MUSHALPUR, June 17 – One who cares for the avian population facing threat of extinction can heave a sigh of relief at the sight of a huge number of herons at Barama in Baksa district these days. The all-pervading clamour of the monsoon guests sends a thrill across the blue sky over Barama market when they fly over their nests on bamboo groves and arecanut and coconut trees.
It has been a welcome monsoon phenomenon after over 20 years. Elderly people of the locality say “A feel-safe factor and abundance of food in the marshy surroundings may attributed to the choice of this place by the bird group”. A local resident maintains: “I can’t think of selling arecanut and coconut and bamboos as the groves provide shelter to these bird now”. The pleasure of watching the young ones has become a part of life, another resident says.
The species of herons seen here are cattle egret, night heron, little egret, large egret and median egret. The initiative of Baksa district administration headed by DC Dr Anowarudding Choudhury and Bijoy Choudhury, chairman, Pratiddhani (NGO) has served to booster public awareness which has transformed the locality into a safer breeding place for the monsoon guests in the last few years.
It was due to the initiative of the administration that Barama Police headed by the OC nabbed two poachers with two sackful of 65 young herons (most of them had died) and were put behind bars for three months in the year 2005. There has been no case of poaching thereafter.
Local residents have adapted themselves to the unpleasant odour hanging near the nests and are determined to protect the young birds fall from the nests due to heavy rain or storm. If the residents find them alive they hand them over to the NGO concerned for rearing. Thus, Barama people have deliver a healthy message on avian conservation.
