Birds Butterflies of Delhi by By Mehran Zaidi

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Birds & Butterflies of Delhi by By Mehran Zaidi “Watching birds and butterflies can be a very enjoyable hobby. Though, there is no age to bird watching, it is best to start early. A child like inquisitiveness will teach you the difference between an Ashy Prinia and the Jungle Prinia, difference between the call of the Rock Bush Quail and the Jungle Bush Quail, and the subtle Plumage difference between the Tawny Eagle and the Greater Spotted Eagle. Birds and butterflies are good indicators of the quality of our environment – the more of them seen in our everyday lives means that the environment is still good, the air breathable, trees and shrubs are surviving, there are still open spaces and the wetlands are still not too polluted.The world over one of the parameters of the quality of life is the diversity of birds found around a house, a village or town.The young ornithology enthusiast Mehran’s new book Birds and Butterflies of Delhi is a landmark to his dedication to a cleaner environment and the not-so-popular hobby of bird watching in Delhi.”About the Author Mehran Zaidi: The Youngest Ornithology enthusiast, Mehran started watching birds when he was just 10 years old. At 17 years he was a contributor to various National dailies on the subject of Birds and Bird watching. By the age of 19 he was already an author. Educated at the Modern School, New Delhi and topped his batch in history he is presently studying at the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. Mehran has done a one-year diploma course for Leadership in Biodiversity Conservation from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), and was one of the few, besides being the youngest to be awarded a certificate. He is presently undergoing a one-year Ornithology course from BNHS. He is also a keen photographer and has completed a course in Advanced Photography from Bal Bhavan, New Delhi. Mehran has interned has interned with the Hindustan Times NEXT to upgrade his journalistic skills. He was a regular contributor one ‘birds and other creatures’ for The Hindustan Times and The Tribune. He wrote a weekly column, ‘Spotted in my Neighbourhood’ for HT NEXT which was later moved to the main paper. The Limca Book of Records acknowledges him as a contributor to the Nature and Transport section of their yearbook. Mehran regularly undertakes interactive sessions and presentations in schools on nature, conservation and birdwatching. He is actively involved in the Asola Wildlife Sanctuary at Tughlaqabad and ‘Delhibird’, with groups of birdwatchers and conservations. His first book, on birdwatching, Bird by bird (Scholastic India 2006) has received much critical acclaim. It has been extensively reviewed and appreciated, including a review from the celebrated writer, Khushwant Singh.