OBC Bins and Bagh Auction

Bid for Swarovski binoculars or a stay at The Bagh

The Oriental Bird Club is offering birdwatchers the chance to bid for two items in our Bins and Bagh Auction which begins at 19:00 GMT on Thursday 22nd February 2024 and will run for 10 days on eBay.

All proceeds from the Auction will go to the Oriental Bird Club (UK Registered Charity No.297242) for the conservation and protection of birds in the Asian sub-continent.

There are two items to bid for as follows:

Swarovski CL Companion 8x30 B Northern Lights

The binoculars have been kindly donated by Swarovski Optik UK, and we thank them for their generosity and continued support. This pair is being offered once again because the original Auction sale in 2023 fell through.

Retail Price (Swarovksi UK Website February 2024) GBP1,150 (EU Website February 2024) EUR1,400

The CL Companion 8x30 has a 132 m (144 yd) field of view to give you the perfect overview. Its impressive optics with 8x magnification ensure your viewing is smooth and jitter-free. The ergonomic design of these compact, lightweight (490 g/17.2 oz) binoculars makes them an excellent companion providing you with unique experiences when you’re on the move.

The full details and specification of the binoculars can be found here: https://www.swarovskioptik.com/nl/en/birding/products/binoculars/cl/cl-companion/cl-companion-8x30/5603923

---

7 Nights full board holiday for 2 at The Bagh Resort, Bharatpur, India

The Bagh – Heritage Hotel in Bharatpur National Park

https://www.thebagh.com/the-bagh-bharatpur.html

The Bagh hotel is spread over 40 acres of a 19th century garden in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. Located on the periphery of Keoladeo National Park, one of India's premier birdwatching and wildlife locations (formerly known as Bharatpur), The Bagh is a few hours drive from Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, and Gwalior. It offers visitors an opportunity to experience luxury near one of the most popular bird sanctuaries of India.

With 38 boutique rooms—divided into four categories—the hotel includes a multi-cuisine restaurant; a well-stocked bar; a spa and sauna facility; and several recreational activities for guests of all ages.

This Auction is for 7 nights full board accommodation for 2 people in 1 room at The Bagh Resort Bharatpur in India. Transfers from/to Delhi International Airport are included. The Auction prize has been donated by The Bagh Resort—many thanks to them for their outstanding generosity. Before you bid, please carefully read the description and conditions below—if you have any questions, please look for answers on The Bagh website before sending a message on eBay. The Auction winner will be provided with contact details for The Bagh Resort and all booking arrangements should be made directly with them.

THE AUCTION PRIZE

7 NIGHTS FULL BOARD ACCOMMODATION FOR 2 PEOPLE IN A PREMIUM ROOM (DOUBLE OR TWIN)*

TRANSFERS FROM & TO DELHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT**

DATES SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY – NO BLACKOUT DATES***

* Booking must be completed by 30th June 2024.

** All travel must be completed by 31st May 2025.

*** Not included: travel except transfers listed above, drinks, gratuities, laundry & other hotel services, National Park excursions & permits.

The highest bidder for each item will be declared the winner and receive the item in return for payment of the price bid.

---

To place your bid, first visit the eBay website for your country and search for "Oriental Bird Club" plus "Swarovski" or "Bagh", depending on which item you are interested in bidding for.

You will then see the latest bid price in local currency including any applicable taxes. You can then place a higher bid to have a chance of winning the item.

If you do not have a dedicated eBay website in your country, you can either use your nearest one that does or go to ebay.com where you will see the price in US Dollars (USD), HOWEVER THIS WILL NOT INCLUDE ANY LOCAL TAXES (e.g.sales tax/VAT/GST), which will be added to the total price by eBay if you win the auction. Some countries may also charge import duties for items sent from the UK—you should check before you bid in the auction.

So what are you waiting for? Place your bid and who knows, you might pick up a pair of brand new, high quality Swarovski binoculars below retail price or be on your way to that dream holiday in India.

Thank you for your support in 2024 and good luck with your birding and bidding!

Oriental Bird Club

February 2024

Webinar: Conservation of the Masked Finfoot

Bird Conservation Fund are hosting a webinar to learn about conservation of the Critically Endangered Masked Finfoot to which everyone is invited to attend. The free presentation will be held by Zoom on Tuesday 16th January 2024 at 19:00 pm Pacific Standard Time (03:00 am GMT). Please RSVP for headcount purposes to info@birdfund.org if you wish to attend. The direct link to the webinar can be found here.

