If you are a birder, polish those binoculars, clean the camera lenses, dust that haversack and sun those khakis now. It is going to be a busy 2017 for you and your birder friends in Goa and outside Goa.
The Goa Bird Conservation Network (GBCN) has recently announced the ‘Goa Big Year 2017’, arguably the first of its kind contest for birders anywhere in India. In a recent media communiqué, GBCN has stated how ‘Big Year’ relates to the concept of sighting maximum species in any calendar year within a specific political or geographical area. Hence birders in the state and outside have an opportunity to sight, document and report bird sightings in this calendar year to the GBCN and hope to win many a prize.
According to GBCN, ‘Big Year’ is a very popular concept especially in North America where birding is a craze. The concept got a further boost after the release of the 2011 American comedy by the same name which traces the journey of three American birders who take part in a ‘Big Year’ contest in North America. According to Parag Rangnekar, President, GBCN, the Big Year concept in the USA has led to American bird species being very well documented with very good information for making conservation plans. “Drawing inspiration from the Big Year concept in the USA, we at GBCN decided to declare the ‘Goa Big Year 2017’, which could be the first contest of its kind to be held in India,” said Rangnekar.
Bird watching as a hobby is gaining rapid popularity in India. Recently, Indian birder Shashank Dalvi set a record by sighting 1128 of the 1263 species reported in India, while Noah Strycker from North America visited India to set a record of sighting 6042 of the 10400 species in the world.
According to Rajiv D’Silva, secretary, GBCN, Goa boasts of 463 bird species and therefore has a lot to offer to the contestants of Goa Big Year 2017. “Participants will have to visit various habitat types at different times of the year to record as many species as possible, but since it is a contest of sorts, records of rare species will need supporting evidence in terms of photographs, recordings of bird calls and very good observational notes which will then be scrutinized by the Goa Rarities Committee,” D’silva said.
According to Rangnekar, certain bird species were very tough to evaluate without enough documentation and this necessitated the need for experts to validate such sightings. GBCN therefore has set up a Rarities Committee comprising prolific Goa based birders like Heinz Lainer, Qupeleio De Souza, Pankaj Lad and two birders from outside the state.
D’Silva emphasised that as the welfare of birds was top most priority, GBCN had framed very strict rules and guidelines on the ethics of bird watching which all participants would have to follow. “Any breach in adhering to these rules would immediately disqualify the contestants,” D’Silva said.
GBCN is hopeful that the ‘Goa Big Year 2017’ will enthuse nature lovers in the state to get interested in bird watching and wild life. “We strongly urge all bird watchers irrespective of their skill levels to register and participate in the Goa Big Year 2017 to make it a mass activity, which will help in sensitizing our general public and help in bridging the gap that has been created between us and nature” Rangnekar said.
IMPORTANT INFO BOXES ( pl publish)
I) How to register for Goa Big Year 2017?
Registrations for participating in the Goa Big Year are open till the 31st of January 2017 and interested people can visit http://www.birdcount.in/goa-big-year-2017/ for registration.
2) What is the Goa Bird conservation Network (GBCN)?
GBCN is a decade old network of individuals, which was conceptualised and founded by the renowned ornithologist, the Late Carl D’Silva under the umbrella of Indian Birds Conservation Network in 2006. The initial motivation was to bring like-minded people together and give them a platform to learn and explore the bird life of Goa.
The network expanded rapidly and the focus shifted from mere bird watching to aiding the Goa Forest Department in bird surveys, bird habitat conservation, rescue network, public outreach, awareness and education.
GBCN started its popular, monthly Birdwalks in 2007. These birdwalks were aimed to introduce Goans to the joys of bird watching and to explore the great Goan outdoors.
During this period GBCN also aided the Goa Forest Department in conducting censuses in Bondla, Mhadei and Salim Ali Wildlife Sanctuary. Today, the GBCN’s Facebook page has over 2000 members.
