---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: jayadevan ek <jayadevanek@...>
Date: Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 7:14 AM
Subject: On the trail of avian friends
To: Praveen J <paintedstork@...>


http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/18/stories/2009111850150200.htm

On the trail of avian friends Special Correspondent
________________________________

Kannur team tops Kerala Bird Race in Malabar.

________________________________

Kannur: Bird-watchers covered almost all the known bird habitats in
the region, from ghat areas to coastal belt, on November 15, spending
the day recording as many species of birds as possible and learning
finer points of bird-watching from experts.

As many as 13 teams participated in the Kerala Bird Race 2009 held in
the Malabar region on November 15 to commemorate the birth anniversary
of Salim Ali, the Bird Man of India.

Bird races were also conducted simultaneously in the central and
southern parts of the State. The bird watchers in the region covered
areas in Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts including
Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary, Kannavam forest, Kattampally,
Chemballikundu, Ezhimala, Janakikkadu, Kadalundy community reserve,
Purathur, Kottooli and Mavoor, among others.

KeralaBirder, an Internet mailing group of bird-watchers, along with
the HSBC Ltd. and Yuhina Eco-Media, a Mumbai-based organisation
specialising in natural history and environment-related activities,
conducted the dawn-to-dusk bird-watching event. The event was hosted
by the Malabar Natural History Society (MNHS). Each team comprised
four members including children, teachers, social activists and nature
lovers.

The team led by Jayan Thomas and P.C. Rajeevan (Kannur) won the first
prize in the region by recording 149 species of birds.

Sasidharan Manekara and team (Thalassery) spotted 94 species and
secured the second prize, while the third prize went to Roshnad and
team, which recorded 86 species. Spotted Redshank sighted by Dr.
Thomas and Mr. Rajeevan team was declared the bird of the day.

Jafer Palot of the MNHS here said that some of the important sightings
during the bird race included Watercock, Rufous Woodpecker, Spotted
Redshank, Sanderling, Black-tailed Godwit, Rosy Starling, Grey-headed
lapwing, Dollar Bird, Booted Eagle, Temminck’s Stint. Prizes were
distributed by Calicut University Zoology Department Head M. Gokuldas.

Dear all,

The Cochin leg of the Kerala Bird Race_2009 was concluded
successfully.Total of 31 teams with 143 participants from Cochin,Thrissur
and Kottayam took part.Species tally is 241 species.First place with 150
species goes to the  team from Thrissur led by Sandeep Das.Second place
with 143 species goes to a team led by M S Sudeesh of Thattekkad.The third
place again goes to Thrissur to a team led by Adarsh C K,Forestry College.

The valedictory functin had chief guests Hon. Minister for Transport,
Adv.Jose Thettayil and ,Dr.H Nagesh Prabhu,IFS.Dr.P O Nameer and Sri.Sunjoy
Monga
and Sri.Kedar Tipnis from HSBC also attended the valedictory function.


This year participants from 5th standard to senior citezens took part.
Sighting of Spoonbill by a team led by Shiby Moses from Kottayam was the
highlight.

Regards,
Vishnu,

For Dr.Dileep,Smitha,Ginu,Jai and Manoj
CNHS

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: jayadevan ek <jayadevanek@...>
Date: Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 6:59 AM
Subject: Decline in bird sightings causes concern
To: Praveen J <paintedstork@...>


http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/17/stories/2009111758060200.htm

*Decline in bird sightings causes concern *  — PHOTO: by special arrangement


* RARE BIRD: A Malabar grey hornbill photographed during the bird race. *

The presence of avifauna with dry lands as their natural habitat is
increasing across the State, which points to a possible desertification of
large parts of wetlands, according to a report of the Kerala Bird Race-2009
held here on Sunday.

The unique race for bird watching conducted in the Kochi zone also threw
light on some findings that could be a cause for concern for
environmentalists. Against the tally of 300 bird species spotted in and
around Kochi last year, only 241 bird species were sighted this time.

Some species recorded a dip in the frequency of sightings compared to the
past two races. Several other varieties which were sighted either regularly
or intermittently in the region also showed a decline.

As per the survey results, only half the number of the total 320 varieties
identified from the Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary could be sighted in the region
this time.

The most interesting finding from the Ernakulam zone was the spotting of
spoonbills in large numbers at Pandy Island in Alappuzha and the sighting of
bunting, which was first located last year at the Kattambilly wet lands,
Kannur, said the organisers.

Meanwhile, two varieties of buntings, namely red headed and black headed
buntings, were spotted in Akkulam during the Thiruvananthapuram edition of
the event while spotted red shank was identified at the Kozhikode zone for
the second straight time, indicating a growth in the number of the bird
species.

Whiskered tern, a migratory bird from the Himalayan ranges, which are often
found in large numbers in the wetlands of the State were the least spotted
species during the race.

Extended over an area ranging from the kole fields in Thrissur to the
birding hot spots in Kottayam and Alappuzha districts, about 120 bird
watchers divided into 30 teams spent the entire day watching out for birds
in and around the region.

The race was followed by a get-together of the participants at a hotel near
here to interact among themselves and recount their day’s experiences.

Distribution of prizes for the teams that recorded the most number of bird
species was also held.

Transport Minister Jose Thettayil inaugurated the evening session. Sunjoy
Monga, environmental activist and writer, and P.O. Nameer of the Kerala
Agricultural University, Thrissur, also spoke on the occasion.

The event, organised in connection with the birth anniversary celebrations
of the legendary ornithologist Salim Ali, was organised by HSBC Bank in
association with Kerala Birder, the Kochin Natural History Society, the
Nature Education Society and the Kottayam Nature Society.

U. Hiran


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: SIVAKUMAR AK <sivanpalode@...>
Date: Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 9:52 AM
Subject: Re: Kerala Bird Race: Summary from Thiruvananthapuram
To: Praveen J <paintedstork@...>


Hi praveen,
Total number of birds at TVM is 145. The news has come in Deshabhimani
and Mathrubhoomi.

