2007 apr_june

Edited by

Asad R. Rahmani, Director, BNHS

Editorial Board J. C. Daniel, Hon. Secretary, BNHS

Kulojyoti Lahkar

Compiled, Layout and Designed byKulojyoti Lahkar and Abhijit Malekar

Layout: Gopi Naidu

Contributions should be sent to

Editors, MISTNET, IBA-IBCNBombay Natural History Society Hornbill House, S. B. Singh Road

Mumbai-400 023, INDIATel: +91 22 22821811Fax: +91 22 22837615

Email: [email protected]

BirdLife International is a global partnershipof conservation organisations, representedin over 100 countries, working for thediversity of all life through the conservationof birds and their habitats.

BirdLife InternationalWellbrook Court, Girton Road

Cambridge CB3 0NA, UKEmail: [email protected]

Web: www.birdlife.org

This Newsletter is supported by the

RSPB and Darwin Initiative

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Bombay Natural History Society

(For private circulation only)

Cover: Swamp Francolin Francolinus gularis

by Ravi Singh, CEO, WWF-India

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Mission Statement

‘Conservation of nature, primarily biologicaldiversity through action, based on research,

education and public awareness.’

BNHS is BirdLife International partner designate

Views expressed by the contributors in the MISTNET are notnecessarily those of the IBCN/BNHS.

www.rspb.org.uk www.darwin.gov.uk

Photo of Dr. Asad R. Rahmani on Editorial page by

Kulojyoti Lahkar

House-Crow: Threat to Indian Skimmer— A.I.Siddiqui, Jitendra Pandey and Raja Mandal

CONTENTS

4

IBCN workshop in

Kaziranga— Moloy Baruah

7 BirdLife’s

Annual Red List 200710

Sarus: the state bird of

Uttar Pradesh— Fazlur Rahman

11 Little Tern breeding

in Vikramshila IBA

— D.N.Choudhary,Arvind Mishra and

Ajit Kumar Singh

13

New

Bird Books16 Khonoma Nature Conservation

and Tragopan Sanctuary

— Tsilie Sakhrie

24— Kulojyoti Lahkar

MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007

E D I T O R I A L

Popularizing and protecting IBAs

The tome “Important Bird Areas in India” was released in November 2004 by the

Minister of Environment and Forests, Government of India; and later it was

released in many states and distributed to the Forest Department officials and

individuals who had contributed during the IBA selecting process. The book has also

made good sales, thanks to the distribution network of Oxford University Press, co-

publishers of BNHS titles. Since its publications, the book has been quoted and referred

to, but not as much I would like it to be. I have seen many reports and publications on

sites which are IBAs without mention of the IBA status. All our state coordinators

must see that the term IBA is popularized and becomes a part of our conservation

jargon, much like we say an area is a national park or a sanctuary. If a site is an IBA, it

should be mentioned in all our publications, communications and conversation with

officials. It should be the duty of all IBCN members to popularize this term. We should

be proud to call a site an IBA, if it is listed in our book.

Some of our state coordinators and IBCN members are members of the State

Wildlife Advisory Boards. I request you to include discussion on the state IBAs in the

Board meetings. Photocopy the relevant chapter of your State, and distribute it to the

board members before the meeting. Get a resolution passed that your state will protect

IBAs. Explore the possibility of getting legal protection for IBAs which have no legal

protection. As our aim is to involve people in the protection of IBAs, work with local

communities/stake holders to get their support. People’s support is the best long-term

protection for IBAs.

As our main book is too large and expensive, it is not possible to distribute free

copies to all decision makers and conservationists. We need state level IBA books. I

am very happy to inform the IBCN partners that Mrs Usha Lachungpa, State Coordinator

of Sikkim, has brought out “Important Bird Areas of Sikkim: Priority Sites for

Conservation”. It is published in collaboration with the Department of Forest,

Environment and Wildlife Management, Government of Sikkim, IBCN, BirdLife, BNHS

and RSPB. This is an example for other state coordinators to bring out similar state-

level books. The IBA-IBCN Secretariat will be happy to provide complete information

for the state from the main book.

To protect IBAs and threatened bird species, we need grass-root support. As a

first step, we need more IBCN partners/members, spread among the civil society.

Presently, we have about 800 members and about 80 institutional partners. I request

each of you to make at least one more partner/member. If you know any conservation

organization who is not an IBCN member, try to enroll it and let us know its name and

address.

In our country where conservation is so pathetically and comically tiger-centric,

unless we come together strongly, no one will listen to the plight of the Indian birds

and Indian IBAs. Peoples’ power can change the government’s attitude, so let us come

together and use this power.

Asad R. Rahmani

3


R E S E A R C H A N D M O N I T O R I N G F O R C O N S E R V A T I O N

The Indian Skimmer Rynchops

albicollis is an endemic and

threatened bird and falls in

the Vulnerable category

(criteria A1c,e; A2c,e;C1) of the

BirdLife-IUCN. Once described to be an

extremely common bird in upper India,

both its range and number have declined

rapidly with an estimated population of

10,000 individuals. The major causes of

its population decline are destruction

and fragmentation of its habitat,

because of anthropogenic pressures.

Here we describe our observation on a

yet another threat to the bird¯ House

Crow Corvus splendens.

Presently the Indian Skimmer is

confined to the major river systems of

north India viz; Chambal and Ganga.

The Indian Skimmer has been observed

at Norara (280 14' 15” N, 780 24' 18” E) in

Uttar Pradesh, some 120km from Delhi.

Narora, located on the right bank of the

Ganga, is an IBA (IBA Criteria A1, A4iii).

Recently Narora has been declared a

Ramsar site – a wetland of international

importance. Narora is also an Important

Bird Area (IBA). Narora is home to a

large number of birds, both resident

and migratory, turtles, the Marsh

crocodile, the Gharial, the Gangetic

Dolphin, and others. Narora is also the

site for India’s fourth atomic power

station, Narora Atomic Power Station

(NAPS). Two large canals, forming one

of north India’s biggest and perhaps

the oldest irrigation systems originate

from Narora barrage.

It has been observed that during

the pre- and post-monsoon surveys,

the total population of the Indian

Skimmer was scattered throughout the

river course (Anupshahr – Narora-

Kachla, ̃ 75 km of river stretch) mostly

in groups of 1-3 individuals. Post-

monsoon surveys during 1999-2000 in

the downstream, in Narora – Kachla

stretch (˜48 Km downstream of Narora

barrage) the population of the Indian

skimmer was estimated to be, on an

average of 3.25 individuals per km. This

population was observed mostly on

semi-submerged sandbars. However,

during November-April period the total

population of the Indian Skimmer was

found to vary between 12-24,

individuals, mostly in groups on the

sand-islands and sandbars, which dot

the river Ganga.

In the year 2007 an extensive survey

House-Crow:

Threat to Indian

Skimmer

A.I.Siddiqui *, Jitendra Pandey**, Raja Mandal **

House-Crow:

Threat to Indian

Skimmer

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The Indian Skimmer breeds in small numbers on the islands in the Ganga near Naraora Atomic Power Station

5MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007


for the Indian Skimmer was carried out

under a study on the breeding

behaviour of the bird, in and around

the Exclusion Zone of NAPS. The study

is being conducted under the

Environment Stewardship Programme

(ESP), a voluntary activity of Nuclear

Power Corporation, Ltd. The down-

stream of the river, which is very difficult

to negotiate due to very low water levels

and presence of loose sand, was

extensively surveyed. A large variety

of birds and a congregation of 45

individual Indian Skimmers were spotted

on the sand-islands. This bird

population was much bigger than that

observed in the past. Some other birds

found in the area included, the Little

Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger, the

Grey Heron Andea cinerea, Little Egret

Egretta garzetta, the Painted Stork

Mycteria leucocephala, the Black-

necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus

asiaticus, the Black Ibis Pseudibis

papillosa, the Eurasian Spoonbill

Platalea leucorodia, the Brahminy

Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea, the Spot-

billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha, the

Sarus Crane Grus antigone, the Little

Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius, the

Great Stone-Plover Esacus

recurvirostris, the Small Pratincole

Glaeola lactea, the River Tern Sterna

aurantia, the Black-bellied Tern Sterna

acuticauda, and the Whiskered tern

Chlidonias hybridus.

Indian Skimmer was found to be

carrying out trial nesting along with the

River Tern, on some islands towards the

second half of March 2007. The first

nest of the Indian Skimmer was observed

on April 4, 2007. The nest had a clutch

size of 2. Another survey next day (April

5) resulted in the discovery of about 38

individuals on another island. The

nesting colony at the island was shared

among the Indian Skimmer, the Small

Indian Pratincole and the River Tern. In

all 19 nests of Indian Skimmer were

observed on the island. The nests of

the Indian Skimmer were observed on

the outer periphery of the Island (near

water) whereas the nests of the River

Tern and the Small Indian Pratincole

were found in the middle of the island,

mostly camouflaged with small grass.

