Migratory birds
November to February.
Anuragphotography — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ayush purwar — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Steve Browne & John Verkleir — CC BY 2.0 · Arunkm44 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Krupasindhu Muduli — CC BY-SA 3.0
Chilika Lake is the largest brackish-water lagoon on the east coast of India and the second-largest coastal lagoon in the world, spreading across the Puri, Khordha and Ganjam districts of Odisha, where it opens to the Bay of Bengal. Its main body lies about 37 km in a straight line west of the town of Puri, and its area grows greatly with the monsoon rains. In 1981 it became one of the first two wetlands in India listed under the Ramsar Convention, and it has been recognised as one of the best-managed Ramsar sites in Asia. Its water ranges from fresh where rivers flow in to as salty as the sea near the mouth, and about 200,000 fishing people from more than 130 villages depend on it. The lagoon supports more than 225 bird species and is a globally important wintering ground for migratory waterbirds, which gather in huge flocks from about November to February. Boats go out looking for the rare Irrawaddy dolphin, fishermen work among lines of bamboo stakes, and low islands and sandbars break the wide, calm water. The lake is free to see, and boat trips to look for dolphins and birds are paid. Mornings are best for birds and calm water, and winter is the best season.
November to February.
A rare sight.
Among bamboo stakes.
Odisha, India
November to February.
On a paid boat trip.