Bhubaneswar: The annual bird census will begin in the state from January 3, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) Sandeep Tripathi announced Wednesday.
The places where the bird counting will be conducted are Nandankanan, Similipal and other divisions January 3 and Chilika Lake, Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon, the following day. The exercise will be done at Bhitarkanika and Hirakud January 6.
Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara district will remain out of bounds for visitors from January 6 to 14 during the census drive of estuarine crocodile and migratory birds.
The headcount of crocodiles will be done in Mahanadi, Bhitarakanika, Ghodahad and Similipal river systems. Similarly, the dolphin census will be held January 19, Tripathy said.
Every year, bird counting is held at 12 places in Odisha, including Chilika in Puri district. The Forest Department has organised special protection camps in view of the annual census, he added.
According to last year’s census, there was a huge drop in the migratory birds at Chilika Lake. It showed the number of migratory birds visiting the lake has dropped by 53,000 compared to the previous year (2017).
Last year’s census put the count at 893,390 birds of 147 different species. In 2017, it was 947,119 birds of 167 different species.
In another week-long monsoon survey, it was found that there was a decline in the number (13,326) of birds visiting the Bhitarkanika national park.
Meanwhile, in the 2018 June census conducted by the Odisha Chapter of Indian Bird Conservation Network (IBCN), headed by Wild Orissa, found that there were 11,676 birds from weavers’ family in the state. The figure was an all-time record for the state since this annual all India exercise began a few years ago.