P Harini’s tryst with birding began when the stress of the pandemic peaked and life seemed to get in the way of happiness. Her older sister P Sridevi, an avid bird watcher, told her to step out and give the activity a shot even though she was not terribly keen. “I didn’t really think it was my thing,” says the 18-year-old studying at Women’s Christian College.
Today, her perspective has drastically changed. Any time Harini gets a spare five minutes, she finds herself scanning the surroundings to note a call or spot a tail or beak. She loves spotting sunbirds, Asian koels and drongos, and now knows the difference between parrots and parakeets (the latter are smaller). “Birding is exhilarating. It calms you. More people should know their biodiversity,” she says.
Bird watchers from across the world including The Beatles legend Paul McCartney echo similar sentiments. The artiste behind the ballad ‘Blackbird’ who also named his band Wings, says that birding is a wonderful way to “chill out” in an old interview with a UK-based publication. It is all about letting Nature take over.
Although birdwatching can seem intimidating to beginners, KV Sudhakar of the Madras Naturalists’ Society, says that the thrill of identifying the bird based on a call or recognising its distinct features, remains unmatched. It is what draws novices to the activity and keeps experts hooked. Even 15 minutes of looking out of a balcony or cubicle is enough to change your mood.
In light of several migratory birds including ducks, waders and raptors making their way to Chennai’s Pallikaranai marshland, experts weigh in on all that one needs to know while stepping out to bird watch. Find directions to hotspots, the peak season, essential equipment and skills required to become avian-obsessed.
Also read | Bird Watching in India : Places, Areas and Species to look out for in 2024.
First steps
Birding is a multi-sensory activity, says Sridevi. It is inclusive, and is for everyone including persons with disabilities. A sharp eye, keen ear or strong pair of legs, all work to one’s advantage. But first, one needs to know their neighbourhood like the back of their hand.
Sridevi was always interested in observing sentience and Nature but got into the activity full-throttle when her college organised an exercise to document the birds in her area. She now birds for a minimum of 15 minutes everyday and cannot do without documenting her findings despite living in Triplicane, a building-dense neighbourhood.
Shikra | Photo Credit: Aravind AM
AM Aravind, another bird watcher, says that stepping out and exploring one’s own locality is probably the best way to start. When he began, he found nearly 25 different species of birds around the busy Vadapalani Murugan temple area. “There was so much happening around me. I was just not looking until then,” he says.
Aravind recommends taking walks around streets with trees or vacant plots with water and vegetation to spot birds besides the common crow, pigeon, mynah and parakeets that tend to dot the Chennai skyline. One can either stare at tree canopies or peep into a tree knoll. Both actions will help spot different kinds of birds. Neighbourhood parks and water bodies are great places to begin bird watching too, he says. He suggests that one keep a lookout for tiny ashy prinias, skillful tailor birds, bright flameback woodpecker and shikras, the raptors. One need not go all the way to the tiger reserves in Mudumalai and Anamalai, Sudhakar says.
Once familiar with the birds in the neighbourhood, these experts suggest venturing into the marshlands in Sholinganallur and Pallikaranai, the Adyar river trail, the Guindy children’s park and college campuses with significant green cover. The area around the Adyar estuary is popular too.
Birdwatchers exploring | Photo Credit: Aravind AM
Migratory birds tend to fly into Chennai starting September and October. The peak season however tends to be January and February. Earlier this year, Aravind was able to spot six varieties of ducks from Central Asia, migratory waders including sandpipers and spoonbills as well as eagles and falcons. “The numbers were overwhelming. The sheer diversity in species is great here,” he says.
Identifying birds could be one of the primary impediments while starting to bird watch. To combat this, Aravind and Sridevi suggest enlisting on eBird.com, among the world’s largest citizen science projects, where people interested in birds including top ornithologists, record their daily sightings of birds. Aravind also recommends using the Merlin bird identification mobile application that instantly recognises birds. Sridevi says that the eBird website could sometimes be discombobulating for beginners but one can quickly pick up, she says. Aravind also suggests purchasing bird guides and doing some basic research online before stepping out.
White-throated kingfisher | Photo Credit: Aravind AM
The easiest way to pick up birding however would be to tag along with experts or experienced birders who have the time to explain their sightings. They help hone skills and tell novices exactly what to look for. “Nuances like the number of notes per bird call or the slight distinction in the colour on the plumage can be best spotted by experts. Joining walks that focus on birding will help immensely,” says Aravind.
The 45-year-old Madras Naturalists’ Society is a repository of information regarding all natural life but it has several experts interested in the world of birds. Sudhakar, a long-term member of the society, says that they organise a meeting every second Saturday at Olcott Memorial School in Besant Nagar. “Lots of people — young and old — join our meetings and just pick up from there. We also go to schools and colleges, encouraging people from the science departments to document the birds in their neighbourhood. This brings renewed interest to the field,” he says.
Vikas Madhav Nagarajan created an interesting working list of birding hotspots in Chennai and the feathered visitors or residents to spot nearly 10 years ago. This birder says that many might recommend beginning with equipment such as binoculars and cameras. These however, may be unnecessary right off the bat. He suggests carrying a pen and a notebook to write down detailed descriptions of birds, their habits and the nature of their call. One could even sketch, he suggests. He adds that carrying a cap, bottle of water and bug spray (when entering wooded territory), might be useful to carry in a backpack.
“One can go birding at any time. It depends on the kind of birds you want to see. Most people however, prefer to head out early in the morning,” he says.
In search of the zen
A meeting of the Madras Naturalists’ Society | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Sudhakar says that while birding might seem like a quiet activity that often involves clinical notation, the joy it provides remains unparalleled. “On a day when the mind is disturbed, birding frees me of my worries. I am calm and composed and suddenly at peace when I hear the loud call of the mynah,” he says. He adds that the activity tends to help people find new friends and build a community of those with similar interests.
Consistently updating one’s findings on platforms like eBird also helps in creating research documents like the State of Indian Birds report, environment policy documents and legal protection for birds that tend to be under threat due to regular loss of habitat post rapid urbanisation. Researchers who may not be able to travel long distances can chart the course of migratory birds flying from the Northern Hemisphere to the tropics during winter through eBird. Their stops, layovers and points of refuelling and recovery will inform documentation of their behaviour and subsequently their conservation, says Sridevi. Every entry definitely matters, she says.
One also develops the virtue of patience through the process. “Naturalists who are interested in butterflies and ants all began looking at the ground when they were unable to find birds,” says Aravind.
This season, when the cuckoos calls and the blackbirds sings in the dead of night, be sure to note when they trill and sing. It could be a song you have never heard before.
