PHOTOS: Pune's Vetal Tekdi Birding Marathon Records 175 Species

Pune: From rare migratory birds to young enthusiasts spending 12 hours tracking avian species, Pune's Vetal Tekdi offered a glimpse of its rich biodiversity during the eight-day Vetal Tekdi Birding Marathon, which concluded on November 12. The fourth edition of the initiative saw nearly 100 registrations and documented 175 bird species across the hill complex, strengthening the conservation campaign to protect one of the city’s last remaining green spaces.

Organised from November 5 to 12 during Maharashtra’s Pakshi Saptah (Bird Week), the marathon recorded 151 eBird checklists, 350 hours of birding and a collective walking distance of 392.3 km. The species count was around 10 higher than last year’s 164, with birders from different age groups participating.

A major change this year was the expansion of the event beyond Vetal Tekdi to cover the entire unbroken hill landscape from Bavdhan to Chaturshringi, including Mhatoba Hill and Panchavati. Ranjeet Rane, an amateur birder and volunteer with the Vetal Tekdi Bachav Kruti Samiti, said, “For the past three editions, we were using only the Vetal Tekdi location as a hotspot. This year, we have taken the entire unbroken hill landscape, considering the stretch from Bavdhan till Chaturshringi as a single unit.”

Rare Sightings Highlight Biodiversity

Among the significant sightings were the tricoloured bunting, red-necked falcon, steppe eagle, European roller and common cuckoo. The European roller, a passage migrant, was reportedly sighted and photographed almost every day during the marathon, despite its usual migration period being around the end of September or early October.

Rane said, “These are significant sightings. The European roller and common cuckoo were both recorded during the marathon, indicating interesting migratory activity on the hill.”

The hill has recorded more than 280 bird species over the years, including rare visitors such as the European honey-buzzard. This year’s sightings were verified through a two-level process involving the organisers’ reviewers and eBird’s global review system, which checks unusual observations and seeks supporting photographs, audio or field notes.

Species count rises consistently over four editions; 24 species recorded for the first time

The official results shared by the Vetal Tekdi Birding Marathon show a steady rise in the number of species documented since the event began in 2023. The first edition recorded 111 species through eight eBird checklists. This increased to 140 species in 2024, 164 in 2025 and a record 175 species in 2026. The latest edition also recorded 151 checklists, 6,954 bird sightings, 350 hours of birding and participation from 58 eBirders who shared their checklists.

This year’s observations covered 59 bird families, with hawks, eagles and kites accounting for the largest group (13 species), followed by Old World flycatchers (12), wagtails and pipits (10), and herons, egrets and bitterns (eight). The Asian green bee-eater and red-vented bulbul were the most frequently recorded species, appearing in 91% of the checklists, followed by the black drongo (89%), common myna (88%) and black kite (86%).

The results also highlight the ecological significance of the hill complex, with 24 species recorded for the first time across the marathon’s four editions. These included the European roller, steppe eagle, red-necked falcon, Indian spotted eagle, striolated bunting, ultramarine flycatcher and orange-headed thrush. Seven species were flagged as rare for Pune during this period by eBird’s regional reviewers, including the brown shrike, Blyth’s pipit and ultramarine flycatcher.

At the same time, 37 species recorded in earlier editions were not spotted this year, while 95 species have been consistently documented across all four editions. The documentation was supported by 3,042 photographs and 362 audio recordings, with 153 of the 175 species photographed and 64 recorded through audio. The figures underline the importance of continued monitoring, as changing annual sightings provide a record of the biodiversity that the conservation campaign seeks to protect.

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