First birder to spot spur-winged lapwing in India

Dr. Jagan Pannala, first to spot rare spur-winged lapwing in India, showcases passion for birding and nature.

He spurred the entire birding fraternity across the country to make a beeline for Ammavari Peta Lake in Warangal by being the first birder to spot the spur-winged lapwing. Not surprisingly, Dr. Jagan Pannala, who holds a Doctorate in Zoology from Kakatiya University, can take pride in being the first to sight the winged visitor for the first time in India.

The fact that Dr. Jagan warded off one of the most critical phases on the health front to take a break and be back in birding is a testament to his passion for nature. “I have been a regular birder at the Ammavari Peta Lake since 2016. During one of those routine visits with other friends on January 24, even as the focus was on the regular migratory winter birds at the lake, I saw this spur-winged lapwing but mistook it as a common lapwing,” Dr. Jagan told The Hindu.

“Again, on January 30, I shot images of the same bird in flight and shared them with my fellow birders, including the well-known Sriram Reddy of Hyderabad. However, only on February 13 was it confirmed by other friends that it is the rarest visitor to India. Obviously, my joy knew no bounds,” the veteran birder said.

“Interestingly, this spur-winged lapwing was very comfortable in the company of common lapwings. It is a strange and baffling phenomenon that it is the lone spur-winged lapwing there,” Dr. Jagan said.

Tracing his journey, Dr. Jagan said he has been into photography since 2005, thanks to the encouragement of Ramgopal Rao and S.V.S. Rao of the Andhra Pradesh Photographers’ Society, re-christened as Telangana Photographers Society.

“Luckily, I was one of those privileged people to be a regular at Ameenpur Lake in Hyderabad when it was the ultimate destination for the twin cities birders, with even flamingoes having it as their winter destination,” said Dr. Jagan, who also got 50 international awards for his birds’ pictures.

After he moved back to Warangal in 2016 to join the SR Prime Colleges faculty in Bhattupally, Ammavari Peta Lake has become his ‘second home’.