Media Release

Mangaluru, Feb 23: The Campus Bird Count is a sub-event of the larger Great Backyard Bird Count. It is a coordinated effort to document the birdlife inmultiple campuses across India. Campus bird count (CBC) is organized by Bird Count India in collaboration with eBIRD every year since 2015. This is an effort to document bird life on various campuses across India.

St Agnes College, a 102-year-old campus which is situated in the heart of Mangaluru city. The campus took part in this event for the very first time. The event was organized by the Department of Zoology. The campus bird countwas organized under the supervision of Vivek Hasyagar, Researcher-Department of Applied Zoology, Mangalore University and Reginald Valdar, birding enthusiast. The campus birding team was led by Blairil Vishma D'Cunha, assistant professor, department of zoology in the active presence of Vivid D'Souza, assistant professor and Ameetha K, head of the department of zoology. About 9 students from various UG science departments of the college actively participated in the event.

The four-days (February 17 to 20) of birding event concluded with recording 30 species of birds. The common most birds of the campus include Greater Racket Tailed Drongo, Common Myna, Purple Rumped Sunbird, Pale Billed Flowerpecker, Asian Koel, Oriental Magpie Robin, Feral Pigeons, Greater Coucal, Spotted Owlet and Red Whiskered Bulbul were commonly sighted throughout the campus. Large predatory birds such as Black Kite and Brahminy Kite are seen in huge numbers flying around the campus and perching on old buildings within the campus.Migratory bird species were reported from the campus which includes Indian Paradise Flycatcher, Indian Golden Oriole and Blue-tailed Bee-eater.

In the era of urbanization, St Agnes College with its luscious green campus is still home to hundreds of birds. Such kind of population can be credited to the high diversity of the fruiting plants and trees found here that provide shelter, food and nesting sites for a variety of bird species. The campus being in the midst of a crowded coastal city is home to several bird species, which is a rare and interesting observation. This emphasizes the importance of green patches in an urbanized area. The campus has several small green patches with large woody trees that act as sheltering grounds. There are hundreds of Black Kites seen perched on top of various buildings on the campus. Melodious calls of AsianKoels and Pale-billed Flowerpeckers can be heard throughout the day.

Nesting sites of birds such as the Rose Ringed Parakeet, Pale Billed Flowerpecker, Purple-rumped Sunbird, Black Kite and Red Whiskered Bulbul were sighted in the campus during the bird count. This provides evidence for a well-balanced ecosystem that supports the existence of a variety of bird species within the campus.

Such bird counts done for several years will give an understanding of how the bird populations are changing with time. Bird-watching is the best way to spend leisure-time and anyone can practice this hobby irrespective of age, occupation and place. Watching birds can bring joy to the mind and be a good stress reliever. With continuous practice, bird watching becomes an integral part of a birdwatcher’s life.