(From top) Common kestrel, verditer flycatcher and rufous sibia found in Sikkim. Pictures by Prabin Khaling

Gangtok, March 20: Sikkim’s winged creatures have invaded the cyber world. And tweets or chirps, the account has a steady flow of regular visitors.

A Facebook group on Sikkim birds is now the rendezvous of several tech savvy bird watchers who upload pictures of species they have clicked on the social networking site.

From common-green-backed tit, verditer flycatcher and blue whistling thrush that can be spotted frequently to the exotic hornbill and ruddy shelduck seen on the higher terrain have already made it to Sikkim Birds created by Lukendra Rasaily on November 1.

Sikkim Birds has 332 members now and the number is growing steadily. The members click pictures while touring the rural areas of Sikkim and post them on the Facebook account.

The photos are usually uploaded for identification: “identify this bird” goes the catchline. “Sikkim Birds was created to cater for the needs of bird lovers around the world through Facebook. Avid birdwatchers as well as novices and onlookers are brought under one umbrella. The group is also a one-stop source of information on ornithologists, conservation of birds and books, periodicals and other theses by scholars,” said Rasaily, who is also the secretary of the Sikkim Ornithological Society established in 2005.

“Facebook has a strong presence in the world as a social networking site. Any post given by a member is seen by his friends and friends of the friends. I realised that the quickest way of introducing bird watchers and experts to each other is through the Facebook. People have computers, laptops and cellphones and can access Internet. The Sikkim Birds is definitely a medium for bird lovers to expand their network,” said Rasaily.

The need for a presence on the social networking site arose as it was felt that majority of the people who see birds almost everyday in their locality cannot identify these species. If they post the images of these birds on the site, experts can name them and explain their features. To give the account a local essence, the members are also asked to give the names of the birds in local languages like Nepali, Lepcha and Bhutia.

“The idea has generated enthusiasm among the people, especially youths. People are enjoying taking pictures and posting them on Sikkim Birds. They show the pictures to their families and the elders who give local names and narrate, sometimes, folklore attached with these birds,” said Rasaily.

The group is the most important forum of the Sikkim Ornithological Society, which has around 40 members with former Sikkim chief secretary K.C. Pradhan as its chairman.

Sandeep Tambe, a forest officer posted in Sikkim, too, is a member of the group. He said 50 per cent of the birds in India were found in Sikkim and hoped that the group would help in the conservation of the species. “Sikkim Birds is more like an educational group at present but it will evolve into a major platform to talk about threats and conservation of birds.”