Winter is over and Falgun is here; the heat grows by the day. In a few days the birds will probably head back to their own destinations. At a glance they look like a flock of tame ducks on a farm.

They roam the whole of the pond. At midday they sit at ease on water hyacinth to bask in the sun, float on the water and fly about. They are not tame ducks but flocks of migratory birds, and they spend the whole winter here.

Sher Khan Dighi lies beside the Dewan Dighi–Tarapasha road in Tengra union of Rajnagar upazila, Moulvibazar, where Kartal and Rambhadrapur villages meet. For the past eight years migratory birds have ruled it, and their chirping can be heard as soon as you enter the village.

Locals say nobody in the village, from children to the elderly, throws even a stone at the birds. Everyone protects them. Because no one disturbs them, they keep coming back.

Around midday on Thursday (9 March), the chirping could be heard beside the pond, and several hundred birds were playing in the water. Many were floating; some sat on water hyacinth for a little warmth in the sun; others flew up and landed in flocks.

Harunur Rashid of Rambhadrapur came over as this correspondent aimed a camera from the south-east bank. "There are homes on all four sides of Sher Khan's Dighi. Everyone in the village cares for the birds and no one disturbs them. Our awareness and sincerity have created this natural beauty," he said.

Tuhin of Kartal village said the birds now come close to the bank, treating it as a safe refuge. "The birds started coming eight years ago. At first only a few came; now the number has grown a lot. They rest here comfortably by day, and sometimes some go to beels and wetlands at night in search of food."

Sadik Ahmad Dipu of Rambhadrapur said he had watched the birds for a long time and enjoyed their calls and flight. Killing birds is forbidden here, he said. At first some people were tempted to hunt them, but the village's aware residents stopped them, and since then everyone has become a guardian of the birds.

He added that Sher Khan's Dighi is very old. Because the birds are not disturbed, their numbers are rising, and they sometimes build nests on water hyacinth, lay eggs and hatch chicks. They will leave when the nor'westers begin. Three kinds are here: whistling ducks (sarali), bali hans and cormorants.

Md Rezaul Karim, Sylhet divisional officer of the Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Division, told Jago News they had visited the pond and there were about 2,000 migratory birds there. The villagers are very conscious about protecting the birds and do not disturb them, which is why the birds come so close, he said.

Rajnagar upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Farzana Akter told Jago News that she visits from time to time to talk to local people so that the birds face no trouble, and that efforts are being made for their safety and conservation.

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