Bird Census At Hirakud Reservoir On January 8, 32 Teams To Be Deployed
Bhubaneswar: Tomorrow, on January 8, a bird census will take place at the renowned ‘Hirakud Reservoir’ in Sambalpur district. Thirty-two teams will cover a 500-square-kilometer area around the reservoir, counting birds from 6 am to 5 pm. The team will consist of 78 individuals, including 33 ornithologists.
It’s worth noting that this year there has been an increase in the presence of foreign birds in the large water bodies of Odisha compared to the previous year.
The census report from the Forest Department, released on Saturday, reveals a rise in the number of migratory foreign birds in Bhitarkanika National Park, Rajnagar, Kendrapara district. Last year, Bhitarkanika hosted 139,959 birds, while this year the count has reached 151,421, indicating an increase of 12,462. The Forest Department highlights that this is the highest number recorded in the last 16 years.
In the previous year, 140 bird species were observed in Bhitarkanika, and this year, 121 large whistling duck species, with the highest count of 28,090, have been documented. Additionally, a rare common soul duck bird has been spotted in the region.
In the meanwhile, the bird census for the year 2023-24 concluded on Thursday evening at Chilika Lake, covering five ranges (Balugaon, Chilika, Tangi, Satpada, and Rambha) across Khurda, Puri, and Ganjam districts. The bird count reveals sightings of 11, 37,759 birds belonging to 187 species this year at the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia,
Chilika has experienced an increase in the number of migratory birds flying thousands of kilometers from places like Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Iran.
They choose Chilika bird sanctuary as their home from the third week of October to the last week of February, attracted by the abundance of food for herbivores, small fishes, worms, and small insects. Adding to the enchantment of the bird lovers 820 Flamingos have arrived this year at the lake as against 373 last year, according to sources. Among the pintail species of ducks, Northern Pintail (218,650), Gadwall (156,636), and Wigeon (140,322) were also observed.
