The teams spotted 169 different bird species in different parts of the city. Around 69 teams and 400 bird lovers participated in the race.
Mumbai’s bird lovers and environmentalists chose to step out on Sunday to count the species of birds found in the city, and the results were not at all disappointing.
A team led by Kiran Kadam called Black Bittern and another team led by Prathamesh Desai called Grey Headed Lapwig tied at the end of the day in the annual HSBC Mumbai bird race 2012. Both spotted 169 different bird species in different parts of the city. Around 69 teams and 400 bird lovers participated in the race.
Searching the species was not the only motive of the teams and the organizers. It was also a race to spot the rare species of birds. “Ashy Minivet was named as the bird of the day in this year’s competition. The bird of the day depends on the rarity of the species and also the time period during which the bird hasn’t been spotted. Ashy Minivet was spotted by two teams this year in Karnala. Also, it was only the fourth or the fifth time in last 10 years when bird watchers have spotted this bird. Therefore, we named it the bird of the day in this year’s competition,” said Ravi Vaidyanathan, organiser of the race.
In a bird race, a five-member team travels in an area, the route of which they are free to decide. While travelling, the team members should note the different bird species they see on their trail. The team which notes down the highest number of species is declared the winner.
“We started our journey from Murbad and then proceeded to Barvi dam in Badlapur. From there we went to villages around Dombivli and ended the day at Thakurli creek. In the entire journey, we spotted 169 species of birds and took their photographs,” said Desai, the team leader of one of the winning teams. Desai mentioned that the rare bird which his team spotted was Malabar Grey Hornbill, which is rarely seen in Mumbai.
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