Bengalureans are out birdwatching again

Despite the dwindling tree cover, the city is home to many bird species

The birdwatchers of Bengaluru gather on the first weekend of October every year, to celebrate ‘Bengaluru Bird Day’. The occasion is held in memory of Dr Joseph George, a prominent birdwatcher in India.

Recently, on October 3, the group headed to Sonnapura Lake near Chikkaballapur for a bird walk.

“The pandemic had put a halt to my birdwatching trips, but it felt great to get back out there after a long time. We got to see around 250 birds just on that single trip,” says Tamanna Atreya, a 15-year-old student from the city. She was introduced to the activity at a young age by her parents.

For author and writer Shoba Narayan, birdwatching was a chance encounter that she hadn’t expected to enjoy so much. “About 10 years ago, someone had gifted me a pair of binoculars and I wasn’t sure what to do with them. So, one day I went to my balcony. It overlooked a patch of greenery. I used the binoculars to look at trees and discovered all the birds in there. That’s how the world of birds opened to me,” she says.

Bengaluru has a vibrant community of birdwatchers, she tells Metrolife. “It is a very inclusive community. There are many senior birders in the city, who have brought the community together,” she adds.

One of the senior birdwatchers in the city is M B Krishna, co-founder of the annual ‘Bengaluru Bird Day’. He believes, compared to other cities in the country, Bengaluru has an environmentally-informed population. “There are other cities in India which might be more suitable for bird watching but Bengaluru has a good interest base. This is what has helped the bird watching community grow over time,” he says. The media houses in the city have played a big role in keeping the citizens informed, adds Krishna.

Few young birders

Despite the growing numbers, not many youngsters are drawn to the activity. As a teen, Tamanna hopes more youngsters show interest in birdwatching. “It would be nice to have more people of my age. Many of the (birdwatching) groups in the city target adults, so it gets a little difficult for kids of my age,” she says.

However, another birdwatching enthusiast, Deepa Mohan, says lately many resources are now available to help youngsters. “There are apps like the Merlin and EarlyBird and also specific groups on WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook,” she says. She believes the first step for anyone, irrespective of age, is to join a group walk happening in and around the city.

“Group walk or solo, all you need to do is get out there with a pair of binoculars, a notebook and a pen. You don’t need any fancy equipment for birdwatching,” adds Tammana.

Dwindling greenery

Bengaluru is surrounded by some great locations for birdwatching, says the community. “Just head out one hour away in any direction from the city centre and you’re bound to come across a good spot for birding,” says Shoba.

Deepa agrees: “I conduct walks in the city and around it, in all directions. I would call Hoskote Lake my number one hotspot for birding. The Bannerghatta biosphere is also a magical place.” However, she has noticed that the depleting greenery across the city has affected the population of birds over time.

“The number of bird species found in and around Bengaluru has dipped quite a bit. Thankfully, there are still enough to hold our interest. But one has to now go about 30 km from the city limits to see raptors (birds of prey), for example,” says Deepa.

Bengaluru was already one of the drier regions of the state to begin with and depleting vegetation and greenery is not a good sign, says Krishna, who has been birdwatching in the city for the last five decades.

“The city has lost more than 70 per cent of its greenery in the past decade. This is a tragedy. The dip in greenery has obviously affected the population of birds. Today, in Bengaluru you might see birds of different kinds but their population is extremely low. This is not good,” he says.

But Deepa feels that post the Covid-19 lockdowns, there might have been an increase in urban bird species. Deepa follows Covid protocol to a tee and conducts small group outings on weekends.

To know more about upcoming bird walks, contact [e-mail] and [e-mail].

Birdwatching spots

- Lalbagh Botanical Garden

- Sonnapura Lake

- Hoskote Lake

- Gulakmale Lake

- Nandi Hills