Chilika, Orissa - Decmber 2005

A Ramsar site, Chilika is the largest Lagoon on the Indian Subcontinent. Dotted with numerous islands, the shallow brackish water of this Lagoon spreads over 1200 sq kms. Situated on the east coast of India, Chilika originally was part of the Bay of Bengal sea. The Lagoon which was formed due to the deposition of silt is so full of fish that over a million birds find their way here during the winter months beginning from October. Here, they compete with thousands of local fishermen for their food. Satpada , a part of Chilika about 50 kms from Puri is home for the Irrawaddy Dolphins which is a major tourist attraction.

The Nalabana Bird Sanctuary covering about 16 sq kms inside the Chilika Lagoon is the best place to view birds. This Sanctuary is managed by the Orissa Forest Department. Several towers have been constructed here to view wintering birds which are mostly floating in the water. During summer, the island emerges as the water level recedes.

We spent two nights at Puri and visited Satpada on the 18th December. While my non-birding companions were out watching the Dolphins, I took a boat at Satpada and headed to a place called “Little Bird”. Though I came across several Gulls, Terns, Ducks and Waders, it was extremely difficult to photograph them as they would not allow approach, even though I did quite a bit of wading myself!

On the 20th afternoon we spent a couple of hours at Nalabana. 3 hrs drive from Bhubaneswar to Barakul, Panthanivas and then a couple of hours by boat to Nalabana Island. We had a fine lunch on the boat as we traveled to Nalabana. Again at Nalabana, the birds though numerous, were very shy and almost impossible to photograph. Please note that it is important to get prior permission from the Orissa Forest Department to alight on this island. They have a boat (no motor) that takes you to the tower. There is a guard at the tower at all times.

We spent two nights at the “Saga Eco Camp” on another island. Basic tent accommodation and very good food. My non-birding companions thoroughly enjoyed the food and the island hopping by boat. We even went up to the sea by boat on the 21st Morning! On a short walk from the Lagoon to the sea, I managed to photograph several species of butterflies near the shore. Will put some up for ID on India Nature Watch

Thanks to our contact for the Saga Eco Camp tour who made all the arrangements, we had a wonderful and trouble free time :

Mr. Ajay Prasad Pattnaik ,
SDA Tours & Travels,
23, Park Tower, 4th Floor, Unit-6,
Bhubaneswar – 751 001.

Cell : 9437006406
Email : sdattravels@yahoo.com

The birds were tough to approach and it was foggy all the time with intermittent rains, I did manage to get a few images though!

Please visit Chilika for more information.

Regards,

Vijay Cavale
December, 2005