Bird Conservation Fund, along with additional funds provided through the Oriental Bird Club, are putting together a grant to underwrite eight months of field surveys and research into populations of Masked Finfoot in the Sundarbans region of Bangladesh. The project will locate nesting sites, document the Finfoot’s breeding ecology, and address hunting threats. The findings of this vital work will lead to the creation of a Masked Finfoot task-force under the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP).

The Zoom webinar will include a short pre-recorded presentation by Sayam U. Chowdhury, who will be the lead scientist on the project, and who is working in the field this month. Sayam is a leading expert on bird conservation in Bangladesh, currently attaining his PhD at Cambridge University. The presentation will be followed by a conversation with Yong Ding Li, PhD. Ding Li is a Conservation Biologist, who serves as the Regional Flyway Coordinator for Birdlife International (Asia).

Contributions to the Bird Conservation Fund will directly assist efforts to save the Masked Finfoot from extinction. As with all Bird Conservation Fund projects, 100% of any donations will go to the designated grant recipient. Please contact Graham Chisholm at graham@birdfund.org or Aaron Maizlish at aaron@birdfund.org with any questions. As of 9th January 2024 USD7,540 has been raised toward the target USD9,500 for this project. Further donations are very welcome and can be made here.

Webinar: Helping Helmeted Hornbills - from science to stories

Postscript: in related news, just days after this webinar, a new database hosted by Monitor and funded by Mandai Nature to collate information on hornbills in trade was launched. “The trade in wild birds can be especially harmful when happening in tandem with other threats such as habitat loss and climate change, as we have seen with the critically endangered Helmeted Hornbill Rhinoplax vigil,” said Dr Chris Shepherd, Monitor Conservation Research Society’s Executive Director and OBC Canada Representative.

Happy New Year! In 2024, get ready for thrilling news and activities from OBC.

First up, our webinar on 20th January 2024 will take you on a captivating journey exploring the science behind protecting the #CriticallyEndangered Helmeted Hornbill from illegal trade..

Renowned author, Dr Jacqueline Weir, will launch her new story book about the Helmeted Hornbill during the webinar. Plus watch the premiere of a video showcasing conservation work for the Helmeted Hornbill.

Date: 20th January 2024 Time: 10–11am GMT

Register for the webinar here:

Speakers:

Dr. Anuj Jain – IUCN SSC Helmeted Hornbill Working Group Coordinator; BirdLife International’s Preventing Extinctions & Bird Trade Coordinator

Dr. Chloe Hatten – City University of Hong Kong Postdoctoral researcher

Dr. Jacqueline Weir – RSPB Species Lead for Helmeted Hornbill; OBC China Conservation Officer

Bid for Swarovski binoculars and more in the OBC End of Year Auction

Hurry! You only have until 19:50 GMT on Monday 13th November to bid for the items in the Oriental Bird Club End of Year Auction.

There are three items to bid for as follows:

Swarovski CL Companion 8x30 NL Binoculars. (Retail Price GBP1,110.00).

A set of 6 Asian Photographic Bird Guides from John Beaufoy Publishing (Birds of Hong Kong, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka & Thailand). (Retail Price GBP76.00)

An original Framed Watercolour of a Snow Leopard by Terry Townsend

In each case the highest bidder for each item will be declared the winner and receive the item in return for payment of the price bid.

All monies raised through the auction be used to support the conservation and protection of Oriental birds.

To place you bid, first visit the eBay website for your country and search for "Oriental Bird Club" plus "Swarovski" or "Snow Leopard" or "John Beaufoy", depending on which item you are interested in bidding for.

You will then see the latest bid price in local currency including any applicable taxes. You can then place a higher bid to have a chance of winning the item.

If you do not have a dedicated eBay website in your country, you can use ebay.co.uk where you will see the price in UK Sterling (GBP), HOWEVER THIS WILL NOT INCLUDE ANY LOCAL TAXES (e.g.sales tax/VAT/GST), which will be added to the total price by eBay if you win the auction. Some countries may also charge import duties for items sent from the UK—you should check before you bid in the auction.

So what are waiting for? Place your bid and who knows, you might pick up a pair of brand new, high quality Swarovski binoculars or six handy pocket-sized Asian country photographic bird guides below retail price or become the owner of a superb original Snow Leopard watercolour by Terry Townsend.

OBC-Rockjumper 2025 conservation tour

OBC is delighted to announce that Rockjumper, one of our Corporate Sponsors, will be offering a new 19-day tour to Sichuan, China, with an optional 7-day extension to Yunnan, in May 2025.

The tour will raise funds for the OBC Conservation Fund.

Full details of this exciting new tour can be found as follows:

Sichuan Birding with OBC in 2025

Yunnan Extension with OBC in 2025

This is a fantastic opportunity to enjoy fantastic birding in China while contributing to saving the unique avifauna of the region.