Regards
Sivan


On 11/17/09, Praveen J <paintedstork@...> wrote:
>
> Dear all,
>
>                Here is a short summary from Thiruvananthapuram
> congregation of Kerala Bird Race...
>
> We had a mix of youth and experienced on a day which had a big threat
> of heavy washout looping over us....luckily the weather was just fine
> for birding.
>
> Highest Tally for the Day: 87 species by the team lead by Anoop from Arippa.
>
> Bird of the Day: Blackheaded Bunting (last week's twitch) from
> Punchakarai seen by team lead by Arun C G at Punchakkarai - they also
> came 2nd with 80 species. Team from Kallar-Ponmudi lead by K B
> Sanjayan came 3rd with 66 species.
>
> Other interesting species include Redheaded Bunting (Punchakarai),
> Black Baza ( Arippa), Indian Peafowl (Ponmudi-Kallar) and huge numbers
> of Greenish Warblers at Ponmudi-Kallar.
>
>            Prof. Thankamani, Head of the Department of Env. Sciences,
> College of Engg, TVM presided over the function and HSBC was
> represented by Mr. Ajay Sondhi.
>
> The judging panel consisted of veterans Mr. C. Susanth Kumar & Mr. S.
> Rajeevan who meticulously went through all the log books before
> concluding the winners. They also gave a insight into factors
> affecting the birds of urban landscapes in the city of
> Thiruvananthapuram.
>
> best rgds
> Praveen
>
> For the team from Thiruvananthapuram
> A K Sivakumar, C.Susanth Kumar & Renjan Varghese

Hi,

We Jai Jacob, Jacob Mathew, Jainy Maria, Pramod & Myself had birding from
Bhoothathankettu Dam to Edamalayar. We were able to spot 83 species of birds
between 6AM to 2PM, after that it began to rain heavily. The main sightings were
Rufous-bellied Hawk Eagle & Grey-headed Bulbuls (8 nos)

Regards
Ginu George

Dear all,

                 Here is a short summary from Thiruvananthapuram
congregation of Kerala Bird Race...

We had a mix of youth and experienced on a day which had a big threat
of heavy washout looping over us....luckily the weather was just fine
for birding.

Highest Tally for the Day: 87 species by the team lead by Anoop from Arippa.

Bird of the Day: Blackheaded Bunting (last week's twitch) from
Punchakarai seen by team lead by Arun C G at Punchakkarai - they also
came 2nd with 80 species. Team from Kallar-Ponmudi lead by K B
Sanjayan came 3rd with 66 species.

Other interesting species include Redheaded Bunting (Punchakarai),
Black Baza ( Arippa), Indian Peafowl (Ponmudi-Kallar), Kora (Akkulam) and huge
numbers of Greenish Warblers at Ponmudi-Kallar.

             Prof. Thankamani, Head of the Department of Env. Sciences,
College of Engg, TVM presided over the function and HSBC was
represented by Mr. Ajay Sondhi.

The judging panel consisted of veterans Mr. C. Susanth Kumar & Mr. S.
Rajeevan who meticulously went through all the log books before
concluding the winners. They also gave a insight into factors
affecting the birds of urban landscapes in the city of
Thiruvananthapuram.

best rgds
Praveen

For the team from Thiruvananthapuram
A K Sivakumar, C.Susanth Kumar & Renjan Varghese

As part of the Bird Race 2009 we visited Kumarakam, Kaipuzha Muttu, Thalayazham,
Vaikam, Valanthakadu, Kundannur, Maradu, Mattanchery and Fort Kochi.

We, me and Jaime, began our birding from Gandhinagar in Kottayam on the morning
of Sunday, Nov. 14, 2009.  The first call that awakened me was that of a
Black-hooded Oriole. Tree pies,  Crows, Cuckoos, Drongos and Barbets soon joined
the morning chore with their exquisite polyphony. It was an encouraging start
for a whole day of birding.

In Kumarakam at the Chengalam - Kumarakam paddy fields we saw thousands of
Egrets: Great, Median, Little and cattle. Whistling Ducks and Cotton teals were
also seen in flight.  On the electric lines Ashy Wood Swallows were sitting and
chatting close to each other.  Common, White-throated and Stork-billed
Kingfishers were also seen in busy action.  Later we also saw the Pied one at
Attipidika.

Barn Swallows and Red-rumped swallows were flying close to the paddy hawking
insects in the early morning  light.  Plenty of Whiskered Terns were seen
sailing high above. Purple Swamp Hens and Bronzed wing Jacanas were active in
their morning bouts in the fields.

The rare sight was that of a Common(?) Snipe. There was another one nearby which
was seen only when it was alarmed and took to its wings. We got a few snaps!
Also saw plenty of Marsh, Wood, Green and Common Sandpipers. Indian and Little
Cormorants and Dab Chicks were also seen playing hide and seek in water. Palm
swifts and Indian Swiftlets were also seen occasionally on the fringes of the
field and near palm groves.

Then we encircled the Bird Sanctuary on a country boat through the mouth of the
Kavanar and saw plenty of Darters and Night Herons in the thick vegetation
bordering the sanctuary. In the Vembanad lake we got a unique chance to see the
fishing of an awesome Osprey in its full glory, diving down from 50 or 60 metres
high. Its sweeps and twistes were simply breathtaking!!  Seeing this huge and
agile bird in quick action is a rare delight indeed, we could really cherish
this glorious sight forever.

Plenty of Taylor birds and a brown shrike was seen on the reeds by the shore.
Some Pheasant-tailed Jacanas disappeared into the water hyacinths. A Brahmany
Kite was seen in suffusing flight.

At Kaipuzh Muttu paddyfields we saw three Marsh Harriers in brisk business. 
Plenty of teals and other water fowl were around.  Here we also noted a huge
raptor, probably an Aquila.  Blue tailed and Small Green Bee-eaters were here. 
Ashy and Plain Prinias were plenty.  We also saw a flight of Bayas alighting
onto tall grasses in blossom.

