The Great Gujarat Bird Marathon (GGBM), 2023 will be organised by the Community for Conservation Of Nature (Cocoon), an initiative of Shivranjani Trust, Halol in Panchmahal district, from February 17 to February 20 to promote awareness about birdlife and birding activity in Panchmahal, Dahod, and Chhota Udepur districts in central Gujarat.
Participants in the GGBM will travel a 200-kilometer route divided into five-kilometer birding zones. They will go birdwatching in Halol, Pavagadh, Shivrajpur, the Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary, the Kevdi forest, the Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary, and the surrounding areas.
“Despite being very rich in birdlife, this region hasn’t been explored much by birdwatchers,” Venus Joshi, Coccon project manager, said.
The birding marathon will be part of the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), a global event wherein people from around the world do birdwatching and bird-counting to learn about birds and how bird populations are doing.