Annual bird census begins in Chilika lagoon

The annual bird census in Chilika lake, the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia, began on Wednesday morning.

At least 21 teams comprising over 100 staff have been deployed in the counting of the migratory and domestic birds in Chilika lagoon spreading over the Puri, Khordha and Ganjam districts.

The head counting exercise is underway at five ranges under Chilika Wildlife Division – Balugaon, Tangi, Nuapada, Rambha and Satapada.

The annual counting is done every year and began at 6 am in the morning and will continue till 12 pm noon. The teams have been provided with two-way radios (walkie-talkie), binoculars, GPS scales and cameras for the annual counting of both the domestic and migratory birds. 

Attracting a huge number of bird and nature lovers, millions of feathered guests have started arriving from all over the globe to Chilika. The faraway guests mostly arrive from regions like the Caspian region, northern Eurasia, Siberia, Kazakhstan, Lake Baikal, Russia and other neighbouring countries every year. 

They spend the winter here before returning home before the onset of summer.