Sambalpur: Arrival of migratory birds to the Hirakud reservoir in this district is getting delayed this year. Change in weather conditions and delayed onset of winter may be the reasons for delay in arrival of the winged guests according to experts. Usually, migratory birds start arriving at the Hirakud reservoir by the second week of November, but till date not a single of them has been sighted. “Changing climatic conditions and the late onset of winter has affected the arrival of the birds,” DFO Anshupragyan Das said. “Yes, a few birds still can be seen, but they did not fly back after arriving last year.
More the cold, more the number of birds. We are hoping that migratory birds will start arriving in December and we will implement a host of protective measures for them,” he added. Notably, the reservoir turns into a happy hunting ground for migratory and domestic birds in winter. The arrival of the birds also signals the presence of tourists in the area.
However, environmentalists observed that the late arrival of the birds will have an impact on the footfall of tourists to eco retreat. Usually, the tourist season begins from November and ends in February. Every year, thousands of migratory birds of about 90 species land at the Hirakud reservoir. More than one lakh birds can be found on the reservoir. They fly back with the advent of summer.
