Aasheesh Pittie - Founder Trustee
aasheeshAasheesh Pittie (Born: 1961)

E-mail: editor.indianbirds@gmail.com

Website: http://aasheeshpittie.blogspot.in/

Education: B.Com. (Osmania University, Hyderabad.)

Honorary Positions:

  • President: Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh (2009– ).
  • Indian Representative: International Ornithological Committee (2006- ).
  • Indian Representative: Royal Naval Birdwatching Society (2006- ).
  • Honorary Secretary: Hyderabad Nature Club (1979-1981).
  • Honorary Secretary: Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh (1997-2004).
  • Member: Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (?-2005).
  • Member: Board of Governors, Environmental Protection & Training Research Institute, Hyderabad [EPTRI] (2002-2005).
  • Member: Advisory Committee, Bombay Natural History Society (2004-).
  • Member: Library Sub-committee, Bombay Natural History Society (2004-).
  • Member: World Wide Fund for Nature-India, Andhra Pradesh State Committee.

Editing, etc.

  • Black Buck: Newsletter of the Hyderabad Nature Club (1980-81; Editor).
  • Mayura: Bi-annual journal of the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh (1983- ; Editor).
  • Pitta: Monthly bulletin of the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh (1987-2002; Editor).
  • Zoos’ Print Journal (2000-2003; Referee for Ornithological papers).
  • Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society (2004- ; member of editorial board).
  • Newsletter for Ornithologists (2004. Editor).
  • Indian BIRDS (2005- ; Editor).

Select Publications:

  • A checklist of birds of Andhra Pradesh (1989): (co-authored and co-published with Siraj A. Taher).
  • Nomenclature of birds of the Indian Subcontinent. A review of some changes taking place. (1993): (co-authored with Andrew Robertson and published by Ornithological Society of India.)
  • A bibliographic index to the ornithology of the Indian region – Part I. (1995): publications covered: Stray Feathers (1873-1881) vols. 1-10 & Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society (1886-1993) vols. 1-90.
  • Standardised common and scientific names of the birds of the Indian Subcontinent. Buceros 6 (1): i-ix, 1-37. 2001. (With Ranjit Manakadan.)
  • A bibliographic index to the ornithology of the Indian Subcontinent. (2001): CD-ROM based database. Published by the author.
  • Standardised common and scientific names of the birds of the Indian Subcontinent. Newsletter for Birdwatchers 42 (3) (May-June): 1+i-viii, 1-36. 2002. (With Ranjit Manakadan.)
  • On the dates of publication of the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, volumes I-100 (1886-2003), and other matters. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 100 (2&3) (23 September): 589-613. 2003.
  • A bibliographic index to the birds of South Asia . (2004): 3 rd edition. CD-ROM based database. Published by the author.
  • A dictionary of scientific bird names originating from the Indian region. Buceros 9 (2): 1-30. 2004.
  • A bibliography of the Anatidae of south Asia. Buceros 9 (3): 2 ll., pp. 1-90. 2005. (2004).
  • The dating of names proposed in the first Supplement to Thomas Jerdon’s Catalogue of the birds of the peninsula of India. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 61 (4): 214-224. 2004. (With Edward C. Dickinson, Murray Bruce, Steven Gregory, and Alan P. Peterson.)
  • Besides these, is the author of several hundred popular articles, short notes and papers in newspapers, popular science / nature magazines, newsletters, journals, etc.
V. Santharam - Founder Trustee
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V. Santharam PhD.

Education:

B.Com. (University of Madras, Tamil Nadu), M.Sc. (Ecology) (Pondicherry University); Ph.D. (Ecology of woodpeckers)

(Pondicherry University).

Honorary Positions:

  • Director: Institute of Bird Studies & Natural History, Rishi Valley, Andhra Pradesh.
  • Secretary: Madras Naturalists’ Society, Chennai (1997-1998).
  • Member: Editorial Board of Blackbuck.
  • Representative for Tamil Nadu in the IBCN Network, BNHS, Mumbai.

