The Flock @ % Lo x a cd rane’ a CJ Pee og wary Dear friend, Birds have fascinated people since early times. We know this from the art that humans create. Prehistoric people across the world drew birds and other animals in luminous cave paintings. We can {also see this fascination in the wonderful folk art styles of India. Madhubani artis filled with peacocks ‘and parrots; Bhil art has waterbirds; and Warli paintings use geometric shapes to decorate walls with peacocks, storks, crows and sparrows. Over the centuries, art featuring birds has been popular at the centres of power too, The famous Rajasthani miniatures stem from here. The Mughal emperor Jahangir commissioned detailed paintings of Indian and exotic birds. One of his artists, Ustad Mansur, painted some of the earliest known depictions of birds like vullures, Sarus Cranes and Great Hombills Have you seen art inspired by birds, or are you an artist who depicts nature through your art? Write back to us to share your stories and experiences.Know Your Bird The tallorbird is a designer, architect and an engineer all at once! This small songbird has a most striking nest. Ituses supple green leaves to form a cup-Ike structure, and skillfully sews the leaves together using grass, plant fires or even threads from your rugs outside the house. ‘While the male brings the threads and fibres, the female does the stitching. She pierces holes on the sides of the leaves Using her needle-like beak, pulling the thread through them. Both of them help lining the nest to keep the mother and eggs snug and safe from predators. ec Watch a tailorbird in action building its nest using some fibres to stitch the edges of leaves together. 3 stages of nestingBirdy People ‘Sudarshan Shaw is a naturalist and an artist who interprets and shares stories about wildlife using regional art in a contemporary manner. He blends his understanding of flora and fauna with folk art styles. His illustrations reflect the rich biodiversity and cultural diversity in India. He is the author of the book, When a forest wakes up. In the News Read how artists are using their social media handles to inspire people into conservation at Mint Lounge. Pooja Kothule and Pratiksha Kothule #)v"s: visuicfici yftel satis wefla 4 write about Borgad, first conservation reserve in east Nasik forest division of Maharashtra for Wire Marathi Neha Sinha highlights the ‘ecosystems for Mint Lounge. jortance of protecting, conserving and restoring nature and ‘Suzana Camargo elaborates on why tropical birds are more colourful than their temperate peers in Mongabay. Priyamvada Bagaria writes about the spectacular tree and bird diversity at Forest ResearchInstitute, Dehradun in er water ft fade: a orem sieer, gll a7 anger eine for Amar Ula ‘Shobha Ananda Reddy in av wscavivroh loeiéos> widaini OAesds}9 describes the rich bird diversity at the lakes of Bengaluru and restoration of degraded lakes to help revive crucial habitat for birds in Prajavani. UT tote) miko Ly SEJAL MEHTA Peep i ee ou Rm RT Nie eu Mane ciacs Rete er ene uC Rite Sec In her book, Sejal vividly describes her experiences and observations from walks along the shores of India and paints awe-inspiring pictures of the oceanic diversity. Her fascinating and witty narration brings to life creatures from the intertidal zone that's the place between land and sea, revealed only at low tide — highlighting their superpowers such as bioluminescence, camouflage and shapeshifting. Newly Available Delve into the fascinating world of birds in the Kumaon region of the Himalayas. Listen to thelr songs in this unique series by Kumaon Vani and NCE, For a quick introduction to birds of Northeastern India, check out these handy pocket guides which list common species occurring in all seven sister states of North east. Buy here Always wanted to learn more about beaches and oceans? Here's a nature- based learning activity book for you Learn while you play : A card game about local biodiversity, different habitats and the ecological roles of species.Upcoming Events 48 June: Webinar by Monica Kaushik on urban bird communities, threats to urban bird species and ways to conserve them. Register here. 419 June: Orientation and workshop for adopting and observing a tree for a year by Rupa Rahul Bajaj Centre for Environment and Art. Enroll here, 23-25 June, Matheran: Filming and documentation expedition by The Nature's eye. Details here. 4 July: Webinar on Russell's Viper ecology Using radio telemetry to understand elusive species by Gerry Martin, Details here. Countrywide Birdwatching Events: Don't miss a single bird walk around you! Here's your one-click stop for birding events, happening weekly or monthly across India. Do check (using the contact information provided) whether the event you are interested in has resumed; and don't forget to be Covid-safe!Calls and Opportunities CALLING NATURE WRITERS IN INDIAN LANGUAGES Enabling connections between nature writers and media outlets bit.ly/naturewriters Be a part of a citizen science project to monitor Harriers in their wintering grounds. Details here, Nature Conservation Fellows! for research and conservation projects in India, Details here. Multiple opportunities: Holématthi Nature Foundation invites applications for various positions. Details, here. Multiple internships: Opportunities to work on and learn more about birds in the Western Ghats. Apply here, Nature Writers: Can you write about birds in Indian languages? Nature Communications is facilitating 1 series of articles in top media outlets. If you would like to contribute an article, please fll this form, Credits: Banner design: Rupsy Khurana; Logo design: Janhavi Rajan; Common Tailorbird image: ‘Abhishek Das; Purple Sunbird image: Mihir Shukla; Birders in Manipal Image: Mohith ShenoyWhat do you want to see in future newsletters? Write back to us with your suggestions. Have you received this email from a friend? Stay updated on the world of birds and nature around us by subscribing to The Flock! Read our earlier newsletters in The Flock Archives and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. The Flock 0008 © Copyright (C) 2022 The Flock. All rights reserved. ‘You are receiving this email because you signed up to The Flock newsletter. Our mailing address is: The Flock Brought to you by the Bird Aliance Bengaluru, 860097 India ‘Add us to your address book