Chirping and sweet calls fill the air. As soon as dawn breaks on the eastern horizon, flocks of mynas arrive, and the whole area rings with their calls. This is the scene at Biswa Zaker Manzil Pak Darbar Sharif in Sadarpur, Faridpur. With native mynas coming and going, the place has become a bird sanctuary. Hundreds of mynas rush to people in search of food, creating a different kind of atmosphere.

Won over by people's affection, even wild mynas have overcome their fear and come close to humans. It is a rare example of friendship between mynas and people.

Atroshi Biswa Zaker Manzil Pak Darbar Sharif in Sadarpur upazila of Faridpur is now like a bird sanctuary. There are few other birds; mynas make up most of them. Countless mynas have roamed the area for a long time. Every morning hundreds come in groups to feed, and nature lovers come to feed them with delight. Local people also lovingly give them food.

On a visit, the red sun was peeping through the winter fog. The roads of Atroshi Darbar Sharif were getting busy and the crowd was growing. Hundreds of wild mynas flew down to the road in groups, lining up on power lines, poles, the tin roofs of shops and trees. Gradually, people and mynas filled the whole Atroshi compound.

Then a young nature and bird lover, Howlader Shamim Ahmed, scattered handfuls of chanachur and pieces of bread on the busy road. In an instant, flocks of mynas flew down from the power lines and shop roofs to join the feast.

Tanvir Tuhin, a journalist living in Sadarpur, told Jago News that this scene has been seen here for several years. Local shopkeepers and visitors have become the birds' friends by feeding them like this, and shopkeepers and passers-by at Atroshi enjoy the sight every morning.

Nature lover Howlader Shamim Ahmed said that because the birds are fed here every day, their numbers are growing day by day. "If we love nature and birds, nature will stay beautiful," he said.

Journalist Sobhan Saikat said birds play a special role in protecting biodiversity. Since birds do no harm, keeping them alive is everyone's moral duty.

Md Sobhan, public relations officer at the Sadarpur Biswa Zaker Manzil hospital, told Jago News that Biswa Zaker Manzil Pak Darbar Sharif was founded in the Bangla year 1354, making it about 74 years old. "There is a good environment for everything here. From the beginning, various native birds have been around all year. These flocks of wild mynas have mainly been seen since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Their numbers and crowds seem to grow every day. They are not seen anywhere nearby, but here they seem to have found their own world again."

Sadarpur Union Parishad chairman Md Shahidul Islam Babul told Jago News that much can be won in return for love, and this is an example of it. "A friendship and bond seems to have formed between the birds and people. May this bond last for years."

Sadarpur upazila livestock officer Dr Sudeb Kumar Das told Jago News that mynas can be tamed. "They understand human language and make friends with people. We should all come forward to expand their breeding grounds to prevent the extinction of mynas."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.