places watching birds and butterflies and photography go hand in hand said professor of zoology m rama murthy my students and i carry binoculars to get a clear view of their interesting nesting and feeding behaviour many of them also hook up on social networking sites to flaunt their latest exploits and exchange notes on their findings we spotted around 3000 of these this year as against more than 5000 storks last year due to a still warm winter singh adds excitedly bird lovers say they have frequently come across the common hoopoe plain back woodpeckers golden oriole cuckoos parrots indian robin spotted owl sandpipers blackheaded and redwhiskered bulbul in and around the city while in the marshy areas and near water bodies they have spotted migratory ducks cranes herons and seagulls i keep travelling to rural and tribal areas surrounding vizag in search of spoonbills and ducks and they hail from various walks of life from businessmen to professionals like doctors professors or professional photographers and students bird watchers say birding is a hobby that helps expand ones creative horizon and simultaneously fuels interest in a number of activities including wildlife photography travelling observing nature at close quarters and even penning down those observations visakhapatnam its a pleasure watching colourful birds photographing them and also recording their tweets