JEYPORE: In what could be a dampener for avian enthusiasts, foreign birds seem to have given a miss to the Upper Kolab reservoir here this year. Usually, scores of Siberian ducks make Kolab reservoir their home from January till end of winters.
Forest staff of Koraput range had undertaken the mid-winter water fowl census in the reservoir areas on Sunday. As many as 332 local bird species were located but those from foreign lands like Siberian ducks were conspicuous by their absence.
The census team members only found little cormorant, Indian pond heron, cattle egret, little egret, Brahminy duck, white breasted water hen, river lapwing, red-wattled lapwing, common myna, Asian koel, etc. However, no foreign birds could be located during the counting.
Koraput range officer Rahit Kumar, who was a team member, confirmed the findings. “Absence of Siberian ducks in the reservoir is unusual as their visit is an annual affair,” said Rajani Mishra, an engineer of Upper Kolab project.