What's on in March
March is an interesting time of the year. Flowers begin to blossom as spring slowly creeps in to the landscape, and with it brings birdsong and the initiation of breeding activity amongst the resident species. This is also the time when winter migrants begin their long journey back to their breeding grounds. In southern India, several winter visitors are seen for the last time until next winter while in the north, some species (such as the Sulphur-bellied Warbler in Rajasthan) see an increase in numbers on passage as they move further.
Challenges
This month’s eBirding challenge asks birders to document this change in birdlife by encouraging them to revisit the locations they birded in during the winter. The gap-filling challenge identifies 310 relatively unbirded districts for the observer to! You can also take part in the global eBirder of the month challenge by uploading media to your lists.
If you’re in for the long run, do not forget the 2017 yearlong challenges!
Events
The Great Backyard Bird Count and the Campus Bird Count were a hit with eBirders this year as India outdid its total from last year, both in terms of number of species and the number of checklists. The Campus Bird Count was held in over 140 campuses and was instrumental in introducing many to birding for the first time. Summary reports for these events will be out soon. We hope to see the momentum continue into March and keep birding as energentically as ever!
Do keep an eye out for House Sparrows as part of the World Sparrow Day and the Great Sparrow Count on the 20th of March.