Chilika: Ahead of onset of winter, the migratory birds have begun arriving at Chilika, Asia's largest brackish water lagoon, after three-week delay this year.

Varieties of migratory birds including shoveler and gadwall were sighted at Chilika, which is one of the migratory birds paradises in India.

The locals spotted the birds flying in search of food over Chilika lake this week.

Although, the arrival of migratory birds at the lake was delayed three weeks this year, the number of winged guests is expected to rise within a week.

Worth mentioning, thousands of birds far off places, including Northern Eurasia, Caspian region, Siberia, Kazakhstan, Lake Baikal and some parts of Russia flock Chilika by the end of September every year.

However, this year birds were not sighted at the lagoon and Nalaban area till mid-October.

The forest officials attributed the delay in the birds’ arrival to rise in water level in Chilika.