On November 10th, 35 participants joined a Birding Trail led by birding expert Prasath Selvaraj at the Oussudu Lake Bird Sanctuary. The walk was organized by SVARNIM Puducherry’s nature lab, Aurovanam, under the walk series called "Know Your Bioregion."

We arrived at the lake in darkness at 5:30 am and were greeted by the Indian Pitta's shrill call, also known as the "6-O’Clock Bird." It seemed to have awakened early in anticipation of our walk.

After gathering together, Prasath introduced us to three apps that anyone can use for birding: eBird and Merlin, both developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and iNaturalist, the world’s most popular nature app. With these apps, we can upload images or sounds, or ask for identification by description, and the app can help us identify the species.

We walked along a muddy path with trees and shrubs on either side, where we learned to identify many bird calls before spotting birds like the Coucal, Asian Koel, Common Hawk,Sunbird and Lapwing. Everyone had a close look at the Blue-tailed Bee-eaters, which was unconcerned by our group as they perched on an electric cable. Prasath didn’t overlook even the everyday crows, and when we laughed, he reminded us that there is more than one species of crow, so we should be able to identify which one we were observing.

As we approached the lakeshore, adorned with many pink lotus flowers and white lilies, we encountered a large array of waterbirds, including the Lesser Whistling-Duck, Cotton Pygmy-Goose, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Indian Peafowl, Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Swamphen, Black-winged Stilt, and Wood Sandpiper and many more. Little Terns and Asian Openbills were seen flying around.

The grand finale came after walking along a narrow grassy path beside the lake. We reached an area close to an island with many dead trees covered in creepers bearing yellow flowers. There was a large nesting colony of Great Cormorants with chicks of various ages. We stood mesmerized for a long time, observing the activity of the birds and their young and listening to the cacophony of their calls. Prasath eventually ushered us to leave this spot and return to avoid disturbing the nesting site.

As the sun climbed higher, we ended our walk with hearts full of awe and gratitude, carrying with us not only vivid memories of the avian wonders we witnessed but also a deeper appreciation for the intricate beauty of our bioregion.