Kolkata: Bengal is set to take part in India’s fourth Dawn Chorus Day, recording early morning vocalization of birds across various birding hot spots on Sunday.An initiative of Birdwatchers’ Society (BWS) in association with the Bird Count India, the event celebrates the rich avian soundscape of the region and fosters appreciation for bird conservation. This year, BWS is expecting participation of 220+ across India, including 50+ from Bengal. Sources said as per registration data so far, participation in Bengal is likely from Kolkata, Purulia, Bishnupur, Birbhum and North 24 Parganas, among other regions. “It is an important citizen science initiative and a conservation tool through which one can record presence of birds in a particular area by recording their calls. This exercise, when conducted over a period of time, gives us an idea about occurrence and presence of birds in a particular habitat,” said Kanad Baidya of Birdwatchers’ Society.The dawn chorus is the outbreak of birdsong at the start of a new day. In temperate countries this is most noticeable in spring when the birds are either defending a breeding territory, trying to attract a mate or calling in the flock. Each species has its own precise time to start this call and in a forested area the vocalization of individual birds becomes a chorus within a short span of time where all the birds start calling in unison. This is known as dawn chorus and the scientific community is studying the different aspects of this phenomenon for a long time now to understand birds more intimately.“This year, the Dawn Chorus will be dedicated to the memory of eminent birder and conservationist Sumit Kumar Sen, who had first conceptualised the Dawn Chorus in Bengal several years ago,” said birder Kaustav Banerjee of BWS.Internationally, the day is celebrated in May, as it is an European initiative. The month represents spring there, when birds are most vocal. “But in India, the summer is at its peak in May. So, we organise it in March,” Baidya added.
