Birds are a common sight everywhere we go. However, how many of us can identify the avian species we see daily? That is exactly what the Indian Bird Race was all about; following and identifying birds! A fun event for bird watchers who compete with each other to spot and record information of as many species as they possibly can. Naturally, the one who records the most number of species wins the competition.

This race is already quite popular in Mumbai and The Birdwatcher’s Society of Andhra Pradesh recently organised the third edition of the race. The winning team, The Eagles led by Vijay Sirdesai, a wildlife photographer from the city, spotted 142 species of bird. This was his second year of participation in the race and his team comprised his family — wife Vidya and two sons Vidish and Vihan. They also spotted the “Bird of the Day” called the White Bellied Flycatcher.

“This bird is quite rare and we spotted it in Narsapur,” says Vijay. The event included people from various vocations. Natasha Bali, an IT professional says, “I am an adventure freak and this competition was great. I spotted many colourful birds and helped my team.” Around 100 people participated and they spent 12 hours riding around the city spotting birds.