Migratory bird count in Hirakud went up by 1L in ’22

Bhubaneswar: The Hirakud reservoir recorded a rise in the number of migratory birds last year when 2.08 lakh winged guests flew into the 700sqkm structure, a rise from the 1.24 lakh birds that were spotted at the reservoir in 2021, a census report — conducted by Hirakud, Bargarh and Jharsuguda forest divisions — stated on Tuesday.
Anshu Pragyan Das, divisional forest officer in Hirakud, said, “More number of migratory birds are choosing to visit the Hirakud reservoir this winter.” Experts have said that a favourable climate and the availability of sufficient food are attracting the birds to the reservoir.
Ten new species were spotted in last year’s survey, which was conducted throughout the entire stretch of the reservoir, starting from the Hirakud dam to the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border, by 30 teams.
The new species include the bar-tailed godwit, pied harrier, curlew sandpiper, cotton pygmy goose, caspian tern, blue tailed bee-eater, crested serpent eagle, woolly- necked stork, yellow-billed duck and painted stork.