The scenery near water lagoon Chilika in Orissa is looking breathtaking these days as the whole region is bustling with the chirping of lakhs of beautiful birds from different distant regions of the world.

According to a report, about nine lakh birds have arrived in different places of the lake.

Chief Executive of Chilika Development Authority S Panda said that more than nine lakh birds, belonging to as many as 168 species, were counted as present in Chilika lagoon.

The lagoon administration had conducted the annual bird census in the lake on January 5 this year.

According to the census, the number of birds in the lagoon has been gone up this year in comparison with previous year. A total of 8.39 lakh birds were counted in the annual census counted last year in the lagoon.

Panda further said that the population of the winged visitors in Nalabana Bird sanctuary located in the lake was also high up to 4.04 lakh. It was meager 1.98 lakh as counted in census in January 2007.

The bird congregation in Chilika lagoon is said to be the largest bird congregation in the country. Panda said:

The increase in bird population in the last three years might also be attributed to the fact that the Chilika ecosystem has maintained to cater the ecological and biological needs of different avian species coming from different places of the northern hemisphere.

According to the species-wise census, Gadwall ducks were large in numbers and leading among all the species with the count more than 1.69 lakh. The count of other two birds, Northern Pintails and Northern Shovellers, exceeded one lakh in the recent conducted count in the lagoon. The count of Euresian wigeon, common Poachard and common coot exceeded the count of 50,000.

The flamingo birds were counted less than 500 in 2007 but a total of 1624 greater flamingos and about 56 lesser flamingos were also counted during this year census. The lesser flamingo was not seen in the lagoon in 2007 census.

According to the report, so many rare birds such as Palla’s fish eagle, Pintail snipe, Brahmin duck, Bar-headed geese, Oriental white ibis, Euresian spoonbill, were also present in the lagoon this year.

Panda said that the increase in bird population in Nalabana island happened because of de-weeding of Salicornia from the island. The restoration of the habitat and construction of mounts supported by CDA also helped to attract more birds this year in the lagoon.