CBC 2020 - SV Veterinary University
Sri Venkateswara (SV) University, SV Agricultural Research station, and SV Veterinary University together are home to some of the oldest trees and dense woodland habitats in Urban Tirupati.
Following an Introductory talk on Birds and Birdwatching in their campus, the students and staff together started a bird-watching club in the campus. The club actively decided to participate in the campus bird count to document the feathered residents of their campus. The 200-acre campus is a very good hotspot and pleasure for any birdwatcher.
Talk on Introduction to Birds and Birdwatching
We gathered at the campus auditorium at 6.30 am, welcomed by a resident spotted owlet near the parking lot. Calls of koels are resonating inside the campus and a couple of Rufous treepie greeted us as we started walking around.
Not far away, everyone was captivated by a male Yellow-billed babbler struggling to impress a female by offering a good-sized caterpillar. It ended on a happy note when the female jumped in and munched on the caterpillar. Orioles, Coppersmith barbets, Sunbirds, Peafowls, Sparrows, the list went on (https://ebird.org/checklist/S64484901).
After exploring the veterinary university campus for a couple of hours, everyone decided to check the birds of SV Agricultural college & research station, which is right next door. Walking to the Agricultural research station, we recorded birds enroute. The sun was already harsh by the time we reached the campus, and the bird activity is a bit less. Rose-ringed parakeets are out in open basking and leaf birds are very vocal and continuing their noisy business. The campus is spread out in hundreds of acres with diverse habitats including scrub plots, teak plantation, densely wooded habitat towards the Seshachalam hills and active agricultural plots for research.
After a quick 30 minute checklist (https://ebird.org/checklist/S64488040), everyone decided to return for an evening birding session in the Agricultural college & research station. It was wonderful that the demand came from the students. We regrouped in the evening for another couple of hours of birding in both the campuses (https://ebird.org/checklist/S64736127). The students shared their encounter with owls in the campus and other bird observations. There is definitely more to explore in these hotspots, and we felt the need for an detailed avian enumeration exercise.
The enthusiasm of all the students and support from participating staff Shri Ramanjaneyulu, Dr. Ravindra Reddy and Dr. Ravi Kumar, including the vice-chancellor, is commendable. At IISER, we are now sure that we will have a local competitor for Campus Bird Count 2021.