Rare Pallas fish eagle spotted after a decade on Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon
Chillika lake witnesses birds from as far as Central Asia and Europe every winter. Photo: By special arrangement
Over a million migratory birds belonging to over 180 species were counted in Odisha’s Chilika lake in the 2024 bird census report. The Chilika Wildlife Division conducted the yearly bird census on Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon on January 4, 2024. Almost 6,000 more birds were spotted compared to last year, including a rare Pallas fish eagle seen after a decade.
This year, 1,137,759 migratory birds belonging to 184 species were spotted at Chilika lake, as compared to 1,131,929 birds belonging to 184 species counted in 2023, said Susant Nanda, the principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife), Odisha.
Around 120 people, including ornithologists from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) in Mumbai, officials of wildlife organisations and wildlife activists comprising 21 teams took part in the bird count in the lake, according to the forest officer.
The Nalabana island or Nalabana Bird Sanctuary inside the lake continued to be the most popular destination for the winged guests. A total of 347,280 birds were sighted in Nalabana Sanctuary, compared to 342,797 in 2023.
Nalabana was declared a bird sanctuary under the Wildlife Protection Act in 1972. The island disappears during monsoon season due to inundation, only to emerge again post-monsoon, added the forest officer.
Among the pintail species of ducks, the Northern Pintail (218,650), Gadwall (156,636) and Eurasian Wigeon (140,322) were spotted.
The lake witnesses birds from as far as Central Asia and Europe every winter, with tourists and birdwatchers thronging to the waterbody in the season. The winged visitors started arriving in Chilika in November, as the lake presented them with a comparatively hospitable alternate habitat compared to the extreme freezing conditions in their natural habitats in Siberia, China, Japan and other countries in the northern hemisphere.
The wetland also offers the winged visitors an abundant feeding ground full of fish, prawns, frogs, snakes and molluscs, while also being located at a distance from human habitats, said the forest officer.
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