OBC Team joins Global Bird Weekend

The Oriental Bird Club (OBC) has registered a team to compete during the Global Bird Weekend, 13–15th October with the October Big Day on 14th October. The annual Global Bird Weekend event is held In association with eBird & Swarovski Optik, and supports the work of BirdLife International.

All OBC members, their birding friends and acquaintances are encouraged to join in and post their bird checklists from the relevant days on the OBC Team’s eBird webpage here: https://ebird.org/profile/NDQ4MDM5Ng/

To be a part of the OBC Team:

1. Open an eBird account (unless you already have one): https://ebird.org/home
2. Go out birdwatching wherever you are and enjoy what you see—with family, friends, groups or just take time out on your own any time over the 3 days (13–15th October)
3. Submit your sightings to eBird, especially those on Saturday 14 October—October Big Day—and most importantly, share your list with @orientalbirdclub
4. Keep posting your photos and videos during the day on social media using the hashtag #globalbirdweekend
5. The results of each team will be shared on eBird’s October Big Day page

You can find out fyrther information about how to get involved here:
https://globalbirding.org/

The Global Birding event—the brain child of Tim Appleton—aims to inspire birdwatchers to come together as a global community and celebrate birds by participating in birdwatching, birdwatching events, citizen science and conservation during an intense three days in October.

Last year an astonishing 7,717 bird species were recorded worldwide during the three days—7,453 of them during a single day—by a staggering 34,670 participants who contributed a total of 80,000 checklists to eBird making a significant contribution to knowledge about the distribution of bird species across 188 countries and territories. This year, the event’s organisers hope even more species will be recorded.

We look forward to you joining the OBC Team!

OBC Autumn meeting: Saturday 16th September

A reminder that on Saturday 16th September 2023 the OBC and the British Ornithologists’ Club (BOC) are holding a joint meeting in collaboration with the Natural History Museum (NHM), London.

A stellar lineup of speakers includes a keynote speech on Avian Taxonomy in the Era of Citizen Science by Dr Pamela Rasmussen—the lead taxonomist for Birds of the World at Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University. Pam’s long list of achievements include co-authoring Birds of South Asia: the Ripley Guide and 11 descriptions of new Asian bird species. In India, she was in the team that rediscovered the endangered Forest Owlet.

Other speakers include: Sayam Chowdhury on saving the critically endangered Masked Finfoot, James Eaton on the quest for new and lost birds, and Mike Edgecombe on birds and wildlife of Asia’s wild wilderness—Mongolia.

The meeting, which is free and open to all, takes place in the Flett Theatre of the NHM. Entrance is via the Exhibition Road entrance (what3words: ///limit.take.admits) which is a five minute walk from the nearest Tube station, South Kensington.

Doors open at 10.00am for a 10.30am start. Tea and coffee will be available mid-morning and mid-afternoon. The meeting will end at about 4.30pm.

PROGRAMME

10:00 Natural History Museum Opens

10:20 Welcome

10:30–11:10 Avian Taxonomy in the Era of Citizen Science
Dr Pamela Rasmussen, lead taxonomist for Birds of the World at Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University

11:15–11:45 BREAK

11:45–12:25 Can we still save the Masked Finfoot?
Sayam Chowdhury, PhD Candidate at the Dept. of Zoology, Conservation Science Group, University of Cambridge.

12:25–14:00 LUNCH

14:00–14:45 Mongolia – Birds and more in Asia’s wild wilderness
Dr Mike Edgecombe

14:45–15:15 BREAK

1515–15:55 Successes and failures; the quest to find new and lost birds.
James Eaton, Birdtour Asia

15:55 Closing Messages

OBC Autumn Meeting speakers confirmed- a stellar line-up!

Access to the meeting is free to all from 10am on 16th Sept via the Natural History Museum's Exhibition Road entrance (what3words: ///limit.take.admits)

OBC AGM 2023, Saturday 26th August

A Gould’s Shortwing planning to join the AGM Zoom call…

OBC AGM 2023

The OBC invites all members to join us for the 38th Oriental Bird Club AGM. The AGM will be held as a Zoom meeting on August 26th, 2023. 

