Winged guest: A wagtail in Balasore. Telegraph picture

Balasore, Dec. 25: Migratory birds of various species have begun to arrive in the district with the advent of winter.

They have started to congregate near various water bodies mainly near the forest and sanctuary. This has been an encouraging factor for bird lovers, researchers and tourists visiting the places. More than 30 species of the migratory birds have been sighted over the past week in and around the Kuldhia sanctuary.

Bird researcher Soumik Chatterjee, who has been studying the birds here for several years, has identified several species, which have come from the Himalayan and Siberian regions. They are pintail, wagtail, saw piper, cormorant, lapwing shank and warbler. The birds were seen near Rishia dam, Bugali and the Sindhua minor irrigation projects.

The birds stay here for about two months and fly back before summer.

As many as 142 species of birds including hornbills, falcons and eagles are spotted in the sanctuary.

Environmentalists feel that the natural water bodies should be maintained properly and more number of bird watchers should be deployed to prevent poaching. Since the birds travel far to come here to avoid the extreme winter back home for shelter and food, more fruit-bearing trees should be planted in the forest.

Honorary wildlife warden Jayant Mardaraj, who is a Nilgiri resident, said: “Adequate security should be ensured for the migratory birds. Besides maintaining the natural water bodies, more watchers should be deployed.”