BIRD WATCHING

Dr. Pujar Sir & Arun involved in bird watching

Bird watching is itself an interesting term. It does not mean that simply seeing the birds or only learning about birds but a channel for study of the natural world as a whole. Bird watching means observation of birds in a scientific way.

Bird watching is also simple for the beginners to take up as if requires no special equipment although binocular are great help in identification.

To see birds most easily one should be quite careful inconspicuous. It is best to wear sub duel colours to walk slowly and make use of covers such as banks, trees and bushes. It is often a good idea to take up position on the edge of a forest clearing as near a fruiting tree.

In order to identify a bird it is essential to have binocular, notebook, pencil (or pen), field guide and good SLR camera with tele lense. In the notebook the notes should be recorded in the following systematic fashion:


· The date

· The location

· The time

· Weather condition

· Habitat

· Details of birds observed like size, colour etc,


For bird observation one should try to get identification of size not in terms of inches or centimeters but in a relative sense. For example in relation to common birds like Sparrow, Myna, Pigeon etc,

During bird watching in the field, the birds are identified based on the following features:

· Length of tail (feathers)

· Size of bill(beak)

· Presence of crest

· Legs and Fest(claws)

· Prominent colours - chiefly red, green, blue, black, white, dull coloured


In the present work, the survey was done in the local CHITRADURGA Forest Area i.e., AADU MALLESHWARA AND JOGIMATTI forest area. The susrvery was done early in the morning because the best to look for birds is eiter early in the morning or in the evening before dusk. After sunrise birds go out of their nest, in search of food and after sunset they will arrive to their nest.