The ‘Aluth Avurudda’ or the Traditional New Year in Sri Lanka is extra special for bird-lovers as Koha (Asian Koel) is considered the harbinger of the new year. Avurudu Bird Count conduct in the complete month of April is a citizen science project aimed at popularizing bird watching while encouraging record keeping. Participating ABC2021 is simple – what you have to do is watch birds, enter this record to www.ebird.org, and then share it with ‘ABC2021’. If you find it difficult to identify a bird, you can now seek help from Merlin, which was launched for Sri Lanka on the 27th of March.
You can enter the birds seen during your trips or simply watch birds in your home garden. Birds in the university, office premises etc. are another possibility. Be free to enter any number of checklists as more participation will help a clearer analysis at the end of the month.