The red light of the late afternoon sun falls on a vast sheet of water, where hundreds of migratory birds are revelling. On winter afternoons the banks of Nilsagar Dighi in Nilphamari ring with birdsong. Since the start of winter, migratory birds have been arriving here from cold countries.

At this time of year Siberia, China, Mongolia and Nepal see heavy snowfall, and migratory birds come to this region in search of food to survive. As in other parts of the country, they choose this safe spot in the north as a refuge.

The birds have added to the beauty of Nilsagar Dighi. They play there all day, sometimes flying in flocks across the blue sky and sometimes floating on the water. People from all walks of life crowd in every day to watch, and tourist numbers are rising.

Visitors say that with more government support Nilsagar could become one of the north's leading tourist spots, and they are calling for shops, food facilities and stronger security.

Rekha Agarwal came from Natore with her family. Praising the site, she said she would not have known such a tourist spot existed in the north without coming. The environment is lovely and clean, a place worth visiting with family, she said, and she came mainly for the migratory birds; the whole area is filled with their calls.

Kajal Agarwal, from Domar, said he was charmed by Nilsagar's beauty and the chirping of the birds kept drawing him back. "I think everyone should come here once," he said.

Saikat Islam of Thakurgaon first visited Nilsagar Dighi 10 years ago and has now come again, delighted by the arrival of the birds. "When I came many years ago, the area was empty. Now it has become much nicer and cleaner, and the migratory birds add to the beauty. But more security would be good. Since the number of tourists is rising day by day, security must be stepped up," he said.

Nilphamari Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Ghosh said several plans have been made around Nilsagar. A canal will be built beside it through a Water Development Board project, and various events will be held to promote it. Work on a boundary wall is already under way. Altogether, better things await visitors, he said.

Many legends surround Nilsagar Dighi. King Birat is said to have dug the pond in the eighth century to water his herds of cattle, and it was first named Birat Dighi after him. It later also became known as Binna Dighi, after the king's daughter Binnaboti.

In 1989 the then subdivisional officer of Nilphamari planned to modernise the pond to make it known as a tourist spot. In 1999 it was renamed Nilsagar after Nilphamari.

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