Sambalpur: A total of 2.08 lakh birds of 104 species visited the reservoir as per the annual migratory bird census 2022 that commenced Friday morning in the Hirakud Dam Reservoir. The officials informed that 19 new species of birds arrived at the reservoir this year.
The head counting of the avian species began at 5 am and continued till 5 pm Friday, informed a forest official.
The new species are Black Bittern, Peregrine Falcon, Swift, Black-headed Ibis, Ruddy Crake, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Fulvous Whistling Duck, Pied Bushchatt, Long Tailed Shrike, Striated Heron, Paddyfield Pipit, Black Shoulder Kite, Bear’s Pochard, Western Yellow Wagtail, Knob billed Duck, Siberian Rubby throat, Redwinged bush lark, Crested lark and Green Sandpiper.
The numbers are promising as the count is more than that of 2021 bird census which recorded 1.24 lakh birds of 90 species.
As per reports, as many as 38 teams comprising forest staff from Sambalpur, Bargarh and Jharsuguda divisions have been engaged in the enumeration of both the domestic and migratory birds at the Hirakud reservoir area and in the power channel.
This year’s bird census also includes the area of Sukhasoda (38 sq kms) on the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border for the first time.
The census was undertaken in the Hirakud reservoir which covers an area of around 533 sq kms and the power channel of area about 5.7 sq kms. The reservoir has been divided into 18 sectors and the power channel has been divided into 3 sectors. 30 boats had been deployed for the movement of the census teams in the water body to carry out the survey work, said sources.
These birds migrate from Siberia, Himalayas, Caspian Sea, Mongolia, Afghanistan, and Iraq in the month of November, and return to their original places in the month of March.