Kendrapara: Bhitarkanika National Park on Thursday launched an eight-day-long census of seasonal monsoon birds and their nests.

Last year, the park played host to 1,04,490 monsoon birds who had made Bhitarkanika wetland spots their nesting sites. As many as 22,000 nests were spotted along 3,413 treetops. Of the counted birds, 43,912 adult feathered species were enumerated arriving here for monsoon sojourn, while 60,578 chicks were also enumerated.

A dozen of teams consisting of ornithologists, besides wildlife personnel of the national park, are on the job to conduct the headcount of these avian species and their nests. Some local youths who volunteered to assist the teams have also been included in the enumeration. The census will conclude on August 30.

"Emphasis is on to conduct the headcount meticulously at the heronry at Bagagahana that recorded the maximum number of nests and also attracted the highest number of birds last year," said divisional forest officer of Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) forest division Bimal Prasanna Acharya.

"The enumerators would also cover all the major congregation zones both in and outside the national park. Besides the core area of the national park, peripheral wetland sites like Satabhaya and Barunei would be taken up for census programme. The birds' habitat in the core area of the park is spread across four hectares. The monsoon birds winged their way in and around the water bodies, adding to the scenic beauty of the place. There is ample food security for the birds as the place is crisscrossed by innumerable water inlets and nullahs and is free of human interference," Acharya said.

Lack of human interference, ideal climatic condition, cool breeze and the river system here all have emerged to the liking of the chirpy winged species at Bhitarkanika. Ornithologist Salim Ali made a chance discovery of Bhitarkanika birds' habitat while on a casual visit to Bhitarkanika in 1981.