What's On in October
October is a highly anticipated month for birders, as wetlands come alive with migratory waterfowl and shorebirds, while forests and shrubs echo with the calls of warblers. It’s a time of excitement, change, and fantastic birding opportunities! So far, the birds have lived up to expectations—Greenish Warblers are being reported across various parts of India, while Rusty-tailed Flycatchers have been observed in both Jammu and Kashmir and Karnataka. Meanwhile, Brown-breasted Flycatchers have been spotted in northeast, central, and Southern India.
Updates:
Special Webinar by Ramit Singal
Join us for an exclusive webinar with Ramit Singal on how to record bird sounds using your smartphone and prepare them for uploading to eBird. This session is in reference to amplifying Merlin Sound ID coverage in India. Don’t miss out! Details here.
A new milestone achieved by Indian Birders on eBird!
Indian birders have now contributed an incredible 3 million checklists and 3 million media to eBird! This remarkable growth showcases the dedication of birders across the country, who work tirelessly to document India’s rich birdlife. Click here to read more.
Taxonomy Update Coming Soon!
It’s almost taxonomy time on eBird, when annual updates reflect the latest advancements in bird classification. To ensure your data transitions smoothly, we recommend uploading all pending/ “Not Submitted” checklists before 20th October. This will allow for seamless updates as species splits, lumps, and other changes are implemented.
Wild Bird Day: 12 Oct 2024
India will celebrate its 7th Wild Bird Day. The idea is to spend as much time as you can observing and documenting birds on this day to generate a snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds at this time of the year. See here for more.
Dussehra Roller Count: 3–12 Oct 2024
In collaboration with bird enthusiasts from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, and Telangana, IISER Tirupati, IIT-Tirupati, and the Tirupati Nature Society are launching the inaugural Dussehra Roller Count. This citizen science event aims to document the status of the rapidly declining Indian Roller population.
Join the effort and contribute! Details here.
5 October 2024, Bengaluru Bird Day– An annual event where birders from Bangalore will come together to celebrate in honor of Dr. Joseph George, who started the group birdwatching movement in Bangalore four decades ago. See here for more.
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 October 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.