You can pre-register now at https://birdlife.zoom.us/j/89876471950?pwd=UnlKcy9GSWZvUGJTUFZQRTlSRzZ4UT09

The agenda is as follows:

1. Apologies for absence​

​2. Approval of minutes of 37th Annual General Meeting​

​3. Matters arising​

​4. Treasurer's presentation of 2022 Accounts & review of 2023

​5. Approval of 2022 Accounts​

​6. Election of Independent Examiner- Ian Barber M&A partners.​

​7. Chair’s review of 2022 and 2023 to date.​

​8. Election of 2023 Council​

​The following Council members have agreed to stand for re-election, Paul Insua Cao, Chris Gooddie, John Gregory, Tim Loseby,, Richard Thomas. Ding Li Yong, Russell Childs, Sayam Chowdhury, Billy Rodger, Vivian Fu, Richard Webb​

​The following have agreed to stand for re-election as executive officers: ​

Chris Gooddie – Chairman. John Gregory – Treasurer, Russell Childs -Secretary ​

​9. Any other business

Here’s the important documents for the meeting:

AGM 2023 agenda

AGM 2022 minutes

OBC Annual Report and Accounts 2022

Save the date! The OBC Autumn Meeting is coming to the Natural History Museum,London on Saturday Sept. 16th, 10am-430pm UK time. a

Stop Press: one of the world’s leading experts on Asian taxonomy, Pamela Rasmussen will also join us as a speaker!

East meets West but who's best? New OBC T-shirts for sale (Copy)

The new OBC T-shirt featuring the two thrushes cartoon

An ongoing debate with birders the world over is which region has the most exciting avifauna? In Europe much of this discussion revolves around whether vagrant birds from the Americas cut the mustard with vagrant species from Asia.

Clearly for OBC members the Asian avifauna is the winner every time. Often Asian species aren’t as gaudy looking as those from the Americas, but even their names and the mouth-watering locations from where they originate make them hands down the best.

Now here’s your chance to add fuel to the fire of debate with this attractive T-shirt featuring a specially created cartoon by top graphic designer Jonnie Fisk.

The artwork features a Varied Thrush—an extreme vagrant visitor from the Americas to Europe—and a White’s Thrush, a much more subtly plumaged heart-stopping visitor to Europe from its Asian breeding grounds. Each is holding up a placard claiming victory for their region.

So why not join in the fun and add your voice to the birders’ debate of who’s best: East or West?

The limited edition T-shirts are 100% cotton (Fruit of the Loom brand) and available in forest green in three

sizes: medium, large, extra large.

They can be purchased by visiting your national eBay website and searching using the term "Oriental Bird Club". This should bring up the T-shirts (and other OBC merchandise) priced in your local currency with any local taxes already added (for example, VAT in many EU countries, or State Sales Tax in the USA). The UK selling price is £19.99. T-shirts will be available on eBay and posted out from 9th March onwards.

Surprise Cley Spy visitor leads to OBC windfall

Steve Gantlett took this superb photo of the Long-eared Owl at Cley Spy shortly before it flew off to hunt one evening.

Birdwatchers have been flocking to Cley Spy, one of OBC’s Corporate Sponsors, for the rare opportunity to observe a Long-eared Owl at its day time roost.

The bird was first seen by a visitor to Cley Spy, located in Glandford in north Norfolk, UK, who was testing out the wide range of optics sold by the company.

As he scanned the vegetation behind the buildings he was astonished to find a Long-eared Owl roosting in one of the bushes.

Word quickly spread of the owl’s presence that has led to a steady stream of birdwatchers coming to see it in recent days.

A suggestion box put out by Cley Spy staff asking for donations from grateful owl watchers to the OBC Conservation Fund has already led to more than £2,200 being collected for the Club.

“The Oriental Bird Club is hugely grateful to the quick thinking and generosity of our corporate sponsor Cley Spy and the generosity of the birdwatchers making donations to the OBC Conservation Fund,” said Chris Gooddie, Chairman of the Oriental Bird Club.

“The Long-eared Owl’s surprise appearance has resulted in a significant windfall for the Club’s bird conservation efforts in the Asian region.”

Cley Spy commented: “Cley Spy are delighted that such a great bird has given so many people so much pleasure and that visitors have been so generous in their support for the OBC, with some even donating more than once.”

OBC AND ROCKJUMPER CONSERVATION TOURS—TAIWAN AND SOUTHERN INDIA

Black-and-Rufous Flycatcher, a Western Ghats endemic species and one of the key targets for the Southern India tour. (c) Antony Grossy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

TAIWAN

Given the continued uncertainty as to when Taiwan may fully reopen to tourism without the need to go into quarantine on arrival, we have reluctantly taken the decision, in conjunction with Rockjumper, to postpone the proposed tour in 2023 to 2024. We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause to anyone already signed up on this tour but feel that this is the most sensible course of action at this time to give people the opportunity to make alternative plans in 2023.  

The provisional dates for the tour are now 27th April to 8th May 2024 and the tour will be led by Erik Forsyth rather than Glen Valentine. Full details of the tour will be on the Rockjumper website once the dates are finalised.

