Bhubaneswar: The annual counting of birds in Odisha’s Chilika lake, the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia, began from today.

As many as 21 teams with over 100 staff are counting at five ranges under Chilika Wildlife Division – Balugaon, Tangi, Nuapada, Rambha and Satapada.

According to sources, the counting teams have been provided with two-way radios (walkie-talkie), binoculars, GPS scales and cameras for The head counting exercise in Chilika lagoon, which is spread over the Puri, Khordha and Ganjam districts.

The annual counting of both the domestic and migratory birds which began at 6 AM continued till 12 PM.

The forest department of the Odisha government does the annual counting of the faraway guests every year.

Different kinds of birds mostly from regions like the Caspian region, northern Eurasia, Siberia, Kazakhstan, Lake Baikal, Russia and other neighbouring countries arrive in Chilika lagoon during the winter season and return back before the onset of summer.