Hello *|MMERGE10|*,

Welcome to the new migration season (which we arbitrarily start on 1 July each year). May this year bring lots of exciting bird sightings to all !

During the past migration year (July 2012 to June 2013), over 9,000 observations were contributed to MigrantWatch. In other words, about 40% of all observations in the database were contributed during the past year alone! Heartfelt thanks to all participants for sharing their sightings. 

In June, although 40 species of birds were reported, MigrantWatchers largely focussed on the Pied Cuckoo. The species was observed over most parts of Central and Northern India. The monsoon was early this year, but did the Pied Cuckoo arrive early too? Well, we may be able to tell if we have enough records this year. So, please do log in your Pied Cuckoo sightings, and encourage your friends to do so too!

There were also a considerable number of records of 'oversummering' birds (e.g. White Wagtail, Common Sandpiper and Ashy Drongo) being reported from states like Maharashtra. This appears to be an interesting trend. In the past, it wasn't unusual to see migrant waders stay back in the summer -- but are passerines increasingly doing so as well? If you have seen any winter birds hanging around over the summer, please do upload your observations.

Finally, there are some new pieces on the blog.

Happy migrantwatching!
Raman, Anushree and Suhel

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