Existing bookings will be carried forward to 2024 but there are still spaces available for anyone who still wants to book on the tour. Please contact Rockjumper if you wish to do so.

SOUTHERN INDIA

In its place Rockjumper have kindly agreed to offer an alternative tour to Southern India in November & December 2023 concentrating on the Western Ghats, an area of high endemism. Full details of the tour can be found here.

The tour will again help raise funds for the OBC Conservation Fund and we hope that any members considering a trip to this exciting area will consider doing so with Rockjumper and in doing so help support conservation in the Oriental region.

Don't forget: Saturday 24th September: the OBC Annual Meeting is back!

Sunset at Cley, North Norfolk (c) Gerry Balding/Flickr

In case you missed it, you can watch a video of the meeting here.

Coming soon…the return of the OBC Annual General Meeting (AGM) to North Norfolk!

Saturday 24th September 2022.

10:00 am to 16:00 pm BST (GMT + 1).

Venue: Cley Hall Village Hall, The Fairstead, Cley-next-the-Sea, Holt, Norfolk NR25 7RJ

An exciting and varied programme of speakers has been assembled, and we are pleased to announce that we will be broadcasting the event live on our YouTube channel, from this Direct Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3APHHjFlBfg.

In the meantime, here’s the day’s exciting programme to whet your appetite:

10.00 –10.15 – Welcome and introductions

10.15–11.00 – Rosa Gleave presenting Building a conservation evidence base for the Blue-crowned Laughingthrush Pterorhinus courtoisi

11.00 –11.15 – Break

11.15 –12.00 – OBC AGM

12.00 – 12.15 – Break

12.15–13.00 – Anna Reuleaux presenting What makes the difference between survival and extinction for Yellow-crested Cockatoo populations?

13.00–14.00 – Lunch

14.00–14.45 – Greg Baker presenting “Birding in the Land of the Thunder Dragon”

14.45 –15.00 – Break

15.00–15.45 – Per Alstrom presenting Cryptic species in a colourful genus. Integrative taxonomy of the Bush Robins

15.45–16.00 – Closing Remarks/Questions

We’re also planning an OBC social event in the evening and will confirm specific details regarding that in the next few weeks.

We look forward to a fabulous days and seeing as many of you with an interest in birds of the Oriental region if not there in person, then online.

Here’s the important documents for the meeting:

AGM 2022 agenda

AGM 2021 minutes

OBC Annual Report and Accounts 2021 

Spurn Migration Festival 2022

The Oriental Bird Club will have a stand at the Spurn Migration Festival 2022, which this year takes place on 9–11th September at Spurn Bird Observatory, Yorkshire, England.

Further details, including how to purchase tickets for the event can be found below. We hope to see you these!

OBC Young Conservation Scientist Award for shorebird research

Introduction: The Oriental Bird Club is offering research awards aimed at nurturing young scientists from Southeast and South Asia who are dedicated to developing their careers in conservation science with a focus on shorebirds. The selected grantee will be awarded up to £2,000 for a one-year research project focused on shorebirds. 

Research Focus: Shorebirds, especially research which supports conservation of shorebirds and their habitats. Research which may lead to clear outcomes to support the conservation of globally threatened migratory shorebirds will be prioritized. Proposals do not need to target a species but can be focused on a site, habitat type or a group of shorebird species. While proposals on the biology and ecology of shorebirds are expected, we also encourage proposals on social research (e.g. surveys with local people on hunting).

Eligibility: Young scientists aged less than 30 years old on 31 August 2022 from Southeast and South Asia (see list of countries below), where the research should take place. Applications may be for projects that are part of on-going studies, a conservation project, or stand-alone studies or research. When applying, please indicate the names and institutions of supervisors and their related backgrounds in the application form. Applicants will be expected to have the necessary permits to carry out their projects.

Award Limit: £ 2,000 

Deadline for application:  Friday 8th July 2022

Starting date for projects: It is expected that projects could begin in September if necessary. 

Countries eligible: 

Southeast Asia: Vietnam, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, The Philippines, Indonesia and Timor Leste

South Asia: Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan

Download the application form here: https://www.orientalbirdclub.org/s/OBCGrantApplication.docx  

Submit to: conservation@orientalbirdclub.org with “Shorebird Research Award” in the Subject field.  

Volunteers sought

The OBC is currently seeking volunteers to help with running the Club. It’s a great way to help support bird conservation efforts in Asia and meet fellow enthusiasts for the avifauna of the region.

While we’re always welcome of any offers of support, the particular positions we are currently seeking are:

1) A membership development officer to recruit new members. Skill set required: an energetic English-speaking self-starter who is good with people and can persuade interest parties to join. Estimated hours per week: 3–5.