Binocular observations from a distance

revealed that the nests were intact and

the clutch size varied between 1 and 3.

Often the nests were attacked by a small

flock of crows (5-6.) but the Indian

Skimmer and other birds in the colony

chased them out and defended their

nests.

17 April proved to be an eventful

day. A storm hit the area at the time of

observation (˜0600 hrs). The storm

converted into a sandstorm in the

island, due to the presence of loose

sand. The intensity of the wind

increased significantly, reducing

visibility and even making breathing

difficult. The surface sand-temperature

(taken at another similar island) in the

morning was 32.20 C, rising to 38.40 C at

0900 hrs and 52.90 C at about 1100 hrs.

The air temperature at this moment was

about 420 C and the temperature of the

river water was about 300 C. Several

birds were sprinkling water on the eggs,

so characteristic of the Indian Skimmer.

Around that time a large flock of House

Crows (˜ 90-100) attacked the colony.

This meant double jeopardy for the

Indian Skimmer, on the one hand they

needed to protect their eggs from

roasting due to scorching heat and on

Narora is home to a large number of birds, both

resident and migratory, turtles, the Marsh crocodile,

the Gharial, the Gangetic Dolphin, and others.

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Indian Skimmer nests together with River Tern in Narora

MONITORING IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS



other they needed to defend the colony

from the attackers. In a matter of two to

three hours, the entire colony was

vandalized by the House Crows. The

nests of Indian Skimmer, being totally in

the open were vandalized first, however,

some nests of the Small Pratincole and

the River Tern survived the attack, being

partly or fully camouflaged.

The next survey on 20 April 2007

revealed a barren island with no-eggs

and almost no birds. Only a few Black-

bellied Terns Sterna acuticauda and

three Great Stone-Plovers were spotted.

Several days later, during another visit

to the colony site, an Indian Skimmer

with its newborn chick was found

disappearing into the nearby grass-

patch. The fate of the chick remains

unknown.

The above observations show the

havoc that House Crows are capable

of. The authorities of NAPS as also the

members of Nature Club volunteered

and took adequate steps to protect the

nesting birds, by erecting barriers on

the pathways to the island to block the

entry of stray animals, creating

awareness about the bird among the

fishermen, frequenting the area and a

regular visit and vigil by the volunteers

to protect the site from human

encroachment.

While some islands in the river are

uninhabited by humans, villagers have

been cultivating many other islands

in the neighbourhood, using

insecticides and pesticides. Often dogs

accompany these farmers. These

activities have not only reduced the

number of breeding sites, but also

attract House Crows, dogs etc. – a

potential threat to the breeding

population on the neighbouring islands.

The air-attack by the House Crows on

a relatively isolated island, came as a

surprise to the researchers. The entry

of stray animals can perhaps be

checked and human activity minimized,

but the crow-menace remains a big

challenge.

Subsequent to the tragic end of the

above breeding colony, additional

observations were made to understand

the behaviour of the House-crow in the

area. We suspect that a large flock of

House-Crow ( 300-500) takes a few

kilometre long flight to reach the river,

almost every morning and return after

feeding. The main food of these crows

is thrown away tomato, pumpkin, from

the island farms, floating carcasses etc.

It is proposed to work on a multi-

pronged strategy in future to check the

menace of House-Crows, in

consultation with expert groups like the

IBCN-BNHS. The first step is to create

awareness among the villagers and

other stake holders about the Indian

Skimmer and launch a campaign against

the House-Crow menace. Second, is to

persuade local farmers to abandon some

of the neighbouring islands. Third, to

erect physical barriers on entry points

to the islands as also to hire man-power

if possible, and required, to keep a

regular watch on entry of animals and

humans. The study will continue till the

next breeding season of the Indian

Skimmer and we hope to return with a

success story.

Acknowledgement:

The authors are thankful to the

management of NPCIL and the Narora

Atomic Power Station for their support

to carry out the above study. We are

also thankful to IBCN-BNHS for their

advice.

About the Authors

A.I.Siddiqui is Deputy General

Manager at NPCIL, Mumbai and

Member Secretary, Environment

Stewardship Programme of NPCIL. He

is a bird-watcher and nature-

photographer. He has conducted bird

surveys at all the seven plant sites of

NPCIL.

Jitendra Pandey and Raja Mandal

work in the Operations department at

Narora Atomic Power Station, Uttar

Pradesh and have contributed in the

conservation of Gangetic dolphin,

turtles, crocodiles and avi-fauna. The

have also contributed to the IBA book

and AWC.

Contact: * NPCIL, Mumbai,

Corresponding author,

[email protected] ;

** NAPS, Narora

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Indian skimmers in the Narora Atomic Power Station


C A P A C I T Y B U I L D I N G A N D C O N S E R V A T I O N

The first week of February in 2007 brought a lofty

offer from Mumbai through an e-mail about IBCN’s

proposed workshop at Kaziranga. The Indian Bird

Conservation Network is currently working from Hornbill

House, Mumbai office, under the guidance of its parent

society, BNHS. A few days later Kulojyoti also rang me up

from Mumbai to know about my participation, which I

confirmed then and there.

At the initiative of BirdLife International, BNHS, the Royal

Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Darwin Initative

for Survival of Species have geared up to protect the

Important Bird Areas of India under the banner of IBCN. It

is worth mentioning that there are 466 IBAs in India of

which the highest number had been declared in Assam,

which is 46. The other north-eastern states share is as

follows: Arunachal – 28, Meghalaya – 9, Mizoram- 6;

Nagaland – 9, Tripura – 2, and Manipur – 9.

Mr. Mohan Chandra Malakar, Chief Wildlife Warden,

Assam and Mr. D N Singh, Conservation Central Assam

Circle and Field Director In-charge of the Kaziranga National

Park, came to inaugurate the four-day along with Dr.

Anwaruddin Choudhury, the renowned conservationist and

also the IBCN State Coordinator for Assam. Mr. Singh

emphasized in his lecture, on why flood is essential for

Kaziranga and its more than 400 wetlands. He also explained

how the eco-system is badly affected without floods. He

also informed the participants of the drought-like situation

in the summer of 2006. As a result, nesting sites for Grey

pelicans remained mostly inactive. Mr. Malakar among other

things highlighted difficulties facing protection of the

Deepor beel, a Ramsar site, and how people are thwarting

the move to introduce of the alternate livelihood means

other than fishing; local communities resistance at

Bordibam-Bilmukh which is an IBA and notified bird

sanctuary, and also spoke about how the whole community

at Khonoma village, Nagaland had come forward to protect

a ‘Peoples Reserve’. Dr Choudhury as State Coordinator

of IBCN – Assam also highlighted his point of view.

After the inauguration session, a few cut-out pieces of

illustrations of animals were distributed amongst the

participants who were asked to find out a partner to rejoin

the other piece. Putting together two pieces of a wild bison,

Miss Viprino Pucho became my partner and narrated my

introduction briefly and very neatly. She is the General

Secretary of Nagaland Eco Tourism Society and operates

tours. She is a science graduate from North East Hill

IBCN’S Kaziranga Workshop for

Bird ConservationMoloy Baruah

University, Shillong and a diploma-holder on Environmental

Science from Sikkim Manipal, Delhi campus. This is

considered to be an attracting system for a revealing

introduction, as many people are often heard boasting while

giving a self-introduction. In the workshop, 20 participants

from Assam, five from Nagaland and four from Arunachal

were present (excluding IBCN State Coordinators). For

Sikkim and other north-eastern states, a separate workshop

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M C Malakar Chief Wildlife Warden of Assam inaugurated the

workshop, Left to right – Dr Anwaruddin Choudhury,

M.C. Malakar and D.N. Singh

IBCN members introducing each other – Moloy Baruah and

Viprino Pucho



is proposed at Shillong in the near future. Mr. Ian Barbar

from RSPB was present all along, in the workshop.

On day one, Mr Prasant Mahajan of BNHS explained the

Darwin Initiative project and its expected outcome. The other

topics for discussion for the same day were IBCN as a

network building. It is worth mentioning that an attempt had

been made nation-wise to build up IBCN supporting network

and so far, eighty-five NGO’s and more than 700 individual

members had joined it. All these members are expected to

participate in the IBA status-reporting (IBA monitoring) as

well as participation in the annual waterfowl census. Towards

the end of the day, the role of Site Support Groups were

discussed and Kulojyoti Lahkar narrated our group’s example

of how Early Bird’s compelled the state authority to declare

Amchang reserve forest as a wildlife sanctuary and stopped

a stone quarry which had been used by the elephant as

passage. Day-one session ended with a presentation of

activities from Arunachal Pradesh.leading activist groups of Assam, Nature’s Foster, Green

Heart and Early Birds. Mr. Gautam Choudhury, General

Secretary, on behalf of Early Birds presented the activity at a

glance.

