Children have an innate curiosity and wonder about the natural world, which often gets lost while growing up. How can we nurture and develop this curiosity to build a deep and lifelong connection with nature? Birds can be a wonderful starting point for nature education, since they are beautiful and interesting, and can be found all around us, no matter where we live. However, relatively little material exists for children to learn about and get excited by Indian birds and nature. This led us to start Early Bird with an initial focus on developing innovative, high-quality, open access and multilingual learning tools for beginner birders of all age groups. In this journey, we have derived inspiration and ideas from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s K12 programme for schools and educators. 

In addition to content creation, we also facilitate training and conservation outreach. ‘How to be a Birding Buddy‘ is our unique, intensive workshop for educators from all walks of life, conducted in several cities across the country and more recently converted to an online format. Through our workshops, the Handbook for Educators and online webinars, we aim to equip amateur birdwatchers and teachers with the skills and tools necessary for spreading the joy of birds. Our nascent Young Birders’ Network is planned as a hub to nurture the next generation of birders. 

We envision a world in which young people celebrate, understand and value nature, and are motivated to take responsibility as custodians of our planet. We’re a small but enthusiastic team on a mission — to connect children to nature through birds. We welcome collaboration, and are open to partnerships with other organizations so that we can together make a difference. Write to us!

We’ve already collaborated with dozens of organizations across India. We’ve developed pocket guides in collaboration with Bombay Natural History Society, Foundation for Ecological Security, Goa Bird Conservation Network, Karnataka Forest Department, Maharashtra Pakshimitra Sammelan, Nandankanan Zoological Park, Nature Science Initiative, Salem Ornithological Foundation, Valley School, and the High Altitude, Eastern Himalaya and Western Ghats Programmes of Nature Conservation Foundation. 

Our materials have been used by Andamans Avians Club, Biome Trust, Canopy Nature Academy, Centre for Environment Education, Centre for Wildlife Studies, Isha Foundation, Kanha Tiger Reserve, Karnataka Ecotourism Development Board, Karnataka Forest Department Eco Volunteers, Kenneth Anderson Nature Society, Mumbai Bird Club, Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Titli Trust, Uttarakhand Forest Department, Wildlife Research and Conservation Society, and many others. We’ve conducted workshops in collaboration with Agastya Foundation, Akanksha Foundation, Aranya Outreach, Azim Premji Foundation, Christ College Green Army, Foundation for Educational Rendezvous with Nature, Goa Bird Conservation Network, Holematthi Nature Interpretation Center, IISER Tirupati, Prakriti Wildlife Club IIT Madras, Samavesh, SPROUTS Environment Trust and The Nature Volunteers.

Early Bird is an initiative by the Education and Public Engagement Programme of NCF.