Bhubaneswar, July 13: With the onset of monsoon, residential water birds have started flocking to the marshy wetlands of Bhitarkanika.
The water birds have begun arriving at the wetland sites in small groups. They visit this place for nesting with the arrival of monsoon every year.
"The arrival of local migrant birds has re-established Bhitarkanika as one of the prominent heronries of the state," said divisional forest officer, Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) forest division, Prasanna Kumar Acharya.
"The birds began to congregate for some time, but this time, it was happening on a much lower scale. It will pick up in the coming days. The birds will build nests and lay eggs atop the mangrove trees. Their stay will last anywhere between three and four months from now," Acharya said.
Around 10,000 local water birds have arrived at the mangrove cover in Bagagahana, said wildlife officials.
Prominent among the birds are the grey heron, purple heron, darter, cormorant, large egret, intermediary egret and little egret. Last year, more than 1,03,853 birds were counted in Bhitarkanika. Forest officials hope the figure will rise this time.