Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The annual Mid-Winter Waterfowl Census at the Hirakud Reservoir in Odisha’s Sambalpur district, which concluded on January 18, recorded a substantial increase in the number of avian visitors. According to Divisional Forest Officer Anshu Pragyan Das, the Hirakud Wildlife Division documented 4.21 lakh birds belonging to 128 species, compared to 3.77 lakh birds across 122 species recorded last year.
Conducted from 6 am to 6 pm, the census covered the expansive reservoir, adjoining wetlands, and the power channel over an area of 5.72 square kilometres, stretching from the Hirakud Dam to the Odisha–Chhattisgarh border. The survey also led to the sighting of five new species—Ruddy Crake, Greater Painted Snipe, Painted Stork, Little Gull, and Sanderling.
Among the commonly observed species were a wide variety of waterfowl and waders, including Tufted Ducks, Whistling Ducks, Grebes, Bar-headed Geese, Brahminy Ducks, Gadwalls, Eurasian Wigeons, Northern Pintails, Northern Shovelers, Red-crested Pochards, Sandpipers, gulls, terns, pratincoles, kingfishers, Indian Skimmers, cormorants, egrets, herons, and plovers.
The DFO noted that Tufted Duck (71,273), Lesser Whistling Duck (60,987), and Common Coot (51,665) were the most abundant species recorded during the census. The highest concentration of birds was observed in sectors 7, 8, and 9, located upstream near the Odisha–Chhattisgarh border. Experts attributed the rise in bird numbers to favourable habitat conditions, including submerged islands, rich aquatic biodiversity, suitable sandbars for wintering and nesting, and reduced fishing activity in the area.
The census was conducted across 21 designated sectors by 38 teams comprising 93 participants. Each team was led by an experienced birder and supported by forest personnel from Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, and Bargarh districts. To ensure accuracy and avoid overlapping routes, teams were provided with KML files. Birding experts from Sambalpur’s Chadhei Club, as well as from Jharsuguda, Bolangir, Sonepur, and Bargarh, played a crucial role in the exercise, along with participants from Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and other coastal districts.
