Mangalajodi village is situated on the banks of Chilika lake in Odisha . It is Asia’s largest brackish water lake. It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds in the Indian subcontinent.
The lagoon hosts over 160 species of birds in the peak migratory season. Birds from as far as the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Aral Sea and other remote parts of Russia, Kirghiz steppes of Mongolia, Central and southeast Asia, Ladakh and Himalayas winter here. These birds travel great distances, possibly up to 12,000 km, to reach the lagoon. It is a freshwater zone with marshes, reed beds and rich birdlife.
What sets Mangalajodi apart is that every winter thousands of migratory waterfowl descend upon its marshes, transforming the area into a carnival as they jostle about with resident birds.
Located on the banks of the Chilika lake, around 5 km from Tangai, in the district of Khurda. The place has now become one of the most popular tourist attractions for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts from across the globe. The place has got so many birds that the government started Chilika Bird Festival and now the event attracts bird lovers, photographers, and ornithologists from all over but is dampened by the COVID-19 Pandemic.
This January , I took a short and quick trip to a relatively less popular destination in India, the Mangalajodi Bird Sanctuary in Odisha. Odisha is my home state and has some of the most beautiful nature reserves in the country.
Birders have long wish so as mine. I wanted to see Northern Pintail, purple moorhen , Northern Shovoler , Ruddy Shelducks & waddling duck . It was with this desire that I found myself on a boat one morning exploring the wetlands of Mangalajodi . This is not only the place for birders but also a Photographers paradise in Asia.
Being as a photographer i love here coming again & again. The calm & quietness of the place with addition to the songs of the birds take life to a different level. The true life is felt and experienced in such nature only. I had this love toward nature from childhood in me and wanted to always explore the heights of nature. This lake and places fulfills that for me.
Pitabash Patra , Wildlife Photographer & Lecturer @ Govt. of Odisha
