What's on in October
October is one of the most awaited months of the year for birders. Wetlands start filling up with migratory waterfowl and shorebirds, while forests and shrubbery are abuzz with the chatter of warblers. It’s a month filled with excitement, change and some great birding! And so far, the birds haven’t disappointed – Greenish Warblers have reached the tip of the peninsula, Eurasian Hobbies have been recorded from as far south as Mumbai, Bar-tailed Godwits have reached Kerala.
Will Common Cuckoos be observed in as many numbers as last year? Will Amur Falcons turn up in places they haven’t been recorded from earlier? You can find out which species arrive in October by checking the eBird Bar Graphs.
(Note: You can follow Flappy the cuckoo’s journey in 2017-18. Flappy has already reached India and it’ll be interesting to see how she proceeds from here.)
The best way to enjoy this month is to be out in the field as much as possible, which brings us to the…
eBird Challenges
The monthly eBirding challenge is all about birding as much as possible (well, at least 15 hours to be precise) and there are a number of districts (321) to explore as part of the monthly gap-filling challenge.
The global eBirder of the Month challenge asks you to upload 15 lists, with at least one containing rated media.
eBird usage
There are now over 7 million records from 85,000 locations across India on eBird. eBird in India has really reached out across all states and corners of the country. There are, of course, a large number of places yet to be covered but we must thank all the users who have helped with the growth of eBird India, and contributed to our knowledge of India’s birds!
Here is a map that shows all the 85,000 locations (as of September 2017):
