Rajnagar: Bhitarkanika National Park will conduct a three-day monsoon bird census from August 30 at three locations within the park. Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Manas Kumar Das said the enumeration will be carried out at Mathadia, Laxmiprasad Dia, and Durgaprasad Dia.
Two seven-member forest teams have been formed to undertake the census under the supervision of Rajnagar Mangrove (Forest) Division DFO Varadaraj Gaonkar. During the Annual Residential Bird Census 2024, enumerators had spotted an estimated 1,30,123 residential birds belonging to 10 different species.
Over the past several years, Mathadia, Laxmiprasad Dia, and Durgaprasad Dia have emerged as the preferred nesting and breeding grounds for these birds. However, the Bagagahan heronry, once considered a paradise for residential birds, has been skipped by the avian visitors in recent years. In the last census drive, as many as 27,282 nests were spotted across 1,300 mangrove trees. Laxmiprasad Dia recorded the highest number with 12,702 nests, followed by Mathadia with 12,502 nests, Durgaprasad Dia with 1,548 nests, and Bali Dia with 520 nests, Das informed. A total of 10 out of 11 local bird species flock to Bhitarkanika National Park during the monsoon for nesting and breeding.
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These include the Open-billed Stork, Little Cormorant, Intermediate Egret, Large Egret, Little Egret, Purple Heron, Grey Heron, Night Heron, Darter, White Ibis, and Cattle Egret. The birds selectively use mangrove species such as Guan, Bani, Choranda, Kerauan, and Oruan trees for constructing their nests.