At least two villages of Goalpara town in Lower Assam have showed love and care for nature by giving shelter to several hundred herons and cranes on the bamboo trees inside their campuses.
“The advent of the birds began about seven years back and we were surprised to see such a large number of birds in our trees. Our family love them and stop whoever comes to harm those innocent creatures,” said Dharsuk Rabha, a resident of Jyotinagar in Goalpara town.
Arwin Pandey, another resident of the same village, sharing his feelings, said, “We are happy with the birds. They are beautiful. Besides, they have made our area famous in the district and many people come to see them.”
The cranes and herons also perch in large groups on the trees of one Monoronjan Das of Bapujinagar village. The people of the area love and wait for the birds every year during March and April months.
“They normally come during the Assamese ‘Chot’ month, lays egg during ‘Bohag’ month and rears chicks and departs in the ‘Jeth’ month,” informed Biswajit Das, a local nature lover and journalist.
The areas chosen by these birds are ideal one as two large water bodies – Haheela and Urpad – are not much far from these areas which help them make nests and rear chicks easily.