Annual bird census in Odisha on January 18, to be a one-day exercise

BHUBANESWAR: The annual mid-winter waterfowl census to assess the migratory and resident wetland bird population will be carried out in the state on Saturday.Though the census is being carried out across all bird congregation zones in the state, the focus will be on the three major wetlands – Chilika, Bhitarkanika and Hirakud. Around 21 teams have been formed for the census in Chilika, while 18 teams each will make the count in Bhitarkanika and Hirakud.

The annual bird census is held every year during the period of December and January to estimate the migratory and resident wetland bird population in the state. However, unlike previous years, where waterfowl census was being carried out in a staggered manner, this year it is being done on a single day on January 18.

A pre-census training was imparted to different bird counting units for this purpose on Friday. The teams equipped with census format, field guide on bird species, camera, binoculars, spotting scopes, etc., will carry out the census on Saturday. Forest minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia, who visited the Wetland Research and Training Centre (WRTC), Chilika, for bird census training, emphasised on keeping Chilika and its surroundings clean. He felicitated deputy director of BNHS Sujit Narwade who led the training sessions to prepare participants with methodologies for the census.

Forest officials said a pre-census exposure was also provided to volunteers, bird lovers, school and college students and local NGOs on January 16 as a step towards raising awareness and promoting bird conservation.