We are examining how urban systems and their detritus are reconfiguring the global biosphere across multiple scales and shaping human and animal ecologies within shared spaces, which have ecological, health, social, economic and cultural ramifications.
Black Kites are responsible for a cumulative of 62% of damaging birdstrikes on aircrafts ! As researchers, scientists and conservationists, we are helping IAF mitigate this challenge. On the scale of importance, where do you think Black Kites fall in comparison to aircrafts that cost millions to maintain? We strive to innovate when it comes to functionality. Our mission is to be the best, come and join the ride.
Link to the virtual conference recording - Youtube
Dr. Nishant Kumar, Thesis supervisor, examiner and Grad. Amin stand under the watchful eyes of Charles Darwin. At Oxford University's Dept. of Zoology. Left to right, Prof. Ian Newton (External examiner), Prof. Andrew G. Gosler (D.Phil. Supervisor), Nishant Kumar, Heather Green (Graduate Administrator) and Prof. David MacDonald (Internal examiner of D.Phil.).
Aparajita et al. aimed to understand human settlement near landfills and similar urban commons formed out of waste accumulation.
Discussions with Maan shaped the potential expansion of our research purview- a mutually rewarding collaboration.
A study on habitat selection by nesting pairs involved arduous fieldwork across the national capital. This study sits at the core of our mathematical models that explain behavioural and demographic patterns. Rutu Prajapati (WII), Bharti Sharma (IISc, Bangalore) Nishant Kumar et al.
The bird Laxmi that was GPS tagged on 8th April 2014 flew across Himalayas at 6500 m a.s.l. Left to right: Qamar Qureshi, Nishant Kumar, Fabrizio Sergio and Y.V. Jhala with the first GPS tagged Black-eared Kite (Milvus migrans lineatus) of Asia.
Among the first set of birds we did not want to trap: an Indian Cormorant entered our mist-net erected at the zoo. Aishwarya Bhandari (PhD Candidate at Yale University), Laxmi Narayan, Urvi Gupta (PhD Candidate at the University of Georgia) and Ritu Negi.
Among the first birds we trapped and banded as part of the GPS telemetry component of the project involved a re-capture of a bird that fledged out from the zoo itself.
The first fledgling banded with the metal ring provided by the Bombay Natural History Society. In the picture: Naman Goyal (currently pursuing PhD at IISER, Tirupati- India).
Prof. Yadvendradev V Jhala, Prof. Qamar Qureshi and Dr. Alessandro Tanferna discuss strategies to count kites in Ghazipur area.
The team ended a hectic field day with Dr. Fabrizio Sergio and Dr. Alessandro Tanferna from CSIC, Spain.
Do kites nest in areas where we noticed faint human signatures?
Do kites nest in areas where we noticed faint human signatures?
Nishant Kumar and colleagues - Mukesh Kumar, Amaanat Bedi, Bornika Roy (Amity University) Sonali Aggarwal, Chandan Prajapati and Naman Goyal (IISER Tirupati) atop the largest landfill of Ghazipur in Asia, which lies adjacent to the continent's biggest livestock wet market.
Our initial nest monitoring toolkit consisted of six-seven bamboo sticks joined end-to-end, using ropes, with a mirror at the end. And we used to walk with the same, often obstructing the traffic while crossing the road. We soon graduated to a telescopic pole.
Nishant Kumar, Navneet Kumar and colleagues from Sri Venkateswara College (University of Delhi) presenting their research on Vanishing Vultures and Black Kites at St. Stephan's College (University of Delhi).