2) An accounts assistant to help with the day to day financial running of the Club. Skill set required: English-speaker with basic level of numeracy and knowledge of Excel, online banking software etc. Estimated hours per week: 3–5.

Simply send a message to mail@orientalbirdclub.org to register your interest.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Egyptian Vulture migrations in Asia described for the first time

© DickDaniels / CC Share Alike 3.0 Unported licence

The Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), distinctive with its white body, black flight feathers and yellow facial skin, is globally Endangered having experienced severe declines throughout its range, including in India, Africa and Europe. Satellite tracking has been an integral part of identifying the causes for declines in the migratory populations in Europe and Africa, and consequently where conservation efforts should be focussed to halt the decline of “the white scavenger vulture”. The situation, however, is much less clear in central Asia where its migratory populations, numbering an estimated 700–1,300 pairs, are also thought to be declining. There are few data available on population status or trends and nothing is known about their migration routes or wintering sites. While some threats, such as electrocution, are known on the breeding grounds, little is known about the relative importance of threats, their demographic impacts and how these vary during migration.

The recent Convention on Migratory Species Multi-species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vultures identified these critical gaps in knowledge as a key priority needing to be addressed. The Central Asian Vultures Project (www.CentralAsianVultures.org) aims to tackle this by satellite tracking Egyptian Vultures originating from the Uzbekistan population where there is estimated to be only 135 breeding pairs and the species is listed in the National Red Data Book. 

Uzbekistan is in the middle of the central Asian-Indian flyway with many migrants funnelled through it because of the Caspian Sea in the west and the Hindu Kush range in the east. This flyway ends with Iraq in the west and Pakistan and the Indian subcontinent in the east. The majority of Uzbekistan is covered in desert, with the Kyzylkum Desert at its centre. The semi-arid region is predominantly flat, but does provide some nesting habitat for the Egyptian Vulture in the form of low-lying hills and cliffs along wadi systems. In August 2021, the field team visited three different nests in the regions of Ayakaghytma and Bukantau in central Kyzylkum and satellite tagged four juvenile Egyptian Vultures (read about the birds here). Of the four birds, three transmitted GPS data allowing their movements to be tracked for the first time in Asia.

All three birds started migration from Uzbekistan between 5–15th September 2021. Each bird took a different route with two (Arys & Anya) migrating via Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan and ultimately wintering in India (Rajasthan and Haryana). The third bird, Timur, took a very different route making a long journey with several stops through Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and finally arriving in Yemen in late November 2021 (Fig. 1). You can read about Timur’s journey to the Middle East in more detail on the OSME Blog.

Figure 1. Autumn migration routes of three Egyptian Vultures from Uzbekistan. 

Anya followed a traditional route south from Uzbekistan (Fig. 1) and made a fairly direct migration south, avoiding mountain crossings, until she reached the Rann of Kutch, north of the Indus near Karachi in Pakistan. The Rann of Kutch (which actually spans parts of Pakistan and India) is known for its populations of Egyptian Vultures. Anya, however, only remained here for a few weeks before crossing the Indus and entering the Thar Desert in Rajasthan, India, where she has stayed in the deserts west of Barmer (Fig. 2). Judging from satellite photos, she has largely remained in remote areas and not utilised human refuse sites or dumps. 

Figure 2. Wintering site movements of the Egyptian Vulture, Anya, through Pakistan and India, remaining in the Thar Desert. Most recent point (3rd Jan 2022) shown with the dropped pin. 

In contrast, Arys has shown quite a different migratory behaviour. Arys’s route was much farther east and took him right over the Hindu Kush Mountain range in Afghanistan/Pakistan (Fig. 1). He then followed the ridge of the Sulaiman range in Pakistan all the way south, after which he directly crossed the Indus south into the Thar Desert. Once in India, Arys has used man-made habitat several times, in the forms of slaughter areas and carcass dumps. Notably, his first arrival point in India, Bhadriya, was near a livestock facility, after which he moved east to the town of Bikaner. Bikaner is famous for its carcass dump which attracts thousands of vultures and Steppe Eagles (Aquila nipalensis) during the winter months. Arys spent several weeks at this site before moving east again where he has spent more than a month just south of New Delhi. He is a real tourist, as by the end of December he had visited all three cities making up the famous Golden Triangle; New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. On his journey he flew over the India Gate in New Delhi (Fig. 4) and within 200 m of the world famous Taj Mahal (Fig. 5) where he remains until the time of writing.

