Date:08/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/08/stories/2009010858090200.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Bird-watchers get ready for the race

Staff Reporter

— A file photo

The annual Bird Race will be held in Bangalore on January 18.

Bangalore: It is that time of the year again when ornithologists and amateur bird-watchers alike march off across the city, binoculars and logbooks in hand, to compete for the top spot in the annual Bird Race. The event, sponsored by HSBC, will be back in the city on January 18 and promises to be bigger than ever before.

As with every year, enthusiasts will spend the entire day birding, aiming to record as many species of birds as possible, while learning about the finer aspects of bird-watching from experts.

In the evening, the teams will meet over dinner and the winners — the team that draws up the longest list of bird species and the team with the rarest sighting — will be announced.

The organisers say the race is getting bigger every year and has stimulated an enormous interest in bird-watching. For instance, some 100 bird-watchers participated in the first Bird Race that took place in Mumbai in 2005 and by the following year the number of participants had doubled.

The Bird Race will take place in several metros this year. It was held in Ahmedabad on January 4 and will be held in Chennai and Mumbai on January 25 and February 22 respectively.

Bird-watchers will have to adhere to some rules though. Each team will have four people, including one seasoned bird-watcher, and the race can be conducted within a 50-km radius from Vidhana Soudha.

The results will be judged by an experienced panel of naturalists.

For more information on the Bangalore Bird Race, log on to www.indiabirdraces.com or register at bangalorebirdrace.blogspot.com. Registration closes on Sunday.