A two-day bird census has found 40,126 waterbirds of 53 species in Hakaluki Haor in Moulvibazar. The count, organised by the Bangladesh Bird Club and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Bangladesh, covered 40 beels of the haor on 28 and 29 January.

Dr Paul Thomson, Enam Ul Haque, Omar Shahadat, Shahed Ferdous, Shafiqur Rahman and Tareq Onu took part in the census.

According to the Bangladesh Bird Club, this year's count is slightly higher than 2019's but lower than those of 2018 and 2017. The census found 37,931 birds at Hakaluki in 2019, 45,100 in 2018 and 58,281 in 2017.

Encouragingly, six threatened species were found this year. Among them were the critically endangered Baer's pochard, the vulnerable common pochard, and the near-threatened ferruginous duck, falcated duck, black-headed ibis, northern lapwing and Oriental darter.

Of Hakaluki's 40 beels, the most birds – 5,430 – were found at Chokia Beel, followed by 5,147 at Chatla Beel, 4,983 at Phut Beel and 3,305 at Baliajuri Beel.

However, Tareq Onu, vice-president of the Bangladesh Bird Club, said birds killed with poisoned bait were also found at the Haorkhal beel.

He said the census ran for two days across the haor's beels, which he listed as Haowabonna, Kalapani, Ronchi, Dudhai, Gorkuri, Chokia, Ujan-Torul, Phut, Hingaujuri, Nagaon, Loribai, Tollar Beel, Kangli, Kuri, Chenaura, Pingla, Poroti, Agder Beel, Chetla, Nama-Torul, Nagaon-Dhulia, Maichhla-Dak, Chondor, Malam, Phuala, Polobhanga, Haor Khal, Koir-Kona, Moaijuri, Jolla, Kukurdubi, Balijuri, Balikuri, Maichhla, Gorshikona, Chola, Padma, Katua, Tekona, Meda, Baya, Gojua, Haramdinga and Goaljur.

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