Guwahati, March 20: Assam birdwatchers soared right to the top on Big Bird Day, with participants from the state bagging the top spot in the annual affair.

Started by Delhibird in 2004, the event is now a pan-Indian one to celebrate the joys of birdwatching. It also enumerates species seen in a chosen location.

Altogether 283 bird species were counted in the state on Big Bird Day, 60 less than last year. Goa followed Assam with 275 species and Karnataka 253. This year, the event was held on March 8. Last year it was held on February 16.

"There was lower participation this year and hence lower coverage of areas overall, which resulted in encountering fewer species," Pritam Baruah, a leading birder from Assam, told The Telegraph.

The results were announced today by the Big Bird Day data co-ordination team.

Citing evidence of low participation, Baruah said this year there were no lists from Tinsukia district, which is the most diverse district in terms of birds.

"Assam still recorded 283 though nearly 40 of these species were not recorded last year. These species were recorded from higher elevations in the Barail range (Dima Hasao district), an area which was not covered in 2014," Baruah added.

Thirteen teams of birders participated from the state this year, compared to 19 last year.

He said high-elevation species in the state are found only in the Barail hills of Dima Hasao district. Some of these are the beautiful nuthatch, grey sibia, spot-breasted laughing thrush and Assam laughing thrush.

The Barail range is the highest in Assam (from 100 metres to 1,950 metres above sea level). It is cloaked in evergreen forest 1,000 metres above sea level.

Below that is semi-evergreen forest with plenty of bamboo. There are patches of natural grass, orchards (orange, pineapple, banana and coffee) and jhum cultivation as well.

"I thought it would be best to skip Kaziranga altogether this year and visit a new area. And the Barail hill range in southern Assam fitted the bill perfectly. I had always wanted to go birding there but never did because of security issues. Overall, the visit was quite successful - I recorded species that are seldom recorded in the state, confirming their continued presence in the state," Baruah says in his trip report. He was there from March 7-9.

With comprehensive participation, more than 400 species can be sighted in Assam in a day.

The state is estimated to have 900-1,000 of the 1,200-1,300 species of birds in the country.

He said many common species in the state were missed because certain habitats (like lowland evergreen and semi-evergreen forest, were not covered.

Altogether 129 teams took part in the event this year, totalling over 550 participants across the country.

Over 250 locations were covered, and in the process, 667 species were documented.