Honorary Distinctions

 

The World Photography Day-2020  became unforgettable for me as two more honorary distinctions  were conferred upon me by the Wildlife Photography Association of India (WPAI) and Tricity Photo Art Society (TPAS), Chandigarh. It was because of the guidelines concerning Covid-19 that these distinctions were awarded online.

My sincere thanks to the Board of Directors of WPAI and Mr.Chitrangad Kumar for electing me as Hon. WPAI. I am also grateful to TPAS team, especially Mr Vinod Chauhan, Mr Deep Bhatia and Ms Neetu Katyal for the distinction of Hon. Master - TPAS (Hon. M TPAS).

Two years ago, on this very day-the World Photography Day, I had received my first honorary distinction of Excellence-USPA awarded by United States Photography Alliance at a special function organized by Andhra Pradesh Photography Akademi, Vijayawada. I am grateful to the USPA and General Secretary of the Akademi, Mr Tamma Srinivasa Reddy.

The Elusive Black Redstart

 

Mirzapur check dam near my native place Chandigarh is a well known hot spot for birding. Situated at a distance of about 25 kms  in district Sahibzada  Ajit Singh Nagar in Punjab, it is easily accessible by road. I have been to this hot spot twice, first on July 4, 2020 a cloudy day to just see the location for birding in future and second time it was in the morning hours of July 25,2020 with a hope to make some photographs of birds. On both trips I accompanied my friend Lalit Mohan Bansal, a fellow birder of Chandigarh Bird Club.

My second trip to Mirzapur Check Dam became unforgettable when one day I received an email from an ace birder Mr S.S.Cheema. His email was via e Bird and in response to my observations uploaded in my e bird checklist. Mr Cheema wrote that he was writing about the observation concerning  species Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) dated July 25, 2020 at location  Mirzapur check dam, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab, India. He had mentioned the concerned URLhttps://ebird.org/checklist/S71795446 and pointed out “There have been no recordings of Black Redstart in the months of Jun till Mid Sep in this region. This record is very interesting in the Mirzapur Dam area. May I please request you if you can please describe the observation or upload a picture. That will help us immensely and will also help us study the implications of birds in this area at a time when it is otherwise not observed. Photos and audio recordings are the best possible supporting information, so if you do have those please do upload them to your checklist.Once your checklist has been edited to include additional details, I will be able to give this sighting additional consideration. Minimum standards of documentation are required for observations to be used publicly, although they still will appear in your personal lists.

“Thank you again for your contributions to eBird India—your sightings help to make eBird useful to millions of people each year, providing real-time bird sightings and powering eBird science around the world” he concluded.

When I received his email I was out of town, but luckily I had my record and equipment with me which enabled me to respond quickly and that too with the photograph of the Black Redstart made at the said location on the said day.

I being a novice birder and poor at identification of birds, I was a little disturbed  with his query fearing that I may not be wrong. Although in my reply to him, I had explained how I had identified the bird, but before sending him the digital image in question, to be doubly sure, I had once again checked it for id and it was correct. 

Mr Cheema promptly responded to my reply with a cheerful note which made the incident unforgettable for me and turned out to be a great learning experience. I like to quote here how he replied.

“The picture is very clear and will do the needful. Thanks a ton for prompt reply. Only request is - please do upload the media on the ebird site also if possible”. I followed his advise and edited the checklist by uploading  the said image of the Black Redstart. 

I had kept  Mr Bansal   posted about the interaction with Mr Cheema.

Although the story ended with my uploading that image to my ebird checklist and thanking Mr Cheema for his guidance, yet I being a novice learnt another lesson. Ttry to photograph all birds that you see at a birding spot, may these be record shots. Or keep record of all sightings or calls of birds. The Black Redstart was no longer elusive.

 Subhash Sapru

 

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you

Its always fun to work in a group as group activities make for a friendly experience where noticing and sharing is part of good etiquette. We all learn from each other and in doing so even the boring tasks become easy and interesting.

I remember, when initially  I decided to learn birding in a systematic manner, I opted to join the Nature Bird Walk, a monthly activity of the local bird club for the novice and school children, but after attending two such walks I discontinued it. Why ? I soon realized that although the experienced  members of the Club, who conduct these walks, have wonderful knowledge and style to educate others, yet most of the participants, irrespective of their age, know a little about the birding etiquettes . I questioned myself, will it not be good if  apart from apprising the participants about various aspects of different species of birds, the inquisitive minds are also made aware of do’s and don’ts of bird watching. This could be easily done by  simply handing over a printed leaflet on do’s and don’ts to the team leader to  prevent the beginners  from becoming a nuisance to others. Also, the efforts made for a successful walk will not be wasted.

While birding, one has to be reasonably quiet, follow the etiquette of not staying at one place too long, prefer to make space for others, look at the bird or take photos and then move on. But  why ? Because there may be someone waiting to use the same spot you found to be so good. This occurs often at popular birding hot spots. The flip side of the story is that  those polite may miss  some nice shots because the other person stayed too long where someone too wanted to photograph from, and then it was time to leave with the group. One must learn  not to get in line of sight of other birders or photographers without any purpose. If you want to be closer to a particular bird or a flock of birds, discuss with other birders or photographers in low tone or in a language of signs as your hasty move may make the birds fly away. Or may the photographers agree to take turns at the location. Or too much wait for a turn to make a photo may result into a disappointment, if  in the meantime the bird flies away. But that’s a matter of chance. Remember, you are not only a part of the group, but also in a territory of birds where they  have their own rules and regulations  and they expect others to understand these.

In these days of Covid-19 pandemic, the prevailing concept of social distancing may also educate birders not to stand in front of someone or cross  who may want to photograph or have a clear look at the bird, thus blocking the view. Don’t ruin someone else’s pristine catch.  This is especially important  when you’re on a field trip with your fellow members or on any such trip. Always make a point  to move after having a look at the bird or taking photos instead of standing there looking around.  Many times there is someone waiting for you to finish even when you didn’t realize it. There is also a possibility that you may wait until the others have left. It is better to follow good common sense for birding or photography when you’re with  others.

Subhash Sapru

The author is Associate of Photographic Society of America, USA.