The third day’s programme begun with BirdLife

International’s monitoring scheme, including IBA monitoring

and what, where, why, when and how we could do the

monitoring. How bird counting is to be done actually in the

field was also discussed by Mr. K. Lahkar. Towards the end

of the session Mr. K T. Thomas of Nagaland narrated their

conservation story and IBA status. He said that many people

in Nagaland do not take dog meat, many people had been

offered LPG connections by the government as an alternate

fuel resource so that tree felling incident minimizes. Naga

people carry their gun only as a traditional show piece.

Nagas have undetouchable relations with their pride bird

‘Hornbill’. Many people are protecting jungles after

declaring them as community reserve. In spite of all this

the Nagas had to face humiliation in the matter of

conservation.

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Group exercise- IBCN State Coordinators Anwaruddin

Choudhury (Assam) and B.B. Bhatt (Arunachal Pradesh) are

helping the group

The second day began with the SWOT (strength/

weakness/ opportunities/ threats) analysis, based on the

IBCN networking states. The participants were divided into

three groups and asked to prepare analytical reports. The

next session was by Dr. Anwaruddin Choudhury, explaining

the role of advocacy in the field of conservation and how

NGOs can get the maximum yield, utilizing it in the proper

forum. Next it was Kulojyoti giving lessons on communication

and media. The demon dams that are coming up in the Assam-

Arunachal river systems are damaging the whole eco-system

and the wildlife were brought to critical analysis by Mr. Niraj

Wagholikar in the next topic. The second day, session came

to an end with power point presentation of activities of three

Anwaruddin Choudhury requested Dharanidhar Boro (Range

Officer) to share his experience with IBCN members

Prashant Mahajan briefing participants before going for Time –

species count exercise

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The penultimate day programme

started with the most sought after

activity, i.e. the field trip. The team

boarded six gypsies and entered the

Agaratoli sector (eastern range of the

National Park) to see birds around the

Sahala beel. The accompanied forest

guard informed us about the little

breeding activity of the pelicans in the

current season due to drought. Most

of the Silk Cotton trees in the nesting

colony on the other side of the beel look

deserted. We had traveled almost six km

inside passing through the Rangamatia

and Ahaatguri camp up to Debeswari.

This is the last camp at the bank of the

river Brahmaputra. The whole team was

delighted to see raptors. Grey-headed

Fish-Eagle Ichthyophaga humilis,

Pallas’s Fish-Eagle Haliaeetus

leucoryphus, the Crested Serpent-Eagle

Spilornis cheela and a lone Osprey

Pandion haliaetus kept our binoculars

and cameras busy. Within two hours we

could count as many as forty-six

species (courtesy: Arnab Bose, Nature’s

Foster, Bongaigaon). While returning,

we noticed a herd of elephant playing

in the beel water; a few buffaloes

showing only their horns and rest of

the body under water, a wild boar herd,

a group of hog deer and a few rhinos.

During the journey a masth elephant

from a very close range blocked our

passage and created some panic and

trouble, which the three guards

managed to avert.

The Kaziranga IBCN networking

workshop will definitely linger in the

minds of the bird lovers who

participated, with its glittering

reminiscence and should work as a

moral boost up to work hard towards

preservation of IBAs and biodiversity

as a whole.

The writer is the President of Early Bird’s

founded in 1991 and works for creation of

an immune belt around the PAs by offering

free vaccination.

Contact: 26, Surajmukhi, ChandramariP.O. Silpukhuri, Guwahati-781003


Book release of Birds in our Lives

by Mr. Ashish Kothari

T.K. Sajeev

On 8 March 2007, IBCN had the pleasure of organizing the release ceremony

of the book, Birds in our Lives By Mr. Asish Kothari and published by

Universities Press(UP) at the India International Centre at New Delhi. The

book was released by renowned conservationist Valmik Thapar. It was a

matter of great delight that the function was attended by various eminent

personalities in the field of conservation, publication and the media. We were

honoured by the presence of Mr.Tsilie Sakhrie, a Naga elder who has been

associated with the Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary

in Nagaland. His lecture was followed by an enligtenening presentation by

the author. Mr.Thapar also shared his valuable thoughts about conservation

issues, and on the book with the audience. Mr. Madhu Reddy, the CEO of

Orient Longman also graced the occasion by his presence.

Overall the release was a grand success which helped IBCN-BNHS, CEC

Delhi to get showcased in front of such a huge gathering of all renowned and

reputed characters. The media people too were trying to draw as much

information about IBCN-BNHS endeavours in Delhi, the chief focus being on

the Conservation Education Centre, about which they have been reading and

hearing about recently. All the audience, on their return carried a BNHS kit

which consisted of a Mistnet magazine, BNHS and CEC Brochures and

membership forms for BNHS and Indian Bird Conservation Network (IBCN). n


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Contact: Conservation Education Centre

Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary Near Karni Singh Shooting Range, Tughlabad,

New Delhi-110044

The BirdLife International has

recently released its annual Red

List update which is the latest

evaluation of state of world’s birds. It

revealed that more birds are threatened

with extinction than ever. BirdLife

considers population size, population

trends and range size for all 10,000 bird

species worldwide before finalizing the

Red list. The Red list states that 1,221

species are threatened with extinction

and the list will be included in the 2007

IUCN Red List. According to the latest

update, an additional 812 bird species

are now considered Near Threatened.

Since 1988, the overall conservation

status of the world’s birds has

deteriorated steadily, from when they

were first comprehensively assessed.

Now, more than a fifth (22%) of the

planet’s birds is at increased risk of

extinction. BirdLife also expressed that

additional conservation action is critical

to reverse the current declines.

In the Red list BirdLife has ‘uplisted’

five vulture species to higher catagories

of concern as a result of many threats

like habitat loss, conversion and

degradation (which remains the

principal threat to all the world’s birds,

impacting on 86% of Globally

Threatened species), fewer feeding

opportunities (as a result of declining

wild ungulate populations on which to

scavenge), and poisoning by the

veterinary drug Diclofenac – a factor

behind rapid population declines in

vultures across Asia in recent years. The

Red-headed or King Vulture Sarcogyps

calvus has been uplisted directly from

Near Threatened to Critically

Endangered. Egyptian Vulture

Neophron percnopterus is also uplisted

from Least Concern to Endangered.

Other birds which are uplisted are the

White-bellied Heron Ardea insignis

from Endangered to Critically

Endangered, the Bengal Florican

Houbaropsis bengalensis, Endangered

to Critically Endangered. In the Red list

2007, two bird species found in India

have been downlisted, Spot-billed

Pelican Pelecanus philippensis and the

Rusty-bellied Shortwing Brachypteryx

hyperythra from Vulnerable to Near-

Threatened.

The newly-described species Bugun

Liocichla Liocichla bugunorum has

been placed in the Vulnerable list. This

recently-described species is known

from only one single small location,

providing it prone to human impacts. It

is therefore classified as Vulnerable.

Considering the lack of previous

records despite its spectacular

appearance, it is not thought to be

common or widespread, but further

evidence may reveal a larger range and

population.

Dr Stuart Butchart, BirdLife’s Global

Species Programme Coordinator said of

this year’s Red List update:

“There are two sides to this story:

whilst conservation efforts have

been successful in recovering some

species, there are more and more

species slipping towards extinction.

The challenge becomes greater each

year.”

“But where efforts, resources and

political will are directed, species can

recover. Conservation works,” he said.

“We just need much more of it in order

to turn back the tide of impending

extinctions.”

The results of BirdLife’s Red List

update will be incorporated into the

2007 IUCN Red List, released in

September 2007.

For more and detailed information see

the website of BirdLife International

(http://www.birdlife.org)

Species changing IUCN Red List

Scientific name Common name Status Status

in 2006 in 2007

Ardea insignis White-bellied Heron EN CR

Pelecanus philippensis Spot-billed Pelican VU NT

Neophron percnopterus Egyptian Vulture LC EN

Sarcogyps calvus Red-headed Vulture NT CR

Houbaropsis bengalensis Bengal Florican EN CR

Liocichla bugunorum Bugun Liocichla NR VU

Brachypteryx hyperythra Rusty-bellied Shortwing VU NT

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Egyptian Vulture has now been uplisted

to Endangered from Least Concern

BirdLife’s


BirdLife’s


M O N I T O R I N G A N D C O N S E R V A T I O N


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King Vulture has now been uplisted to

Critically Endangered from Near

Threatened



A tehsil (sub-division) called Mohammadi in the Lakhimpur Kheri

district of Uttar Pradesh (UP), India is very important area for

avian fauna. Situated along the border between Shahjahanpur,

Hardoi and Lakhimpur Kheri district, this area has lots of small

and large wetlands which nourish a rich population of the Sarus Crane Grus

antigone and other waterbirds. There are many seepage wetlands besides

irrigation canals. I visited a wetland called Jhabar in February 2006 and

counted 60-70 Sarus. I sighted these birds regularly in February-March,

2006 but during April this wetland started drying up due to summer heat and

the Sarus were scarcely seen thereafter. A villager told me that sometimes,

up to 150 Sarus congregate here for night roosting in this wetland. Early

mornings and late evenings are usually the best time to see them. During

this time they can be seen dancing and courting.

