathered under the huge canopy of the mango tree standing tall over the Psychology department for the final attendance. Just when everything was over and people were about to head back, someone yelled, “Aaila Ultramarine ahe!” (it’s an Ultramarine!) And Avishkar sir thought that it was just a joke. But the guy then pointed at the spot and the next thing we knew, Avishkar sir used the f-word in front of almost 40 participants. Of course, he regretfully covered his mouth after that and sheepishly apologized to everyone but it hardly mattered, because sure enough, Aditya Soman had spotted the Ultramarine Flycatcher. About the size of a House Sparrow, this beautiful bird is a thing to be cherished. Boasting an electric blue body with a white underside, this is easily one of my favourite flycatchers. It is also called the White-browed blue flycatcher due to a prominent white brow above its eye. The Ultramarine Flycatcher is a resident of the foothills of the Himalayas and migrates towards southern India during the harsh winters and was a pleasant shock to everyone present because that was the first sighting of the bird on the campus. The pretty blue bird was spotted for a total of 4 days straight after which it probably flew away due to the ongoing fest activities in the college.

Days fleeted by quickly and the morning sessions became a daily routine for us. Now I started waking up even before the alarm went off and there were days when the only thing I looked forward to was the bird-watching sessions. Soon, birding did not remain restricted only during the morning or evening hours. We started gazing between tree branches whenever we had time just for a glimpse of some rare bird. Between classes, coming to college or returning to our dorms or rooms, you could always find a group of people hunched below a tree looking at something above their heads throughout the campus. The slightest call alerted our ears, the tiniest movement caught our eyes. The adrenaline rush when we saw some rare sighting was something I had never experienced before. We debated over the spotting; if it was the Taiga or the Red Breasted Flycatcher. We tried to figure out where the Coppersmith Barbet called from. We kept track of the Barn Owl and the Spotted Owlets and checked on them as if we had adopted them. Images of birds captured on the campus for identification and discussion were shared on the WhatsApp group, dedicated only for the purpose of the Campus Bird Count. We started practising on our own – from listening to calls from the Merlin app to trying to identify the type of Parakeet from their screech, we wanted to leave no stone unturned. By the end of January, almost everyone in college knew about the crazy group of people who just could not get enough of birds. What had started as something which was necessary for the event turned out to be a beautiful hobby for us all and before you knew it, everyone did it not only for the GBBC but also for the sheer joy of bird watching.

The Greater Backyard Bird Count was just around the corner now and it was really the only thing anyone could talk about. It was very important to conduct the event in a well-organised manner to prevent any confusion or complexities. A digital map was drafted by one of the volunteers which mapped the entire campus premises as well as areas of Fergusson Hill. A total of 15 spots were decided in all with a distance of approximately 200 meters in between them. The distance ensured that the same bird species wouldn’t be counted twice in 2 different checklists, a rule which was also followed during the training sessions as mentioned earlier. 29 coordinators were finalised for the main event, under whom a group of 5-7 volunteers would be allotted. A separate spreadsheet was also made which consisted of a table of spots and slots along with the lat-longs of the spots which were further linked to Google Maps to ensure ease of access to the spots. All the coordinators had to fill the slots in front of their respective spots after their time slots were over to keep a record. In a nutshell, the spreadsheet was used to determine which slot was free or which slot had been taken up for the allotted spot. Separate WhatsApp groups of all 29 coordinators and their assigned volunteers were made according to the designated spots. The stage was all set for the big programme. And finally, the days of the event dawned on us. Keeping to their word, many volunteers and coordinators started birding right from 6 in the morning. Everyone had taken it seriously, and by 8’O clock, every single volunteer was seen with their phone in hand, caps on their head, roaming around the campus. Everything happened in a coordinated manner and no major problems arose. People were actively engaged in this beautiful activity, with coordinators leading their groups sincerely. Checklists were being made continuously with appropriate breaks in between. There were regular time-outs and coordinator meetings to discuss the proceedings. Drinks were sponsored by Avishkar sir, and that was enough for us all to get motivated every day. The participation was temporarily paused during the afternoon due to the scorching heat forthe volunteers, but many dedicated coordinators continued. Many of us worked for an exhilarating 12 hours every day! At the end of the day, as evening came stealthily, we were often dehydrated, hungry and tired, but we hadn’t attended those training sessions for nothing. Each evening, for the 4 days of the event, we assembled near the Gymkhana for the last count of the day. Groups and groups of students stood on the ground, feet to the soil and eyes to the sky, as thousands of Parakeets flew over our heads in flocks. I still remember the laughter and the squealing at the end, as we relieved the stress of the whole day; friends who were assigned to different groups uniting again for the last activity, sharing the rare sightings of the day with each other, remembering the antics and laughing shamelessly, the silhouette of the trees watching us enjoying in oblivion, the setting sun being witness to a merry group of people discovering a new joy in their life…

Pune district topped the state in terms of species as well as checklists. With over 6,000 checklists, (the only district in the state to cross 400) Pune did the most for Maharashtra in securing the second spot in India. The top 10 spots in the state for participants with the greatest number of checklists were all bagged by volunteers from Fergusson College and with a total of 89 identified species, the college got recognised in the top 10 hotspots of the country. Needless to say, Fergusson College served as the backbone for Pune County to be at the top of the list. Neel Brahme, with an unbelievable count of 142 checklists spawning 4 days was the top participant in Maharashtra followed by Chinmay Bhoyar and Somesh Mutnale with 136 and 126 checklists respectively. It really was a mammoth task to inspire almost an entire batch of students to start something which they had never done in their life and take the college to such heights with them. The whole and sole of this successful event was Avishkar Munje sir along with many core members who strived to train students like us with a lot of dedication and patience. Thanks to this event, this habit of bird watching will be etched in our hearts and is going to last a lifetime for us all!

~Aditya Patil