Annual Bird Census To Begin In Odisha’s Chilika Lake On Jan 4, 2024

Bhubaneswar: The annual bird census in Odisha’s Chilika lake will be started on January 4, 2024.

According to sources in Chilika DFO office, the counting of migratory birds will be conducted in five ranges under Chilika wildlife division – Balugaan, Tangi, Chilika, Rambha and Satapada.

Besides wildlife personnel, several experts of different organisations will be engaged in the mammoth exercise. As many as 21 teams of the Forest department will carry out the counting of birds in the biggest brackish water lake in the country. Wildlife officials and guides will also be deployed in the exercise.

The visit of tourists to the lake will be restricted to carry out the bird census uninterrupted in the Chilika lake which is spread over Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts. However, the restriction on the visitors will be lifted after the census.

The lake is thronged by migratory birds from places including Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, remote parts of Russia, Central and Southeast Asia, Ladakh and Himalayas during winter every year.

The winged guests engage in breeding and nesting during their stay with support from favourable ecology around the lake. They start the homeward journey with the onset of summer.