After the Monsoon a wildlife photographer Suresh Chaudhari and I made

a plan to take photographs of the Sarus Cranes. From 26-29 September 2006,

we both visited this area to see the Sarus. We counted a total 46 Sarus,

including 3 young, scattered in family groups or pairs. This was the breeding

period of the bird and we discovered four nests too, each with two eggs.

Two nests got destroyed later. During this period we did not get any

opptunity to photograph more than three birds together.

Fazlur Rahman


Uttar Pradesh


Uttar Pradesh

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On January 16 2007, I was on my way to Shahjahanpur

from Mohammadi on my bike; I spotted a pair of Sarus flying

just over my head, near a village named as Machecha. Soon

thereafter the pair landed on a wetland which was a half km

from the main road. Then, I was lucky enough to see some

more birds near the site where this pair had landed. I counted

22. This was 12:30 in the noon. In the evening on my return

from Shahjahanpur, I found 58 Sarus in the same place. I

immediately conveyed all this to our IBCN state coordinator

Dr. V P Singh, over phone. After two days, I went there with

my camera. As I reached there at 1:00 in the noon, I found

31 Sarus which had increased to 54 by the evening. The

birds were so scattered over the wetland that it was not

possible to photograph all of them together. I could catch

only a group of 35 in my camera.

THREAT

Human disturbances and habitat loss are the major obstacles

in the population growth of the Sarus Crane. I came to know

from the local village, that some eggs are taken away for food.

Some time eggs of the Sarus are eaten by the dogs. In this area

Sarus is also considered inauspicious by the village folks and

therefore they drive them away from their village. Use of

pesticide in many crops, including Singhara (water chestnut),

paddy, wheat and sugar cane are also a cause of the decline of

the state bird of Uttar Pradesh. In the year 2006 the number of

pairs without offspring was quite high.

NEED OF PROTECTION

There is an urgent need to start an awareness campaign

in the Sarus nesting and foraging areas. This campaign

should be carried out with the help of village elders, religious

head, teachers and students. The main emphasis of the

awareness campaign should be, that the Sarus is the State Bird

of Uttar Pradesh and it is our duty to protect it and its habitat.

BIRD DIVERSITY OF THE AREA

About 200 species of birds have been recorded from this

area. In winter season many migratory bird species also share

these wetlands, including the Bar-headed Goose Anser

indicus, the Mallard Anas platyrhynchos and the Red-crested

Pochard Rhodonessa rufina. At least some Vulnerable species

such as the Swamp Francolin Francolinus gularis and some

Critically Endangered species such as the Indian or Long-

billed Vulture Gyps indicus and White-rumped Vulture Gyps

benghalensis are also found in this area. Sarus Crane and

Darter Anhinga melanogaster are Near Threatened.

Contact:Mohalla Sarayan, Ward no.20

Town Mohamadi-26802, Lakhimpur-Kheri UP

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In summer, Sarus Cranes of an area gather in the remaining wetlands



On 23 May 2006, we started our boat-

trip to Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin

Sanctuary (VGDS), an IBA, from

Kahalgaon (Water Works Ghat). We

were moving upstream of the Ganga

towards Bhagalpur. It was a trip for the

survey of the Gangetic Dolphins by

Environment Laboratory, Post Graduate

Department of Zoology, Patna

University and we joined it for the study

of nesting behaviour of birds in VGDS.

Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin

Sanctuary (VGDS) has been recognized

as an important extant habitat for the

Ganges River Dolphins Platanista

gangetica. The Government of Bihar,

in 1991 designated, a 60 km segment of

the river Ganga between Sultanganj and

Kahalgaon, in the Bhagalpur district as

the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin

Sanctuary, considering the occurrence

of higher number of “Soons” or Ganges

River Dolphin. This sanctuary has been

selected as one of the IBAs in Bihar.

The VGDS is the only protected area

in the country established specifically

for the protection of the Ganges River

Dolphins. This Sanctuary lies in the

alluvial tract interspersed with

agricultural fields. The area has a

moderate climate and July is the rainiest

season. The Sanctuary comprises many

small and large Islands (sand bars or

sand deposits) chaurs, crisscross water

bodies, river banks, a few cultivated

fields and the main river stream.

Apart from these, there are two rocky

hillocks enriched with thick vegetation

situated in the main stream near

Kahalgaon. These are situated adjacent

to each other opposite to the water

Breeding of Little Tern and

some other wetland birds in

Vikramshila IBA*Dr. D.N.Choudhary, **Mr. Arvind Mishra and *** Mr. Ajit Kumar Singh

works Ghat at a distance of about 300

m. Each of the hillocks has a temple of

Lord Shiva on its top with many shrubs

and trees around it, comprising

Banyan, Peepal and Semal. One of the

hillocks is a good nesting site for egrets

and herons. Little and Intermediate

egrets and Pond Herons were found at

a height of about 25-30 m from the water

level. Sometimes more than 100

individuals are found in the nest

building activities.

Recently Choudhary and Mishra

(2006) has reported the presence of

some threatened bird species in VGDS.

We have seen many species such as

the Northern Pintail Anas acuta, the

Mallard, the Red-crested Pochard, the

Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata and

various species of gulls and terns in

the winter season. But the most amazing

discovery was that during one trip, we

recorded 53 Greater Adjutant

Laptoptilus dubius and 57 Painted Stork

Mycteria leucocephala on the

riverbank about 2 km before Sultanganj

Ghat. Such a large congregation of

Greater Adjutants and Painted Storks

was recorded for the first time in Bihar.

There was also a flock of more than 400

Small Indian Pratincole.

On the same day we found a large

breeding colony of the Little Tern

Sterna albifrons in the Sanctuary area.

The breeding colony of Little Tern with

a couple of nests of Black-winged Stilt

Himantopus himantopus and Red-

wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus was

recorded on a bare sandy island

upstream, at about 5 km away from

Kahalgaon Ghat whereas the colony of

Small Indian Pratincole Glareola lactea

was noticed on bare sandy river bank

at about 7 km before Sultanganj Ghat.

Egrets and Herons regularly nest on some islands in the Ganga

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While moving in the main stream at

about 7 km from Kahalgaon-ghat, we

suddenly observed a flock of more than

200 Little Tern flying, hovering over our

boat, and calling vigorously. In the

meanwhile we noticed the movement of

some of the birds among the weeds on

the sand bar with the help of binoculars.

We decided to watch them carefully. We

anchored our boat and moved on the

sand bar.

Walking hardly 50-60' from the river

bank we were astonished to see a large

breeding colony of Little Tern with a

few nests of the Black-winged Stilt and

the Red-wattled Lapwing. Some birds

were found incubating their eggs,

whereas a few others were feeding

chicks.

According to Ali & Ripley (1981) the

Little Tern is a small wetland bird

separable from all other grey and white

terns by their small size. They are found

singly or in loose flocks in coastal

lagoons, rivers and fresh water jheels.

They fly back and forth scanning the

surface for food, occasionally hovering

like the Kingfisher. The nesting of the

Little Tern occurs on sand banks in

rivers or sandy islets and jheels (Ali &

Ripley, 1981), and on sand banks or

shingle of rivers or islet of ghats or on

bare rock or islet of coast (Grimmett,

Inskipp, & Inskipp, 1998).

Our observation has been

summarized as below :

I. Nesting of Little Tern Sterna

albifrons

A total of thirty-two nests of Little

Tern were recorded. Out of them seven

nests were found empty having no eggs

and chicks, five nests with only one egg

in each, six nests having two eggs in

each, seven nests with two eggs and

one chick in each of them and seven

nests with three eggs in each.

All the nests were found scattered,

but not too far from each other at a

distance of about 4'-6' from each other.

A few birds were found incubating their

eggs. Three nests with eggs were found

submerged under water due to an

increase in water level in the last two days.

The nests were shallow oval depression

on the sand. A few of them were lined

with few small rootlets. Colours of the

eggs were pale grey or sand coloured

with brown or reddish brown spots all

over. The chicks were pale cream in

colour and brown streaks on it. The Bills

of the chicks was fleshy in colour and

the legs were pale yellow.

II. Nesting of Black-winged Stilt

Himantopus himantopus

Two nests of Black Winged Stilts

were recorded on the same island near

the nests of the Little Tern. The nests

were shallow depressions on the sand

supported with few fresh plant stems.

One nest had three eggs, while another

four eggs.

III. Nesting of Red-wattled Lapwing

Vanellus indicus

Two nests of Red-wattled Lapwing

were recorded on the same island, 10-

12' away from the river bank. Both the

nests were situated at least 20 metres

from each other with four eggs in each

of them.

