Odisha: Annual bird census begins in Chilika lake
The counting of migratory birds is underway in Chilika Lake as the annual bird census has commenced in the lagoon from 6am today.
Ganjam: The counting of migratory birds is underway in Chilika Lake as the annual bird census has commenced in the lagoon from 6am today. Hundreds of migratory birds visit Odisha’s Chilika Lake as the migratory season kicks off.
The Chilika Lake, the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia, spread over Puri, Ganjam and Khorda districts covers around 1,100 sq km area.
According to official sources, as many as 21 teams comprising 120 counting officers have been engaged in the counting of both the domestic and migratory birds. The counting of birds is currently underway in five ranges under Chilika wildlife division which are Balugaon, Tangi, Chilika, Rambha and Satapada. The counting started at 6am will continue till 12pm.
Out of the 21 teams, 8 are engaged in Tangi, 6 are in Balugaon, 2 in Rambha, 7 in Satapada, and 1 in Chilika range. Each team is made out of 6-7 members and they have been equipped with binoculars, two-way radios (walkie-talkie), GPS scale and other equipment to conduct the annual census.
The teams include people from wildlife department staff, forest department staff, students of OUAT, activists of Wild Odisha and Wildies social organization, members of three bird conservation societies in Tangi range and BNHS.
Like every year, a training programme for the enumerators was held at the Wetland Training and Research Centre, Chandraput, near Balugaon.
Migratory birds from faraway regions like northern Eurasia, Siberia, the Caspian region, Kazakhstan, Lake Baikal and remote areas of Russia and other neighbouring countries visit the lake every year and return home before the onset of summer.
Ms Kalinga