Arunachal: Great Backyard Bird Count Returns to Siang Valley with Bird Walks in Pasighat and Aalo
On February 15 and 16, the ATREE-Siang team led bird walks in Pasighat Reserve Forest, drawing enthusiastic participation from students..........
PASIGHAT/ AALO – The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) made a vibrant return to the Siang Valley from February 15–17, 2025, bringing together bird enthusiasts, students, and local communities for a series of engaging bird walks aimed at promoting birdwatching and citizen science.
Organized by the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), the event featured guided bird walks, species identification exercises, and checklist-making using Merlin and eBird, enhancing participants’ understanding of local birdlife and biodiversity.
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Bird Walks in Pasighat
On February 15 and 16, the ATREE-Siang team led bird walks in Pasighat Reserve Forest, drawing enthusiastic participation from students of Jawaharlal Nehru College and the College of Horticulture and Forestry, Pasighat. Despite challenging weather conditions, students turned out in large numbers, showcasing their commitment to exploring and documenting avian diversity.
2nd Aalo Bird Walk – Fostering love for birds with feathers and footsteps
On February 17, the final day of GBBC 2025, the second edition of the Aalo Bird Walk was conducted in collaboration with the West Siang District Administration, Aalo Forest Division, and ATREE. Thirteen participants, including members of the Forest Department, government officials, and local citizens, took part in this initiative, focusing on bird species identification and raising awareness about the importance of bird conservation.
Divisional Forest Officer of Aalo Forest Division, Gopin Padu, emphasized the significance of such initiatives: “This is a very good tool to create awareness among the public. We need to learn the importance of birds and how to appreciate them. I hope we can continue collaborating with ATREE in the future as well.”
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A Community-Driven Conservation Effort
The GBBC-Siang 2025 provided a meaningful opportunity for participants to connect with nature while contributing to a global effort to monitor and understand bird populations. By fostering an appreciation for birdlife, the event encouraged more people to take an active role in conservation.
While the total species count recorded during the event reached an impressive 101, a notable feat given the inclement weather, many participants found the true joy of the experience not in the numbers but in the thrill of closely observing and identifying a bird for the first time.
Joi Buchi, a 2nd year undergrad student specialising in zoology from Jawahar Lal Nehru College, Pasighat, and one of the 59 attendees across the four days, aptly described her excitement: “Seeing a new bird for the first time was such an amazing feeling—it almost felt like a mini adventure! It was exciting, surprising, and full of wonder, making me realize how I had never noticed that beautiful bird before.”
With growing enthusiasm for birdwatching and conservation, ATREE-Siang looks forward to expanding such initiatives, inspiring more individuals to participate in citizen science and safeguard the rich avian biodiversity of the Siang Valley.
