SAMBALPUR: Over 2 lakh migratory birds thronged the vast expanse of Hirakud reservoir which has emerged as a favourite destination for avian guests in western Odisha. At least 19 new species were detected this year during the annual enumeration.
Most prominent of the winged visitors were Lesser Whistling Ducks whose number exceeded 50,000 during the annual bird census by Hirakud Wildlife Division.
The census was conducted on January 7 and the outcome was declared on Monday. During the census, 104 species of birds were enumerated by the census teams while the total head count stood at 2.08 lakh. The good numbers points at the safe habitat as well as health of the wetland.
The new species that were sighted included Black Bittern, Peregrine Falcon, Swift, Black-headed Ibsis, Ruddy Crake, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Green Sandpiper, Siberian Ruby Throat among others. Besides Lesser Whistling Duck, other prominent species spotted were Tufted Duck (27,677), Common Coot (21,244), Little Cormorant (13,076) and Red Crested Pochard (11,220).
“This year, for the first time, the bird census in Hirakud reservoir covered the entire reservoir upto Odisha-Chhattisgarh border while adding an additional 38 square km area,” informed Divisional Forest Officer Anshu Pragyan Das.
The reservoir was divided into 15 sectors for enumeration. It included 533 sq km area and 5.7 sq km of Power Channel. As many as 38 groups participated in the enumeration which covered as far as Antaradi-Sakasoda village near Odisha-Chhattisgarh border.