Berhampur: Just as winged guests have started making Chilika their temporary abode this winter, the annual bird counting exercise has been initiated.
The census began Sunday morning by members of 21 teams. For the drive, about 1,000 members were given adequate training at a Chandraput Training and Research Institute at Chilika.
Counting of birds, both country and migratory, is being conducted in wildlife ranges of Nalabana, Mangalajodi, Sorana, Chandraput, Bhusandapur, Balugaon, Rambha, Brahmagiri, Satapada, Chilika, and Nuapada, said Chilika DFO Alok Ranjan Hota.
With mercury dropping a few notches, it is being expected that the count of migratory birds would be good this year, added Hota.
Chilika is the largest brackish water lake in the world and attracts migratory birds from as far as the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, remote parts of Russia, Central and South-East Asia, Ladakh and Himalayas. The birds start their return journey with the onset of summer.
PNN