The Bhitarkanika Forest and Wildlife personnel are all set to conduct a monsoon bird census from August 16 next.
The tourists are going to be restricted to throng the Bagagahan and a couple of other areas, where the forest officials will carry out the exercise.
It may be noted here every year, the monsoon bird census is conducted between third and fourth weeks of July. The residential birds start their nesting process when monsoon rain continues. But this time, the nesting process of birds has been delayed .As a result, the forest personnel decided to conduct the census on the third week of August.
Basically, 11 types of local birds, which throng the Bhitarknaika park for nesting and breeding during the 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 trees like guan, sundari, sinduka, bani and jagula.
According to sources, as many as 20,000 monsoon birds have thronged Bagagahan and 7,000 bird species came to Mathadiha forest for nesting and breeding. The forest officials last year had sighted 19,784
nests in Bagagahan and Mathadia under the park. While 6,303 nests were sighted in Mathadia, 13,481 nests were spotted at Bagagahan last year.
An estimated 91,545 monsoon bird species, including 39,568 adult birds, thronged Bagagahan and Mathadia forests in 4,817 mangrove trees for nesting and breeding last monsoon season.
Though every year the park remains closed during the census, but this time, the forest personnel are not going to close the park forthe tourists.