Fields of Study / Research:

  • Survey of the Great Black (White-bellied) Woodpecker in the Western Ghats.
  • Worked as research associate / fellow in SACON and BNHS.
  • Participated in several bird surveys and waterfowl censuses in southern India.
  • Compiled a checklist of birds of Chennai (Madras) city and its environs.

Interests:

  • Ornithology, photography, Indian classical music, temple architecture and culture.
Taej Mundkur
Taej-Mundkur

Taej Mundkur (Born: 1961)

Education:

B.Sc., and M.Sc., in Microbiology (Garware College, Pune University, Maharashtra); Ph.D. in field ecology of resident and migrant waterbirds of Saurashtra (Saurashtra University, Gujarat).

Dr. Mundkur worked for nearly three decades with Wetlands International (formerly Asian Wetland Bureau and International Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Bureau), a Dutch-based NGO that works closely with governments and conventions to promote the conservation of wetlands worldwide. Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the first 14 years, he held a range of positions including technical and management responsibilities and was responsible for managing Wetlands International’s operations in the Asia-Pacific. His technical responsibilities have included development and coordination of a wide range of regional (and national) projects on inventory, monitoring and management of wetlands and their biodiversity, applied research, public awareness and training programmes.

Taej has led the development and coordination of the Asia-Pacific Migratory Waterbird Conservation Strategy, a successful regional initiative for the conservation of wetlands in three major flyways of waterbirds in the Asia-Pacific region using migratory waterbirds as a flagship group; the initiative has been in operation for a decade (1996-2006). He remains closely involved with implementation of the East Asian – Australasian Flyway Partnership, one of two flyway initiatives, that were developed from this. He has also worked to develop the CMS framework to promote conservation of migratory waterbirds and their habitats in the Central Asian Flyway.

He has also been involved in coordinating and developing the Asian Waterbird Census and the Asian Wetland Inventory, two flagship programmes of Wetlands International. He has been involved in the organisation of a number of international and regional conferences, workshops and meetings to promote wetland biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. He is supporting development of projects on strengthening surveillance of diseases, particularly highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild birds in the region as well sustainable development and management of wetlands and their biodiversity in India and other parts of Asia.

Taej has been working closely with the conventions on Wetlands (Ramsar) and Migratory Species (Bonn) to promote their membership in the Asia region, to assist governments to implement the conventions at a national level and to improve inter-linkages between these conventions and others through practical wetland conservation programmes. He has served on the committees of various international and regional conservation projects implemented by international development agencies, including UNDP, UNEP, FAO, etc.

He is based in the Netherlands and works with the global office of Wetlands International leading their waterbird and flyway work.

Taej has authored and edited a number of books and publications on waterbirds and wetlands, including the popular Field Guide to the Waterbirds of Asia and reports of the Asian Waterbird Census. In addition, he has published a number of papers on a variety of research and conservation topics and observational records in national and international journals, bulletins and other publications.

S. Subramanya

S. Subramanya (Born: 1956)

Education:

Ph.D. in agricultural ornithology (University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka).

Positions Held:

  • State Coordinator: Indian Bird Conservation Network, BNHS, Mumbai.
  • Member: Heron Specialist Group, IUCN, Switzerland
  • Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai (Member, Editorial Board)
  • Ornithological advisor: Bangalore Mahanagara Palike on management of municipal solid waste.

Projects:

  • Population and movement of Indian avifauna (Bird migration studies); Principal Investigator: Dr Sálim Ali (Bombay Natural HistorySociety, Mumbai). 1980-1981.
  • Midwinter Waterbird Census in Bangalore region. (Asian Waterfowl Bureau/Wetland International, Malaysia and Karnataka StateDepartment of Forests.) 1987-1996.
  • Status survey of Yellow-throated Bulbul in inland south India. (Self-funded.) 1991-1993.
  • Survey of Indian heronries (Oriental Bird Club, Bedford, U.K.) 1993-1995.
  • Red Data Book of Indian Birds: with Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore. 1993-1996.
  • Threatened Birds of Asia: The Red Data Book for Asia . (BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.) 1997-1998.
  • Status Survey of Broad-tailed Grassbird in Karnataka: with Oriental Bird Club, Bedford, U.K. 2003-2005.

