Balangir: Migratory birds have begun to arrive at Rugudipali village near the town in large number, indicating that monsoon has set in.

The Rugudipali villagers link the arrival of these winged guests to monsoon. The birds begin to arrive at the village as soon as rains sets in and flock at the trees surrounded by two water reservoirs for nearly five months. Villagers say that arrival of more number of birds indicate good monsoon, while fewer birds indicate weak rains.

Local villager Panchakshyar Bhue said: "We have observed that the arrival of a large number of birds indicates a good monsoon year, while only a few birds visit the place when the monsoon is weak. Similarly, the return of the birds indicate end of the rainy season."

He further said the villagers accordingly planned their cultivation. "The birds have never betrayed us in forecasting the monsoon. So, we accordingly plan our cultivation," he said.

The villagers have formed a committee to protect the birds. Its president Matu Bhue said: "As long as the birds stay here, it rains. If they leave early, we safely deduce that it will be a drought year. This year, a large numbers of birds have arrived. So, we are hopeful of a good harvest," he said.

He said the committee had been taking care of the birds for the past 20 years. "Initially, it was a tough task to convince the villagers not to kill the birds. But now, they are emotionally attached to the birds and don't even think of even harming them," he said.

Another villager said outsiders often visited the village to hunt the birds. "We have formulated stringent rules to penalise up to Rs 551 for killing a bird. They are also handed over to police," he said.

Forest officials said these migratory birds usually came from Kutch area of Gujrat to Balangir.

"They are of different varieties and the most prominent among them are the Asian Openbill Storks and Black-headed Ibis. They migrate as Kutch area in Gujarat hardly receives any rain and water and food become a problem for them. They usually live on small fish and other small water creatures," said a senior forest officer.

"As Rugudipali village is full of small and big water reservoirs and located in a secluded place, birds prefer the area," he said. "Normally, migratory birds come when winter begins but as these birds primarily migrate in search of food and further breeding and not for climate reasons, they come during rains."