Nagaland brings good news for Birders! One of the most beautiful seven sister states, Nagaland, is celebrating Tokhü Emong Bird Count. The celebrations will start from 4 Nov to 7 Nov 2022 – birdwatchers in Nagaland will be celebrating it by birdwatching and exploring the bird diversity of the state. Read on to know more about the upcoming Tokhü Emong Bird Count. From the mountainous wilderness to the arable lowlands, this is the first edition of the Tokhü Emong Bird Count which aims to celebrate the incredible bird diversity and bring attention to the threatened habitats of Nagaland.
Details Of The Upcoming Tokhü Emong Bird Count In Nagaland
The upcoming Tokhü Emong Bird Count In Nagaland is organised in collaboration with the Wokha Forest Division and the Divisional Management Unit, Nagaland Forest Management Project (NFMP), Wokha, Nagaland and Bird Count India. After the collective decision of the organisers, the event will be held during the Tokhü Emong post-harvest festival of the Lotha Nagas. Tokhü Emong Bird Count aims to spread awareness about Nagaland’s bird diversity.
The activities include watching and counting birds on any/ all days from 4- 7 November from anywhere in Nagaland, for at least 15 minutes. This can be followed by uploading bird lists to the bird recording platform eBird (www.ebird.org/india).
Besides documenting birds, there will be activities like bird walks, and online or in-person talks about birds for the interested public, other birders, and school and college students.
Tokhü Emong Bird Count Is An Initiative To Celebrate Birds
According to Lansothung Lotha, Range Forest Officer, Nagaland Forest Department, Nagaland is a state with diverse festivals as well as a state with diverse birdlife. NorthEast India24 states him saying, “Tokhü Emong Bird Count is the first of initiatives where the community is encouraged to celebrate the festival with birds. We expect more such festivals in the future where people connect with nature and also help in documenting the rich avifauna in a landscape that still remains to be explored and documented”
Talking about the same, Dr Pia Sethi, Senior Fellow, Centre for Ecology, Development and Research. Pia works on community conservation in Nagaland, says, “The Tokhü Emong Bird Count is an excellent initiative to document Nagaland’s bird diversity and involve the youth and local communities in bird identification and monitoring. Such initiatives are particularly important for the North East of India whose rich bird diversity is threatened by habitat loss and hunting.
I do hope that this is the beginning of a movement for bird conservation in the State that will also provide clear trends of changes in bird populations over time.”
Well, now that you know of the bird-watching event in Nagaland, do you plan to visit the state? Do let us know in the comments section below!
All image courtesy – Unsplash