At least two villages of Goalpara town in Lower Assam has shown love and care for nature and sheltering every year several hundred great egrets, herons to the bamboo trees inside their campuses.
On world migratory bird day on Saturday, the nature preservers have to say many things.
“The advent of the birds began about seven years back and we were surprised to see such large numbers in our trees. Our family loved them and stopped whoever came to harm those innocent creatures,” said Dharsuk Rabha, resident of Jyotinagar in Goalpara town.
When reminded of world migratory bird day, Rabha plainly said, “I don’t know that there are birds day too. But if it is there then it should be observed properly to bring large scale awareness. We should also have local bird festival too.”
Arwin Pandey, another resident of the same village shared his feelings, “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 egrets and Indian pond herons also perch in large groups at the trees of one Monoronjan Das of Bapujinagar village also. The people of the area love and wait for the birds every year during the March and April months.
“They normally come during the Assamese ‘Chot’ month, lays egg during the ‘Bohag’ month and rears chicks and departs in the ‘zeth’ month,” informed Biswajit Das, a local nature lover.
The areas chosen by these birds are ideal one as two large water body beels, Haheela and Urpad are not much far from these areas. Thus, this leads them to make nest and rear chicks easily.
Meanwhile, noted environmentalist Soumyadeep Dutta, when contacted said, “Besides the migratory birds, we should also be able to preserve and protect the indigenous birds. Because most of the endengared birds like white winged wood duck, large whistling teal are local birds. Our NGO, Nature’s Backon is campaigning for last 20 years for the preservation of indigenous birds and published book in vernacular languages to bring awareness.”