A  pictorial guide of various species of birds seen in the entire environs of the Hosur Road campus of CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru, India

Text and Concept
Dr P U Antony
Initiator and coordinator, Green Army
 and student volunteers of Green Army  
Department of Life Sciences
CHRIST (Deemed to be University)
Bangalore, India

Design and Published by Centre for Publications, CHRIST (Deemed to be University)
Year of Publication         2016
ISBN                               978-93-82305-88-0
Published by                  Centre for Publications, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru
No. of Pages                  pp. x, 82
Price                              140 (PB)
History of Bird Watching in India

The initial effort to scientifically document Indian birds began after the arrival of the Europeans to India. The earliest book describing birds in India is attributed to Eleanyar Albin in 1738. Much work of collection and recording followed in later years, but most of the resulting publications were scientific in nature. The first book, which could be used by birders in the field, was Hugh Whistler’s Popular Handbook of Indian Birds (1928). This was followed by Dr Salim Ali’s The Book of Indian Birds. Ali’s book stirred local interest in bird-watching and culminated in the publication of the classic 10 volume Handbook of the Birds of India & Pakistan (Ali & Ripley, 1964-74) which described 1200 birds from the area. Another development which contributed to the growth of interest in birds was the formation of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) in 1883. The Society focused on the scientific study of Indian wildlife and published acclaimed journals and magazines.

The Birdman of India
Dr Salim Ali, (November 12, 1896 - July 27, 1987) is known as the “Birdman of India”. His name is synonymous with birds. To his many associates however, he was much more than that. A great visionary, he made birds a serious pursuit when it used to be mere fun for the most. Orphaned at a very young age, Salim Ali was brought up by his maternal uncle, Amiruddin Tyabji. Uncle Amiruddin was a keen Shikari (Hunter) and nature-lover. Under his guidance young Salim learnt his first lessons in Shikar and became aware of the nature around him. When Salim was ten years old, his uncle presented him with an air-gun. One day young Salim shot a sparrow which had a yellow streak below its neck. His uncle could not explain more about this sparrow and asked him to go to Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Mumbai. He went to BNHS, but, was apprehensive about going in and confronting with the honorary secretary, W S Millard who was some strange English man for him.

He somehow found the courage and walked in. That single incident changed his whole life and gave India its best ornithologist. Millard identified the sparrow as the Yellow-throated Sparrow, and showed him the splendid collection of stuffed birds of the Society. Salim became interested in birds through this incident and pursued his career in ornithology.

 

Contents:

 

Messages	vii
Foreword	ix
Acknowledgement	x
CHRIST (Deemed to be University) and its Central Campus	1
Green Army	3
An Introduction to the Birds	5
Ethics of Bird Watching	7
Keys for Bird Identification	9
Bird Topography	14
Birds Seen on Campus	17
Types of Bird Nests Found in the University Campus	73
Migratory Birds of CHRIST (Deemed to be University) Campus	74
Glossary	75
References and Further Reading	78
Index of Common Names	79
Index of Scientific Names	81