Figure 3. Wintering site movements of the Egyptian Vulture, Arys, through India, moving from the carcass dump in Bikaner to New Dehli and Agra. Most recent point (3rd Jan 2022) shown with the dropped pin.

Figure 4. The yellow line shows the route and altitude of Arys as he flew past India Gate in New Delhi. 

Figure 5. The yellow line shows the route and altitude of Arys as he flew past the Taj Mahal in December 2021. 

These results confirmed what we had expected, namely that the migratory populations in Central Asia would join resident Egyptian Vultures populations in the Indian sub-continent during winter. However, we did not expect the birds to migrate to Yemen in the Middle East. This establishes for the first time that the central Asian populations show connectivity to the European/Balkan, Arabian and Oriental Asian populations. Migration in European populations has been shown to be particularly dangerous with juvenile migrants susceptible to a high mortality from a range of threats, including drowning, hunting, poisoning and electrocution. These threats mainly exist in Africa and crossing the Mediterranean, but also in Yemen. In contrast, accidental poisoning by diclofenac and other veterinary drugs is the main threat in India and is potentially ongoing although much effort is being put into actively tackling poisoning in Asian countries as it is a recognised problem.

Here we have only tracked three individuals and more should be tracked to confirm the relative frequencies of individuals wintering in these different regions. The picture is nonetheless complex and interesting. In 2022, we aim to track more individuals to improve the knowledge of the routes. You will be able to follow the project updates at www.CentralAsianVultures.org.

This project (OBC ref: P1410) is run by Dr Robert (John) Burnside (University of East Anglia), Vladimir Dobrev (Bulgarian Society for Protection of Birds) and Anna Ten and Valentin Soldatov (Institute of Zoology, Uzbekistan). Funding and support for the project is provided by OBC, Ornithological Society of the Middle-east (OSME) and the Hawk Conservancy.

If you are not already a member of the Oriental Bird Club, please consider joining the Club to support our vital conservation work in Asia—as an OBC member, each year you will also receive two issues of BirdingASIA and one issue of the Journal of Asian Ornithology.

Video of the Egyptian Vulture migrations.

Black-browed Babbler documented in the wild

Indonesia—Following its sensational rediscovery after 172 years, the mysterious Black-browed Babbler has finally documented in the wild for the first time.  A team of ornithologists discovered, photographed, and obtained the first-ever footage of the rare babbler in its limestone habitat in Kotabaru Regency, South Kalimantan, Indonesia.

It is the first documentation of this species in its natural habitat following the picture of this bird on hand that circulated the internet after its rediscovery in 2020. This discovery has sparked global interest, given that the species has gone unobserved since colonial times.

The Black-browed Babbler was initially described by the renowned French naturalist, Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1850, based on a single specimen collected by German geologist and naturalist Carl Anton Ludwig Maria Schwaner from his expeditions to southern Borneo around 1843-1848. This mysterious species, widely considered to be Borneo’s greatest ornithological enigma, was finally seen again in 2020 after being captured by a local resident. With a 172 years gap between its discovery and its first documentation in the wild, the species has indeed gone missing for a longer time than any other bird, including America’s presumed extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker.

While the researchers were able to glean several clues about the species’ ecology, much of its life history is still shrouded by mystery. It is currently listed as “Data Deficient” by IUCN, with no information regarding its population or range. It is also not listed as a protected species by the Indonesian government due to the lack of data, which may make it vulnerable to threats such as poaching or habitat destruction.

In September 2021, a team of ornithologists from Birdpacker Indonesia collaborated with Kalimantan Selatan’s Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA Kalimantan Selatan) and Dinas Kehutanan Kalimantan Selatan KPH Cantung became the first team to explore the babbler’s habitat in an area of rugged limestone hills. The project was funded by Oriental Bird Club and American Bird Conservancy and was aimed to understand the status of the Black-browed Babbler’s population. On the first day of fieldwork, the team managed to re-find the bird and documented its natural behaviour for the first time in the wild.

According to Panji Gusti Akbar, the lead scientist from Birdpacker Indonesia, a pair of the birds were spotted in thick undergrowth on the side of a karst cliff just a few hours after they commenced their search. The birds were very secretive and moved quietly in extremely rugged terrain, making them difficult to observe—which may help explain why their evaded science for so long. After an intense wait, one individual of this strikingly marked babbler finally perched close enough for the team to capture the very first images and footage of the species in the wild.

“It was a breathtaking moment to finally see this species in the wild, as most of its natural history is entirely unknown—so that every single behaviour we observed can be new to science,” said Akbar.

