Sisterhood of Sunday birders: How Coimbatore’s Women Wetland Watch documents the city’s waterbodies

As dusk falls on Valankulam, a sprightly group of birders prepares for its 25th bird watching expedition. There are teachers, a dentist, an HR professional: all of them women with a love for the outdoors. They are part of Women Wetland Watch, an initiative by city-based Siddharth Foundation, a non-profit organiation that focuses on biodiversity conservation. Armed with field glasses and mobile phones with the eBird app at the ready, they set out to count grebes, spot swamphens, and document spot-billed ducks at the wetland in the heart of the city.

The team meets for birding one Sunday every month at one of the city’s wetlands. Siddharth Foundation, says P Pramod, a scientist with SACON who is also one of its trustees, was started to connect people with Nature. “Women are a section of the population we want to focus on,” he says. “I feel that when we motivate women to do something, they motivate others too.” He explains that their focus is not on the technicalities of birding such as species identification. “It is more on mentally connecting people to Nature. Once that is done, the rest is taken care of,” says Pramod.

Around 10 to 30 women from all walks of life gather for their Sunday sessions, many of whom bring their children along. The programme has covered 11 wetlands in and around the city, with over 450 women participating since its inception in 2023 to document 146 bird species, apart from insects, butterflies, reptiles, amphibians, and wetland flora.

The Women Wetland Watch at Valankulam in the city
| Photo Credit:
Siva Saravanan S

While some members of Women Wetland Watch are part of other birding groups as well, they get many first-timers for their Sunday meets. Birding with an all-women team is no different from doing so with a group that has both genders. But Auxilia Helen, a school teacher for over 28 years, feels that a sense of sisterhood does find its way in to pep things up.

“You know how it is when like-minded women get together; there is a different kind of vibe; one that is fun, relaxed and warm. Our meet-ups have that spirit,” she adds. Auxilia got into birding when her son — who is now 24 and is into wildlife research and conservation — was in school. “I started birding because of his interest in Nature, and went on to organise sessions for my students,” she says. Subha Maheshwaran, another school teacher in the group, also got into birding because of her daughter. She is now a wildlife researcher and Subha is continuing the exercise.

For Kursheeth Byju, a dentist, birding offers the chance to take a break from a demanding career and routine. “When my boys where in school, I wouldn’t want to do anything other than spend time with them on Sundays,” she recalls adding: “As working mothers, we always carry a certain guilt.” Now that her sons are grown up and have left home for college, Kursheeth has found time to spend her Sundays by herself — camera focussed on a flock of Eurasian coots or grey-headed swamphens.

A spot-billed pelican at Ukkadam Big Tank in Coimbatore
| Photo Credit:
PERIASAMY M

Auxilia, however, says that she has never found the need for giving up one thing for another. “I always ensure I have time for others when they need me; and most importantly, make time for myself,” she says. “I’ve no guilt in doing so; I want to live for myself, to prioritise my likes.” Even today, she had to prepare her students for an exam, after which she managed to zoom on her scooter to the lake to join her fellow birders.

The team’s senior-most member is 67-year-old Nahieed Sultana, who retired after a long career with BSNL. She is part of other birding groups and ensures she joins Women Wetland Watch every month. Sultana has been birding on and off since 2006 and shares her field wisdom with new members, such as what to first notice in a bird in order to identify it. This includes the shape and size of the beak, the colour and texture of its feathers and its feet.

Ask her about her favourite subject and she says, “The house crow,” adding: “People would laugh when I say this. But crows are fascinating creatures to observe and are often overlooked since they are seen in plenty all around us.” A gaggle of crows takes flight from a tree and she is quick to note their numbers in the eBird mobile application on her phone.

Valankulam Tank in Coimbatore is a crucial spot for birds like Cormorants, Sandpipers, Northern pintails, Garganeys, Painted Stork, Grey and Purple Herons and Spot-billed Pelicans
| Photo Credit:
PERIASAMY M

Sultana has kept at birding through transfers across the State. “I only look at the sky when I step out of home these days,” she laughs. She always carries a basic point-and-shoot camera with her to support her sightings with photos. “It doesn’t offer the clarity of a professional camera, but I use it to shoot certain rare sightings,” she adds.

Spending time by the city’s wetlands has also left them with first-hand observations of the decline of our waterbodies. “We’ve had passers-by tell us how a lake is being polluted by sewage water, asking us to do something about it,” says Auxilia. “We feel a sense of responsibility to go beyond just birding.”

The core members have a list of places they hope to travel to together for birding. Among them are Vellode and Nanjarayan bird sanctuaries. For now, though, they are happy exploring the city’s wetlands. Even if they don’t get to spot new species during each visit, they see what they often encounter with new eyes.

The pied kingfisher, for instance. “I can keep admiring them, especially when they are roving close to the water,” says Auxilia. “You should see them during sunset at Sulur lake.” The Women of Wetland Watch do what birders usually miss out on in their eagerness to study and document and count: pause and admire that winged beauty in front of them.

To participate, follow them on Instagram @siddharth_foundation

Published – February 09, 2026 03:46 pm IST