Selected Publications:

  • Distribution, status and conservation of Indian heronries. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 93 (3): 459-486. 1996.
  • Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book . (Co-edited with N. J. Collar, A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosbyand J. A. Tobias) BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K. 2001. ( The accounts of each of the Indian/Asian threatened birds can bedownloaded at http://www.rdb.or.id/. The book is also available as a CD ROM from BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK& BNHS, Mumbai.)
  • Heronries of Andhra Pradesh. Mayura 13: 1-27. 2001.
  • Distribution, status and conservation of Indian heronries. In Petronia: Fifty Years of Post-Independence Ornithology in India(A Centenary dedication to Dr. Salim Ali) (Eds: J. C. Daniel and G. W. Ugra). 1 st Ed. Bombay: Bombay Natural History Society &Oxford University Press. 2003.
  • Status, habitat, habits and conservation of Yellow-throated Bulbul Pycnonotus xantholaemus (Jerdon) in south India.(Co-authored with J. N. Prasad and S. Karthikeyan). Proceedings of the BNHS Journal Centenary Seminar (November 13-15, 2003)(in press). 2005.
  • Heronries of Kerala. Malabar Trogon 3: (1): 2-15. 2005.
  • An assessment of the Impact of August 2005 floods to nesting birds and their habitat at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Karnataka.(Co-authored with O. C. Naveein.) Unpublished impact assessment report submitted to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests,Karnataka State Forest Department, Aranya Bhavan, Bangalore. Pp 19+iii. 2005.
Suhel Quader
Suhel Quader

Suhel Quader

Email: suhelq@ncf-india.org

I am a scientist at the Nature Conservation Foundation. By training I am primarily an evolutionary ecologist, which is a fancy way of saying that I’m interested in why animals and plants do what they do. That is, how does what they do make sense? For example, why do crows chase away koels from their nests; or why do mosquito larvae stop moving when they smell danger?

My other main interest is in Citizen Science, or what is often now called Public Participation in Scientific Research. The idea here is that the world is large and complex and is changing rapidly; and to better understand the world we need to work together, all of us, regardless of our background or formal training. Our Citizen Science programmes are run in collaboration with the National Centre for Biological Sciences, as well as other partners. The two main projects we run are MigrantWatch, which looks at the timing of migration of birds; and SeasonWatch, in which we investigate seasonal patterns in leaf-flush, flowering and fruiting of trees. Everyone is welcome to participate!

I have previously worked at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (Bangalore), the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (UK), and at the University of Cambridge (UK). My post-graduate studies have been at the Wildlife Institute of India (Dehradun) and the University of Florida (US).

Praveen J
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Praveen J

Email: paintedstork@gmail.com

Education:

  • M. Tech Computer Science, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam
  • B Tech Computer Science & Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Kozhikode, Kerala

Positions:

  • Associate Editor, IndianBIRDS, 2012 onwards
  • Contributing Editor, IndianBIRDS, 2007-2012
  • Country Representative, Royal Naval Birdwatching Society, 2013 onwards
  • Moderator & Owner of KeralaBirder, Yahoo e-groups, 2002 onwards
  • Editorial board member of Malabar Trogon and Journal of Threatened Taxa

Field Study:

  • Monitoring bird diversity of Western Ghats of Kerala
  • Pelagic Bird surveys in the Arabian Sea
  • Survey of montane Laughingthrushes in southern Western Ghats

Selected Publications:

