Big Bird Day: Birders see drop in density; results next week

With binoculars glued to eyes, hundreds of birders set out across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on Sunday morning to take part in the Big Bird Day (BBD) count of 2024. The elements -overcast skies and light rains made sighting some birds difficult in parts of NCR, apart from an overall drop in bird density compared to previous years.

The results of the count, which saw 253 different species being recorded last year, is likely to be announced next weekend, the organisers said.

"Initially, rain played a part and till around 9 am, it was fairly overcast. However, after that, visibility improved and the rain stopped, and people were able to spot birds more easily. Overall, we have seen lesser density this year, but this has not been limited to the day of the count, but throughout the winter at most wetlands in NCR," said Nikhil Devasar, birder and one of the organisers of the event.

He said no highly unusual sighting has been made so far this year, however, rare sightings included a Pallid harrier at Ismailpur in Faridabad and the Indian Eagle Owl at Bhondsi in Haryana.

Over 40 different sites were covered across NCR, which included Dhanauri wetlands, Sultanpur, Mangar Bani, Yamuna floodplains and Bhondsi.