Guwahati: Every bird photographed, every species identified and every observation recorded can help tell a larger story about Assam’s rich natural heritage. Bringing this idea into focus, a two-day community-led initiative in Golaghat sought to connect bird enthusiasts, conservationists and photographers through avian documentation and open-access knowledge sharing.
Titled “Birds, People & Open-Knowledge,” the initiative was organised by Wiki Loves Birds – Avian Archive of Assam in collaboration with Golaghat Nature Connect and Avian Society and the Department of Zoology at Debraj Roy College. The programme began at the college on November 6 and concluded with a birdwalk at Nambor Wildlife Sanctuary on November 7.
The initiative aimed to raise awareness about Assam’s avian biodiversity, encourage community participation in bird documentation and make biodiversity-related information freely accessible through Wikimedia platforms. Around 50 participants attended the programme at Debraj Roy College, with 30 registering for the event.
During the inaugural programme, Rajib Basumatary, Head of the Department of Zoology at Debraj Roy College, spoke about the biodiversity of Nambor Wildlife Sanctuary. He stressed the need to bring the sanctuary greater national and international recognition, on a scale comparable to Kaziranga and Manas.
Resource person Nethi Sai Kiran, a long-time Wikimedian and founder of Boli Chetu Organization, conducted a session on Wikimedia Commons. He explained how individuals could contribute photographs and information to document Assam’s avian diversity and help build an open-access digital archive.
Firoz Hussain, a noted birder, presented a slideshow on Assam’s endangered bird species, drawing attention to threatened avifauna and the importance of conservation efforts.
The programme also featured a wildlife photography session by Kumar Kishore Kalita, Area Head, Nikon Northeast India. He introduced participants to essential photography techniques, including lighting, exposure and framing, highlighting the role of photography in wildlife documentation.
Nikon supported the initiative by providing participants with hands-on exposure to professional camera equipment, including the Z9, Z8, Z6III and Z50II camera bodies, 180–600mm, 400mm and 600mm lenses, along with Nikon binoculars.
ZEISS India T-shirts and caps were distributed to participants by its brand ambassador, Firoz Hussain, while the Assam Birds Monitoring Network presented badges to all participants.
The second day of the initiative took participants from the classroom to the field, with 18 bird enthusiasts joining a birdwalk at Nambor Wildlife Sanctuary on November 7. The field exercise resulted in the sighting of 30 bird species, of which 10 were photographed.
Through the initiative, Wiki Loves Birds – Avian Archive of Assam sought to bring together community participation, wildlife photography and open knowledge as tools for strengthening biodiversity documentation and conservation.
The programme also drew attention to Nambor’s rich but relatively underrepresented biodiversity and the need to make information about the region’s avian wealth more accessible for researchers, conservationists and the wider public.
At its heart, the initiative underscored a simple but significant message: every bird sighting and photograph, when documented and shared, can become a valuable piece of the collective effort to understand, preserve and celebrate Assam’s natural heritage.