Grey Francolin Shutterstock
In a notable growth, the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), Mumbai’s verdant city oasis, just lately recorded the presence of the Grey Francolin (Ortygornis pondicerianus), a ground-dwelling chook celebrated for its distinctive calls and cryptic plumage. The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), a outstanding nature conservation NGO headquartered in Mumbai, orchestrated a complete Bird Count at SGNP in December. This survey, designed to watch the avian biodiversity of the park, yielded fascinating outcomes, together with figuring out 84 distinct chook species and an sudden sighting of a leopard by vigilant volunteers alongside two transects.
A Thriving Biodiversity
Kishore Rithe, Director of BNHS, emphasised the importance of those observations, highlighting the thriving biodiversity inside city inexperienced areas. The findings underscore the fragile equilibrium that should be maintained between ongoing city growth and the crucial to protect and shield the pure world. Rithe referred to as upon BNHS members, chook watchers, and anxious residents to actively take part in citizen science initiatives, emphasising the pivotal function that collective efforts play in conservation.
During the December Bird Count, the Shilonda Transect at SGNP resonated with the distinctive calls of the Grey Francolin, a local chook species to India, characterised by its ground-dwelling habits and complicated plumage. Additionally, the chook fanatics and volunteers conducting the survey throughout two transects have been handled to an sudden sight—a leopard. Siddharth Jain, among the many volunteers, managed to seize a compelling {photograph} of the leopard close to Jambhumaal.
The SGNP Bird Monitoring Programme
Coordinated by Dr Raju Kasambe, Assistant Director of Conservation at BNHS, and Asif N. Khan from the BNHS Programmes Department, the SGNP Bird Count has been an ongoing initiative since February 2021. This citizen science program, formally generally known as the “SGNP Bird Monitoring Programme,” entails month-to-month chook counts at numerous SGNP and Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary areas. These systematic counts, executed with the lively involvement of BNHS members, devoted chook watchers, and volunteers, contribute essential knowledge to the continuing conservation efforts in these very important ecosystems. The sudden discovery of the Grey Francolin and the uncommon sighting of a leopard underscore the importance of such monitoring packages in understanding and safeguarding the varied wildlife inhabiting city inexperienced areas like SGNP.
