Bihar CM Nitish Kumar sports birds too! Ever heard of an Indian Chief Minister sporting birds, that too migratory species?
Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has attained a unique feat: observing how bird banding is done, holding Blyth’s Reed Warbler in his hand and finally releasing it in the air (see photo here). It took place on 16 January 2021 at the State’s 1st Bird Fair held at Nagi Lake in Jamuai district.
An overflowing crowd of rural and urban character surrounded this feat to an extent that many press photographers could not satisfy their cameras’ hunger.
A brimful Nitish appeared inquisitive. He had bag full of details received when he spent good time at the stall of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), a 135-year-old organization specializing in avian studies. Nita Shah explained to him about migration pattern and the species banded by her team so far.
The banding is to decipher where birds finally reach. She pinned a BNHS badge over his chest. To this, the soft spoken Nitish extended his heartful thanks with folded hands. Prabhat Kumar Gupta as Chief Wildlife Warden, S. Sudhakar, as DFO, Bhagalpur, Satyajeet Kumar as DFO, Jamui, and Bharat Chintapalli as DFO for the Fair, were on their toes to let the event flow like the Ganges.
Dt. S. Balachandran, who has banded more than 2-lakh birds in India, Dr. Vibhu Prakash, Head of India’s Vulture Breeding Project at Pinjore, Haryana, and others from BNHS besides Bihar’s Chief Wildlife Warden, Prabhat Kumar Gupta, were around Nitish to let him search more on birds, as can be observed in a group photo published here.
Nita Shah manages such banding sites all over India as BNHS scientist.
Nitish flew in a helicopter at the Bird Fair and spent hours, observing conservation gaining ground. He addressed a gathering of rural folk artists amidst bird experts from all over the country, to thank the organisers for this event and hoped it would add a new prestige to Bihar.
Blyth’s Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum), the bird he released, breeds in Eastern Europe and is a winter visitor to India. It hops from trees to bushes and calls a high-pitched and loud “tek…tek…tek.”
The BNHS is running a ringing camp at Bhagalpur also to trap birds and release them. Strange paradox is that India has all eggs kept in the BNHS basket for bird banding. It lacks financial and other support to carry it out throughout the country. What other states are doing? The officials are unconcerned about it.
In US, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, China and even in a tiny country like Mongolia, school students and private individuals are encouraged to do bird banding, using metal rings to apply them over feet of birds. This writer happened to be a guest of Bihar to attend this Fair and appreciates the organizers for having done a much needed event.
We happen to be the first in organizing Bird Fairs in India. The 24th Indian Birding Fair is due in February at Man Sagar lake in Jaipur, being devoted to Butterfly Conservation. Welcome to join hands …(www.birdfair.org).
PS: The feature image caption should read as:
Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar releasing a ringed Blyth’s Reed Warbler at its 1st Bird Fair on 16 January 21. Helping him with this migratory bird is Dr. S. Balachandran, BNHS Dy. Director for bird banding