With the onset of monsoon, thousands of residential birds have started arriving at Mathaadiha, Durgaprasad dia and  Laxmiprasad dia as well as Bagagahan heronry in the Bhitarkanika National Park under Kendrapada district, for breeding and nesting.

The good news for the environmentalists and ornithologists is that the monsoon birds, after a gap of about six years, came to Bagagahan heronry, stated Ranger, Kanika Forest Range, Manas Kumar Das. According to Das, not less than 20,000 residential birds of more than eight types have arrived this time.

The dense mangrove vegetation and its serene pollution-free atmosphere have been a point of attraction for thousands of residential winged visitors. Basically, 11 types of residential birds, which  throng Bhitarknaika during monsoon are open bill stork, little cormorant, intermediate egret, large egret, little egret, purple heron, grey heron, night heron, darter, white ibis and cattle egret. The avian species selectively use species of mangroves for constructing nests in the trees of guan, sundari, sinduka, bani, jagula, kerauan and oruan.

Forest sources said an estimated 1, 08, 639 monsoon birds, including 45,656 adult birds and 62,983chicks, were sighted by the enumerators last monsoon in Bhitarkanika. The birds’ breeding process gets over by the end of November. Darter, grey heron and purple heron start breeding early and often chicks are seen during the first week of August, whereas open bill stork and white ibis are among the late breeders with young seen during the August last week or September first week.