Young Birders’ Month is returning in November with a larger calendar of child-led bird walks, webinars and exhibitions across India, bringing attention to how urban parks, lakes, hills and gardens can become entry points for ecological learning.
The second edition of the month-long programme includes 10 events co-led by young birders, compared with one event during its inaugural edition last year. The initiative is spearheaded by Early Bird, an initiative of the Nature Conservation Foundation, in partnership with WWF-India. Events are being conducted by children, young people, schools, birding groups and nature organisations.
According to Garima Bhatia, programme manager at Early Bird, 119 events had been submitted at the time of the report, with the number expected to rise after the Diwali period. Last November, the programme recorded 205 events. The schedule includes activities intended to build familiarity with birds and local habitats through direct observation rather than classroom learning alone.
The programme’s urban value is visible in the locations and experiences of its young organisers. Eight-year-old Arpit Choudhary recently led a birding walk in Pimpri-Chinchwad, helping participants remember the name of a kingfisher through a simple memory cue. Earlier this year, he entered the India Book of Records for identifying 763 birds in 31.45 minutes. After taking part in Young Birders’ Month in 2025, he has moved into an organiser’s role and now conducts bird walks with his father Akshay.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, 12-year-old Kaivalya Borde exhibited photographs of 100 birds, including the critically endangered sociable lapwing and the endangered forest owlet. Kaivalya has identified 360 species over three years and began birding at Himayat Bagh, the 17th-century Mughal garden beside which he grew up. His survey of the flora and fauna of Himayat Bagh won a gold medal at the Nisarga Mitra Olympiad, an environmental literacy competition.
The programme also connects observation with the pressures facing urban habitats. Fourteen-year-old Samay Srivastava, who conducts bird walks at Pune’s Vetal Tekdi, said he discusses both the area’s bird life and the human-led threats to its habitat. Samay and a friend recently recorded 105 species during a 12-hour birding marathon on the hill. He plans to follow his Young Birders’ Month walk with a youth birder mentoring programme, beginning with an online webinar and continuing through trails at Pashan Lake and Vetal Tekdi.
Early Bird says child-led events can help strengthen engagement between young participants, parents, teachers and local communities. Bhatia said children often relate more naturally to peer leaders, bring enthusiasm to the activity and notice details in nature that adults may overlook. The programme’s November timing coincides with the birth anniversary of ornithologist Salim Ali, Children’s Day and the seasonal arrival of migratory birds in several parts of India. The full event schedule is available on the Young Birders’ Month website.
