What's On in September
September heralds the end of the monsoon season and the beginning of the cold season in most of India. Birders get excited as both, passage and winter migrants will begin to arrive at this time of year. Many birders plan trips to nearby hotspots, and some even plan trips to states far away from where they live to see some special migrants.
Bird Movements:
European Rollers have already been reported from the Himalayas, north and western parts of India and birders in central and south India are hopeful to see them in their birding patches in September. It is around this time of year when the Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin and Spotted Flycatcher, pass through northwest parts of India to reach their wintering sites in Africa. While passage migrants continue their journey abroad, a number of winter migrants have already arrived to stay here for the next few months. It’s likely that you’ll start hearing the songs and calls of several warblers as they establish winter territories, and some of you may even see these restless birds. Small numbers of Sykes’s, Booted and Blyth’s Reed Warblers have already arrived soon to be followed by many. Birders in the north are now reporting Greenish Warblers, while those in south are reporting the Grey Wagtails!
New- State of India’s Birds Release
The second edition of the State of India’s Birds report was released on 25 August 2023. This report serves as a vital assessment of our country’s avian population. Drawing from over 30 million eBird observations contributed by more than 30,000 birdwatchers, it evaluates distribution ranges and abundance trends of 942 Indian bird species over both long-term (25+ years) and recent (since 2015) periods. Combining this data with insights from the IUCN Red List, the report categorizes Indian birds into Low, Moderate, and High Conservation Priority, revealing that many species previously considered common and widespread are now of High Conservation Priority. For additional information and to access the complete report, please visit the website at https://stateofindiasbirds.in/
Birding Events:
Passage Migrant Count in Gujarat
23rd and 24th September – The Bird Conservation Society of Gujarat (BCSG), in association with Bird Count India, will be conducting India’s second ever systematic passage migrant count in Gujarat. See here for info.
Vulture Count in India
2nd September to 1st October – WWF India has announced its Vulture Count. This is citizen science program to document the vultures of India. See here for more details.
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
If you enjoy challenges, do take a look at some of the global challenges set for this new year.
The September 2023 eBirding Challenge for India can be seen here.
Take a look at the yearly challenge for India for 2023
There is also the global eBirder of the Month challenge (coming soon) as well as 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.