In the Vaikam lake there were plenty of Whiskered Terns and Indian Shags.  As we
reached Valanthakkad a group of Paddy-field Pipits welcomed us with gusto.  Some
Red-wattled Lapwings were also around.  Plenty of Black and Brahmany Kites were
seen all around the sky.  Three years ago along with Dr Dilip I sighted Lesser
Sand Plovers and Golden Plovers here.  But it has become a ruined wetland now. 
Sobha Group and other 'Developers' are choking this unique eco system.  More
than five varieties of Mangroves found here are also vanishing with it.

In Mattanchery we saw plenty of Terns near the quay.  At Fort Kochy we were
lucky to spot one Western Reef Egret in flight. Then at around five rain began
to play its spoil sport and we were stranded. We reached the meeting venue
around seven in the evening. It was a meaningful and delightful day of birding
and understanding the reality of our environment. Beyond the spirit of
competitive racing it was a greater opportunity for involvement, intervention
and dialogue.
Regards,
ajay sekher

Dear friends,
                         The students at Eramnanglam  UP School
Uliiyeri,Kozhikode saw a curious bird with a snake's head swimming in the
flooded paddy field in front of their school.They informed the matter to Arun
master who took a photo of the bird and mailed to me.The bird was easily
identified as Darter.As we know it is a globally threatened species listed in
the Red Data Book.Loss and alteration of wetlands in a wide scale  maycontribute
its decline.But the same activities posed no threat to the Little cormorant
whose population explodes now at various parts of state.Any information about
the adaptive fitness of cormorant over Darter to survive the negative changes of
their habitat?
RGARDS 
---














[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi All,

The Team Sparrow participated in Kerala Bird Race 2009. The Team Captain  is
Madhukrishnan. The members are Dr.S. Prasanth, Yadhukrishnan, Dileep Ashok and
Unnikrishnan. We visited Vypeen island both seashore and inland and N. Pacavoor
and Athani. We sited 49 species. Bird of the day was Black winged Stilt and Dip
of the day was bulbul (no species sited). We found four birds not mentioned in
the log book ( Forest Wagtail, Great Cormorant, Lesser crested sea tern and
Western reef egret). We all are first timers and it was a happy experience for
all. We thank all.


Dr. S. Prasanth
Premasadanam
Karippai Annex Road
Rajagiri P.O.
Kalamassery
Ernakulam
Mob: 9388469877
E-mail : drsprasanth@...

Dear Devasahayam,

Duranta is the common name of a plant and a genus that contains 17
species of shrubs and small trees that are native from southern
Florida to Mexico and South America.

Duranta which is most common species used for hedging in India have
extremely poisonous leaves and berries which have resulted in death of
infants and pets.

Its a species which is invasive in many countries. Many exotic species
attracts butterflies and certain negatives birds this does not mean
they are good for ecology.

Lantana Lantana Camera is one of the worst invasive species of the
world and have caused tremendous amount of destruction to native flora
and forests in India. This plant also attracts many birds and
butterflies and the birds have helped in spread of this plant far and
wide many South Indian National parks are today infested by Lantana
and the Forest Department has to spend crores of rupees in managing
this plant alone.

I hope this information will be useful to you please so let me know if
you need more information in this regard.

Best wishes,

Mohammed Dilawar

2009/11/14 selvakaran devasahayam <sdsahayam@...>
>
>
>
> Dear Dilawar
>
> I am not sure whether we can conclude that Duranta has no ecological role to
play in India. I am sure all of us who have seen Duranta bloom in Kerala know
the rich biodiversity of butterflies attrated by the species.
>
> Devasahayam
>
> --- On Sat, 11/14/09, Mohammed Dilawar <dilawarmohammed@...> wrote:
>
> From: Mohammed Dilawar <dilawarmohammed@...>
> Subject: [keralabirder] Delay trimming hedges to help birds, says RSPB (Can we
do this in India also)
> To: bngbirds@yahoogroups.com
> Cc: tamilbirds@..., keralabirder@yahoogroups.com,
delhibird@yahoogroups.com, birdsofbombay@yahoogroups.com, "Chandigarh Birds"
<birds-chandigarh@googlegroups.com>
> Date: Saturday, November 14, 2009, 8:32 AM
>
>
>
> Dear Freinds,
>
> In my past 5 years of work for conservation of House Sparows I have
> observed that the loss of native hedge in India is one of the
> significant cause of House Sparrow Decline. Today most of native
> hedges like Adulsa Adhatoda zeylanica and Henna Henna or Mehendi
> Lawsonia inermi have been lost and what has replaced them is is
> exotocs like Duranta which have no ecological role to play as it
> neither supports insect life vital for birds nor provided any
> protection for ou native birds. In other cases native hedges in India
> has been replaced by wire mess fences, barb wires and brick walls. As
> we have got more and more lazy. I would request you all to plant
> native hedges and see the amount of bird life which increases with it.
>
> I am cotrying to compile a list of native plants which can be used as
> a hedge I would be thankful to you all if you can contribute names
> from your region as well as your experience.
>
> We can also help our birds for more information please visit
> www.natureforever. org
>
> ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -
> Gardeners, councils and farmers should not trim hedges and shrubs too
> early this year, or they risk depriving birds of the late autumn
> berries they rely on to get them through the winter, according to the
> RSPB.
>
> People start trimming their hedges at this time of year once the
> breeding season is over but the RSPB said delaying the annual pruning
> of greenery was even more important this year than normal.
>
> The conservation charity said milder weather this autumn had meant
> birds were still eating available insects and many hedgerows were
> still covered in berries.
>
> Many species rely on the fruits to set them up for the lean, cold
> winter months, with the vital natural food source particularly
> important after the first frosts when they become softer.
>
> The RSPB is urging gardeners, councils and farmers not to cut hedges
> until later in the winter, or even early spring, when all the berries
> have been eaten.
>
> They also suggested cutting hedges on rotation - as trimming some
> species every year prevents the plants from producing large amounts of
> berries - which would benefit species such as bullfinches, song
> thrushes and redwings.
>
> Richard James, RSPB wildlife adviser, said: ''The autumn berry and
> fruit crop is an important food source for many birds. If cutting can
> be put off until later in the year it can help provide our birds with
> an additional food supply.
>
> ''Usually once any late nesters have flown the nest we would say it
> was a good time to start tidying hedgerows and trimming bushes and
> shrubs. They can get straggly and when they are stripped bare of
> berries they are of less use to birds.
>
> ''We'd urge anyone thinking of a tidy up to wait just a few more weeks
> until the natural food has been eaten.''
>
> --
> Mohammed.E.Dilawar
>
> Website: http://www.naturefo rever.org
> 09420001820
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>


--
Mohammed.E.Dilawar

Website: http://www.natureforever.org
09420001820

hi.. I thought it was baya weaver.... take a closer look at the following pic..

