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.
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.
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.