The UP Bird Festival 2016 is the first initiative of its kind in the Indian Subcontinent by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department. We bring together the best from around the world under the common platform of the Uttar Pradesh Bird Festival. There will be talks by prominent ornithologist from around the globe. Workshops by professional photographers, art shows by renowned artists and a bird ringing station. Uttar Pradesh Forest Department is also an associate Sponsor of the British Bird Fair, another first where one Bird Fair becomes the sponsor of another. The U.P. Bird Festival is proud to be a BirdLife Species Champion supporting the BirdLife Preventing Extinctions Programme. The Uttar Pradesh Govt is also taking up conservation projects along with Birdlife International and will be working together in the Indian Skimmer project. The Uttar Pradesh Bird Festival 2016 will be held on 2nd-4th December 2016 at the lawns of the Chambal LodgeYou can follow events and discussion at the Uttar Pradesh Bird Festival by following the hashtag #UPBF16

 

UP Bird Festival 2016

Day(s)

:

Hour(s)

:

Minute(s)

:

Second(s)

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE FOR BIRD FESTIVAL

December 2nd 2016

SESSION 1: 8:30am-10:00am

THEME: BIRDING DIARIES-I
Time Topic Speaker
8:30-8:50 The Perils and Pitfalls of Birding Bill Thompson
8:50-9:10 Tales from the Concrete Jungles David Lindo
9:10:9:30 Ladakh Birding Adventures Otto Pfister
9:30-10:00 Q & A Session

 

10:00- 10:20AM BREAK

SESSION II : 10:20am-01:10pm

THEME: OFF THE BEATEN TRACKBIRDING ADVENTURES FROM OTHER LANDS
Time Topic Speaker
10:20:10:40 Champions of the Flyway (Bird Event in Israel) Jonathan Meyrav
10:40-11:00 Extremadura: Europe’s Bird of Prey Paradise Vanessa Palacious
11:00-11:20 Sri Lanka’s Megafauna and Superrich wildlife Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne
11:20-11:40 Break
11:40-12:00pm Around the world with BBC Natural History Unit Stephen Moss
12:00-12:20pm Let’s Bird Fair Tim Appleton
12:20-1:00pm Not just birdwatching! Michael Chung Lu
12:40pm-1:10pm Q & A session

 

 

01:10PM-2:00PM LUNCH

2:30pm-6:00pm WORKSHOP SESSION

THREE parallel workshops

  1. Outdoor Birding
  2. Bird Banding by BNHS
  • Bird Sketching by Ashley Boon

 

 

 

 

December 3rd 2016

SESSION III: 8:30am-10:00am

THEME: FAMILY TALES
Time Topic Speaker
8:30-8:50 Identification of Gulls Clive Harris
8:50-9:10 More Curious Tales about Warblers Martin Kelsey

 

9:10:9:30 Conservation of critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper on Asian Flyway: from the Arctic to the Bay of Bengal” Evgeny Syroechkovskiy
9:30-10:00 Q & A Session

 

10:00- 10:20AM BREAK

SESSION IV : 10:20am-01:10pm

THEME: BIRDING STORIES FROM ACROSS INDIA

 

Time Topic Speaker
10:20:10:40 Assessing the status of birds in India, including preparation of state checklists Tim Inskipp
10:40-11:00 Indian Skimmer Panchami Ukil
11:00-11:20 Discovering the Unknown- Tuneful find of the Himalayan Forest Thrush Shashank Dalvi
11:20-11:40 Break
11:40-12:00pm Saving the Amur Falcon Ramki Sreenivasan
12:00-12:20pm Stepping Down from the Sand- Status of Riverine Nesting Birds Parveen Shaikh
12:20-1:00pm Panel Discussion on Vultures Vibhu Prakash, Amita Kanauji, Krishna P Bhusal. Panel Chair- Hon. Ambassador Sudhir Vyas
1:00pm-1:20pm Q & A session

 

 

01:20PM-2:00PM LUNCH

2:30pm-6:00pm WORKSHOP SESSION

THREE parallel workshops

  1. Outdoor Birding
  2. Bird Banding by BNHS
  • Bird Photography by Craig Jones

 

 

 

December 4th 2016

SESSION V: : 8:30am-10:00am

THEME: LOSS AND DISCOVERY IN THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT
Time Topic Speaker
8:30-8:50 Effect of Climate Change   on Himalayan Birds Carol Inskipp
8:50-9:10 New and Potential Additions to India’s Avifauna Pamela Rasmussen
9:10:9:30 Threatened grassland birds of Brahmaputra and Gangetic floodplains Dr. Asad Rahmani
9:30-10:00 Q & A Session

 

10:00- 10:20AM BREAK

SESSION VI : 10:20am-01:10pm

THEME: BIRDING DIARIES -II
Time Topic Speaker
10:20:10:40 Tales of Remarkable Birds Dominic Couzens
10:40-11:00 Birds of Dhanauri Wetlands, UP Anand S Arya
11:00-11:20 The Business of Birding – and its critical role in nature conservation Julian Mathews
11:20-11:40 Q & A Session
11:40-12:00pm Break
12:00-12:20pm Binoculars- What’s best for you? Gerold Dobler
12:20-1:30pm Bird Quiz Quiz Master: Bikram Grewal

 

 

01:30PM-2:30PM LUNCH

2:30pm-6:00pm WORKSHOP SESSION

THREE parallel workshops

  1. Outdoor Birding
  2. Bird Banding by BNHS
  • Digiscoping  by Nanette

 

 

 

