Bhubaneshwar:It is indeed a long and arduous flight for the Siberian Pintail.And a fatal one at that.They come during the annual winter flight to the warm climes of Orissa's Chilka lake.And they come from places far-off and varied.They include Shovellers from the unending steppes of Kazakhstan and the Brahminy ducks from the valleys and hilly alcoves of Ladakh.

But the pursuit of a spot of warmth in winter for most of these winged seasonal visitors ends up in the searing heat of the roasting oven. Every year many of these birds are systematically trapped and roasted for human consumption.With winter just having set in, reports of poaching of migratory birds from the Chilka lake are already pouring in. And the state has positioned itself into its favourite stonewalling mode,dishing out its standard response about security being tightened as more of these birds are being dished out every hour for gourments to sink their teeth in.

              In a recent raid, as many as 57 dead birds were recovered from three poachers.The haul included 17 Shovellers, 21 Gadwalls, 15 Pintails and 4 Cotton Teals, all variants of the migratory duck species.