Thane: The cool weather has brought its share of delights in the city. From the colourful Crimson Backed Sunbird to the equally beautiful Black Naped Oriole, the green spaces in the lake city have become home to a variety of such birds, which are otherwise uncommon in the region.As many as 51 children, youth and environmentalists, armed with binoculars, cameras and pen and paper came together to participate in the bird count conducted by city-based NGOs Paryavaran Dakshata Manch (PDM) and HOPE on Sunday.During the three-hour-long survey of eight green zones, including Thane east creek area, Kolshet Road, Mumbra Hills, SGNP Thane College and Padale village these bird watchers identified over 4,000 birds of 131 species. Interestingly, five of these winter migratory birds were spotted for the first time since 2013.Bird expert Avinash Bhagat said, "While the Crimson Backed Sunbird usually migrates to Matheran and Karnala during winter, the Black Naped Oriole finds shelter further down South during this season. However, the pleasant weather since the last few days must have attracted these uncommon birds to the city, which is a blessing for the bio-diversity of this region.""However, while the other three species— namely the Grated Sand Plover, Red Breasted Flycatcher and Taiga Flycatcher—have been spotted during this census' for the first time this year. They have been spotted at Sanjay Gandhi National Park during nature trails in the past," he added.Clara Correia, a zoologist and member of Paryavaran Dakshata Manch, said, "In a short span of three hours, the eight groups managed to spot over 4,000 birds which is a feat in itself. What I found most rewarding was the fact that even though we surveyed a short distance from Thane College to Saket, we spotted as many as 69 species of birds."As this bird count initiative was conceptualised to find avifauna trends after analysing scientifically collected data, environmentalists believe that it is already bearing fruit."Thane city has no proper data of birds. So, it became necessary for nature lovers to come together and start this quarterly census, thus creating a database that can be studied to observe trends in the life of these species, which are otherwise ignored. This year, we have added five birds to our official census list," said Ravindra Sathay, an environmentalist who coordinated the census.

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