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Hundreds of fledglings have perished, and many nests reportedly destroyed on October 24 after heavy winds and accompanying incessant rains battered the Bhitarkanika National Park as Cyclone Dana prepared to strike the protected area in Odisha’s Kendrapara district.
“Large numbers of chicks were born recently from the eggs of nesting birds. We counted 130,123 chicks from 10 species in 27,282 nests on 1,300 trees during the bird census last month,” Manas Dash, the assistant chief conservator (ACF) of the park told Down To Earth (DTE).
He added that the Mathadiaprasad, Durgaprasaddia and Laxmiprasaddiha forest areas within the park had become extremely silent after the reported bird deaths.
More than 14 species of resident birds like Little Cormorant, Median Egret, Large Egret, Little Egret, Purple Heron, Grey Heron, Darter, White Ibis and Cattle Egret etc, had laid eggs in these areas during the monsoon.
Resident birds lay eggs in Bhitarkanika during the monsoon. But in winter, migratory birds arrive to avoid the winter in far-off places beyond the Himalayas. The rich avifauna of Bhitarkanika’s mangroves can be attributed to the structural diversity of habitat conditions, added the forest officer.
Abundant fish in the river and creeks and distance from human habitation has made Bhitarkanika a suitable breeding ground for thousands of birds, Dash said.
Many mangrove and other trees were tightly packed together with thousands of baby birds. The nests were large ones and made of reeds piled loosely together, set on a foundation of water weeds heaped high to keep the eggs from getting wet.
“But the cyclonic storm destroyed many nests. So intense was the storm that many fledglings, including their nests, were blown away,” according to Dash.
Incessant rains due to the impact of Cyclone Dana means crocodiles and snakes could turn up unexpectedly in flooded areas in villages around the park and its nearby areas.
The human-crocodile conflict in villages around the park and its nearby areas has reached a fever pitch in the recent past with estuarine crocodiles killing 10 people in 14 months and 26 human deaths being recorded in 30 months.
“Crocodiles often enter the village ponds and roads during times of floods and cyclones. They prefer calmer waters and the wind and waves in the rivers force them to search out a quiet place on nearby land and ponds. Straying crocodiles and snakes pose a threat to human safety for which the forest department has formed 10 teams to rescue the reptiles from cyclone-hit areas. We provided nets, wires and other instruments to catch the strayed reptiles,” said Das.
There are 1,811 crocodiles in Bhitarkanika’s water bodies as per this year’s census.
Das noted that the forest department has advised residents in areas in and around Bhitarkanika to remain on the lookout for saltwater crocodiles.
“Crocodiles could easily be mistaken for floating debris. The forest department has been keeping a wary lookout for them. So far, there have been no reports of crocodiles injuring any people,” he added.
Meanwhile, Prasana Patida, the sarapanch (village head) of the Satabhaya Gram Panchayat told DTE that residents of cyclone -hit villages around Bhitarkanika were now scared to sleep in their rain-soaked houses as many poisonous snakes had slithered out from their holes after two days of incessant rain.