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/keralabirder/photos/album/672871155/pic/1934310185\
/view?picmode=&mode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&count=20&dir=asc
                                                                                \
             regards, Biju



       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

thanks a lot biju, sorry for the poor quality of pics..
the second pic i put to show the size of the bird.. and the unknowns are sitting
with a long tailed shrike.. they are slightly smaller than shrike.. not too
small..
the unknown , what u called as Baya weaver , has bright brown color upper body
while flight.
kindly reply me..

--- On Fri, 13/11/09, pb_biju <pb_biju@...> wrote:

From: pb_biju <pb_biju@...>
Subject: [keralabirder] Re: Munia??
To: keralabirder@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, 13 November, 2009, 4:57 AM







 













--- In keralabirder@ yahoogroups. com, "mokasanju" <mokasanju@. ..> wrote:

>

> Kindly identy this bird. this was seen in Pailan Park near IIM joka in south
of Kolkata.

> http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/keralabird er/photos/ album/884320542/
pic/1928828951/ view?picmode= &mode=tn& order=ordinal& start=1&count= 20&dir=asc

> Though they look like Munia, i have a feeling that they are bigger than munia.
In this picture u can see they are sitting with a long tailed shrike.
http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/keralabird er/photos/ album/884320542/
pic/725669542/ view?picmode= &mode=tn& order=ordinal& start=1&count= 20&dir=asc

> Kindly help in identifying them.

> Thanks

> Ranjini

>



hi.. The first one seems to be baya weaver bird and the second is baya weaver
birds with long-tailed shrike(? .. pic not clear)..

                                                      regards, Biju























       The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage.
http://in.yahoo.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear all,
All the Best wishes for the Bird race..Hammmmm....I will miss the twitch this
year also.In fact my brother is joining with Kumarakom team(He is getting very
interested in wild life).
Warm Regards
David
--- On Fri, 13/11/09, Praveen J <paintedstork@...> wrote:

From: Praveen J <paintedstork@...>
Subject: [keralabirder] All geared for Bird Race ?
To: "keralabirder" <keralabirder@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Friday, 13 November, 2009, 11:58 AM







 









       Dear all,

                  Hope you are all geared up for the bird race on

sunday ... hope the rains will give us a respite and perhaps bring a

few vagrants to our lands - we already have Amur Falcons wind blown

inland and Buntings loosing their way all down to south Kerala. Lets

have more of them during this bird race...



Good luck and meet you all at one of the venues

best rgds

Praveen





















       Add whatever you love to the Yahoo! India homepage. Try now!
http://in.yahoo.com/trynew

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Dilawar
 
I am not sure whether we can conclude that Duranta has no ecological role to
play in India. I am sure all of us who have seen Duranta bloom in Kerala know
the rich biodiversity of butterflies attrated by the species.
 
Devasahayam

--- On Sat, 11/14/09, Mohammed Dilawar <dilawarmohammed@...> wrote:


From: Mohammed Dilawar <dilawarmohammed@...>
Subject: [keralabirder] Delay trimming hedges to help birds, says RSPB (Can we
do this in India also)
To: bngbirds@yahoogroups.com
Cc: tamilbirds@..., keralabirder@yahoogroups.com,
delhibird@yahoogroups.com, birdsofbombay@yahoogroups.com, "Chandigarh Birds"
<birds-chandigarh@googlegroups.com>
Date: Saturday, November 14, 2009, 8:32 AM


 



Dear Freinds,

In my past 5 years of work for conservation of House Sparows I have
observed that the loss of native hedge in India is one of the
significant cause of House Sparrow Decline. Today most of native
hedges like Adulsa Adhatoda zeylanica and Henna Henna or Mehendi
Lawsonia inermi have been lost and what has replaced them is is
exotocs like Duranta which have no ecological role to play as it
neither supports insect life vital for birds nor provided any
protection for ou native birds. In other cases native hedges in India
has been replaced by wire mess fences, barb wires and brick walls. As
we have got more and more lazy. I would request you all to plant
native hedges and see the amount of bird life which increases with it.

I am cotrying to compile a list of native plants which can be used as
a hedge I would be thankful to you all if you can contribute names
from your region as well as your experience.

We can also help our birds for more information please visit
www.natureforever. org

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -
Gardeners, councils and farmers should not trim hedges and shrubs too
early this year, or they risk depriving birds of the late autumn
berries they rely on to get them through the winter, according to the
RSPB.

People start trimming their hedges at this time of year once the
breeding season is over but the RSPB said delaying the annual pruning
of greenery was even more important this year than normal.

The conservation charity said milder weather this autumn had meant
birds were still eating available insects and many hedgerows were
still covered in berries.

Many species rely on the fruits to set them up for the lean, cold
winter months, with the vital natural food source particularly
important after the first frosts when they become softer.

The RSPB is urging gardeners, councils and farmers not to cut hedges
until later in the winter, or even early spring, when all the berries
have been eaten.

They also suggested cutting hedges on rotation - as trimming some
species every year prevents the plants from producing large amounts of
berries - which would benefit species such as bullfinches, song
thrushes and redwings.

Richard James, RSPB wildlife adviser, said: ''The autumn berry and
fruit crop is an important food source for many birds. If cutting can
be put off until later in the year it can help provide our birds with
an additional food supply.

