The annual bird census in Odisha's Chilika Lake, the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia, began this morning. According to sources, the counting began in this morning and is scheduled to conclude by 15th January  Over 100 people, including ornithologists, wildlife activists and researchers of different organisations, including the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), participated in the bird census in the lake. During this time, Chilika has been closed to visitors.<br />''<br />''This year, the Forest Department has adopted 'e-Bird' mobile application for the counting process. The app is being used to input real-time counting data, which will be accessible to everyone worldwide.<br />''<br />''Chilika attracts bird and nature enthusiasts, as millions of feathered guests from foreign countries visit the lake every year to spend winter. Sources said, in last winter's survey, as many as 11,31,929 birds of 184 different species were counted at the 1,100 sq km blue lagoon. <br />