Jharsuguda : Hundreds of Asian Openbill Storks birds have started nesting at Jhadeswar Temple in the industrial town Jharsuguda. Every year, these Stork birds arrive at the sacred grove of Jhadeswar Temple, lay eggs, and raise their chicks.
The sacred groove of Jhadeswar temple is away from town and has a very peaceful environment, where these Asian Openbill Stork birds come in large numbers and setups colonies of nests around the trees. These tall and majestic birds arrive here during the month of May and remain here till September till they raise their chicks.
Openbill Stork is considered not to be a migratory bird, but rather a resident bird that lives close to water bodies and paddy fields. The stork is easily identified by its open beak – a hollow between the two mandibles that helps them grasp their main food, snails. This bird is very helpful to farmers as it feeds on Snails which are very destructive to agriculture & vegetable crops.
Jharsuguda Wildlife enthusiast and Bird Lover Asish Shukla said, “This year the numbers of the nesting of Open Bill Stork have increased. This year more than 200 nests have been present at the Jhadeswar Temple. These birds have been visiting this place for many years. They usually come down here during Akshaya Tritiya in large numbers. They build their nest in the trees located in the Jhadeswar temple, lay eggs and raise their chicks and go to another place in September. Usually, Bird plays a very crucial role in our environment, they are also considered indicators of a healthy environment. We should always focus on bird conservation by building a small microhabitat. I would request everyone to come forward and conserve birds, which play a vital role in our life.”