International Delegates of the 2nd U.P. Bird Festival 2016

Cradle of Indian Ornithology

Michael Chung Lu

Co-founder of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines and the Asian Bird Fair,

Claudia Patricia

Runs a Birding Lodge in Extremadura, Spain

Otto Pfister

Author of the book ‘Birds and Mammals of Ladakh’, ‘Birds of the Himalayas’ and ‘Photographic Guide to the Birds of India’

Sunil Kaul

‎Managing Director at Leica Camera Asia Pacific

Tim Inskipp

Author – Birds of the Indian Subcontinent

Mark Cocker

Author, naturalist and journalist

Pamela Rasmussen

Author of Birds of South Asia: the Ripley Guide

Jonathan Meyrav

Tourism director for the Israel Ornithological Center. Champion of the Flyway

Jan Pluhacek

Zoologist in Institute of Animal Science in Prague and in Ostrava Zoo in the Czech Republic and teaching behavioural ecology in the University

William Henry Thompson, III

Publisher of Bird Watcher’s Digest magazine in the USA and the founder of the American Birding Expo

Herbert Byaruhanga

President Uganda Tourism Association. Initiator of African Birding Expo & Chairman of Uganda Safari Guides Association

Jim Martin

Publisher of Bloomsbury Publishing’s natural history books

Stephen Moss

Wildlife TV producer, author and university lecturer

Roula Trigou

Senior Conservation Communication Officer at the Hellenic Ornithological Society (HOS/BirdLife Greece)

Nanette Roland

Product Manager at Leica Camera AG: Nature Observation & Lifestyle

Vanesa Palacios

She is responsible for developing nature and birding tourism in Extremadura, Spain.

Carol Inskipp

Author – Birds of the Indian Subcontinent

Martin Kelsey

Nature guide from Spain and PhD in Warblers

Gerold Dobler

Zeiss – Head of Product Management for the Nature & Lifestyle

Tim Appleton

Founder – British Bird Fair

David Lindo

Author, TV presenter, Blogger, Guide

Bushra Bashir

Managing Director of a Kenyan Safari Company

Evgeny Syroechkovskiy

Bird scientists working with Arctic birds in Russia and on their flyways in Asia

Clive Harris

President of the Montgomery Bird Club and on the Council of the Maryland Ornithological Society, as well as having served on the Maryland/District of Columbia Records Committee (for rare bird sightings).

Nyo Nyo Aung

Lecturer of Zoology Department of University of Yangon

Ashley Richard Boon

Wildlife Artist

Wiebke Hoffmann

Vienna Zoo as curator of research and conservation

Simone Haderthauer

Biologist working at the Vienna Zoo as Zoological Curator

Craig Jones

Wildlife & Conservation Photographer

Julian Matthews

Founded TOFTigers in response to plummeting tiger numbers across Asia. He remains the main driver of the organisation.

Thiridawei Aung

Programme Manager, Research and Conservation Section, Biodiversity And Nature Conservation Association, Myanmar.

Aditi Mukherjee

Specialist: United Arab Emirates Birding

Samir Whitaker

Programme Manager –  BirdLife International

Renata Zalewska

Board member of Polish Society for the Protection of Birds.  Member of the Dubai Natural History Group

Chris Larsen

Has been instrumental in bringing to life the Blue Sky Wildlife website, is passionate about travel and supporting the world class tour operators

Thomas Sacher

Researcher, Member of the German Rarities Committee (DAK).  Mainly working on migration biology and the impact of wind turbines on birds

Dominic Couzens

Professional author and bird guide

Jim Lawrence

Global Marketing Manager – BirdLife

Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne

Author

Nikhil Devasar

There was an empty box, hence my picture 😉

IMPORTANT INFO

India is facing a serious currency situation. All delegates should exchange their currency into Indian rupees at the airport. Pl try and get as much as possible in 100 rupee notes. All ATMS in Delhi and enroute have hour-long queues. There are no banking facilities at camp.
 

1.   All foreign delegates arriving overnight will check into the Ibis hotel (Aero City) on arrival. You will be met at the arrival by the Ibis coach and their representative. In case of any problem or whatever – The hotel is 5 to 10 Minutes from the Airport in a taxi

2.   The first bus from the hotel will depart for Chambal at 9.00 am. The buses will be parked outside the entrance gate of the Hotel Ibis. Please eat your breakfast and come to the Bus on the 1st December morning by 8.30am

4.   A second bus will depart at 11.30 am from the same venue

5.   Packed lunch will be served to you on the bus

6.   All delegates who are taking the bus should register at the special counter in the lobby of the Hotel in the morning

Now coming on to Chambal:

7.   It will be cold in the mornings and evenings. A jacket and a pullover are recommended as are light gloves and cap. Daytime will be pleasant.

8.   You will get comfortable tented accommodation. Hot water be available at fixed times in the mornings and evenings. Please carry mosquito repellant and sunblock cream, if you require it.

9.   You can charge your mobiles and camera batteries in the tent. Mobile connectivity is fair.

10. You will get breakfast, tea, and dinner. You have to buy your own lunch (and mine too) from the many food stalls present, including Pizza Hut, Coffee bar, sandwiches etc

11. Liquor : feel free to bring your own. Delhi airport has cheap and a good duty-free.

12. The talks will start at 8.30 sharp. You will be served hot breakfast before that.

13. Due to the foggy conditions last year, outdoor guided birding will now take place in the afternoons

14. Nothing is available in the vicinity. So please carry all your emergency medicines and other necessities. 

Associate Sponsor British Bird Fair

Have a question ?

2 + 3 =