With the onset of monsoon, thousands of residential birds have started arriving at Bagagahan within the Bhitarkanika National Park for breeding and nesting.
According to official sources, Bagagahan is called the abode of avian species. It generally wears a colourful look during the monsoon season. The dense mangrove vegetation and its serene pollution free atmosphere have once again proved alluring attractions for thousands of residential winged visitors.
Basically, 11 types of local birds, which throng the Bhitarknaika National Park every year 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 for constructing nests in the trees of Guan, Sundari, Sinduka, Bani and Jagula. With the onset of monsoon, every years during the mid of June, these birds congregate in large number and the nesting process gets over by the end of November. Darter, grey heron and purple heron start breeding early and often youngs are seen during the month of August whereas open bill stork and white ibis are among the late breeders with youngs seen during the month of September, added forest official sources.
According to the Bhitarkanika official sources, open bill stork forms 60 per cent of the total nesting population this year. Open bill stork prefers to form its nest in Guan tree and the avian species forms its nest on the top canopy whereas the lower most branches are preferred by smaller birds like little cormorants.
The forest officials last year had sighted 15,422 nests in Bagagahan and Mathadia under the Bhitarkanika. An estimated 70, 105 monsoon bird species thronged to Bagagahan and Mathadia forests within the Bhitarkanika National Park and had constructed nests in 4,924 mangrove trees during the last monsoon season as per the monsoon bird census report of 2012.