Please join us in congratulating Vijaya Lakshmi of Nanjangud, Karnataka, India – winner of the September 2022 eBird Challenge, sponsored by Carl Zeiss Sports Optics. Vijaya Lakshmi’s name was drawn randomly from the 265 eBirders who submitted at least 20 eligible checklists with rated sound recordings in September. She will receive a new ZEISS Conquest HD 8×42 binocular for her eBirding efforts. Here’s Vijaya Lakshmi’s birding story:
My interest in birding started at an early age of 12, later on after few years, birders from Mysore helped me a lot in birding like identifying birds, preparing checklists by putting date, time, weather, etc. During 2013, I was introduced to eBird by my birding guide Mr. Shivaprakash Adavanne. I have been using eBird for uploading checklists since then and when new features are introduced I make use of them. For example eBird Trip Reports, which summarizes all our efforts. It’s a really amazing tool.
Black-tailed Godwit and Bar-headed Goose from one of Vijaya Lakshmi’s favorite eBird checklists © Vijaya Lakshmi / Macaulay Library
eBird has helped me a lot to improve my knowledge about birds and their habitat. Whenever I travel to new places for birding I make it a point to go through eBird records and bar charts for probable sightings of birds there. I am also very much interested in call recordings. I try to record calls as many as possible and upload it in eBird. However, I never use playbacks.
I am also a Regional reviewer. Wherever possible, I have helped birders to make use of eBird and its features to improve their knowledge on birds. Thank you eBird team from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Carl Zeiss Sport Optics for the support.
Also visit Vijaya Lakshmi’s Birder Profile from BirdCount India.