First Keyi Panyor Bird Count Logs 38 Species

Itanagar: Observers spotted 38 bird species during the inaugural Keyi Panyor Bird Counting event in Joram Village. The two-hour tally took place at Joram Putung to document avian health and push for sustainable tourism. Volunteers recorded sightings including the Indian White-eye, Grey Bushchat, Dark-sided Flycatcher, and White-throated Fantail. They also noted the Mountain Hawk-Eagle, Large-billed Crow, and Fire-breasted Flowerpecker.

Keyi Panyor Tourism Society hosted the event alongside the Arunachal Pradesh Birding Club, Bird Count India, and the Nature Conservation Foundation. Participants included students, forest officials, and community members. Local leaders, such as Zilla Parishad Chairperson Nabam Piju and event coordinator Joram Aatum, joined the project to promote habitat protection.

Koj Mama, who founded the Arunachal Pradesh Birding Club in 2012, sees a path forward for the local youth. He stated, "youth can be trained as birding guides to create livelihoods linked to homestays and ecotourism." Nabam Piju challenged the community to stop hunting birds and eating their meat. She hopes to see the number of species double in future counts. The effort proves the area holds significant biodiversity for those looking to build a green economy.