Thousands of birds arrive before dawn. The people of Moddho Jaypur village in Uttar Jaypur union of Lakshmipur Sadar upazila wake to their calls. The birds come in flocks to Janeshwar Dighi, a pond in this rural area, and visitors are charmed by their chatter and flight.

After resting all day on bamboo poles laid across the pond, they fly off again in the evening in search of shelter and food. They have come to the pond in the same way every winter for eight years. The bird is best known as the lesser whistling duck, though locals call them migratory birds. People of every walk of life in the village are careful to protect them.

Janeshwar Dighi lies about 20 kilometres east of the district town. The pond, covering about 2 acres, was dug around 1800 in the name of the zamindar Janeshwar. The whistling ducks move about it all day, a striking sight.

Locals say large numbers of people come every day to see the birds, taking photos and videos on their phones and selfies. Many spend time walking around the pond with loved ones.

The lesser whistling duck is nocturnal and forages at night. By day it gathers in flocks around flooded paddy fields and large water bodies. It can perch on branches and sometimes nests in tree holes. Its body is brown and its neck long, its wings fairly broad, and it makes a whistling sound in flight. Unlike the larger whistling duck, the base of its tail is not pale but chestnut.

Local resident Abdullah Al Mamun said: "When people get up to pray Fajr, the birds begin to arrive. It is really the birds' calls that wake the village."

Shahid Ahmed and Md Sekantar said the birds are nocturnal. They feed all night and gather at the pond before sunrise, staying there all day. No one nearby ever harms them, and everyone is working together to protect them.

Gopal Das, who leases the pond, said: "Fish are farmed in the pond. For several years the birds have come here to rest, so I have floated bamboo across the whole pond for them to rest on. When floating feed is given for the fish, the birds eat it too."

Krishna Chandra Dey, assistant teacher at Moddho Jaypur Government Primary School, said: "No one harms the birds, so they can move about freely. Everyone here is very careful to protect them."

Lakshmipur deputy commissioner (DC) Rajib Kumar Sarker said: "I have seen the birds gathering at the pond. It is a beautiful sight. Birds come here every year. If their gathering can be made more secure and turned into a sanctuary, their numbers will grow. We will also talk to the authorities concerned about renovating the pond."

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