The nests of the Red Wattled

Lapwing were similar to that of the

nests of Black Winged Stilt, a shallow

depression on the sand, supported

by few plant stems. But the diameter

and depth of the nests were found

slightly larger than the nests of the

Stilt.

IV. Nesting of Small Indian Pratincole

Glareola lactea

A colony of more than 400 Small

Indian Pratincole was observed on the

sandy bank of river Ganga at about

5 km before from Sultanganj-ghat. There

were numerous small depressions

created by Cattle hooves. These birds

were frequently sitting on these

depressions and flying over it. But

there were no eggs in these

depressions. Perhaps we were slightly

early on the site. Probably they

were preparing themselves to lay their

eggs on these depressions as we

hope.

References

1. Ali, S and Ripley, S. D. (1981) :

Handbook of the Birds of India &

Pakistan 3, 2nd Ed. Oxford Univ.

Press, Delhi.

2. Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C. and

Inskipp, T. (1998) : Birds of the

Indian Subcontinent, Cristopher

Helm., London.

* Dept. of Zoology, P.N.College, Parsa,

Saran-841 219, BIHAR

**State Co-ordinator, Indian Bird

Conservation Network, Bihar and

Jharkhand,

***Env. Lab., P.G.Deptt. of Zoology, Patna

Univ., Patna, Bihar

[Authors are senior activists of the Mandar

Nature Club, Bhagalpur, Bihar]

Little Tern breeds in Vikramshila IBA

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R E S E A R C H F O R C O N S E R V A T I O N

Red List Index to becomeUN development indicator

The changing conservation status of birds and other

species is to be used to track progress towards

the UN’s Millennium Development Goals.

The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),

which range from halving extreme poverty to ensuring

environmental sustainability, are targets for the year

2015, agreed upon by all the world’s governments and

development institutions.

The Red List Index, which was initially designed

and tested by BirdLife International using data on all

bird species from 1988-2004, is to be the basis of a new

MDG “indicator”. To be known as the Proportion of

Species Threatened with Extinction, it will be used

alongside other MDG indicators, such as the

proportion of population with an income below $1 per

day, the rates of infant and maternal mortality, the

proportion of children in primary education, and the

prevalence of diseases such as malaria. The new

indicator is the only species-based indicator in the UN

set.

The Red List Index is based on the World

Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List, which uses

quantitative criteria based on population size, rate of

decline, and area of distribution to assign species to

categories of relative extinction risk, such as Vulnerable,

Endangered and Critically Endangered. The index is

based on the proportion of species in each category on

the Red List, and changes in this proportion over time,

resulting from genuine improvement or deterioration in

the status of individual species.

Birds remain the best-known class of organisms

worldwide, and have the longest history of

comprehensive assessment for the IUCN Red List. Birds

are useful indicators for other biodiversity, and the bird

Red List Index will represent the best available species-

based biodiversity indicator in many developing

countries for years to come. BirdLife’s unique

partnership of national NGOs plays a key role in

collecting and providing the on-the-ground data that

are used in global Red List assessments.

“I am delighted that the UN has recognised the value

of species in measuring progress towards achieving

environmental sustainability,” said Dr Mike Rands,

BirdLife’s Chief Executive. “ The likely adoption of ’The

Proportion of Species Threatened with Extinction’ as

one of around 50 global indicators to assess progress

in achieving the MDGs highlights the issue of extinction,

the enormous value of species data and the importance

of biodiversity to sustaining livelihoods.”

“Yet again it’s really good to see birds and BirdLife

playing such a leading and catalytic role in this process.”

Although the new indicator is likely to be

incorporated into an annexe to the Millennium

Development Goals report for 2007, it will not be formally

adopted into the MDG framework until 2008.

Source: BirdLife International (http://www.birdlife.org)P

ic:

Asa

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“Yet again it’s really good to see birds and BirdLife

playing such a leading and catalytic role in this process.”

— Dr Mike Rands, Chief Executive, BirdLife International


Birds and humans often share the same resources in India: an example of sustainable livelihoods

B O O K S O N B I R D S

BIRDS IN OUR LIVES

This is not another fieldguide of Indian birds, but rather a book focusing on sociological

issues of birds related to our lives. The book has seven chapters; 1. Birds, birds

everywhere, 2. Birds in Indian culture, 3. Ornithology through Indian history, 4. Brought

in by the wind: the wonder of migration, 5. What good are they to us? Birds in Indian

economy, 6. An ill wind blows, and 7. The winds of change: Indian birds in danger. The

references and bibliography are given chapter-wise, not altogether. So readers should

find it easy to trace references which are used in each chapter. There are four annexures

where lists of threatened birds of India, IBAs of India, Ramsar sites of India and

periodicals on Indian birds and related issues are given.

Author: Ashish Kothari

Price: Rs. 550.00, Page Extent: 308, Published in 2007

Publisher: Universities Press (India) Private Ltd.

3-6-752 Himayatnagar, Hyderabad 500 029,

Andhra Pradesh, India

NEW BIRDBOOKS

Author: Anwaruddin Choudhury

Price: Rs.245.00, pp.109, 60 illustrations, 9 colour plates, 52 maps,

Published in: 2006, Publisher: Gibbon Books, Guwahati – 781 007, Assam.

India and the Rhino Foundation for North east India,

c/o Assam Co. Limited, Bamunimaidam,

Guwahati, Assam, India

A POCKET GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OFARUNACHAL PRADESH

This is an up-to-date checklist with current status reports on some notable species. This

small book has four chapters. In the Introductory chapter, geography of the state, history

of ornithology and conservation issues are discussed. The second chapter tells about

some key birding sites and some outstanding areas. Even coordinates are given. In the

third chapter, selected species notes, status of the globally threatened and endemic

birds in Arunachal are given. Interesting information about some other birds, like new to

the state and country record (new to India) are also given in this chapter. The fourth

chapter is the annotated checklist of the birds found in the state.

There are five appendices; Appendix 1 is a list of the birds not yet recorded in Arunachal

but recorded in neighbouring areas of the state and they are likely to occur in Arunachal.

Appendix 2 deals with the NGOs and publications relevant to the state. The Appendix 3

gives basic information for visitors. Appendix 4 lists the protected areas and key reserved

forest. In the appendix 5, list of IBAs and major wetlands is given. There is also an

exhaustive bibliography. The text is supported by some illustrations and species

distribution maps with sites where birds were recorded.


Kulojyoti Lahkar

BIRDS OF PERIYARThis is a fieldguide of birds found in the Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala, India. Birds are

described in the following four chapters: Birds of the lake and lakeside, Birds of the air and

open spaces, Birds of the jungle and Birds after dark. A list of some selected references are

also included.

Author: Suresh Elamon

Price: Rs.395.00, pp.153, 153 illustrations, 4 colour photographs, 10 maps,

Published in : March, 2006

Publisher: Periyar Foundation, Periyar Tiger Reserve

Thekkady – 685 536, Kerala, India

BIRDS OF MANAS NATIONAL PARK

This is an exhaustive check-list of birds of Manas, which recently completes 100 years of its

establishment. In Chapter 1; introduction, history of Manas, its topography and conservation

issues are discussed. In Chapter 2, notes on some key birding sites are given. In Chapter 3,

notes on some selected birds which include globally threatened, endemic and interesting

records. The full checklist of the birds of Manas is given in the fourth chapter. There are eight

appendixes: a list of birds likely to occur in Manas given in the 1st appendix, appendix 2:

sequence of bird orders and families followed in the book, appendix 3: ornithological and

conservation NGOs working in Manas, appendix 4: basic information for visitors, appendix 5

and 6: news about the rediscovery of Manipur Bush-Quail published in three websites are

given, appendix 7: Copy of the notification of Manas proposed reserved forest on 1 June 1905,

appendix 8: two maps of Manas showing spots tourist attraction. A detailed bibliography is

also given.

Author: Anwaruddin Choudhury

Price: Rs.245.00

pp. 80, 68 illustrations, 10 colour plates, Publisher: Gibbon Books,

Guwahati – 781 007, Assam, India and the Rhino Foundation for North east india,

c/o Assam Co. Limited, Bamunimaidam, Guwahati, Assam, India

INDIA THROUGH ITS BIRDSThis book is a collection of 19 articles written by naturalists who worked and working in India.

This is not a field guide, authors have written about the associations and the behaviour of

birds in the regions where they work or have worked. Most of the articles were written for the

book, however, a few old articles are taken from the Newsletter for Birdwatchers.

Editor: Zafar Futehally

Price: Rs.395.00

pp. 214, 68 illustrations, 10 colour plates, 12 maps , Published in: 2007

Publisher: Dronequill Publishers Private Limited,

777, M 13th Main, 1st Cross,

HAL Second Stage, Bangalore 560 008



THE ILLUSTRATED SÁLIM ALIA CHILDREN’S BIOGRAPHY

This book has 15 chapters. All chapters have been selectively drawn from Salim Ali’s

autobiography The Fall of a Sparrow’. This illustrated edition combines writings with

original drawings from Ali’s monumental ten-volume Handbook of the Birds of India and

Pakistan. This book is mainly for young readers and bird enthusiasists.

