The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) has recorded 340 species in Kerala, including migratory and resident birds.
The GBBC, a global initiative, was held across the State from February 16 to 19. Around 500 birders, many equipped with binoculars, digital cameras and telephoto lenses combed their favourite places watching and counting as many birds as possible.
Following the four-day exercise, birders uploaded 14,023 checklists of their observations to the collective bird-counting exercise. Among the districts, Ernakulam reported the highest count with 234 bird species sightings. It was followed by Thrissur (215 species), Kollam (212), Palakkad (204), Kasaragod (203), Kannur (201), Malappuram (198), Wayanad (191), Thiruvananthapuram (184), Idukki (182), Kottayam (165), Kozhikode (150), Alappuzha (146) and Pathanamthitta (121).
Volunteers recorded the presence of northern pintail, whiskered tern, lesser whistling duck, glossy ibis, black-tailed godwit and Asian green bee-eater among other species during the event.
Among the locations from where the observations were made, Chemmattamvayal in Kasaragod recorded 128 species, followed by the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pookode (126 species), Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary (124), Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur (122) and Manchadininnavila in Thiruvananthapuram (105).
“The GBBC is organised to celebrate bird watching. After the count, we are analysing the data and a detailed analysis will be available in a month. With each passing year more and more people are joining the initiative,” says Manoj Karingamadathil, a birder from Thrissur.
In the event, participants watch their surroundings for at least 15 minutes to spot birds and compile their observations into a checklist, which is uploaded to eBird, a bird-counting database. A single group of birdwatchers or individuals could upload multiple checklists. Thrissur topped the list with bird enthusiasts contributing 5,350 checklists this year.
The GBBC recorded 1,036 species from India. In 2023, birders recorded 1,072 species from across the country.
Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the GBBC was touted as the first online participatory science project to collect bird data and display results in near real-time. In 2013, it became a global project when it started entering data into eBird, the world’s largest biodiversity-related participatory science (community science or citizen science) project. In India, the GBBC is organised under the aegis of Bird Count India.
