An opportunity to work amidst the birds and the bees

Last week, Madhurima, who regularly tracks the birds at Puttenahalli Lake had lots of “good news” for us.

“We had a babies’ day out at the lake. First the Coots brought one of their babies out. A Brahminy Kite spotted it and dived towards it, but unsuccessfully. So no casualties. Later the Coots brought out both their babies. Then the White-throated Kingfishers brought out two juveniles and the Wagtails also presented,  what looked like a juvenile.  And then, an Ashy Prinia brought out a tiny little Ashy Prinia! It was so tiny that we could not see it with our naked eyes.”

The previous day, she had other exciting sightings. 
“When I walked into the lake premises today, I saw a pair of what I think are Black-winged Stilts flying out. Then I saw 2 Purple Herons, followed by a flock of 12 Scaly-breasted Munia and then the Oriental White-eye showed up with the missus. And that was not all, after coming home and zooming into the photos of some Little Grebes that I had taken, I realized that they weren’t Little Grebes at all. They were baby Coots. The Pheasant-tailed Jacanas are still here. Hopefully we will have some Jacana chicks soon.”


Bird babies at the lake (Pics: Madhurima Das)


Black-winged stilts and Oriental White-eye (Pics: Madhurima Das) 

Are you interested in spending a few hours in such an environment and getting paid for it? PNLIT is looking for a Manager for Puttenahalli Lake, near MLR Convention Hall, J.P. Nagar. This is an exciting, unique and deeply fulfilling assignment. As Manager, you become a partner with the trustees to not just maintain the lake and its premises but to complete its transformation into a rich thriving eco-system – an achievable dream.  
 
Requirements – an open mind and love for nature with some fluency in spoken Kannada. The job would include, but would not be limited to the following: assign work to the staff, supervise them, follow up with officials, help with organizing events, run small errands as needed, work together with the trustees. 
 
The right candidate can expect a reasonable remuneration/ honorarium. To know more about PNLIT visit the website http://www.puttenahallilake.in. If you are interested in exploring this opportunity, drop a mail to puttenahalli.lake@gmail.com.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Similar Story

Air quality management is a governance problem, not just an environmental one

Despite massive funding, Indian cities face weak governance, poor data, and limited capacity, as air pollution continues to worsen.

Indian cities are struggling to breathe. Air pollution is a year-round governance challenge. In 2024, 35 of the 50 most polluted cities globally were in India, with PM2.5 concentrations above 66.4 μg/m3. This is at least 13 times the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and at least 1.6 times the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in India. Citizens continue to bear the brunt of worsening air quality, and urban local governments (ULGs) are at the forefront of the problem, being primarily accountable for their citizens' first mile. While they do have a role to play in addressing this threat,…

Similar Story

Protecting urban green cover: The process and penalties for tree felling in Chennai

As green spaces shrink amid rapid development, here's a citizen's guide to navigating Chennai’s updated permit system for tree cutting.

​Two decades ago, Gandhi Nagar in south Chennai was a shaded green canopy, recalls Meera Ravikumar, a resident. “Now, in the name of development, many incidents of tree felling have occurred in the past 15 years on avenues and across private properties. In highly populated and polluted urban areas, green lung spaces are important,” says the member of Swacch Gandhi Nagar, a citizens group.   Since 2000, India has lost 2.33 million hectares of tree cover, according to the 2024 Global Forest Watch. Tamil Nadu has fared better than most states — its forest cover has remained “largely stable” since…