With the arrival of monsoon, thousands of residential birds have started arriving at Matha-adiha Durgaprasad-dia and Laxmiprasad-dia heronries within the Bhitarkanika National Park under Kendrapara district for breeding and nesting, stated the forest official sources. According to forest official sources, not less than 20,000 residential birds of more than eight types of species at the three spots have arrived this time. The dense mangrove vegetation and its serene pollution and free atmosphere have once again proved alluring attractions for these thousands of residential winged visitors in Bhitarkanika.
Basically, 11 types of residential birds, which throng the 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.While Matha-adiha heronry seems to be the favourite nesting and breeding place for the monsoon birds since last half decade, the monsoon birds last year chose Laxmiprasad- dia and Durgaprasad-dia as favourite place for nesting and breeding.
But to the irony, the monsoon birds skipped Bagagahan heronry that was proved over the years to be a favourite nesting place for the residential birds for last some years. The avian species selectively use species of mangroves for constructing nests in the trees of Guan, Sundari, Sinduka, Bani and Jagula. If forest official sources are to be believed, an estimated 97,866 monsoon bird species ,including 47,915 chicks , were spotted by the enumerators , whereas 21,185 nests were sighted by forest enumeration teams during last year monsoon bird census ,that was carried out for a week from August 27 to September 2.