Kendrapara: The Bhitarkanika forest and wildlife personnel are set to carry out the monsoon bird census at the Kanika Forest Range under Bhitarkanika National Park from August 23 to August 30. The census will be carried out for a week at the Bhitarkanika National Park. The forest officials have divided themselves into two teams to carry out the census, sources said.
Basically, 11 types of local birds throng Bhitarknaika National Park for nesting and breeding during monsoon. Residential bird species are open bill stork, little cormorant, intermediate egret, large egret, little egret, purple heron, grey heron, night heron, darter, white ibis and cattle egret.
The avian species selectively use mangroves for constructing nests in the trees of guan, sundari, sinduka, bani and jagula. The monsoon bird census will be carried out at Mathadiha and Bagagahan, stated forest official sources.
Over last three years, residential birds are becoming less at Bagagahana, that once allured residential birds who now prefer Mathadiha to Bagagahan that covers about 10 acres of mangrove forest.
According to Bhitarkanika officials, open bill stork forms 60 per cent of the total nesting population. They prefer to build their nests on the guan tree, and the avian specie forms its nests on the top canopy whereas the lower most branches are preferred by smaller birds like little cormorants.
Forest officials last year sighted 21,956 nests in Bagagahan and Mathadia heronry within Bhitarkanika National Park in the monsoon season. An estimated 1,04,490 monsoon bird species including 43,912 adult birds and 60,578 chicks were spotted at Bagagahana and Mathadia heronry by the forest personnel of Bhitarkanika National Park during the monsoon bird census that was carried out for a week from August 26 to September 1, 2017.
As many as 10 out of 11 types of species came last monsoon to the two heronry of Bhitarkanika National Park, informed official sources.
PNN