Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: The wildlife wing of the Orissa forest department Sunday began the annual bird census in Chilika, with the help of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Chilika Development Authority (CDA).
The exercise in Chilika, Asia’s largest brackish water lake and the largest winter resort for migratory birds in the Indian subcontinent, is being undertaken by 20 teams, including research scholars and bird lovers, with the help of officials of BNHS and CDA.
We have been counting birds in a scientific manner for the last 10 years. We also ascertain the number of species of birds coming here and the trends. Some birds are very temperature sensitive and do not come if winter is delayed or the temperature rises,” said Ajit Kumar Patnaik, chief executive of CDA.
As such, the rise in temperature and deficient rainfall in the state is likely to bring down the bird count this year, despite the arrival of birds at Chilika being normal so far, said an official
The bird count is also being conducted at Anshupa and 13 other places under the Athagarh subdivision area in Cuttack district. In Sambalpur district, the bird count was held Saturday at the Hirakud reservoir.
Winged guests from places as far off as the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, remote parts of Russia, central and southeast Asia, Ladakh and the Himalayas descend on Chilika every winter for feeding and roosting, said sources.
Last year, more than 7.61 lakh migratory birds had thronged Chilika Lake during winter. This was a significant rise from the 7.19 lakh resident and migratory birds that arrived at the 1,100 sq km brackish water lake in 2013.
