Vetal Tekdi Birding Marathon To Be Held From November 5-12; All You Need To Know

The Vetal Tekdi Birding Marathon, organised by the Vetal Tekdi Bachao Kruti Samiti (VTBKS), is all set to be held from November 5 to 12 in Pune.

The marathon, which is being held for the third consecutive year, aims to raise awareness about the unique bird life of the Vetal Tekdi hill complex.

This year, the marathon coincides with ‘Pakshi Saptah’, celebrated in Maharashtra in remembrance of Dr Salim Ali and Dr Maruti Chitampalli.

This week-long celebration sees birders from across the city undertake birding trails on the tekdi and keenly document their sightings on eBird, a citizen science platform. Their submissions are evaluated for accuracy and quality before being awarded the title of Vetal Tekdi Birding Champion (individuals and teams).

Over the years, this event has seen increasing participation from birders. Their submissions have helped improve the quality of data for this important birding hotspot in the city, which is home to more than 260 bird species.

Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Ranjeet Rane, a member of the VTBKS, said, “Birders from across the city are excited with the announcement of this year’s birding marathon at Vetal Tekdi. High participation in last year’s marathon meant more eyes on Pune’s favourite birding hotspot, which eventually led to the first-ever sighting of the rare and under-reported European Honey Buzzard for the state of Maharashtra. Bird sighting documentation submitted during the past two years has improved the quality of data for Vetal Tekdi and helped build a strong case for its protection and conservation as a reserved forest.”

Things to note:

– It is recommended to have between 1 to 4 members in each team. Do make sure that at least one of the team members is well-versed with the terrain.

– This is not a photography competition. The purpose of including photographs in the grading scale is to ensure good-quality data for the sightings during the event. All photographs that prominently display the key ID features for a species will be graded the same, independent of their resolution quality.

– To ensure a common standard of grading for all participants, submissions from any other apps/portals will not be considered for this event. If you are new to using eBird, please refer to https://ebird.org/region/IN/partners/getting-started