Bird census at Hirakud on Jan 7

SAMBALPUR: The annual enumeration of migratory birds at Hirakud Dam Reservoir will be conducted on January 7. Staff of three forest divisions- Sambalpur, Hirakud and Jharsuguda will participate in the exercise for which 21 teams have been formed, said DFO Pratap Kottapalli. While six teams will be deployed from Hirakud and Jharsuguda divisions, nine will be engaged from Sambalpur. This apart, experts too will be engaged in the exercise. The DFO said the Forest department is also trying to rope in students from OUAT for the census. Every year, thousands of birds visit the reservoir in November and stay till March. 

This year, the avian guests started arriving in mid-November and arrangements were made to ensure their safety. While regular patrolling on boats is being conducted to prevent poaching, bird protection teams have been deployed at the zero point, Barakhandia, Parbatitong and Gobindpur around the reservoir. Last year, around 1.60 lakh birds from Caspian Sea, Aral Sea, Mongolia besides Central and South East Asia had visited the reservoir.