Kochi’s vibrant birding community shares its experiences and favourite avian hotspots

The nightjar is generally considered an elusive bird. But it is often found in the thickets of the HMT Estate in Kalamassery. With no flamboyant feathers or a musical call to boast of, it has a few fans who go looking for it. This medium-sized nocturnal bird has a unique camouflage technique that involves it sitting motionless on tree branches or on the ground during the day. “Its brownish, mottled plumage helps it blend with the surroundings. But what makes it truly amusing is that it sits tight even when it senses a threat close by; I have even heard instances of it being stepped on,” says Ashwin Girish, a young birding enthusiast from Kochi, who is fascinated by the steadfastness of the nightjar.

A student of Zoology at the Sacred Heart College, Thevara, and a regular participant in bird surveys and bird counts, Ashwin is among a growing community of birders in Ernakulam. 

In March 2025, Ernakulam emerged checklist leader with 676 checklists (aggregated list of birds identified) on eBird India, a collaborative project managed by Bird Count India, which supports listing and monitoring of birds. The district also emerged species leader with 252 bird species reported in March. Among the birding hotspots, Mangalavanam topped the list with 349 checklists.

“On March 8 and 9 alone, 55 species of birds were recorded in Mangalavanam,” says Vishnupriyan Kartha, secretary of the Cochin Natural History Society, which has been actively participating in bird surveys in and around Ernakulam. Into its 15th year, the CNHS has over a 100 members, which include students, professionals and senior citizens.

“The HMT Estate is a hotspot for birders in Ernakulam, with at least 225 species being recorded from here,” says Vishnupriyan, who has been an active birder for over 30 years.

The wetlands in and around the district are also of special importance to birders as they attract a number of waterbird species. In the Kandakkadavu, Kadamakkudy, Varappuzha, Vypeen, Valanthakkadu, Valiyapadam, Nedumbassery, Karumalloor and Veliyathunadu regions, one can spot herons (grey and purple), egrets (little, medium and great), gulls, terns, cormorants and species such as the marsh harrier. Valanthakkadu near Maradu has multiple heronries (community nests of herons), too. 

“While observing our natural environment, we also work towards protecting and preserving biodiversity,” Vishnupriyan adds.

The need for conservation

Although birders have reported over 560 species from Kerala over the last few decades, 350 to 400 species of birds can be seen with reasonable frequency, says Jayadev Menon, a seasoned birder from Kochi, who has participated in several bird surveys including those conducted by the Government Forest Department. But all is not well, he adds. “Sequential loss of habitat owing to human activity and changes in weather patterns have reflected in the reducing bird populations that visit Kerala,” he says. “The HMT Estate, the green lung of Kochi, has lost a large portion to construction activities and it remains to be seen how many species would visit it in the following years,” says Jayadev, who started birding almost 40 years ago and has been a part of the Asian Wetland Bureau’s annual mid-winter waterfowl census. “During a recent evening outing at the HMT Estate, we could spot four Indian paradise flycatchers, an amazingly beautiful and rare bird with a white body and black head,” he says. 

Dopamine rush

Campus bird counts that take place alongside the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), a citizen science effort to get the community involved in birding, is an important initiative that involves students and young birding enthusiasts, says Jayadev. (The 13th edition of the GBBC was held in February 2025). 

Alen Alex P, a second year M.Sc Zoology student at UC College, Aluva, who took to birding after his experience participating in the great backyard bird count in 2022, loves the unpredictability of birding. “If you have been visiting a particular spot regularly to watch birds, one day, you may find a species that you had never seen before and that is what gives that dopamine rush,” he says. Alen, who hails from Pathanamthitta, has been a devoted birder for the past four years, and is working on adding to his life-list. He has observed 316 species already in India (out of which 301 have been from Kerala). 

His own college campus has a wealth of bird life, says Alen. “Species such as grey-breasted prinia, black-naped oriole and the green imperial pigeon are commonly found on the campus,” he says. “The green imperial pigeon is a forest pigeon, it has a beautiful shade of green extending from its head to its wings, and we get to see it quite often on the campus.”

Technology and birding

With events such as the GBBC and with the popularity of platforms such as eBird, which allows one to record bird sightings and calls from anywhere in the world, bird observation has come a long way, says Jayadev. “With apps and AI-based tools, you can now record your sightings on the go, as opposed to old times when we had to refer to bird books and maintain lists in notebooks. When I started birding, in 1987, I would draw the picture of a new species when I spotted it and verify it in a bird book,” he adds.

For young birders, it is a hobby that has brought them a sense of calm, taught them patience, and earned them connections in the larger birding community. As for the experienced birders, it is an empowering hobby that helps them care for their immediate environment and contribute to the process of data collection and analysis, one bird at a time.