Students, teachers, foresters, conservationists, bird enthusiasts, and community members come together to celebrate the third Tokh\u00fc Emong Bird Count festival from 4-7 November. Inspired by the Lotha Naga harvest festival, this annual bird count event aims to extend the spirit of sharing, oneness, and fellowship across the state by engaging in deeper ecological knowledge and registering our avian diversity. Nagaland has over 500 reported avian species.
Range Forest Officer, Lansothung Lotha, said, \u201cThe people of Nagaland are blessed that the state falls in one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. However, there is much for the people to do to ensure this blessing remains for generations to come. It has been a humbling experience to see how TEBC has grown over the years. The enthusiasm shown by participants over the years has been absolutely inspiring.\u201d While in the first year, 178 species were recorded on the eBird app, the second year noted 219 species within four days.
TEBC is much more than this counting birds. Chenibemo Odyuo, said, \u201cIt is a testament of our shared heritage, weaving conservation and culture together. As we count, we uncover the intricate web of life that sustains us. Every bird species tells us a story of our environment\u2019s resilience and vulnerability.\u201d Birds have a special place in Indigenous myths and legends in Nagaland. In the famous S\u00fcmi folklore of Kivigho and Kahuli, the feather of a hornbill symbolises the immemorial love and immortalised love. In a Chakhesang folklore, the hornbill brought rain to the land relieving them from drought. Changnungla, forest range officer, recounted, \u201cFor the Chang Naknyulum, birds are regarded as important symbols of omen. During the festival, on the third day known as \u2018Nakseng,\u2019 young men beat log drums from dawn until morning to symbolise the village\u2019s emergence from darkness.
Later, villagers listen attentively for the first bird calls; the species of bird to chirp first would dictate the fate of the village. Such beliefs in the Chang culture reveal a profound connection to birds, illustrating the importance of nature in the cultural traditions.\u201d
In Nagaland, Blyth\u2019s Tragopan, Naga Wren Babbler, Dark-rumped Swift, and Chestnut-backed Laughingthrush are amongst the high priority species according the recent. State of India\u2019s Birds report. Nagaland has about 50% of the world\u2019s Blyth\u2019s Tragopan, its state bird. Suman W. M. Sivachar, Divisional Forest Officer, Wokha Forest Division, has witnessed TEBC since its first year. He said, \u201cWe have seen a remarkable increase in the birding community\u2019s engagement last year, with the second edition expanding from a small initiative originating in 2022 from Wokha district to encompassing the entirety of Nagaland in 2023. The rich diversity of our avian wealth is becoming increasingly evident, and last year\u2019s bird count has been pivotal in bringing this to the forefront.\u201d
TEBC\u2019s collaborators includes the Government of Nagaland, non-governmental conservation organisations, and educational institutions reiterates the significance of Naga community knowledge and their participation in caring for biodiversity. Recognising Naga people\u2019s cultural practices like post-harvest festivals and their language is integral to envision, promote, and preserve a sustainable future.
Joel Rodrigues
Press Coordinator
TEBC 2024<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Students, teachers, foresters, conservationists, bird enthusiasts, and community members come together to celebrate the third Tokh\u00fc Emong Bird Count festival from 4-7 November. Inspired by the Lotha Naga harvest festival, this annual bird count event aims to extend the spirit of sharing, oneness, and fellowship across the state by engaging in deeper ecological knowledge and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[395],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-454841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=454841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454841\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=454841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=454841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=454841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}