Author: Salim Ali

Price: Rs.225.00

pp.128, 70 colour illustrations, 40 bandh, 8 colour plates, 46 photographs

Published in: 2007, Publisher: Oxford University Press

YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi 110 001

A BIRD’S EYE VIEW THE COLLECTED ESSAYSAND SHORTER WRITINGS OF SÁLIM ALI

2 VOLUMESThis 2 volumes book has a collection of Salim Ali’s scientific papers,

essays and popular articles published in the different journals and

magazines. The book has 11 parts in both volumes; five parts in the first

and six in the second volume. The headings of these parts are: Fundamental

Ornithology, Bird Ecology, Bird Species, Breeding and Nesting, Bird

Migration, Bird Behaviour, Economic Ornithology, History of Indian

Ornithology and Nature Study, Bird Surveys, Kailas-Mansarowar trek;

and Views, Reviews and Interviews.

This set of books was released in BNHS on November 11, 2006 by Mrs. Pheroza Godrej, Vice

President, BNHS. Mrs. Tara Gandhi, Mrs. Sheila J. Kurian, Mr. J.C. Daniel, Honorary Secretary, BNHS, Dr. Asad R. Rahmani,

Director, BNHS were also present in the function.

BIRDS OF DELHI AND HARYANAThis book can be divided into three major parts; Introduction, Main Species Accounts and

Scarcer Species Accounts. There are a couple of introductory chapters about the project

(the book), methodology, general information, about Delhi and Haryana States, etc. In the

main species accounts section, description of total 266 species supported by two

photographs each species with distribution maps is given. Each species is treated in a

single page and information about their identification and distribution is given. In the maps

(for both states), along with distribution, their status like breeding, summer visitors, breeding

summer visitors and winter visitor or passage migrant are shown. In the Scarcer species

section, short description about 252 species have been given. A list of historical records for

Haryana and Delhi and a selected list of references are also given.

Author: Bill Harvey, Nikhil Devasar, Bikram Grewal

Price: Rs.795.00, pp.352, 654 photographs, 534 maps,, Published in: 2006

Publisher: Rupa & Co

7/16, Ansari Road, Daryaganj

New Delhi – 110 002



Author: Tara Gandhi

Price: Rs.1,495.00, Pages: 905

Published in: 2007, Publisher: Permanent Black

YD-28 Oxford Apts, 11 IP Extension, Delhi 110092

BIRDS OF PREY OF THE INDIAN SUB-CONTINENTThe much awaited book on Indian raptors was published in the end of December, 2006.

This 692 pages book is bundled with lots of information on raptor biology, status and

distribution. The book has following chapters: Introduction; Raptors in Indian history

and mythology; Biogeographical distribution; Locating, observing and photographing

raptors; Conservation and management. These chapters are followed by 15 colour plates

for identification. After this detailed species accounts with many coloured photographs

of raptors in different positions and maps showing distribution, breeding records and sight

records. A huge bibliography of 50 pages reveals the erudition of the author.

Author: Rishad Naoroji

Price: Rs.1800.00, £40 for BNHS members Rs.1530/-

pp. 704, Published in: 2006

Publisher: Om Books International 4379/4B Prakash House, Ansari Road,

Darya Ganj, New Delhi-110002

A PHOTOGRAPHIC GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF INDIAINCLUDING NEPAL, SRI LANKA, BHUTAN, PAKISTAN

AND BANGLADESHThis is a good photographic guide book on some common Indian birds. The book

contains photograph and description of 150 birds. Each species is supported by more

than one photographs and a little bit of text about its habitat, behaviour, food,

identification, breeding, call and distribution. Information about birdwatching, a short

bibligography and a list of bird sources in the internet are also given

Author: Amano Samarpan

Price: Rs. 495.00

pp. 160, Published in: 2006

Publisher: Wisdom Tree 4779/23, Ansari Road, Darya Ganj, New Delhi-110002

BIRDS OF SOUTH ASIA: THE RIPLEY GUIDEThis monumental book is divided into two parts:

Volume 1: Volume 1is Field Guide which covers all South Asian birds including for the first time

Afghanistan and Chagos Islands. This book has 180 color plates by different bird artists, illustrating

over 3400 plumages. Every species is supported by text for identification. The coloured maps show

many status of a species, such as, breeding visitor, year-round resident, two-way migration, spring

migration, fall migration, winter migration, special status, isolated records, Endemic status and

geographical variation. Maps also include distribution of species in surrounding areas, mainly

Tibet and western and central Myanmar. Distribution maps of hypothetical species, misidentified

species in earlier, some sub-species and some vagrants are not presented.

Volume 2: Attributes and Status: Volume 2 describes over 2500 taxa, including all 1428 species

recorded in the region. The main text or species accounts describe morphology, distribution, habits

and vocalizations. Sonagrams or spectrograms most of the species are given. There are 10 appendices

which include region’s first hypothetical list.

Author: Pamela C. Rasmussen and John C. Anderton.

Price: $110, £55, •75 /Set.

pp. : 682, Published in: 2005

Publisher: Lynx Edicions, Montseny 8, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain





WORKSHOP UPDATE

North East India Workshop

The IBCN workshop for members of three north-

eastern states, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and

Nagaland, was held in Kaziranga, Assam on 21-24

February, 2007. A total no. of 27 members participated in

the workshop. The workshop was inaugurated by Mr.

MC Malakar Chief Wildlife warden, Assam. Mr. DN Singh

then Director In-Charge, Kaziranga National Park

and Conservator of Northern Assam Circle was also

present in the inaugural ceremony. State Coordinators

of all three states, Dr. Anwaruddin Choudhury (Assam),

Dr. BB Bhatt (Arunachal Pradesh) and Mr. Thomas

Kent (Nagaland) were also present throughout the

workshop. Mr. Dharanidhar Boro, Range Officer of

Kaziranga’s central part attended the workshop and

shared his experience working in Kaziranga with

participants.

Participants are preparing their presentation Group discussion during the workshop

Participants are interacting during the workshop IBCN members are practicing with GPS

Kaziranga IBA in Assam is home to the highest number of threatened birds in India

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IBCN workshop for IBCN members of Western India was organized from 6-9 March 2007 at

Nakhtrana, Kutch, Gujarat. Altogether 20 members participated in the workshop. Both State

Coordinators Jugal K. Tiwari from Gujarat and Manoj Mishra from Rajasthan were also present

throughout the workshop.

Gujarat Workshop

Field visit during the workshop

Group discussion and exercise during the workshop

IBCN members from Gujarat and Rajasthan, State Co-ordinators from both states

and IBCN Team in front of the workshop venue

Exercise with GPS during the workshop


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N E T W O R K I N G A N D C O N S E R V A T I O N


State Coordinators

Workshop

The IBCN State Coordinators’ workshop was

held in Goa on 17 and 18 March of 2007. In this 2-

day workshop, mainly strategic development of

IBCN was discussed.

During the meeting, discussions on state of

IBCN, role and responsibilities of state

coordinators, India Birds project, strategies and

actions for conservation of key IBAs, determining

boundaries for IBAs and resource mobilization

for IBCN activities.

All State Coordinators gave a brief

presentation on activities being undertaken by

various members of IBCN in their states and

future plans of action. This meeting was very

crucial to determine the future course of IBA

conservation and role of IBCN in India.

Altogether 17 State Coordinators participated in

the workshop.

Radhanagari WorkshopA 2-day workshop was organized in Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra on 1 and 2 March, 2007 for IBCN

members of Maharashtra. In this workshop, mainly NGO development, SWOT Analysis, SSG, network building, monitoring

and monitoring of IBAs, advocacy were discussed. Thirty-nine bird enthusiasts, including forest officials, teacher,

researchers, students, participated in the programme.

A little bit bird watching during the break!

State Co-ordinators are finalising future plans of IBCN

Discussion about future course of the IBCN

Brain-storming session during the workshop

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N E W S F R O M N E T W O R K

EVENTS

Dr. Bibhab Talukdar, Secretary General, Aaranyak,

Guwahati, Assam presented a copy of the book

Important Bird Areas in India: Priority sites for

Conservation to Mr. Tsile Sakhire, Secretary, Kohima

Nature Conservation trust and Tragopan sanctuary,

Khonoma, Nagaland on 16 December 2006 at

Aaranyak’s office at Guwahati on behalf of IBCN.

