BWS organised a public Bird Walk in Newtown, Rajarhat on Sunday, the 18th of June 2023. The walk was organised around the Diplomatic Enclave area where 2 waterbodies are present. Volunteers were there with binoculars, spotter scopes and field guide to help enthusiastic citizens.
The waterbody we were at, was low in water. In spite of this, there were a collection of Pheasant- tailed Jacanas in breeding plumage, a pair of White-browed Wagtails, then we were blessed with a flock of Greater Painted Snipe. We hadn’t seen them in such large numbers before.
Sujan, our secretary explained how Painted Snipes and Jacanas were a female dominated society, where females had multiple male partners, who would then incubate the eggs and rear the chicks. We saw Black Bittern and a trio of Yellow Bitterns.
Our next habitat was the grasslands around Newtown in the same vicinity. The highlight was the sighting of the rarer Lesser Coucal and considerable effort was put into explaining the differences that distinguish it from its better- known cousin, the Greater Coucal. A few Tri- coloured Munias and Red Avadavats completed the checklist. An area once famous for its Red Munias is now sadly depleted.
To know more about the program, read our Newsletter Fantail Vol3 Issue1 page 60