Annual Bird Census in Chilika on January 18

Bhubaneswar: The annual bird census shall start from January 18. The bird counting preparations will be started from the January 16. This year, the bird count will be done on a single day in the entire state.

This time, flamingos will be fitted with GPS trackers. For this, satellite tracking rings will be attached to the legs of 10 flamingos. They will be monitored to see if they are coming from Siberia or from some other place.

During the winter season, migratory birds are usually seen in the water bodies around Chilika Lake such as Mangalajodi, Bhusandpur, Balipatpur, Nairi, Baulabhand, Badgotha, Tugambhari, Gurbai, Sepia, Nalaban, Madhurchua, Samalnasi, Pandanasi, Panchkudi, Sunanda and Kaluri.

Chilika lake in 2023 saw a huge inflow of feathery friends. With 1,09,348 migratory birds arriving in Chilika, the brackish water lagoon saw a significant rise in the number as compared to last year. Not just migratory birds, but the number of local birds has also seen a rise this year.

In the year 2023 in the bird census in Chilika arrivals were over 57,000 higher as compared to last year. Among the migratory birds are northern pintail, gadwall, shovellers, and common coot, etc. In the year 2023, the scenic lake saw 11,31,929 birds belonging to 184 different species. In 2022, the lagoon had welcomed 10,74,173 birds that belonged to 183 species.

In the year 2023, the number of migratory birds in Chilika was determined to be 10,93,049. These birds belonged to 105 species. This number is significantly higher than 10,36,220 birds that were seen last year.