The India BirdRaces

The HSBC India BirdRaces are dawn to dusk events where teams of bird-watchers will spend the entire day birding in and around every metropolitan region (each with a geographical limit to its outer boundaries). The participants will try record as many species of birds as possible, learn about the finer points of bird-watching from the experts & the experienced, and then, later that evening, meet at a suitable venue over dinner and an interactive tête-à-tête.

While there are strict rules there is a fun element to this exercise, which has helped stimulate enormous interest in bird-watching as a highly popular hobby. The event has given us a good idea of the nature of this region’s birdlife and helped build up support for environment and nature conservation.

Of course, there is also the team spirit and participation that comes into focus here. To ensure that the results are as infallible and in principle as correct as possible, a range of experts carefully analyse any rarities and doubtful records and overall results before they are put on to a public platform.

Unlike the initial years, the India BirdRAces have done away with winning teams based on highest numbers of sightings. The net result will be that all participants will be winners and the cause of Birds, and the environment, in the urban context, will get that much more support, and awareness.

At the evening get-together, the participants get an opportunity to interact with some of the finest and most experienced birders in that city, including special invitees.

Each Team also gets an opportunity to interact with the others and recount their day’s experiences. All in all, it is a great end to a day well spent with and for the featherfolk, and for nature.