''Usually once any late nesters have flown the nest we would say it
was a good time to start tidying hedgerows and trimming bushes and
shrubs. They can get straggly and when they are stripped bare of
berries they are of less use to birds.

''We'd urge anyone thinking of a tidy up to wait just a few more weeks
until the natural food has been eaten.''

--
Mohammed.E.Dilawar

Website: http://www.naturefo rever.org
09420001820










[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hello Friends,
I have gone through the article and like Raju found it ridiculous or at least
parts of it is ridiculous. Far from polluting, if the methane gas is harnessed,
it saves the world from using fossil fuels to that extent.
However, the westerners use only meat everyday and it is this practice that the
article is trying to concentrate on. Certain groups in the west are encouraging
use of vegetarian food on Mondays or so. Part of the article is towards
encouraging the westerners to use vegetarian food on a couple of days in a week
and that part is ok.
Regards
Yazdy Palia.






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Freinds,

In my past 5 years of work for conservation of House Sparows I have
observed that the loss of native hedge in India is one of the
significant cause of House Sparrow Decline. Today most of native
hedges like Adulsa Adhatoda zeylanica and Henna Henna or Mehendi
Lawsonia inermi have been lost and what has replaced them is is
exotocs like Duranta which have no ecological role to play as it
neither supports insect life vital for birds nor provided any
protection for ou native birds. In other cases native hedges in India
has been replaced by wire mess fences, barb wires and brick walls. As
we have got more and more lazy. I would request you all to plant
native hedges and see the amount of bird life which increases with it.

I am cotrying to compile a list of native plants which can be used as
a hedge I would be thankful to you all if you can contribute names
from your region as well as your experience.

We can also help our birds  for more information please visit
www.natureforever.org

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------------
Gardeners, councils and farmers should not trim hedges and shrubs too
early this year, or they risk depriving birds of the late autumn
berries they rely on to get them through the winter, according to the
RSPB.

People start trimming their hedges at this time of year once the
breeding season is over but the RSPB said delaying the annual pruning
of greenery was even more important this year than normal.

The conservation charity said milder weather this autumn had meant
birds were still eating available insects and many hedgerows were
still covered in berries.

Many species rely on the fruits to set them up for the lean, cold
winter months, with the vital natural food source particularly
important after the first frosts when they become softer.

The RSPB is urging gardeners, councils and farmers not to cut hedges
until later in the winter, or even early spring, when all the berries
have been eaten.

They also suggested cutting hedges on rotation - as trimming some
species every year prevents the plants from producing large amounts of
berries - which would benefit species such as bullfinches, song
thrushes and redwings.

Richard James, RSPB wildlife adviser, said: ''The autumn berry and
fruit crop is an important food source for many birds. If cutting can
be put off until later in the year it can help provide our birds with
an additional food supply.

''Usually once any late nesters have flown the nest we would say it
was a good time to start tidying hedgerows and trimming bushes and
shrubs. They can get straggly and when they are stripped bare of
berries they are of less use to birds.

''We'd urge anyone thinking of a tidy up to wait just a few more weeks
until the natural food has been eaten.''

--
Mohammed.E.Dilawar

Website: http://www.natureforever.org
09420001820

Dear Members,
I have read the article. It is non-sense being propagated by pro-American
scientists to divert the attention of the world from the pollution,
destruction of forests, use of worlds oil resources, use and release of
maximum gases which cause global warming by the Western countries.
It is a very good example of trying to blame the third world countries for
the problems of the world. It is an example of passing the buck to poorer
nations.
There is no rational in believing that India is the Biggest country to
produce milk and milk products.
It is funny to say that cow dung causes and cattle or live stocks cause
global warming.
It is time that we stop following blindly what the western philosophers and
scientists say.
The developing countries should unite and force the developed countries
first to:
1. Reduce the use of petrol, oil, and cars they use without the needs.
2. We must realise that worlds major share of oil, diesel, petrol is used
by America and the developed countries.
3. Maximum pollution is caused by these developed countries.
4. America is not ready to accept any suggestions on reducing their
consumption of these luxuries saying that it will collapse their ECONOMY.
That is ridiculous.
5. America was the first country to kill thousands by using nuclear Bomb. I
intend to draw your your attention to the pollution caused by it besides the
human massacre..
I do not believe in this non-sense philosophy, which favours the Western
countries and unfortunately tries to blame that not-so responsible
developing countries.
Thanks and regards,
Raju






On 11/12/09, Vishnu <vishnu@...> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> Dear all,
>
> this is link to the article:
>
>
>
http://in.news.yahoo.com/241/20091111/1257/tnl-vegetarianism-the-mantra-to-overc\
ome.html
>
> Regds,
> Vishnu
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Money invested in protecting nature can bring huge financial returns,
according to a major investigation into the costs and benefits of the
natural world.

It says money ploughed into protecting wetlands, coral reefs and
forests can bring a hundredfold return on capital.

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity study (Teeb) is backed by
the UN and countries including the UK.

The project's leader says governments should act on its findings at
next month's UN climate summit.

Teeb is the first attempt to evaluate the economic value of "ecosystem
services" - things that parts of the natural world do for free, such
as purifying drinking water or protecting coasts from storms - on a
systematic and global basis.     We can say quite confidently that there
is a solid benefit from investing in protected areas
Pavan Sukhdev


"We have now evaluated 1,100 studies ranging across different
countries and different ecosystem services," said study leader Pavan
Sukhdev, a Deutsche Bank economist.

"And we find that with protected areas, for example, no matter how you
slice the figures up you come up with a ratio of benefits to costs
that's between 25-to-one and 100-to-one.

"Now we can say quite confidently that there is a solid benefit from
investing in protected areas," he told BBC News.

Watery world

The project's initial tranche of work focussed on forests, finding
that the ongoing loss of forest comes with an annual pricetag of US
$2-5 trillion, dwarfing the banking crisis.

The new analysis takes the economists to the undersea realms of
fisheries and coral reefs.

