Nisha

I think a regular reminder this exists, would heal me

We are talking #revival of 6.7k+ pages of lost #naturalhistory writing from India, pre AND post independence!

Find it at:
catalogue.archives.ncbs.res.in/repositories...

May be of interest to members of @animalhistories.bsky.social !

A year of work, the #catalogue finally out!

Journal of Bengal Natural History Society (1926-1970), little-known and nearly #lost publication of #ecology in Eastern #India through a transformative period of #history.

Digitized files will soon be free-access via Archives @ncbsbangalore.bsky.social

A series of weathered terracotta plaques forming an external wall panel of a historic temple in Bengal. The bricks are carved with detailed reliefs showing human and animal figures arranged in horizontal rows — the motifs evoke mythological, religious or folkloric scenes typical of Bengal’s terracotta tradition. The overall tone is earthy-brown, with visible wear and age that hint at the monument’s antiquity. Text reads: Discovering the Bengal Terracotta history by connecting researches to Wikimedia Commons

Under the project Wiki Documents Bengal Terracotta, the West Bengal Wikimedians User Group has been documenting the intricate terracotta panels of temples in South Asia.

They are combining the efforts of photographers and researchers. Get inspired by their clever solutions ➡️ w.wiki/FnNW

Was such a joy and privilege to talk about floricans with the fantastic folks at @animalhistories.bsky.social

Thanks for the platform, and the lovely conversations!

That’s a wrap for #BOUasm25, but don’t go just yet! 👋

You can go back through our #BOUasm25 feed to review all the presentations and connect with our speakers. If you enjoyed someone’s presentation, please do engage with them. 🧵1/5

Many thanks to @bou.org.uk and organizers of the BOUasm25 conference for the opportunity to present my work. My conference attendance and the research project both are funded by the Archives at @ncbsbangalore.bsky.social
Happy to take questions!

6/6 But now with so few left in the wild, how do we fill these gaps?
A first easy step may be a change in the questions themselves. Take a step back, open voluminous notes in an archive, and ask something on the lines of : "Where would a British sportsman in the 1840s go to hunt a female florican?"

5/6 To sum up: what we have is a one season, one sex, one track understanding of a species with a far more complex natural history.

Thus, current conservation efforts are being designed for a critically endangered species for which the knowledge of status and requirements are missing, or flawed.

4/6 Know-how of habitat? Not much better. Archives indicate they were hunted from rice, mustard, indigo fields - nests found in tea estates - females shot in tall elephant grasses. With a singular focus on its 'ideal' habitat, we may have missed out on conservation opportunities. Case in point...

3/6Take the population estimate. Last India-wide survey: pre 1990. Counted only males, and estimated using 1:1 sex ratio. The same report questions the methodology. For a dispersed-lek breeding species on a sharp decline, the actual ratio can be skewed either way. Current estimates may be way off.

2/6 A skulker of short grasses of sub-Himalayan Terai, <300 birds in India, very sensitive to habitat change. Or...?
Cracks appear upon interrogating these 'facts'. Archival literature shows we have not so much studied the Bengal Florican, as we've studied the MALE Bengal Florican. Ironic, since...

1/🧵What question do you ask of the #ecology of a #bird so #endangered you'd be lucky to get a glimpse?
At #BOUasm25 I question the knowledge itself that forms the basis of #conservation programs of #BengalFlorican
Join me BTS in #ornithology #archives going beyond #specimens & into their stories