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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. […]

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

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