Dikhyaa Mohanty 
On January 4, Chilika Lake will conduct its yearly bird census. Up to 126 employees from 21 teams will work on the counting project. Following an official training on January 3, counting will take place the following day from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. According to DFO Amlan Nayak, the number of birds will be revealed in the evening during the press conference. On the day of the bird count, boat operations and fishing are prohibited.
The exercise will be participated in by experts, ornithologists, and bird enthusiasts. This time around, DFO Nayak anticipated a rise in bird populations because of the favorable weather. Staff leaves have been cancelled for the four-month period of bird gathering. To keep the birds safe from predators and poachers, they will be deployed. The safety of the bird will receive extra consideration. Activities related to poaching will be strictly dealt with.
Similarly, dolphin counting will be carried out on January 20. After the bird count, a special tower will be built for the tourists to see the migratory avian guests within the bird sanctuary in Nalabana, the DFO informed. In 2021-22, over 10.74 lakh birds were found in the lake while in 2022-23, the number increased to 11.31 lakh were.
