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 Lodge. You can follow events and discussion at the Uttar Pradesh Bird Festival by following the hashtag #UPBF16
UP Bird Festival 2016
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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 TRACK –BIRDING 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
- Outdoor Birding
- 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
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| 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
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| 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
- Outdoor Birding
- 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
- Outdoor Birding
- 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
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.