Bibhab was IBCN State Coordinator for Assam during

2001 and 2002. n

IBA Book DistributionIBA Book DistributionIBA Book DistributionIBA Book DistributionIBA Book Distribution

Release of Birds ofRelease of Birds ofRelease of Birds ofRelease of Birds ofRelease of Birds of

Arunachal PradeshArunachal PradeshArunachal PradeshArunachal PradeshArunachal Pradesh

Mr Gegong Apang, then Chief Minister of Arunachal

Pradesh released the book A Pocket Guide to the Birds of

Arunachal Pradesh at the Solung Festival at Pasighat on 2

September 2006. Solung is the most important festival of the

Adis, the largest tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. The meeting

was attended by MLAs, local leaders, the Deputy

Commissioner and Superintendent of East Siang district,

many other government officials, educationists and a few

hundred participants.

Mr Apang described the book as ‘a gift to the people of

Arunachal Pradesh’. n

IBA Book Distribution

Dr. Anwaruddin Choudhury Joint Secretary (then

Deputy Commissioner, Baksa district, BTAD, Assam)

and IBCN State Coordinator for Assam handing over a

copy of IBA book to Manas Maozigendri Ecotourism

Society at Koklabari on 6 June 2007. n

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Tsilie Sakhrie

It is a great privilege for me to share

a brief success story of the

Khonoma Nature Conservation and

Tragopan Sanctuary (KNCTS) in

Nagaland, Strictly speaking I am only a

layman, even though I work for Nature

conservation, in the far-east of India,

that is in Nagaland.

Khonoma is a village lying 20 kms west

of Kohima, the capital of Nagaland. Our

village was once a big village but it was

razed to the ground and destroyed

completely in the early part of the Naga

Movement for self-determination in the

1950s by the Indian Armed Forces. Since

then the Khonoma people have scattered

in many places in Nagaland and only

about one-fifth of the population returned

to the village for re-settlement. Today

Khonoma is only a medium-sized village

with about 600 houses and a population

of about three thousand plus.

With a past history of resistance

against the British aggression of our

land throughout the later part of the

nineteenth century, heroic contribution

to the rise of Naga Nationalism for self

determination in twentieth century. I

should say Khonoma people are

patriotic people, but they are also very

stubborn and conservative people.

They stick to what they say, and it is

very difficult to change their minds once

the people made a decision.

Khonoma village area is virtually a

hot-spot of flora and fauna. There are a

number of endangered species, but the

most popular is the beautiful Blyth’s

Tragopan birds.

A tradition handed down from many

generations in the past, to the present

generation at Khonoma is hunting.

Hunting is a sport and young people

prove their prowess by killing as many

animals and birds as possible, thus when

we started our awakening campaign for

nature conservation, preservation of

wildlife, and later banning of jungle

burning and hunting in the entire area

of Khonoma village, we actually faced

a lot of opposition. However, we

continued to weather the stiff

opposition and we have been able to

ban hunting of wildlife completely since

the year 2000. Today the people have

realized the meaning of our awakening

crusade. Our destination is freedom for

both human as well as wildlife freedom

from fear, freedom from hunger, freedom

from oppression and freedom from

killing. Some of us agreed together in

the early 90s that we must protect our

land and conserve our nature including

all flora and fauna. A friend of mine who

was a journalist at that time, raised an

alarm that hunting had been wiping out

natures treasure. That was in 1993, and

he told us at the end of the year, that he

had calculated from the information

given by the hunters that about 300

Blyth’s Tragopan were killed in that

year alone. At that time the value of a

Tragopan was Rs 1 Lakh in foreign

exchange if I am not mistaken.

Soon we started our crusade, creating

environmental awareness, telling the

people about inter-dependence of human

and wildlife, taking afforestation

programmes, holding workshops on the

importance of bio-diversity organization

expedi-tions and nature camps in the

sanctuary areas, and meeting individuals

to expand our network. We did a lot of

survey in the deep woods for 290 days in

our sanctuary. We also identified areas,

inhabited by a particular species of

wildlife, our success largely depending

on people’s participation. And by 1998

we could form the Khonoma Nature

conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary

(KNCTS) with the theme “Care for

nature” encompassing an area of 70 sq.

km.

There was still some opposition of

banning hunting. But by the year 2000

we could completely ban hunting of any

kind wildlife in the entire village area,

which is about 230 sq kms apart from

the sanctuary. Anyone found killing any

kind of bird will be fined Rs. 3000

(Rupees three thousand) per head.

This is our story in a nutshell.

The interesting part of our story is

however, that the people of Khonoma

no longer prepare for or wage war with

nature anymore. Our people are doing

whatever we can to protect our forest

and conserve the wildlife which once

upon a time provided our games and

our trophies. We do want peace in our

land among our tribesmen and we realize

that even our wildlife wants peace and

freedom. n

Contact: Khonoma, Dist. KohimaNagaland

Khonoma Nature Conservation

and Tragopan Sanctuary

N E W S F R O M F I E L D


A patch of forests near Khonoma

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I B C N P A R T N E R ’ S F A C T F I L E

Objectives of the Organization

l To create awareness among the general people, school children,

farmers and forest dwelling people through grassroots

education, communication and direct action.

l Preservation and restoration of natural heritage within north-

east India.

l Scientific and systematic studies on various aspects of Nature

and Wild life.

l To protect indigenous and forest dwelling people depending

on the forest area.

l To conserve ancient monuments and historical building within

the area of activity, i.e; the north-east India.

Geographical scope: Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts of

Assam in particular and the north-east India in general.

Organizational profile: Constituted by Executive

Committee, life members and general members. Members include

academics, professionals, students and farmers spread throughout

Assam

Date of Establishment: 28 August, 1995 as an NGO

Year of Registration: 1996

Regd. No. : Registered under the Societies Registeration act,

XXI of 1860 on 4/10/1996 vide no. RS/NL/258/43 of 1996-1997

Key areas of focus and expertise relating to water

resources, water supply and sanitation

l Pollution of river water viz. , the Gariajan River flowing

through North Lakhimpur town of Assam.

l Downstream impact analysis of lower Subansiri hydel power

project at Gerukamukh in Dhemaji district of Assam.

l Total sanitation campaign as a member of Lakhimpur district

water and sanitation committee(DWSC)

Major programme achievements since 1996

l Awareness campaigns by organizing training, workshops,

seminars for students and rural youth in association with Ministry

of Environment and Forest, Government of India and National

Council of Science Technology Communication (NCSTC),

Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of

India (GOI) through Assam Science Technology and Environment

Council (ASTEC),,Guwahati, by observing National Science Day,

World Environment Day etc.

l Celebrating Wildlife week, National Bird Day, etc. to create

environment awareness among students and rural people.

l Organization nature study camp and bird watching programme

for students.

l Published regularly “Seuj Cinta” a Newsletter of Green

Heritage to provide information on nature in vernacular language

l Published bulletins, leaflets on water, environment, agriculture

and public health related topics.

l Green Heritage has been organizing an angling festival since

1997 at the river Subansiri to promote eco-tourism. Releases

stickers, handout to create awareness about the Golden

Mahseer, river dolphin, plastic pollution, river pollution etc.

l Act as a working partner of Indian Bird Conservation Network

(IBCN) programme of BNHS Mumbai

l Participated in the National Environment Awareness Campaign

l Involved in the Total Sanitation Campaign programme of GOI

in Lakhimpur District of Assam

Publication relating to water:

Students participating in a bird watching programme

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BoraGreen Heritage

(A non Govt. Voluntary Organization Committed to the Care of Environment and Nature)


I B C N P A R T N E R ’ S F A C T F I L E

l Published a bulletin by Green Heritage the on safe use of

drinking water entitled “Water-Elixir of Life” under NEAC

2002-03

Resource that can be provided to others and how they can

access them: Data-based information by e mail, Newsletter of

Green Heritage, published bulletin and have expertise manpower.

Work Experience with the development Department

a) Actively associated with the Department of Forests in

programmes related to social participation in plantation,

wildlife conservation, tiger census, etc. Provide service

as a member of joint forest management committee,

Lakhimpur.

b) Associated with the public health and engineering

department, Government of Assam. Participated in the

“Total Sanitation Campaign” and “Swajjaldhara” programme.

Member of District Water and Sanitation Committee,

Lakhimpur.

c) Actively participate in environment awareness programme

for students by the Department of Education, District

Administration, Lakhimpur. Member of Monitoring

Committee for National Green Corps Programme.

The office bearers of Green Heritage render service as resource

persons in different training, workshops conducted by Deptartment

of Agriculture, Fisheries.

Areas of Expertise

1. Environment and wildlife Biodiversity

2. Indigenous fish diversity research

3. Bird census

4. Water and Sanitation

5. Agro-eco system research and extension

Outstanding achievement / Recognition:

6. Felicitated by Lakhimpur district administration at the

Independence Day function in the year 2001.

7. Felicitated by the Government of Assam at Lakhimpur

on 21 May 2002, for outstanding social service.

8. Felicitated by RARS, NL of Assam Agricultural

University on 23 December, 2003 for outstanding

performance in the field of biodiversity conservation.

