Dr. Joseph George Memorial Talk
Birdwatching as a Window to the World of Ecology and Conservation
Birdwatching is a simple hobby and yet, it holds the potential to change the direction of one’s life. It fuels a sense of curiosity that is hard to resist and is often the motivation for most of us to wake up before the crack of dawn and go in search of birds. Sometimes, this passion leads us into unknown terrains and every so often, it leads us astray.
My earliest memories of birds are from my childhood when every morning, I would throw broken rice for the hundreds of sparrows that lived in our well. Just out of school, I started watching birds and got hold of a field guide and would show up to participate in the 2nd Sunday outings at Lalbagh. Having been a shy person all along in school, birdwatching presented an interesting opportunity. Interacting with people who shared the same level of enthusiasm, and a dash of craziness, was fun. Before I knew it, I was enjoying going in search of birds, insects, frogs and kinds of other things, either alone or with newfound friends.
With or without my knowledge, I had gotten on a course that I had least imagined that I’d be on. I will take you along on this journey as a volunteer, a researcher, a student, and an early career faculty researching some of India’s fascinating ecosystems and working towards conserving it. I hope to share little bits of wisdom about aspects of ecology and evolution and leave you with more questions than answers. I will also attempt to evoke a sense of longing to be in the wilderness and that of sadness over the portending loss of nature. This deliberate attempt is with a hope that some of you might find it mildly interesting and nudge you to lose your way.
Inviting teams of two people across all age groups to participate in the ‘Bird Brain – The Open Bird Quiz’. Team up with your friends, classmates, and family to participate in this quiz.
- Team Size: 2 people in a team
- Age: Both can be of any age
- Format: Written + Finals
- Entry: Entry free, on-the-spot registration
- Time:
9:00 am (written)
9:45 am (finals) - No remote teams, all participating teams need to be present at the venue
- QuizMasters
Shyamal L.
Bijoy Venugopal
Quiz Masters
Bijoy Venugopal
Bijoy Venugopal is a communications professional and travel writer based in Bangalore. He began birding in 1989 with the Birdwatchers’ Field Club of Bangalore. An avid trekker, he enjoys rough travel and camping outdoors. His inexhaustible love for the outdoors has...
Shyamal L.
Shyamal is an independent researcher with a broad training in biology, statistics and numerical computing. His work has been at the intersection of computation and biology. He has been interested in the outdoors, natural history of India, and the history of science....
Schedule
08:30 am
Coffee & Registrations
09:00 am
09:45 am
11:15 am
Coffee
11:30 am
11:45 am
01:00 pm
Conclusion
Venue
Indian Institute of World Culture
Parking available at the venue.
The nearest Metro Stations are,
- Lalbagh Metro Station (750 Mtrs)
- National College Metro Station (950 Mtrs)
The nearest Bus Stop is the Basavanagudi Police Station Stop (450 Mtrs)
Parking available at the venue.
The nearest Metro Stations are,
- Lalbagh Metro Station (750 Mtrs)
- National College Metro Station (950 Mtrs)
The nearest Bus Stops are,
- Krishna Rao Park Bus Stop (190 Mtrs)
- Basavanagudi Police Station Stop (450 Mtrs)