  • Praveen J., Jayapal, R., Pittie, A., 2013. Notes on Indian rarities–1: Seabirds. Indian BIRDS 8 (5): 113-125.
  • Praveen, J.; Nameer,P.O. 2012. Strophocincla Laughingthrushes of south India: A case for allopatric speciation and impact on their conservation. J. of Bom. Nat. Hist. Soc. 109(1&2):46-52
  • Karuthedathu, D.; Praveen, J.; Palot,M.J. 2012. Recent trends in Marine Bird Monitoring in India. J. of Bom. Nat. Hist. Soc. 109(1&2):53-59
  • Sashikumar, C.; Praveen, J.; Palot, M.J.; Nameer, P. O. 2011. Birds of Kerala: status and distribution. DC Books, Kottayam, Kerala
  • Praveen, J.; Nameer, P. O. 2009. Monitoring bird diversity in Western Ghats of Kerala. Current Science. 96(10): 1390-1395
  • Praveen, J.; Nameer, P. O. 2008. Bird diversity of Siruvani and Muthikulam Hills, Western Ghats, Kerala. Indian Birds. 3(6): 210-217
  • Praveen J.; Joseph, Job K. 2006. A checklist of birds of the National Institute of Technology campus, Kozhikode, Kerala. Zoos' Print Journal. 21(6): 2298—2300
  • Praveen, J.; Kumar, M.; George, S.V. 1997. Birds of Palakkad Hills. Newsletter for Birdwatchers. 37(5): 71—73

Interests:

  • Threatened and endemic birds of Western Ghats.
  • Pelagic birds of Indian seas.
  • Citizen science initiatives to map bird distribution and monitor bird population.
  • Bird distribution across south Asia
  • Indian bird rarities.

Professional:

  • Architect at CISCO Video Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore, India
Zafar Futehally - Founder Trustee (Trusteeship: 2004–2013)
zafar-futehally

Zafar Futehally (1920–2013)

Education:
B.A. Economics (Bombay University, Maharashtra).

Honorary Positions:

  • Honorary Secretary: Bombay Natural History Society (1962-1973).
  • Founder Trustee and Vice-President: World Wildlife Fund-India (1969-1994?). (=World Wide Fund for Nature-India.)
  • Member: National Committee for Environmental Planning, Government of India (1973-1985).
  • Vice-President: International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (1969-1972).
    (=IUCN The World Conservation Union.)
  • Member: Project Tiger (1973-1983).
  • Active Senior Member: International Ornithological Congress.

Awards:

  • Padmashri, 1971 (Government of India).
  • Order of The Golden Ark, 1981 (Prince of the Netherlands).
  • Rajyotseva Award, 1983 (Karnataka).
  • Member of Honour World Wildlife Fund, 1994.
  • Salim Ali International Award for Nature Conservation, 1997.

Editing:

  • Founder Editor Newsletter for Birdwatchers (1959-2003).
  • Co-editor Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society (1963-1973).

 

Rishad Naoroji (Trusteeship: 2004–2021)
rishad-naorojiRishad Naoroji (Born: 1951)

Education:

B.Com. (Bombay University, Maharashtra).

Presently Director of Godrej Group of Companies. He is the Project Co-ordinator on Doongerwadi Advisory Committee for the Parsi Vulture Project, which calls for interaction with the Ministry & State Governments. Rishad is an independent researcher specializing in raptor conservation. Has worked closely with the BNHS as Research Associate; currently an active Executive Committee member BNHS and Chairman of the Library Sub-committee. He is on the Managing Committee of the Himalayan Club. An avid photographer, photographs published nationally and internationally. Awarded a silver medal at the Raptor Photography Contest held during the third Conference of the World Working Group on Birds of Prey. Rishad spent three years in Africa studying and photographing predators and three winters at Bharatpur studying the breeding ecology of and photographing the Pallas's Fishing Eagle. His three years stay in Rajpipla forest studying and photographing the breeding biology and ecology of raptors successfully resulted in 500 sq kms of the area being declared as the Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary. Rishad studies and surveys raptors throughout the country. His articles and papers have been published in numerous magazines including eighteen papers in JBNHS. He is the author of Birds of prey of the Indian Subcontinent, published by Christopher Helm, UK & Om Books Intl., India.