Researcher’s Corner
This is a space where young ornithologists share their own journeys into the world of bird study. Through their stories, you will learn what first sparked their interest in birds, the hurdles they have overcome, and the lessons they have gathered along the way.
Whether you’re curious about starting a career in ornithology or simply inspired by these experiences, this corner offers both insight and encouragement.
You can join the conversation by leaving a comment or reaching out to the researchers directly.
Antara Kulkarni
My best childhood memories are spent in those very forests, of afternoons splashing around in little streams, reading books under musky Mahua trees and spending nights on the machaans under a starry sky.
Ritobroto Chanda
There’s real joy in just being out there, watching some piece of behaviour unfold in front of you that you couldn’t have predicted.
Krishnandu Sarkar
I have always carried a quiet passion for nature, wildlife, and conservation. Post-retirement, I finally had the time and space to give that passion the dedication it deserved. At 56, I returned to university, carrying childhood curiosity into the world of ecology and conservation. Thus, I began my third innings and it gave me the freedom to begin again.
Aditya Ganesh
Birds have quietly shaped the way I see the world. What began as a simple fascination eventually became a career in ecology, studying behaviour, migration, and changing landscapes. I’ve come to see ornithology as more than a scientific discipline. It’s a way of life and how curiosity, attention, observation, and chance encounters can reveal how interconnected life on Earth is.
Aishwarya Laghate
A giant shadow from a Himalayan Griffon Vulture once passed over me in the mountains. I thought it was a fleeting encounter. Years later, I realised it had quietly shaped my life.
Debangini Ray
I discovered that, depending on whom you ask, an owl can be a goddess’s companion, a harbinger of doom, a lucky charm, a witch’s accomplice, or just a bird trying to survive urban life. Along the way, I learned that understanding people is often harder than understanding owls.
Hrishikesh Karandikar
“What I saw, what I genuinely saw in those first two seconds, was a human skull sitting on a body that didn’t make sense. Then my eyes adjusted.”
Sidharth Srinivasan
Natural history observations have shaped how I think and what I study – from observing that some birds were almost exclusively found in bamboo, to being surrounded by spectacular mixed-species bird flocks in the Eastern Himalaya. I believe birds have given me a lens through which I understand the world a little better.
Neeraj Mahar
The later stage of my pre-teen days also left some unfortunate memories, which I often reflect on with regret, when I occasionally carried a slingshot and aimed at white-eyes and warblers, unaware of the value of the lives around me.
Ankita Das
That morning made me realise that bird watching is not just about species lists; it is about understanding landscapes as living systems where birds, habitats, and people are deeply interconnected.
Sarbasis Dutta
Then, suddenly, the bird burst out of the grass tussocks, singing incessantly – unabashed, present, undeniable. It sang until we left. The guards smiled and said, “It has come to say goodbye and wish you a good future.”
Divyapriya Chandrasekaran
‘Birds fly away, so how will you study them?’, ‘Do mobile towers cause a decline in the sparrow population?’ are the curious questions I receive from people. I listen to birds, landscapes and subtle changes over time, and share those stories with people.