Mangalajodi :- A Paradise for Avian Fauna

Tripoto
Photo of Mangalajodi :- A Paradise for Avian Fauna by Rohit chhantbar
Day 1

Mangalajodi

I have been yearning for years to visit Magalajodi and listen to its stories from the people. A genuine thanks to Subha Sudarshan Nayak, Saswat Dalai and Samiksha Nayak that made this trip possible. We started from Bhubaneswar at 6:00 AM. It was a 2hr 45 minutes drive. There wasn't much human activities that time around. Reserved a boat for three hours. It cost us 1200, 4 Passengers, A Guide and a Boat Man. They provided us with binoculars and a bird guide book as we all stepped on the boat. Our journey, through this wetland - the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia - was enchanting.

Transformation of Mangalajodi

Once when the villagers were poachers, number of birds were very less. And now the villagers realized the value of the birds and they became the conservationists. During day time they work as birding guides , boatman and hospitality staff. They realized that protecting the bird is their primary source of lively hood . Now they treat the birds who come from far corner of the world, gradually birds also have noticed the transformation. To a birder Mangalajodi is a heaven for photography. A magnificent place to visit and spend some time in wetland. There are so many migrant and local birds in just one place that for a birder it’s worth a visit. One will get all the birds at eye level sitting on a hand paddled canoe.

Heaven of Birds

The birds one will see here is Common greenshank , Open bill stock, Purple moorhen, Black winged stilt, Little wood sandpiper, Black tailed godwit, Purple heron, Cormorant, Pheasant tailed jacana, Bronzed winged jacana, Marsh sandpiper, White breasted waterhen ,  Red wattled lapwing, Little grib, White bellied sea eagle, Whiskered tern, Brahmini kite, Yellow wagtail, Pygmi goose, Ruddy shelduck & many more

How to go

Nearest railway station of Mangalajodi is Balugaon. Many trains from Howrah station of Kolkata stop here. From Balugaon it is 30 Km. journey to Mangalajodi. One can also take a flight to Bhubaneswar, Mangalajodi is only 2 hours drive. Best time to visit is November to February to see migratory birds.

Some of the pictures which we clicked at Mangalajodi wetland.

By :- Rohit chhantbar
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References :- Wikipedia

Group of Northern pintail

Photo of Mangalajodi, Odisha, India by Rohit chhantbar

Black-winged stilt The black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is a widely distributed very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family (Recurvirostridae).

Photo of Mangalajodi, Odisha, India by Rohit chhantbar

Pied kingfisher The pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) is a species of water kingfisher widely distributed across Africa and Asia.

Photo of Mangalajodi, Odisha, India by Rohit chhantbar

Red-wattled lapwing The Red-wattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus) is an Asian lapwing or large plover, a wader in the family Charadriidae.

Photo of Mangalajodi, Odisha, India by Rohit chhantbar

Black-tailed godwit The black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa) is a large, long-legged, long-billed shorebird first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.

Photo of Mangalajodi, Odisha, India by Rohit chhantbar

Pheasant-tailed jacana The pheasant-tailed jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus) is a jacana in the monotypic genus Hydrophasianus.

Photo of Mangalajodi, Odisha, India by Rohit chhantbar

The pintail or northern pintail (Anas acuta) is a duck with wide geographic distribution that breeds in the northern areas of Europe, Asia and North America. It is migratory and winters south of its breeding range to the equator.

Photo of Mangalajodi, Odisha, India by Rohit chhantbar

Common sandpiper The common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) is a small Palearctic wader. This bird and its American sister species, the spotted sandpiper (A. macularia), make up the genus Actitis

Photo of Mangalajodi, Odisha, India by Rohit chhantbar

Common greenshank The common greenshank (Tringa nebularia) is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae, the typical waders.

Photo of Mangalajodi, Odisha, India by Rohit chhantbar

Whiskered tern ( Winter plumage ) The whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida) is a tern in the family Laridae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek khelidonios, "swallow-like", from khelidon, "swallow".

Photo of Mangalajodi, Odisha, India by Rohit chhantbar

Black-headed ibis The black-headed ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus), also known as the Oriental white ibis, Indian white ibis, and black-necked ibis, is a species of wading bird of the ibis family

Photo of Mangalajodi, Odisha, India by Rohit chhantbar

Asian openbill stork The Asian openbill or Asian openbill stork (Anastomus oscitans) is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. This distinctive stork is found mainly in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.

Photo of Mangalajodi, Odisha, India by Rohit chhantbar

Bronze-winged jacana The bronze-winged jacana (Metopidius indicus) is a wader in the family Jacanidae. Like other jacanas it forages on lilies and other floating aquatic vegetation, the long feet spreading out its weight and preventing sinking. 

Photo of Mangalajodi, Odisha, India by Rohit chhantbar

Glossy ibis The glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae.

Photo of Mangalajodi, Odisha, India by Rohit chhantbar

Black-tailed godwit The black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa) is a large, long-legged, long-billed shorebird first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is a member of the godwit genus, Limosa.

Photo of Mangalajodi, Odisha, India by Rohit chhantbar

Ruddy shelduck The ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea), known in India as the Brahminy duck, is a member of the family Anatidae.

Photo of Mangalajodi, Odisha, India by Rohit chhantbar