The Pongal Bird Count, an initiative of the Tamil Birders Network, is an annual bird monitoring program for Tamil Nadu. This event happens every year during the Pongal Festival which falls in January. The idea is to go out and count birds during the Pongal festival, to get more people interested in birding, and to generate a yearly snapshot of the bird population in Tamil Nadu. This initiative started in 2015, and has taken place every year since.
Image credits:
K. Selvaganesh
Annual bird count event during Pongal Festival
Year of Initiation:
2015
Project Coordinator:
Jeganathan Panchapakesan
E-mail Address:
Role in the project:
Coordinator
Institutional Affiliation:
Tamil Birders Network
Taxa:
Birds
Status:
Active
No. of participants:
500 - 1000
Geographical spread of project:
Tamil Nadu
Run through an umbrella platform:
eBird
Purpose of the project:
Annual bird count event to know the snapshot of distribution and abundance of the birds of Tamil Nadu.
Coordinating institution/organisation:
Tamil Birders Network along with Bird Count India
Location of the coordinating institution/organisation(s):
Tamil Nadu
Data availability:
Available upon request, without a fee
Participation in language other than English:
No
Appropriate age groups of participants:
All age groups
Citizen participation through:
Website, Mobile application
Why should people participate:
This would be an opportunity to get outdoors and explore your neighborhood and to get to know your feathered friends. It can be a family activity as well. Participating would help to contribute for a statewide citizen science program that tries to understand the distribution and abundance of birds in this state.
Prior knowledge or expertise required:
Participants should have interest in birdwatching and it would be great if they could identify common birds around their location. Use of eBird app and eBird account is essential.