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Birdwatching often begins with binoculars, field guides, and the thrill of spotting a bird in the wild. But what can we discover when we look beyond a sighting and examine birds more closely?

This lecture explores the fascinating world of birds through one of their most remarkable features: feathers. From enabling flight and providing insulation to producing colour, camouflage, and communication, feathers reveal extraordinary stories about avian biology, behaviour, evolution, and adaptation.

Drawing from over a decade of birdwatching and field experience, Esha Munshi will share her journey from observing birds to studying them through specimens and scientific collections. The talk will introduce the Feather Library, a unique initiative that collects, documents, digitises, and conserves feathers and biological specimens from birds that have died naturally or at wildlife rescue centres, creating valuable resources for research, education, and conservation.

Through captivating stories, images, and scientific insights, the lecture invites audiences to look at birds through a different lens and discover the hidden world that lies beyond binoculars.

About the Speaker

Originally trained as an architect, Esha Munshi spent 13 years in the profession before turning her long-standing passion for birds into the Feather Library, an initiative she founded to support avian research, education, and conservation in India.

A birdwatcher and citizen scientist for over a decade, Esha’s interest extends beyond observing birds to documenting their sounds. Forty-two of her recordings are featured on the Merlin Bird ID app, where she also contributes as a sound annotator for its Sound ID feature.

Esha completed a course in ornithology and bird biology at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. On 15 November, 2021, she founded the Feather Library. The initiative collects, documents, digitises, and conserves feathers and biological specimens from birds that have died naturally or at wildlife rescue centres, creating valuable resources for scientific research, education, and conservation without causing harm to living birds.

To further develop her expertise in avian specimen preparation, Esha trained in taxidermy and the preparation of round-skin museum specimens at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in March 2022. In January 2025, she expanded her work by training in feather microstructure at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Based in Bangalore, Esha continues to lead the growth of the Feather Library while collaborating with the Research Collections Facility at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS-TIFR), where the Feather Library’s physical specimen collection is housed.

Event Details

📅 Saturday, 8 August

🕛 3 PM – 5 PM

📍 Atta Galatta, Indiranagar, Bengaluru

Your ticket includes:

• 1 complimentary kombucha from Umami Brew

• First-come, first-served seating

About Pint of View

Pint of View is India's Largest Lecture Community. We brought the lecture in bar format to India and are now expanding across the globe with chapters in 14 cities worldwide. Here, big ideas meet intimate spaces, and you walk in curious and walk out with a sharper lens on the world.

Book now and develop your own pint of view. 🍻