Conservation groups have repeatedly called for a vast expansion in
protection for marine ecosystems, both to conserve biodiversity and as
a longer-term boost to fisheries yields.

Mr Sukhdev said there was a powerful economic case for this as well.

"If we were to expand marine protection from less than 1% to 30%, say,
what would that cost?

"Establishing reserves, policing them and so on, would cost about
$40-50bn per year - and the annual benefit would be about $4-5
trillion."

The benefits would come from increasing fish catches and tourism
revenue and - in the case of reefs - protecting shorelines from the
destructive force of storms.

Palau recently decided that economics favour protecting, not killing, sharks


"The Teeb report is hugely significant in showing that [loss of
nature] is inextricably linked with a sustainable worldwide economy,
and we warmly welcome the call upon policymakers to accelerate,
scale-up and embed investments in the management and restoration of
ecosystems," commented Stephen Hopper, director of the Royal Botanic
Gardens at Kew.

The study says protected areas need to be chosen carefully, as they
are on land, and concentrated in areas of ecological and economic
importance.

Other examples given in the report include:
a Costa Rican study showing that areas of intact forest increase the
yield of coffee farms by 20% because they shelter pollinating insects
a grassland conservation area in New Zealand that supplies the Otago
region with free water that would cost $100m per year to bring in from
elsewhere
in Vietnam, planting and protecting nearly 12,000 hectares of
mangroves cost the government $1.1m but saved annual expenditures on
dyke maintenance of $7.3m

Forest call

Although individual economists have made these arguments before, Teeb
aims to draw all the evidence together and present it to policymakers,
hoping it can persuade governments to invest in nature protection just
as the Stern Review made the economic case for tackling climate
change.

"We show that the failure of markets to adequately consider the value
of ecosystem services is of concern not only to environment,
development and climate change ministries but also to finance,
economics and business ministries," says the report.

Biodiversity at base of economics


"Evidence presented here shows pro-conservation choices to be a matter
of economic common sense in the vast majority of cases."

Some governments are on board already: Germany - which initiated the
project in 2007 - Norway, and the UK.

"This report really highlights the need to understand the part nature
plays in sustaining our economy as we go into the International Year
of Biodiversity," said UK Environment Secretary Hilary Benn.

"By showing how we can place an economic value on biodiversity, it
will help us to do the right thing nationally and internationally -
not just to respond to the growing crisis of biodiversity loss, but
also to deal with climate change."

At next month's UN climate summit in Copenhagen, governments are
likely to finalise a process for financing forest protection as a
cheap way of curbing carbon emissions.

Teeb's conclusions give economic backing to calls from conservation
and indigenous peoples' groups for this process - Reducing Emissions
from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) - to encourage
ecologically sound forest management, rather than simply aiming to
absorb carbon dioxide.


--
Mohammed.E.Dilawar

Website: http://www.natureforever.org
09420001820

--- In keralabirder@yahoogroups.com, "mokasanju" <mokasanju@...> wrote:
>
> Kindly identy this bird. this was seen in Pailan Park near IIM joka in south
of Kolkata.
>
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/keralabirder/photos/album/884320542/pic/1928828951\
/view?picmode=&mode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&count=20&dir=asc
> Though they look like Munia, i have a feeling that they are bigger than munia.
In this picture u can see they are sitting with a long tailed shrike.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/keralabirder/photos/album/884320542/pic/725669542/\
view?picmode=&mode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&count=20&dir=asc
> Kindly help in identifying them.
> Thanks
> Ranjini
>

hi.. The first one seems to be baya weaver bird and the second is baya weaver
birds with long-tailed shrike(? .. pic not clear)..
                                                      regards, Biju

Hi all,

                Yesterday i participated in a very interesting review
meeting at Parambikulam where the survey team of Travancore-Cochin
(re) survey shared their results and observations on the eve of
Dr.Salim Ali's birthday. The gathering was a mix of amateurs and
professionals in the state and was enriched by presence of Dr.
D.N.Mathew, Dr.Priya Davidar, Dr.Shankar Raman & Dr.Suhel Qader who
provided helpful insights for the survey as they start their 2nd leg
in the forests of earstwhile Cochin state and henceforth the analysis.

Wishing the team lead by C.Sashikumar comprisng of Vishnudas, Vinayan,
Raju, Kannan & Amruth a very good luck in their journeys.

best rgds
Praveen

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Krys Kazmierczak <krys@...>
Date: Fri, Nov 13, 2009 at 5:30 AM
Subject: [OB] Updated OBC Checklist
To: OB <orientalbirding@yahoogroups.com>, OBPix <
orientalbirdingpix@googlegroups.com>




Dear All

We have now uploaded the correct version of the OBC Checklist updated by
Tim Inskipp. It can be found at

http://orientalbirdimages.org/new-obc-checklist.html

Tim has also provided a commentary to the Checklist with text justifying
the proposed changes. This is available as an html document at
http://orientalbirdimages.org/new-obc-checklist-commentary.html

or as a pdf at
http://orientalbirdimages.org/new-obc-checklist-commentary.pdf

It is hoped that this will elicit comments and informed opinions on the
proposed taxonomic changes. Please do not send simple comments that only
reflect individual preferences for species changes or English names,
without discussion of why the preference is justified. Initially there
will be no voting system and changes will only be taken forward for
adoption if the justification put forward is considered adequate. The
mechanism for adopting changes will be discussed while comments are
accumulating.

Comments should be addressed to ams@... <ams%40toroid.org>

Please forward this email to any other relevant e-groups.

Best regards

Krys
--
Krys Kazmierczak
OB Owner/Moderator
orientalbirding-owner@yahoogroups.com<orientalbirding-owner%40yahoogroups.com>
OBPix Owner/Moderator
orientalbirdingpix-owner@googlegroups.com<orientalbirdingpix-owner%40googlegroup\
s.com>




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear all,
                  Hope you are all geared up for the bird race on
sunday ... hope the rains will give us a respite and perhaps bring a
few vagrants to our lands - we already have Amur Falcons wind blown
inland and Buntings loosing their way all down to south Kerala. Lets
have more of them during this bird race...

