Kendrapara: With the arrival of monsoon, thousands of residential birds have started arriving at Matha-adiha, Durgaprasad dia and Laxmi Prasad dia heronry within the Bhitarkanika National Park for nesting and breeding.
ACF of Kanika Forest Range Manas Kumar Das said that residential birds of more than six types of species have already arrived at Matha-adia, Durgaprasad dia and Laxmi prasad dia heronries.
The residential birds identified as open bill stork, black-headed white Ibis, Purple Heron, Grey Heron, pond heron, little cormorant have arrived, Das said.
He said the dense mangrove vegetation and its serene pollution-free atmosphere have once again proved alluring attractions for thousands of residential winged visitors to Bhitarkanika National Park.
As many as 11 types of residential birds throng Bhitarkanika National Park every year for nesting and breeding during the monsoon.
They 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 Matha-adiha heronry, Laxmiprasad dia and Durgaprasad have become the favourite nesting and breeding place for these monsoon birds since the last half decade.
The avian species selectively use species of mangroves for constructing nests in the trees of Guan, sundari, sinduka, Bani, Jagula, Kerauan and Ouran .
Official sources said an estimated 1,23,867 monsoon birds and 26,118 nests were spotted by forest enumeration teams during last year’s bird census.
In Laxmi Prasad Dia, the forest personnel sighted 12,480 nests, 11,599 nests at Matha-adia, and 1532 nests in Durgaprasad-dia while 507 nests were spotted too at Bali-dia last year.
UNI