Dikhyaa Mohanty 
During this monsoon season, there has been a notable increase in the number of nesting birds in Bhitarkanika National Park in the Kendrapara district of Odisha. 130,123 birds from ten species were counted during the recently completed census, according to a park official. This represents an increase of 6,265 over the 1,23,867 birds that were sighted during the previous census in 2023.
This season, the Forest Service counted birds in 27,282 nests atop 1,300 mangrove trees. Only the birds that were tallied utilizing the direct count method are included in the census report. In and around the Bhitarkanika National Park, the census teams kept an eye on all the water bodies and mangrove forest regions in Mathadia, Balida, Laxmiprasaddia, and Durgaprasaddia heronries.
The rise in bird visits to Bhitarkanika National Park, according to Sudarshan Gopinath Yadav, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), is encouraging for the state’s bird conservation initiatives. Because of the rivers’ and creeks’ abundance of fish and their remote location from populated areas, the area is ideal for bird breeding. The Forest officer described it as a sight to behold, witnessing these birds build and mend nests, gather green twigs for nest building and repair, lay, incubate, hatch eggs, feed fledglings, protect them from predators, and cover them with outspread wings to protect them from scorching sun and heavy downpours.
