Slender increase in winged guests in Odisha’s Bhitarkanika national park
The number of visiting avian winter species has risen to 1,51,614 this year from the 1,51,421 birds counted last year.
The population of nesting birds has registered a marginal increase in Bhitarkanika National Park of Kendrapara district in this monsoon season, said a forest official on Sunday.
The official statistics of the bird census pegged their population at 1,30,123 belonging to ten species. With this, the population of monsoon birds has increased by 6,265, compared to last census as the forest officials sighted 1,23,867 birds in 2023.
Advertisement
As many as 27,282 nests atop 1300 mangrove trees were counted this season. The census report reflects the results only from the direct count method.
Advertisement
The census teams monitored all the water bodies and mangrove forest areas of Mathadia, Laxmiprasaddia , Durgaprasaddia and Balidia heronries in and around the Bhitarkanika National Park.
The increase in the number of birds visiting Bhitarkanika is a good sign for bird conservation programmes in the state, added Yadav.
Abundant fish in the river and creeks and distance from human habitation has made it a suitable congenial breeding place for thousands of birds.
Watching these birds make and mend nests, collect green branches for building and repairing nests ,lay, incubate, hatch eggs, feed fledglings, guard them from predators, cover them with outspread wings to protect them from scorching rays sun and heavy downpour is a sight to behold, said the forest officer.
It’s pertinent to note here that noted ornithologist Dr Salim Ali made a chance-discovery of Bhitarkanika birds’ habitat while on a casual visit to Bhitarkanika in 1981.
Advertisement
Related posts
80 kmph gusts likely to hit city on Thursday-Friday: Met
The cyclonic storm Dana, which is anticipated to make landfall close to Bhitarkanika and Dhamara in the neighbouring state of Odisha is expected to bring squally winds to Kolkata with speed reaching 60-70 Kmph, gusting to 80 kmph as it crosses Odisha and West Bengal coasts.
India’s first mangrove pitta bird census in Bhitarkanika
The census was carried out for the first time in the country to study the population analysis of these birds, said Divisional Forest Officer, Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) Forest Division, Goipnath Sudarshan Yadav
