Sun Temple, Konârak, Bhubaneswar

Bhitar Kanika National Park in Balesore district in an area of 167sq.km is better known as a marine park. The park with its mangrove forests in the rivers Brahmani. Bhaitarani Delta and creeks, estuaries, back water, accreted land and mud flats was mainly established to protect the saltwater crocodile and other marine inhabitants of the region. It was notified as a Crocodile sanctuary in 1975 and a crocodile breeding centre has been established by the Orissa Government.Mangorves are salt tolerant, complex and dynamic eco system that occur in tropical and subtropical inter tidal regions. Bhitarkanika is one such location of rich, lush green vibrant eco system lying in the estuarine region of Brahmani Baitarani in the North Eastern corner of Kendrapara district of Orissa. The area is intersected by a network of creeks with Bay of Bengal on the East. The alley between the meandering creeks and rivers, houses the second largest viable mangrove eco.system of India. Its 672 sq.kms. of mangrove forest & wetland, provides home to well over 215 species of birds including winter migrants from central Asia and Europe. Giant salt water crocodiles and variety of other Wildlife inhabitate in this eco system which form Asia’s one of the most spectacular Wildlife area.Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary was declared vide notification No.6958/FF AH Dtd. 22.04.1975 over an area of 672 square kilometers. The Sanctuary comprising Mangrove Forests meandering rivers, innumerable crisscrossed tidal inundated creeks provide last refuge to the already endangered salt water Crocodile (Crocodile Porosus). Besides estuarine Crocodile, the Sanctuary is rich in avifauna, mammalian and reptilian population. Theses Mangrove forests are good habitat for King Cobra, Indian Python and Water Monitor Lizard. A large number of water birds visit Bagagahan heronry which is an area of approximately 4 hectare. within the Bhitarkanika Forest Block near Suajore creek from the month of June to October. Most of the Birds are Asian open bill. Egrets. Black Ibis, Cormorants, Darters & etc. One of the largest nesting colonies of water birds in India is located in the mangrove forests of Bhitarkanika National Park, Orissa. Eleven species of water birds nest in this colony spreading over an area of approximately four hectare. A total count of nest trees and number of nests carried out in the second fortnight of August 2004 revealed the presence of 13,704 nests in 3839 trees. In decreasing order of abundance they are Asian Openbill, Large Egret, Little Cormorant, Intermediate Egret, Purple Heron, Night Heron, Grey Heron, Blackheaded Ibis, Oriental Darter, Cattle Egret and Little Egret. Asian Openbill accounts for nearly 66% of all the nests counted in the heronry. The count revealed a decline in the number of nests of Oriental Darter over the years, the reasons for which are yet to be ascertained. Seventy nine percentage (79%) of the nest trees were Excoecaria agallocha. Heritiera fomes, Cynometra iripa, Hibiscus tiliaecius and Tamarix troupii were the other tree species that were found to be used by the birds for nesting. Composition of nest trees, their structure, nest selection by the breeding birds and the association among them are discussed.