Census at Chilika lake counts 9.24 lakh birds

BHUBANESWAR - About 9.24 lakh domestic and migratory birds have been sighted at Orissa’s Chilika Lake, officials said Thursday at the conclusion of a bird census.

The migratory birds are from Siberia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Himalayas, they said, after conducting a two-day annual bird census in the lake Monday and Tuesday.

“Of the 210 species of birds sighted in the lake, 114 were migratory and 66 were resident birds,” B.P. Acharya, divisional forest officer of the Chilika wild life division, told IANS.

“At least two species of birds were spotted after a gap of five-ten years. Some white tailed sea eagles were sighted in the lake about ten years ago. They were again sighted this year. Five comb ducks were also seen after five years,” he said.

Spread across the districts of Puri, Khurdha and Ganjam along India’s east coast and about 100 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, Chilika is known for its scenic beauty and rich biodiversity.

It was declared one of the six wetlands of international importance for Arctic and Central Asian waterfowl by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Every year, about a million migratory birds come to the lake in October and return in March.

The most attractive birds sighted in the lake are flamingos, grey and purple herons, egrets, spoonbills, storks and white ibis.

Last year, over 8 lakh birds belonging to 168 species were counted in the lake.