Thaindian News

Bhubaneswar, Dec 27 (IANS) Only 45,610 residential and migratory birds were spotted in Orissa’s Bhitarkanika National Park this year, a sharp drop from the last two years, an official said Monday.According to the latest bird census, their numbers have dropped to almost half compared to the last two years. But officials said at least 107 species of birds were sighted in the national park in Kendrapada district during the census conducted Dec 23, indicating that the habitats have remained conducive.

Forest and wildlife officials every year conduct the bird census in early December but it was postponed by a few days this year due to adverse weather conditions.

“By the time we conducted the census, the birds may have migrated to other places,” Divisional Forest Officer Manoj Mohapatra told IANS, adding that the counting of birds was done only for five hours Dec 23.

“At least 107 species of birds were sighted…This indicates that the habitats have remained good enough,” he said.

The number of bird species spotted in the sanctuary last year was less than 100, he pointed out.

In 2008, the number of birds sighted in the park during the census was 101,293 while in 2009 the number was 105,949.

The Bhitarakanika National Park, which is also a wildlife sanctuary, is located about 170 km from Bhubaneswar. It is home to over 200 species of birds, including 98 species of migratory birds.

The sanctuary found a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2006 with its 23-foot saltwater crocodile listed as the largest in the world. It is also widely known as the world’s largest rookery of Olive Ridley sea turtles.

Every year, more then a million migratory birds from places as far as Siberia and Iraq flock to various sites of Orissa in October and return in March.

The other sites that attract a large number of migratory bids include Chilika Lake, spread across the districts of Puri, Khurdha Ganjam, the Hirakud dam in Sambalpur district, and Nandankanan on the outskirts of state capital Bhubaneswar.