As many as 178 species of birds have been recorded in Nagaland by 18 eBirders during a first-of-its-kind event over four days this month.

They have also uploaded 84 checklists to eBird-an online platform to record bird observations. Birders from Dimapur, Kohima, Peren and Wokha districts contributed to the lists.

‘Tokhü Emong Bird Count’ (TEBC) was held during November 4-7, with birders in Nagaland coming together to document the rich avian diversity of their state. This kind of event can be useful for establishing a benchmark against which future studies of avian populations can be compared, which is especially important given the widespread effects of climate change in North-East India.

“It’s a very good initiative to identify the different species that are found in the state with involvement of the local communities in the effort. Nagaland is a state with rich bird diversity and it is important to document as well as monitor their populations in order to protect and conserve them,” said Suman WM Sivachar, IFS, DFO cum DMU head, Wokha, Nagaland Forest Department.

The event was organised in collaboration with the Wokha Forest Division and the Divisional Management Unit, Nagaland Forest Management Project (NFMP), Wokha, Nagaland and Bird Count India.
 
The Festival of Tokhü Emong
The Tokhü Emong is the post-harvest festival of the Lotha Nagas. With the harvest done and the granaries full, the people now take a respite from the toils and sweat and settle down to enjoy the fruits of one’s hard labour. During the festival, the entire village takes part in the celebration with extraordinary prompt and splendour. Tokhü Emong is celebrated in the first week of November. Friends, families and neighbours are invited to each other’s houses and this continues for nine days. In order to carve uniformity, the elders of the Lotha community fixed November 7 as the date when the feast is celebrated every year.

Tokhü Emong is also a festival of thanksgiving, sharing, and reconciliation but the most beautiful aspect of this festival is that past rancours are forgiven, new ties are formed and bonds of closer intimacy are formed. Everyone in the community attires themselves in their beautiful traditional dresses and costumes.