Vadodara’s largest online survey of urban birds will be conducted during lock down

Data will be
handed over to educational institutions including Zoology department of MS
University

The
lockdown, which has been going on for more than a month now has a truly
positive impact on the environment. People post many pics ane videos about
visibility of  Pavagadh and chirping of
birds in many areas during this time.

Today at a time when humans are trapped in self-made cages, birds are flying without fear and that spreads a positivity everywhere. In such time one of the biggest urban birds online survey will be conducted by Kids for Environmental Development Initiatives (KDI), in order to educating children towards the environment.

The survey
will be started from 1st May and will complete on 7th May 2020. The forms will
be distributed to the people through social media and whatsapp messaging app.

Giving more
details KEDI founder Hitarth Pandya said, in about 10 days after the lock down
the behavior of the birds changed drastically. 
Some birds, such as the Silver Bill, Kingfisher and Rose Ringed
Parakeet, prefer to stay away from humans in normal circumstances began to seen
in large numbers in the home compound or in the Society garden.

He said,
“Keeping in mind all the things the idea was born which gives a golden
opportunity to everyone to take a closer look at the birds around us, learn
more about them and give a solid shape to our observations. After contacting
Professor Geeta Padte of the MSU Department of Zoology, she said it would be a
landmark event if the Urban Birds were surveyed. When birds are nesting at that
time the university vacation falls and the students go home and that is why
such a survey cannot be conducted. This is why if a large number of citizens
who are currently at home take part in this survey, a very important data can
be received.”

When people
take part in this very important project, they will instinctively learn more
about the birds around them, what kind of environment the birds need to build
their nests, as well as what kind of trees and plants they need. This will also
help the people of Vadodara to take steps to provide shelter to the birds
afterwards.

Creating a
survey form was also a complex task, said Hitarth Pandya. “Even though the
data at the end of the survey is used in scientific subjects, if the questions
asked in the survey are complicated or difficult, the common people cannot give
the correct answer. For this reason, the questions are kept very simple and
few. For about a week we took continuos guidance from ornithologists like
Professor Geeta Padte, Dr. Deepa Gawli, Acting Director of the Gujarat Ecology
Society and Dr. Jitendra Gawli, Tree Specialist and Director of the Community
Science Center. Photographs of various birds have also been kept in the form so
that the common people does not have any difficulty in identifying the
birds.”

After this
one week survey all the data will be sent to educational institutes like MS
University, Navrachana University as well as institutes working on environment
like Gujarat Ecology Society, Bombay Natural History Society and other
institutes so that it can be used in research on urban bird.