Bird Count Takes Off In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The annual bird census in Odisha kick started Friday morning across across the state.

Sources in the Forest department said that the bird count will be held for one day in all forest divisions and water bodies except at Chilika lake, Bhitarkanika national park and Hirakud reservoir.

Several teams of Forest staffs and more than 25 teams and about 1,000 members comprising local people, journalists and environmentalists are engaged in the bird count.

In Athagarh forest division in Cuttack district, 58 teams of the Forest staffs have started the bird count in Anshupa lake and the riverbed of Mahanadi at Madhusudan Setu Patha, Kandarpur and Ostia. Keeping the arrival of several migratory birds, the Forest officials have made adequate security arrangements to protect these exotic species who flock to this area from the north arctic region every year in search of food.

In Mayurbhanj district, the bird census has begun in a number of water bodies along the periphery of Similipal National Park. Apart from this, the census has also started in Baripada, Rairangpur and Karanjia forest range.

In Satokosia Wildlife Division in Angul district, 10 teams are engaged in the bird census work in the Mahanadi river system and at Sishupathara dam area. The Forest officials have said that the Satkosia sanctuary will remain closed till the second week of January as the census of the freshwater crocodile will begin along the Satkosia gorge from January 9 to 11.