Sambalpur: The census of migratory birds at Hirakud Reservoir in Sambalpur district is scheduled to start from Monday, and will continue till January 10, informed the DFO, Hirakud Wildlife Division, Sambalpur Anshu Pragnya Das Sunday. The counting of the avian guests will be conducted from 6 am to 5 pm during these days. Reportedly, migratory birds in large numbers have flocked to the Hirakud Reservoir since October, 2023 and will stay here till March 2024 before returning to their original habitats, she added.
Special teams of Hirakud Wildlife Division – as the nodal division- along with Sambalpur, Jharsuguda and Bargarh divisions will participate in the exercise. The whole stretch of Hirakud Reservoir, starting from Hirakud Dam up to the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border, has been divided into 21 sectors. A total of 78 Forest personnel including 33 bird experts will participate in the census. Fishermen who know bird nesting sites have been primarily chosen for this task. All teams have been equipped with binoculars and lifesaving jackets.32 fishing boats will be engaged in the exercise. All fishing and tourism activities have been stopped inside the reservoir from Sunday.
The locals have been sensitized about the census and a training programme for the enumerators was conducted, Sunday Notably, 1.24 lakh birds of 98 different species were recorded in 2021 census, while in 2022, the number increased to 2.08 lakh (of 104 species).
As per last year’s census, more than 3 lakh avian guests of 108 species had flocked to the reservoir, the DFO said, adding that the result of this year census will be out January 11 or 12.