Balugaon: With the arrival of winter in the state, migratory birds have made their way to the Chilika lake, Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon, in Khurda district, a report said here Wednesday.
Birds of different colours have arrived in the lake after flying thousands of miles. The avian arrival has gladdened the hearts of forest officials and bird watchers.
As against their usual landing that happens October 1, this year it has been delayed by two weeks. It is suspected that it was delayed by cyclonic storm Titli which hit Ganjam and Gajapati districts earlier this month, forester Pramod Panda said.
As many as 160 avian species come to the lake. While in the first phase over 5,000 birds of 20 varieties including Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Plovers, Sandpiper, Greater Flamingo and migratory ducks arrive here, more birds arrive if the climatic conditions remain conducive. The birds are also sighted in Mangaljodi, a major village on the banks of the lake.
Migratory birds fly thousands of miles across continents, from snow-covered Siberia, Caspian Sea, Baikal Lake to remote parts of Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Ladakh, US and Canada, to the marshy lands of Nalabana inside Chilika which is spread across 1,000 sqkm.
They make the lake their winter retreat during the harsh winter and snowfall in their habitats. The birds move over the lake in the shape of ‘U’ and ‘V’ searching for proper places to build nests before descending on the lake. While many of them are seen flying over Nalabana, some of them have descended inside the sanctuary.
The forest officials have taken several steps to ensure the security of birds. They have set up 19 camps and formed a mobile squad to oversee the security of birds.
These camps have been set up at Balugaon, Tangi, Rambha, Satapada and Chilika forest ranges under Balugaon wildlife division. Tangi range has the highest 10 camps while Nalabana has four, Satapada two, Rambha and Chilika have one each.
The mobile squad will keep a tab on poaching and serving of bird meat in various dhabas and hotels. Every camp will be equipped with a motorised boat and will be manned by a forester or forest guard and three members of the bird protection committee comprising villagers adjoining the Chilika lake.
That apart various awareness programmes to sensitize villagers against bird poaching are being conducted, Panda added.
PNN