Stella Maris campus is quantity 2 on eBird guidelines leaders’ checklist for 2025

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Campus Fowl Depend at Stella Maris in 2023.
| Picture Credit score: Particular association

That is kindergarten stuff to any patch birder. One can’t amass bird-species numbers at will of their chosen patch. Every patch has built-in components controlling — proscribing, should you like — the fowl range on the market. And patches differ by the levels of restriction thrust on them by pure and anthropogenic components. Largely, pure components. A species-counting match with numerous patches within the fray is rarely performed on a stage subject.

Within the mild of this actuality, sure patches are supposed to be laggards by way of species counts on platforms equivalent to eBird. However they needn’t keep invisible. The desire of these related to this patch (its residents and habitues) can overcome a seemingly unfavourable destiny another way — by diligently producing checklists of birds discovered within the terrain, on daily basis. If a number of checklists pour in, they’ll hog a nook of the highlight — that’s, within the checklists nook.

How the checklists leaders’ list for Chennai in 2025 read on December 27.

How the checklists leaders’ checklist for Chennai in 2025 learn on December 27.
| Picture Credit score:
Particular Association

By perseverance, and even a type of doughtiness, Stella Maris faculty has made it to quantity two on eBird’s checklists leaders’ roll for Chennai in 2025. It’s a shut second to the chief with the potential for pipping the primary on the put up within the dying moments of this yr.

When it comes to number of species, the Stella Maris campus is not any patch (pun supposed) on Adayaru Estuary. However it’s tailgating the chief, which Adayaru Esturary unsurprisingly is.

On December 27, round 2.15 p.m., when this version was speeding with winged toes to the press, Stella Maris campus stood with 442 checklists for 2025, with solely Adayaru Esturary forward of it with 451 checklists — examine the screenshot going with this report.

The culture of eBirding is so entrenched in the college that it did not skip the Campus Bird Count even during the pandemic. From Campus Bird Count 2021.

The tradition of eBirding is so entrenched within the faculty that it didn’t skip the Campus Fowl Depend even in the course of the pandemic. From Campus Fowl Depend 2021.
| Picture Credit score:
Particular association

“It’s elementary, my pricey Watson” — it’s possible you’ll not have a large number of fowl species tripping over your doormat, however you possibly can document and report the small variety of them that do with a regularity and promptness that may put the glowing orb within the skies, the solar to disgrace.

Watching the identical set of fowl species again and again is enough to know the essence of all species, even these continents away and by no means to go to your backyard. Kalpana Jayaraman, who retired in Might 2025 as head of the division of zoology at Stella Maris Faculty (autonomous), touches upon two causes for Stella Maris campus being the place it’s on eBird checklists leaders’ checklist.

First, the faculty received began on campus fowl rely in 2013. However after two years of forgettable outcomes, the initiative gained momentum — properly, the wings of an albatross — in 2015, recollects Kalpana. Salient options of the initiative embody coaching college students how one can fowl, the place to fowl (across the campus) and the place to put up the outcomes of birding (eBird clearly).

The tradition of eBirding is so entrenched within the faculty that it didn’t skip the campus fowl rely even in the course of the pandemic.

Kalpana notes college students are inspired to arrange a number of checklists, teaming up in teams of three or 4. Every group can be requested to eBird in a number of locations throughout the campus, thereby extra pairs of eyes are skilled on every part, and nothing avian misses the attention. The present head, S.A. Vidhya is “a daily patch birder, birds from campus virtually on daily basis, observes Kalpana. So, the baton will get handed, all the time.

The opposite purpose, in accordance with Kalpana, is the faculty has been providing a certificates course — Necessities of Birdwatching — for the final 5 years. It’s open to college students throughout departments. Amongst different issues, it’s impressed upon college students that citizen-science knowledge about birds can help in analysis and conservation of species.

And these components, as Kalpana explains, have clearly made an enormous distinction.

Revealed – December 28, 2025 07:53 am IST