India has a rich birdlife, totalling over 1,200 species. Of these, several are endemic to areas like the Western Ghats and the Northeast and are found nowhere else in the world. Others are migrants that spend their winters in South Asia coming from the Himalayas, or further north in Europe and Russia.

The reason for this wide diversity of species is that India encompasses a variety of habitats and ecosystems, ranging from the hot and humid evergreen forests of the north-east and south-west, to the scorching deserts of western Rajasthan, and from sea level to the soaring Himalayan peaks.

India is a birdwatcher's paradise; many species are common and widespread, including such favourites as house sparrow, Indian myna, red-vented bulbul, black drongo and white-breasted kingfisher. Common birds of prey include black kite, brahminy kite and shikra. Waterbirds also offer quite a spectacle, especially in winter, when migratory waders and ducks arrive.

But, in the face of unprecedented global environmental change we face a critical shortage of information on the ecological consequences. How will our wild animals and plants be affected? Will there be changes in breeding, survival and migration?

Here is MigrantWatch, a new and unique initiative in which members of the public from all over the country monitor the movements of nine species of birds that migrate to India during the winter. These birds arrive from the Himalayas or even further north.

Participants keep an eye out for these species around their homes, schools, and workplaces and simply report the first date that they see each one. With a little more effort, participants can also keep a daily record of the species. The information is then submitted by email or post.

A small individual effort, multiplied by many participants, will generate information about migration on a larger scale than anything currently available in India.

MigrantWatch is organised by Indian Birds, India's leading journal of the scientific study of birds. The programme is supported by the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, under a new "Citizen Science" initiative. Citizen Science refers to scientific investigations carried out with the help of a network of volunteers. Citizen Science programmes in other countries are being used in a variety of studies, including on stars, birds, butterflies and water.

Picture: Clement Francis

You can choose between two levels of participation.

Level 1. Watch for these nine migrant birds and note the date when you first observe each of them in the second half of 2007 at your location(s).
Level 2. Keep a regular (eg, daily or weekly) record from 6 August 2007 to 30 April 2008 of whether or not you see each of the nine species. If you miss days or weeks during this period, don't worry - you can still contribute information from those days/weeks on which you made observations.

Please help us spread the word: ask your friends to join MigrantWatch.

Aasheesh Pittie. Editor, Indian Birds. Hyderabad. asheesh.pittie@gmail.com. 09848039344

Suhel Quader, Coordinator, MigrantWatch. NCBS, Bangalore. suhelq@ncbs.res.in. 09480184064