Bird conservation activites are regularly organized by Green Heritage

Name of the Organization and Postal address

GREEN HERITAGE

Post Box No. 21

North Lakhimpur – 787001

Assam

Name of the CEO: Dr. Prabal Saikia, Ph. D

Designation of the Contact Person: Secretary General

Contact details: Ward No. 3, K. M. Bora Path, Nakari,

North Lakhimpur 787001

Phone No. 03752-223092 R

Email ID of the Organization; [email protected]

Email ID of the person: [email protected]


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15. Madhya Pradesh

Koustubh Sharma

Research Station, OC/A-2, NMDC Quarters

Majhgawan, Panna - 488101

Email:[email protected]

16. MaharashtraMr. Bishwarup RahaHemant Vihar, 13, Savarkar NagarOff. Gangapur Road, Nashik–422005Email: [email protected]

17. ManipurDr. R. K. Ranjan SinghManipur Association for Science and Society (MASS)Manipur Cultural Integrated ConferencePalace Compound, Imphal - 795 001Email:[email protected]

18. MizoramMr. N. R. PradhanAsstt. Conservator of ForestsC/o. Chief Conservator of Forests, WL, MizoramAizawl, MizoramEmail:[email protected]

19. NagalandMr. Thomas KentAsstt. Director of TourismC/o. Directorate of Tourism, Kohima, Nagaland - 797 001Email: [email protected]

20. OrissaMr. Biswajit MohantyWildlife Society of Orissa“Shantikunj”, Link Road, Cuttack- 753 012Email: [email protected]

21. PondicherryDr. Priya DavidarSalim Ali School of Ecology & Environmental SciencesPondicherry University, Kalapet - 605 014Email:[email protected]

22. RajasthanMr. Manoj KulshreshthaSnehdeep, B-33, Sethi Colony, Jaipur - 302 004Email: [email protected], [email protected]

23. SikkimMs. Usha Ganguli-LachungpaSr. Research Officer (WL), Government of SikkimDepartment of Forest, Environment & WildlifeDeorali-737 102, GangtokEmail: [email protected],[email protected]

24. Tamil NaduDr. V. SantharamC/o Institute of Bird Studies & Natural HistoryRishi Valley Education Centre, Chittor – 517 352Andhra Pradesh Email:[email protected]

25. TripuraMr. Kamal Kanti BanikDishari, Ek No. Tila, Belonia, South Tripura - 799155.Email:[email protected]

26. Uttar Pradesh (East and West)1. Dr. Vijay Prakash Singh (Eastern UP)

Jaidev Nagar (Rajgarh), Lakhimpur Kheri - 262 701Email: [email protected]

2. Mr. Neeraj Srivastav (Western UP)Flat No.303, Plot no.26/10, Kumar Enclave, WazirHasan Road, Lucknow - 226 001Email:[email protected]

27. UttaranchalDr. Bivash Pandavc/o Wildlife Institute of India, P.O. Box 18, ChandrabaniDehra Dun 2480 01Email: [email protected]

28. West BengalMr. Kushal Mookherjee, Secretary,Prakriti Samsad, 65, Golf Club Road,Kolkata-700 033


1. Andaman & Nicobar IslandsMr. Harry V AndrewsTrustee & DirectorAndaman & Nicobar Islands Environmental TeamDivision of Madras Crocodile Bank TrustPost Bag 4, Mamallapuram - 603 104, Tamil NaduEmail: [email protected]

2. Arunachal PradeshMr. Bharat Bhushan BhattState Forest Research Institute, Van-ViharP.B.No. 159, Itanagar - 791 111Email:[email protected]

3. Andhra PradeshMr. M. Shafaat UllaH.No. 4, St. No. 1, Avenue 8 (Rd No.3)Banjara Hills, Andhra Pradesh 500 003Email:[email protected]

4. AssamDr. Anwaruddin ChoudhuryNear Gate No.1 of Nehru Stadium, Islampur Road Guwahati781 007, Email: [email protected]

5. Bihar and JharkhandMr. Arvind MishraMandar Nature ClubAnand Chikitsalaya Road, Bhagalpur - 812 002, Bihar.Email: [email protected], [email protected]

6. ChhattisgarhMr. Arun M. K. BharosB-101 Gayatrinagar, PO Shankar Nagar, Raipur-492 007Email: [email protected], [email protected]

7. DelhiMr. Nikhil DevasarDelhi Bird Club, C 1/503 Mayfair Tower, Charmwood Village,Eros Garden, Surajkund Rd., Faridabad, Haryana.Email:[email protected]

8. GoaMr. Carl D’SilvaA2, Ashiyana, Caranzalem, Ilhas, Goa - 403002Email:[email protected]

9. GujaratMr. Jugal Kishor TiwariCentre for Desert and OceanPo. Moti-Virani, Taluka – Nakhtrana, Kutch – 370 665Email: [email protected]

10. Haryana and Punjab

Mr. Suresh C. SharmaGokul Nagar, Rohtak Road, Sonipat - 131 001Email:[email protected],[email protected]

11. Himachal PradeshMr. Jan Willem den BestenKuldeep House, Mc Leod Ganj, Kangra - 176 219Email:[email protected]

12. Jammu and Kashmir1. Dr. Ashfaq Ahmed Zarri

Manager Biodiversity ProjectBaba Ghulam Shah Badshah UniversityRajouri, Jammu and Kashmir - 185 131Email:[email protected]

2. Dr. Rahul Kaul

Director-Conservation, Wildlife Trust of IndiaA-220, New Friends Colony,New Delhi - 110 065Email:[email protected]

13. KarnatakaDr. S. SubramanyaPHT Scheme, J Block, GKVK CampusUniversity Of Agricultural Sciences,Banglore, Karnataka- 560 065Email: [email protected]

14. KeralaMr. P. O. NameerAsst. Professor, College of ForestryKerala Agricultural University (KAU),Thrissur 680 656Email: [email protected]

I B C N S T A T E C O O R D I N A T O R S

IBCN MISSION STATEMENTTo promote conservation of birds and their habitats through the development of a national network of individuals,

organisations and the government

GEER Foundation

Alipurduar Nature Club,

West Bengal

Maharashtra

Himalayan Nature &

Adventure Foundation,

West Bengal

Assam

Aaranyak, Assam

Gujarat

West Bengal

Orissa

Birdwatcher’sSociety of Andhra Pradesh

Kerala

Karnataka

Gujarat

Haryana

Rajasthan

Assam

Nature Club,Bishop Heber College,

Tamil Nadu

Arulagam,Tamil Nadu

Institute of Bird Studies& Natural History,Andhra Pradesh

Rajasthan

Maharashtra

Megamix,Nature Club, Assam

NatureConservation Society,

Maharashtra.

People for Animals,Madhya Pradesh

Nature Science (Club’s)Society, Maharashtra

Envirosearch,Maharashtra

Ashoka Trustfor Researchin Ecology & theEnvironment,Karnataka

Ela Foundation,Maharashtra

Tamil NaduDhan Foundation

Tamil Nadu

Andhra Pradesh

Institute for Cultural &Physical Development

Trust, West Bengal

Turquoise WildlifeConservation

Welfare Society,Uttar Pradesh

Wildlife ProtectionSociety of India,

New Delhi

Bird ConservationSociety of Surat,

Gujarat

Punjab

IBCN ORGANISATIONAL PARTNERS

Sikkim

Nallamalai Foundation,Andhra Pradesh

Wildlife Society ofOrissa

Karnataka

Maharashtra

Delhi

Madhya Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh

Maharashtra

Maharashtra

Haryana

Orissa

Nature Conservation SocietyJharkhand

Pole Star AcademyAssam

Nandadevi Foundation,West Bengal

Green Guards,Maharashtra

International Society

of Naturalists,

Gujarat

Amrapali Institute,Uttaranchal

Karnataka

Action for Protectionof Wild Animals,

Orissa

Gramin Vikash Societyof North East, Assam

Indian National Trust forArt & Cultural Heritage,

Jharkhand

Green Guard, Assam

NCF

Mandar Nature Club,Bihar

Manipur Associationfor Sciences and

Society,Manipur

Pahal,Punjab

Chhattisgarh Wildlife Society,Chhattisgarh

Delhi

Karnataka

AligarhMuslimUniversity,Uttar Pradesh

Society for Conservationof Nature,

Uttar Pradesh

Assam

West Bengal

Delhi, M.P.Chhattisgarh and

Assam

IBCN has 800 individual members and 85 organisational members

West Bengal

Association forConservation &

Tourism,West Bengal

The Firends of theDoon Society,Uttaranchal

Nuclear PowerCorporation of India

Limited

Gujarat

BIOMIX Assam

Maharashtra

Assam

Rajasthan Kerala Kerala Madhya Pradesh Karnataka

2007 apr_june

Documents

term iba

state ibas

iba status

state coordinators

ibcn members

theboard members

e d i t o r

publications onsites