Tokhü Emong Bird Count (TEBC) is returning for its second edition on 4th to 7th November 2023 to celebrate the incredible bird diversity in Nagaland and to conserve the biodiversity and endangered habitats in the state.
“Birds are excellent ambassadors of nature. There is no other organism that can sing and dance and still be all around us. Their ability to thrive in our surroundings, from urban places to forests, makes them exceptional representatives of the natural world showcasing the adaptability and resilience of wildlife.”: Mittal Gala, Project Coordinator with Bird Count India at Nature Conservation Foundation.
The 2nd Tokhü Emong Bird Count is being organised in collaboration with the Wokha Forest Division and the Divisional Management Unit, Nagaland Forest Management Project (NFMP), Wokha district, and Bird Count India. Partners joining the TEBC 2023 are the Department of School Education Nagaland, Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), and Eco Warriors Nagaland. The event is powered by eBird India with Nikon joining as the equipment partner. This year, the Practicing Food Sovereignty research team from the University of Melbourne, Stockholm University, and North Eastern Social Research Centre also joined as research partners.
“The Practicing Food Sovereignty research team is collaborating with TEBC 2023 because this initiative invites us to adopt birds to reflect on Indigenous culture, agriculture, and what it means to be in a relationship of care with other beings and the land. I believe TEBC allows us to connect and come up with bottom-up approaches that centre Indigenous community engagement and participation.”: Dr. Dolly Kikon, Anthropologist, University of Melbourne.
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Embracing the spirit of sharing, oneness and fellowship that Tokhü Emong, the post-harvest festival of the Lotha community, signifies, TEBC organisers invite everyone to join the activity from anywhere in Nagaland. While the event is primarily done in Nagaland, everyone living across India and around the world are invited to join the festivities by birding wherever they are.
“Nagaland is a state with diverse festivals as well as vibrant birdlife. We live in one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. The Tokhü Emong Bird Count is the first of initiatives where the Indigenous communities of the state are encouraged to celebrate their festivals with birds. We invite people to reconnect with nature and help rediscover and document this rich avifauna. Birds are seen everywhere and are excellent indicators of environmental changes.”: Lansothung Lotha, Range Forest Officer, Nagaland Forest Department.
The basic activity is to watch and count birds on any/all days from 4-7 November from anywhere in in the State for at least 15 minutes and upload bird lists to the bird recording platform eBird (www.ebird.org/india). It may be noted that the dates of Tokhü Emong Bird count fall within Bombay Natural History Society’s Sálim Ali Bird Count–a countrywide event. Besides documenting birds, there will be birdwalks and online/in-person talks about birds for interested public, other birders, and school/college students.
“Amur Falcons put Nagaland on the world birding map. However, our communities can do more than Amur Falcon conservation. TEBC 2023 is organised to make each one of us feel pride in the nature and birdlife that we have.”: Chenibemo Odyuo, Team Leader, Nagaland Forest Management Project, Foundation for Ecological Security, Phek, Nagaland.
For more information, check https://birdcount.in/event/tokhu-emong-bird-count/
or contact-
Lansothung Lotha (Department of Environment, Forests, & Climate Change, Nagaland). Email: lansothungshitiri@gmail.com; lansothung.lotha@apu.edu.in; WhatsApp: +91-8416005577
Mittal Gala (Project Coordinator, Bird Count India). Email: mittal@ncf-india.org; Whatsapp: +91-9024282778
Praveen J (Scientist, Bird Count India). Email: praveen.j@ncf-india.org; Call/ WhatsApp: +91-9900028479
Joel Rodrigues (Food Sovereignty Research team, Stockholm University). Email: joel.rodrigues@socant.su.se WhatsApp: +46-735671318
Suman W M Sivachar, IFS (Department of Environment, Forests, & Climate Change, Nagaland). Email: dfowokhanf@gmail.com; WhatsApp: +91-7629986993
Lesemew M (Eco Warriors Nagaland). lesemewyim195@gmail.com; WhatsApp: +91-8415964715
