Migratory birds census begins at Kulik Bird Sanctuary

Raiganj: A two-day-long migratory bird census has commenced at Raiganj Kulik Bird Sanctuary in North Dinajpur, the second-largest bird sanctuary in Asia. The event began on Sunday under the supervision of the Raiganj Social Forestry Division, in collaboration with several non-government organisations (NGOs).

The sanctuary attracts a wide variety of migratory bird species, such as cormorants, open-billed storks, egrets, herons, and night herons. These birds typically arrive around June — engaging in nesting, mating and raising their young — and depart around mid-October.

In last year’s census, the sanctuary recorded the presence of 96,917 migratory birds. Comparatively, the numbers stood at 99,393 in 2022 and 78,141 in 2023. This year, the census teams are optimistic that bird numbers will surpass those of the previous year, citing favourable environmental factors. Gautam Tantia, secretary of People For Animals, North Dinajpur unit, stated: “We are carefully counting all the nests present on the trees. On average, each nest is assumed to contain two adult birds and two young ones.

Fortunately, this year, there was no storm damage, and regular rainfall has provided the birds with ample food and a comfortable habitat…” Bhupen Biswakarma, Divisional Forest Officer of Raiganj Social Forestry Division, said: “Our sanctuary staff and NGO volunteers have been divided into small groups to conduct a thorough census. The favourable weather conditions this year have greatly helped in the growth of the bird population...”