Berhampur: The midwinter bird census in major water bodies across Odisha, including the Chilika lagoon, the biggest waterfowl habitat in the country, will be conducted Saturday.
A training programme for the enumerators was held at the Wetland Training and Research Centre (WTRC) near Chilika Friday, where bird enthusiasts from different organisations took part.
State’s Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia inaugurated the training programme.
The bird census will be held in the major water bodies in 58 forest divisions in the state simultaneously from 6am to 11am Saturday, Singhkhuntia said.
Bird experts and ornithologists of various organisations have imparted training to the participants on the scientific method of counting birds, he said.
“I thank the reputed organisations like Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) for participating in the census activities in the Chilika Lake,” the minister said.
The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Wildlife, Prem Kumar Jha, also attended the inaugural session of the training.
The staff of Chilika Wildlife Division, the experts of Chilika Development Authority (CDA), students of the state-owned Odisha University of Agriculture and Training (OUAT) and activists of various organisations will participate in the census.
The Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Chilika Wildlife Division, Amlan Nayak, said a total of 21 groups have been formed.
Each group consists of at least five to six people for the enumeration of the birds across the lake.
“We have requested the boat operators not to operate their vessels for bird count,” he said.
Last winter, a total of 11,37,759 birds of 187 different species were counted in the 1,100 sq km blue lagoon, official sources said.
The winged guests from far-off places, including the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, remote parts of Russia, Central and South East Asia, Ladakh and the Himalayas visit the lake every winter to escape the severe cold in their natives.
They start their homeward journey with the onset of summer.
PTI
