What's On in December
Winter is here. While the temperature is pleasant in southern India, it will soon get extremely cold in the northern parts. This is a fantastic time to watch birds the whole day without being excessively hot.
Migrants to look for:
Did you know that Red-breasted and Red-throated (Taiga) flycatchers do not use the same migratory routes to arrive in India? Red-breasted Flycatcher breeds west of Central Asia and winters largely in the Indian Subcontinent except in the northeastern parts. Taiga Flycatcher breeds east of Central Asia and winters throughout the Indian Subcontinent but are most abundant in Northeast India, Bangladesh and Southeast Asia.
This animated migration map was created from observations uploaded to the citizen science platform eBird up until 2020. Source: birdcount.in/migration-maps-home/
In the north and east of India, birders should be on the lookout for the Dusky Warbler, a Palearctic migrant that typically arrives by the end of December.
If you are going to be in north-west India, look out for Plain-leaf Warblers. They can be easily mistaken for Common Chiffchaff. Be sure to provide details for such observations. eBird media is an excellent feature to acquaint yourself with these species’ calls, behaviour, and plumage.
If you are visiting coasts, please look out for arctic waders such as Broad-billed Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Bar-tailed Godwit
Do check out the eBird bar charts to find what birds are expected in your region. If you are planning a birding trip in December, do checkout birding hotspots here.
Events:
4-19 Jan: Join the Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) from 4 Jan to 19 Jan 2025. AWC is part of the global International Waterbird Census (IWC). This citizen-science program supports the conservation and management of wetlands and waterbirds worldwide. By using eBird and filling out an additional site form, one can participate in this multi-country effort to document the state of our wetlands and waterbirds. See details here.
22 to 26 Jan 2025: The West Bengal Forest Department is organising its 3rd Sundarban Bird Festival, which is being held from 22 to 26 Jan 2025. Click here for details.
3–5 January, 2025: Bird Conservation Society Gujarat (BCSG) in collaboration with the Gujarat Forest Department is hosting Coastal Birds Confluence (CBC25) in the city of Jamnagar. This three-day event delves into wader conservation, highlighting valuable research insights and offering immersive experiences through discussions, film release, a bird census, and field visits. Full details on Registration form
1 Oct 2024 – 30 Apr 2025: Join the third Asia-wide Winter Bunting Count, a citizen science initiative running from 1 Oct 2024 – 30 Apr 2025 . This collaborative project, organized by the Japan Bird Research Association and Hong Kong Bird Watching Society in partnership with Bird Count India, aims to document bunting species across Asia. Building on the success of previous counts that saw participation from ten countries, birders can participate from any location where buntings are found. For participation guidelines and more information, please see here.
Regular Events
This webpage lists bird events (mostly walks) that are conducted on a regular schedule (typically weekly or monthly) by various birding groups across the country. Take a look to see if there is something happening near you!
Challenges
The December 2024 eBirding Challenge for India can be seen here.
Take a look at the yearly challenge for India for 2024
Watch this space to see global eBirder of the Month challenge and here is the global Checklist-a-day Challenge to look forward to.
Are you organizing a birding event soon?
If so, please drop a line to skimmer@birdcount.org so that we can include it in our monthly “What’s On in Birding” updates.