Good luck and meet you all at one of the venues
best rgds
Praveen

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Smitha Titus <pb_biju@...>
Date: Thu, Nov 12, 2009 at 2:51 PM
Subject: Red-headed and black-headed buntings sightings at Trivandrum
To: paintedstork@...


Hi Praveen,
              I'm Biju and I've joined the Kerala birder a couple of days
before.. I was fortunate to take pictures of Red-headed bunting and
black-headed bunting at the Punchakkari wetlands in Trivandrum. Incidently,
I was told that the red-headeds are reported for the first time from Kerala
and the black-headeds for the second time..
                                           This is for your kind
information..


    Please check the following link .....

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article46993.ece

------------------------------
The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo!
Homepage<http://in.rd.yahoo.com/tagline_yyi_1/*http://in.yahoo.com/>
.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear all,

this is link to the article:

http://in.news.yahoo.com/241/20091111/1257/tnl-vegetarianism-the-mantra-to-overc\
ome.html


Regds,
Vishnu

Dear All,

I have been for years on many of the bird groups in India on most of
the occasions the birdwatchers are happy in reporting their ever
increasing checklist of birds and their trip reports. On some
occasions issues related to mismanagement's of the National Parks and
Birding areas are raised but not much intrest is generated on such
issues.

Today I want to raise a questions that when will this force turn into
a moment which will work for conservation and protection of these
vital habitats where you all enjoy birding. Its high time we start
asking our government to start protection of our biodiversity. This
cannot be done by a few individuals but has to be started by a few and
more have to supporrt them.

Where ever NGOs and bird watchers have raised the voice in a united
way we have got positive results whether it was banning of Diclofenac
which in case was a long term Advocacy battle fought by Dr.Neta Shah
of BNHS in Delhi involving half a dozen of ministry and the babus or
it was stopping the culling of Cormorants in Kerala.

In a democracy we get what we want if we have the majority. So fellow
birdwatchers along with you binocs and camera start using the pen and
keyboard to start pressurising the government and the agencies to care
for birds and other habitats. If there is a issue which a fellow
birdwatchers has raised support him write a complaint, use your
contacts, create awareness do whatever you can to get the result.

Today everyone who cares about biodiversity whether its botanists,
Tigerwalas, butterfly watchers no matter which field you are remeber
one thing an ecosystem requires all of them to be healthy. We should
all also work with the same level of cordinations as the constituents
of an ecosystem work.

I hope this is not treated as one another email I hope this will help
us get united and save the birds and the biodiversity we all love so
much. Please fell free to write me if you need any help.

--
Mohammed.E.Dilawar

Website: http://www.natureforever.org
09420001820

Rescued and nurtured for nearly a year, then fitted with a satellite
transmitter, Letricia appeared reluctant at first to leave its island
sanctuary and embark on its long and uncertain migration.

Griffin vultures, extinct in most of Europe, are being nurtured and
released into the wild at a Croatian sanctuary.

The last of eight griffon vultures to be released into the wild last
month from the northern Croatian island of Cres, it eventually took
wing searching for food.

Griffon vultures are extinct in many European countries and are
endangered in Croatia, but this sanctuary at the picturesque village
of Beli has rescued, healed and released 95 birds since it was set up
in 1993.

For the first time, two of those climbing high into the sky -
including Letricia - have been equipped with satellite transmitters
which can stay on for years, providing data on their location,
altitude, speed and course.

Others are marked with cheaper rings and wing-tags for identification
and monitoring, which is how one of the Croatian birds was discovered
in Chad, in central Africa.

"When I saw them flying for the first time, I was fascinated," said
Goran Susic, a 51-year-old ornithologist who runs the sanctuary.

When the project began there were only around 20 pairs of vulture
griffons on Cres. It has now been raised to some 70 pairs, more than
half the species' total number of pairs in Croatia, where they live on
four northern islands.

Still, their survival is at risk on several fronts. One is the decline
of sheep farming, as the scavengers eat mainly sheep carcases.

Another is creeping urbanisation, which is destroying their habitat,
while tourists often disturb their nests and they also suffer the
collateral damage of farmers trying to poison wild boar.

Croatia's griffon vultures are the only ones that nest as low as 10
metres above sea level, often secreted in cliffs from where their
young all too easily fall into the waves below.

The first shelter at Beli was far too small for these birds of prey,
which have a wingspan of 2.4 to 2.8 metres (eight to nine feet).

"They were kept in rather poor conditions - in an overcrowded cage
where they could not fly - until they reached a sufficient weight to
be released. Although we were saving them, it was a kind of torture,"
Susic recalled.

A new shelter, more than 20 times bigger, opened in May, and visitors
can observe the birds from close range from a special viewing room.

Their release into the wild has also been made less traumatic.

"Before we transported them in boxes or bags to the top of the island
where they were kept in small cages overnight prior to be released,"
Susic said.

"It was an enormous stress that we wanted to diminish."

This year the eight birds were separated on the eve of the big event
in a part of the sanctuary to make their departure less stressful.

Four birds will remain in Beli, as for various reasons they cannot
survive in the wild. Eleven will be cared for and then released in
2010, by when they should have learned to eat, fly and behave in a
group.

The birds of prey fly across Europe and parts of Asia at a height of
6,000 to 7,000 metres (19,800 to 23,100 feet) and speeds up to 160
kilometres (100 miles) per hour, until they are five years old.

Then the survivors return to nest on Cres, where a pair, mating for
life, has one young every two years on average.

Griffon vultures do not have a sense of smell but compensate for that
with perfect sight. They communicate using wing signals at a distance
of up to 10 kilometres.

Letricia was rescued in Poland and recovered at Warsaw zoo before it
was returned to Croatia. Another vulture, named Neven, was injured in
a car crash on a road in southern France, where it remained with a
mate.

And there was Banco, eaten by leopards after landing in an unroofed
cage at Salzburg zoo in Austria.

