Sambalpur: The annual Mid-Winter Waterfowl Census at Hirakud Reservoir in Odisha’s Sambalpur district, which concluded on January 18, revealed a notable rise in avian visitors.
The Hirakud Wildlife Division recorded a total of 4.21 lakh birds belonging to 128 species, marking a significant increase from the previous year’s tally of 3.77 lakh birds across 122 species, DFO Anshu Pragyan Das informed.
The census, conducted from 6 am to 6 pm, covered the vast reservoir, wetland areas, and power channel spanning 5.72 sq km, extending from the Hirakud Dam to the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border. Five new species – Ruddy Crake, Greater Painted Snipe, Painted Stork, Little Gull, and Sanderling – were sighted during the census, Das said.
Among the most commonly sighted birds were popular waterfowl and waders such as Tufted Ducks, Whistling Du
cks, Grebes, Bar-headed Geese, Brahminy Ducks, Gadwalls, Eurasian Wigeons, Northern Pintails, Northern Shovelers, Red-crested Pochards, Sandpipers, gulls, terns, pratincoles, kingfishers, Indian Skimmers, cormorants, egrets, herons, and plovers.
The DFO further stated that three most numerous bird species were Tufted Duck (71,273), Lesser Whistling Duck (60,987) and Common Coot (51,665). The highest congregation of birds was observed in sectors 7, 8 and 9, located upstream near the Odisha–Chhattisgarh border, she added.
Experts attribute the rise in the numbers of the avian visitors to the presence of submerged islands, healthy aquatic flora and fauna, sandbars suitable for wintering and nesting and reduced fishing pressure in the area.
The census was carried out across 21 designated sectors by 38 teams comprising 93 participants. Each team was led by an expert birder and supported by forest staff from Sambalpur, Jharsuguda and Bargarh districts. To ensure accuracy, KML files were provided to teams to avoid overlapping routes. Birding experts from Sambalpur’s Chadhei Club, Jharsuguda, Bolangir, Sonepur and Bargarh played a key role in the census, alongside participants from Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and other coastal districts.