The annual bird census has commenced at the Hirakud Dam Reservoir in Odisha’s Sambalpur district. Overseen by Hirakud Wildlife Division DFO Anshu Pragnya Das, the census involves 32 teams and boats deployed in Sambalpur, Bargarh, and Jharsuguda for the comprehensive counting of avian species. A total of 78 forest personnel, including 33 bird experts, are actively participating in the census, covering the extensive Hirakud reservoir, including power channels. +Stretching up to the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border, the Hirakud Dam Reservoir spans a vast area of 533 sq km, with an additional 5.5 sq km allocated for the power channel. The reservoir has been strategically divided into 21 sectors for survey purposes, with each team equipped with binoculars, birding, and census kits, along with life-saving jackets following a thorough training program at Sambalpur zoo.

To facilitate an undisturbed census process, all fishing and tourism activities within the reservoir have been temporarily halted. The annual migration of exotic birds from the Caspian Sea, Baikal Lake, Mongolia, Central and South East Asia, and the Himalayan region to the reservoir has become a noteworthy spectacle. These avian visitors typically arrive in November and stay for four months until March before embarking on their return journey. Notably, five new bird species were spotted in Hirakud Lake till last month, including the Cotton Pygmy Goose, Little Tern, Purple Swamp Hen, Marsh Harrier, and Large Egret.