Udupi: Bird lovers sure had an occasion to have good fun as they spotted over 130 species of these winged creatures at the recent bird day in Manipal. 

Last Sunday saw the 14th edition of such an event with over 120 bird enthusiasts coming from in and around Manipal to admire the different species on that day.

The event saw participants from Bangalore and Goa too who came to cover the 15 trails, along which they spotted the Malabar gray hornbill, white bellied sea eagle, Malabar pied hornbill, crested serpent eagle, brown wood owl, oriental dwarf Kingfisher, little ringed plover and white eyed buzzard. 

Post that, Tejasvi Acharchy addressed the gathering, speaking how the event grew from just two participants in the first edition to an overall of 121 that it saw that day. Dr Vrindha Lath too made a speech on how we need a strong community to come forward and take the initiative of sustaining these species. 

There were awards and facilitations too, where two individuals, namely Akshay Shet and Harish Kumar received considerable recognition for their work in animal and bird rescue. Arun Prabhu, received a facilitation for having come up with the longest streak of checklists. 

Two students, namely Vinutha and Sudheshna spoke of their experience of documenting the lives of these birds at the MGM college in Udupi. Jayadithya Vittal and Dr Ketaki Chowkhani spoke of the role environmental humanities played in helping to conserve these species. 

Overall, one cannot end without thanking Prith, who acted as the host behind the whole event along with Kasturba Medical College’s nature club, the MCHP nature club and finally the birding and conservation trust at Manipal. Birding sure is a hobby for those who share this passion and this we see from how rapidly this event has gone from what it was in the past 14 years to what it is today. 

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