|
ridge. The
pear-shaped lake spreads across 1,100 square km, and has a
unique ecosystem with a range of aquatic flora and fauna found
in and around its brackish waters. Chilka is a vast and
picturesque lake and famous for rich bio-diversity including
the migratory birds and has been acknowledged as a "Ramsar
site".
Birds in the Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary
About 167 species of resident and migratory birds including
white bellied sea eagle, brahminy kite, spotbilled pelican,
barheaded goose, openbilled stork, spoonbill, brahimny duck,
wigeon, pintail, shoveller, ibis, stilt, greylag geese, purple
moorhen, jacana, heron, egret, avocet, gull, tern, kingfisher
etc. can be seen in this lake. Chilka is home to one of the
world's largest breeding colonies of flamingoes. Besides this,
the wetland provides home for endangered Irrawady dolphin. The
sunrise and sunset in Chilka are unforgettable. Other than the
birds, Chilka's shores are home to blackbuck, spotted deer,
golden jackals and hyenas. The lake is very rich in aquatic
life and its waters harbour around 160 species of fish,
crustaceans and other marine creatures, including the famous
Chilka dolphin. Prawn, crab and mackerel fishing are an
important source of livelihood for the local people, and
hundreds of small fishing boats set sail each morning to bring
in the day's catch from the lake.
Best Time to Visit Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary
The weather remains moderately warm the whole year round, so
come any time of the year except during the rainy season from
June to September. The best time, however, is from October to
March, when the lake is crowded with migrating birds, usually
at least 50-70 species. Pilgrims flock here in January during
Makar Mela (at the time of Makar Sankranti) to pay obeisance
to the Goddess Kalijai, whose temple is situated on Kalijai
island in Chilka Lake.
How to reach Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary
By Air:
Chilka is approximately 120 km from Bhubaneshwar, the nearest
airport.
By Road:
Chilka, Puri, Behrampore, Bhubaneshwar and Cuttack are easily
accessible by road.
By Rail:
The nearest railway stations are at Rambha and Balugaon, both
of which have train connections to cities as distant as
Kolkata, Puri, Hyderabad and Chennai. From both Balugaon and
Rambha buses are available to the lake. |
