More for sure

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 8: Happy sights await birders and ornithologists heading for Chilka lake.

Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon this winter received an impressive number of feathered friends — some 8.93 lakh birds of 168 species. This, against the 8.40-lakh birds (of 160 species) that showed up in 2007’s winter, reports the latest census from the forest department.

Of these, 4.05-lakh (approximately) has landed at Nalabana Bird Sanctuary. The sanctuary is an internationally acclaimed area, a 2002 Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award winner. However, last year the 15.53sqkm sanctuary was in a sorry state and managed to attract 1.98-lakh birds.

“De-weeding the sanctuary area has yielded positive results,” believes Abhimanyu Behera, the divisional forest officer of the Chilka wildlife division. “Also, the water level in the lake this year is adequate and promises adequate food. The improved protection measures taken up by the department has also added to the numbers,” he said.

The protection and de-weeding exercise was conducted by experts from organisations including Bombay Natural History Society, Chilika Development Authority, wildlife activists and noted ornithologists, including U.N. Dev and S. Balachandran.

Besides Nalabana, the migratory birds have been spotted at Bhusandapur, Sorana, Satapada and Arakhakuda.

The birds — Sandpiper, Wigeon, Shovelloe, Pintail Duck, along with rarer species such as Peregrine Falcon and Spot-billed Pelican — arrived in the months of October, till December, from far-flung areas such as Siberia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Himalayas. They are expected to make Chilika home till March.

To enforce peace and quiet Orissa’s forest department declared Nalabana sanctuary as a “no entry zone” for the first week of December. Researchers and ornithologists, however, were allowed to carry out studies with prior permission from the wildlife division.

Besides, the department has also set up a round-the-clock control-room to monitor predators including poachers. Some 61 anti-poaching camps have been set up in and around the lake, including two mobile ones moving over a 1100sqkm radius.

Police have been deployed in the lake to assist forest personnel. Bird protection committees have been formed with local people.

The anti-poaching squad of Chilika Wildlife Division has so far arrested four persons and seized (and freed) 26 birds in 2008.

Wildlife officers, Bombay Natural History Society, activists and experts carried out the bird census at Chilika using Global Positioning System and other means.