Our birding guide, the man from the Himalayas !

Our birding guide, the man from the Himalayas !

Neer is the birding guide provided to us by Strabo Pixel Club during our three day visit to Sattal. In his early twenties, Neer has been a birding guide for the last six years. Over the years, Neer keenly observed the behavior of birds, listened to their calls, learnt their breeding habits and had insights into their habitat and could tell with precision where one could see a particular bird.

Neer lives in the forest area of Sattal in a secluded area all by himself as he says that being alone in the lap of nature gives him an advantage of remaining focussed and concentrated on his passion which he does not consider just merely a job.

Neer on the right 

Neer says that he wants to do something for the himalayas during his lifetime. He says with a glint in his eyes that he was born for the himalayas, he lives for the himalayas and will die for the himalayas. He indeed has grand plans which includes involving the local community in improving the natural biodiversity in the area. According to him, birding tourism in the area has a vast potential and needs to be exploited in a manner that it does not exploit the natural environment. He laments that some people come and throw garbage in the area spoiling the beauty of the forests and the mountains.Many a times he had to face their wrath for pointing it out to them but he boldly tells them to clean up or leave the place.

Coming back to birding, Neer says that he prefers serious birders and that too in small numbers. He says that the birds need to be observed from a distance as they too want their privacy to be maintained. According to him, birding is all about observing with patience.

Neer has been a birding guide to many including birders from Germany, Denmark and USA with whom he has been in constant touch. Besides birding, Neer is into adventure sports including trekking. He also has interest in metaphysics and philosophy.

Thank you Neer for being an excellent birding guide to us during our stay in Sattal and showing us exotic birds and thank you Strabo Pixel Club for getting Neer on board for us.

Being at Sattal, the Birders' Paradise, Courtesy #StraboPixelClub

Being at Sattal, the Birders' Paradise, Courtesy #StraboPixelClub

Twenty Seven Birding enthusiasts from across the country

were at Sattal in Uttrakhand at the invitation of Strabo Pixel Club from November 24 to November 26, 2017. During their three day stay, the birders scouted for birds in Sattal,Chafi  and
Pangot and were able to identify more than 130 different birds. The most sought after were the Brown Fish Owl, the Colloared Owlet, the Flower Peckers, the Leafbirds, the Common Green Magpies, the Crested Kingfishers, the Nut Hatchers, the Laughing Thrushes, the Woodpeckers and Himalayan Bulbuls. The rare finds included Eurasian Wren or the Nepal Wren Babbler and the Brown Dipper.

The commitment of Arvind Syal

With Hemant Bishnoi and Subroto Chatterjee 

The highlight of the event was an exhibition of photographs of birds held at the iheart Cafe which was inaugurated by the Divisional Forest Officer, Mr D.S.Meena,IFS. In his address, Mr Meena highlighted various steps being taken by the Uttrakhand Government to preserve and improve the rich biodiversity of the state. He said that the steps being taken by the Forest Department need to be supplemented by people at the grassroot level.

Collared Owlet

On each of the three days, the birds would get ready for their exploration early morning, equipped with their heavy camera equipment and embark in different directions accompanied by guides, deep into the thick forest area in their camouflages that included a jacket gifted by Strabo Pixel Club. Whenever, anyone spotted a bird, he would signal to the others to come and click. The spirit of comradeship was indeed evident.

Brown Fish Owl

After a hectic day of  birding, it was time for relaxing around the bonfire. It was time for sharing experiences, the day's findings, some singing and dancing. Amit Sharma, Preity Chaturvedi and Anupreet  Kaur Mavi were the main singers while Hemant Bishnoi played the guitar.

Strabo Pixel Club he brainchild of  Hemant Bishnoi and  his wife Anu , supported by Puneet Virmani and Subroto Chatterjee. The club has been named after Strabo who was one of the earlier Geographer who is credited with drawing probably the first world map. Strabo Pixel Club has a vast membership base of 1.56 Lakhs  at this moment and is getting enlarged with each day. It is a unique platform that networks birders not only across the country but also globally.

The event was sponsored by Discover India magazine, DTDC and  iheart Cafe with active support of the Uttrakhand Forest Department. All the participants were given  Participation Certificates, Mementoes , Camouflage jackets and a Coffee mug with a photograph clicked by the birder himself/herself. The entire arrangements for stay, boarding, local transport and hospitality was made by the Strabo Pixel Club personally supervised by Hemant Bishnoi and Anu Bishnoi.

The event was given wide media coverage by India News in its prime time news as well as in a dedicated feature.