Akbar also explains how Muhammad Suranto, a local community member and one of the original discoverers who also co-authored the paper documenting its rediscovery last year in 2020, greatly helped the expedition. The team went under his guidance during the entire expedition, and his expertise with the terrain along with some past encounters with the mysterious bird eventually led to the team’s success in re-finding the species.

“Suranto’s rediscovery in 2020 is like a Rosetta Stone in the ornithology community, a clue that eventually led us to the location of this enigmatic species and eventually kickstarted this expedition,” said Akbar. “All information he collected during the initial discovery helped us in designing this expedition, and without him who knows how many more years we have to wait until we can solve this century-long mystery about this bird’s whereabouts.”

The importance of this finding is noted by Paul Insua-Cao, Chair of the OBC Conservation Committee, who mentioned that this is a landmark project as global leaders meet to plan actions to address the biodiversity crisis. He also explained that this species’ extinction would have been inevitable without this discovery and that this project brings hope for other poorly known species.

“Significantly this work has been done by Indonesians reflecting a growing interest in this megadiverse country to understand and protect its unique natural heritage,” Paul said. “The OBC urges the relevant authorities to do what they can to protect the habitat of the black-browed babbler as soon as possible based on Birdpacker Indonesia’s work.”

Dr. Ir. Mahrus Aryadi, M.Sc, Head of the BKSDA South Kalimantan also noted the significance of this finding and give the highest appreciation to the team who have successfully found black-browed babbler in its native habitat. Mahrus noted that this is the first step towards the availability of valid and reliable data as a basis for future biodiversity management and that mapping location and human activities that might be a potential threat for the preservation of this species and the other wildlife are necessary things to get the point.

“Given that several encounters are outside the conservation area, it is important to collaborate with many parties regarding the protection of their habitat. BKSDA South Kalimantan will propose the area become Essential Ecosystem Area by collaborating with related stakeholders,” said Aryadi.

Just like other things in the world, the expedition has also been affected greatly by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Akbar said that the expedition was supposed to be commenced in June 2021, but the worsening condition of the pandemic delayed the project for over three months. However, after the condition is finally getting better some of the team made their way to Kalimantan and started fieldwork right away. The team will continue searching for more sightings of this babbler for another month to figure out its distribution and possible threat to its population, which will help determine the species’ threatened status and necessary action to conserve it.

Source:

Akbar, P.G., Nugroho, T.W., Suranto, M., Rizky Fauzan, M., Ferdiansyah, D.,Trisiyanto, J.S. & Yong, D.L. (2020) Missing for 170 years—the rediscovery of the Black-browed Babbler Malacocincla perspicillata on Borneo. BirdingAsia 34: 13–14.

BirdLife International (2001) Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International. 

BirdLife International (2020) Species factsheet: Malacocincla perspicillata. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 08/11/2020.

Collar, N.J. (2014) Blue-wattled Bulbul Pycnonotus nieuwenhuisii and Black-browed Babbler Malacocincla perspicillata: two Sundaic passerines in search of a life. BirdingASIA 21: 37–44.

Global Birding Day – Join the team and help set a new World Record!

Cley Spy, one of the Club’s corporate sponsors, will be participating in Global Birding’s Big Day (GBD), www.globalbirding.org, on Saturday 9th October 2021 and have invited OBC members around the world to join the team and contribute to the worldwide attempt “to set another new world record for the largest number of birds seen by the greatest number of people on this peak migration weekend.”

The GBD days in October 2020 and May 2021 both set new records. 

In addition, the collection of data on birds across the world will be invaluable to scientists and conservationists fighting to help protect many of our vulnerable and endangered species.

Cley Spy are also raising funds for BirdLife International’s “Conserve Coastal Wetlands, Save Threatened Migratory Birds” campaign through their fund-raising page, another important purpose of the Global Birding Day.

Full details of how to take part can be found on the www.globalbirding.org website but the key things that you need to do to participate are: 

• Register as an individual to take part at https://globalbirding.org/individual-registration. When registering enter yourself as Name / Cley Spy Team.

• If you do not already have an Ebird account register for one for free at https://ebird.org/home and select Create an account.

• On 9th October go birding and record whatever you see and then enter the details on Ebird. You can enter data for any number of different locations.

• Finally, once you have entered and saved your checklists, please use the Share button, to share the checklists with CleySpyTeam. Please be careful to select CleySpyTeam (no spaces), and not CleySpy, from the options to ensure they are recorded correctly.

• Please note that it does not matter if you are already signed up to another team, you can also share your records with CleySpyTeam, the records will not be double counted.

OBC are also hoping to have a team, or a joint team with Cley Spy, at future Global Birding Day events and hope that many members will take the opportunity to have a great day out birding, and in doing so contribute to an exciting project.

If you do participate have a great day’s birding.