"Maybe their troubles are just beginning as they go back in the wild,"
said Angela Flemming-Pedersen, a Swiss visitor to the sanctuary, as
she watched the birds fly away.

"Vultures are a symbol of cleansing your soul and letting things go,"
said Mieka Dado, another visitor from Maastricht in the Netherlands.

"We all have to do that at some point in our lives," added the
47-year-old holistic therapist, who plans to stay in Beli for a month
as one of dozens of volunteers from across Europe.

Griffon vultures are endangered in all European countries except in
Spain, home to 18,000 pairs representing 95 per cent of the species in
Europe.

Many countries where they were extinct, such as Bosnia, Bulgaria,
France, Israel and Italy, have programmes to reintroduce them.

Despite Susic's enthusiasm, he worries that the authorities are not so
keen on his project.

"If it was a 'good-looking' attractive species like dolphins, it would
be different," he lamented. "Sometimes I feel like we're begging for
mercy, and actually we are fighting to preserve a species that is to
Croatia's honour."

--
Mohammed.E.Dilawar

Website: http://www.natureforever.org
09420001820

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Assistant Secretary for Fish
and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland and U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service Director Sam Hamilton today announced that the brown pelican,
a species once decimated by the pesticide DDT, has recovered and is
being removed from the list of threatened and endangered species under
the Endangered Species Act.

“At a time when so many species of wildlife are threatened, we once in
a while have an opportunity to celebrate an amazing success story,”
Salazar said. “Today is such a day. The brown pelican is back!”

The brown pelican was first declared endangered in 1970 under the
Endangered Species Preservation Act, a precursor to the current
Endangered Species Act. Since then, thanks to a ban on DDT and efforts
by states, conservation organizations, private citizens and many other
partners, the bird has recovered. There are now more than 650,000
brown pelicans found across Florida and the Gulf and Pacific Coasts,
as well as in the Caribbean and Latin America.

The Fish and Wildlife Service removed the brown pelican population in
Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and northward along the Atlantic Coast
states from the list of endangered species in 1985. Today’s action
removes the remaining population from the list.

  “After being hunted for its feathers, facing devastating effects from
the pesticide DDT and suffering from widespread coastal habitat loss,
the pelican has made a remarkable recovery,” Strickland said at a
press conference in New Orleans to announce the delisting. “We once
again see healthy flocks of pelicans in the air over our shores.”

The pelican’s recovery is largely due to the federal ban on the
general use of the pesticide DDT in 1972. This action was taken after
former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Rachel Carson
published Silent Spring  and alerted the nation to the widespread
dangers associated with unrestricted pesticide use.

Hamilton praised the Gulf and Pacific Coast states for their constant
efforts to restore this iconic coastal species. “Brown pelicans could
not have recovered without a strong and continuing support network of
partnerships among federal and state government agencies, tribes,
conservation organizations, and individual citizens,” said Hamilton.
“This is truly a success story that the whole nation can celebrate.”

In the southwest, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, The Nature
Conservancy and numerous other conservation organizations helped
purchase important nesting sites and developed monitoring programs to
ensure pelican rookeries were thriving.

Louisiana, long known as the “pelican state,” and the Florida Game and
Fresh Water Fish Commission jointly implemented a restoration project.
  A total of 1,276 young pelicans were captured in Florida and released
at three sites in southeastern Louisiana during the 13 years of the
project.

Past efforts to protect the brown pelican actually led to the birth of
the National Wildlife Refuge System more than a century ago in central
Florida. German immigrant Paul Kroegel, appalled by the indiscriminate
slaughter of pelicans for their feathers, approached President
Theodore Roosevelt. This led Roosevelt to create the first National
Wildlife Refuge at Pelican Island in 1903, when Kroegel was named the
first refuge manager. Today, the system has grown to 550 national
wildlife refuges, many of which have played key roles in the recovery
of the brown pelican.

With removal of the brown pelican from the list of threatened and
endangered species, federal agencies will no longer be required to
consult with the Service to ensure any action they authorize, fund, or
carry out will not harm the species. However, additional federal laws,
such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Lacey Act, will continue
to protect the brown pelican, its nests and its eggs.

The Service has developed a Post-Delisting Monitoring Plan, designed
to monitor and verify that the recovered, delisted population remains
secure from the risk of extinction once the protections of the ESA are
removed.  The Service can relist the brown pelican if future
monitoring or other information shows it is necessary to prevent a
significant risk to the brown pelican.

The monitoring will be done in cooperation with the State resource
agencies, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands,
Mexico, other federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and
individuals.  Further, the Service is working with state natural
resource agencies where the brown pelican occurs to develop
cooperative management agreements to ensure that the species continues
to be monitored.

The final rule removing the bird from the list of threatened and
endangered species will be published in the Federal Register and will
take effect 30 days after publication.

--
Mohammed.E.Dilawar

Website: http://www.natureforever.org
09420001820

Kindly identy this bird. this was seen in Pailan Park near IIM joka in south of
Kolkata.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/keralabirder/photos/album/884320542/pic/1928828951\
/view?picmode=&mode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&count=20&dir=asc
Though they look like Munia, i have a feeling that they are bigger than munia.
In this picture u can see they are sitting with a long tailed shrike.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/keralabirder/photos/album/884320542/pic/725669542/\
view?picmode=&mode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&count=20&dir=asc
Kindly help in identifying them.
Thanks
Ranjini

Hi,
Call playback is a much debated but little discussed subject. Playback is an
emerging trend in India and users lack references to evaluate the impact of
tape-lures on birds. 'Birds of India' has put together available information to
bridge a bit of this gap, and hopefully help those who want to know more about
the subject.

http://www.kolkatabirds.com/callplayback.htm

Please note that this is a fairly long piece.

It would be great to receive feedback/inputs/corrections.

Cheers!
Sumit
Sumit K Sen
Kolkata, India

Hi all,
            I received a photo from Dr.Khaleel & PC Rajeevan of a
Spotted Redshank photographed near Munderikadavu, Katampally. THis is
perhaps the first time the species is captured on lens in Kerala
best rgds
Praveen