A winding lake stretches across 22 acres, ringed by small hillocks of tea bushes and filled with water lilies. Many species of birds have made their home there, and local people know the spot as "pakhir bari", the home of birds. It is in the Sagornal tea estate in Juri upazila of Moulvibazar, about 10 kilometres from the upazila headquarters.
That day, after entering the estate at about seven in the morning, we met four or five women tea workers walking to work in the biting cold.
When asked how to reach the lake, one of them smiled and said, "Going to the home of birds?"
They showed us the way.
Birds among the lilies
The chirping of birds can be heard from afar before reaching the lake. Water lilies have bloomed on the lake behind the estate's factory. In the clear water, bali hans (whistling ducks), chakhachakhi (ruddy shelducks), bhuti hans, lenja hans, cormorants and many other species search for food. When they sense people, they fly in flocks from one spot to another. A bungalow stands on a hillock on one bank. Bamboo steps and seating have been built on the slope for viewing the lilies and birds, and next to them is a brick house with a tin roof and bamboo benches.
We learnt that the estate authorities have been farming fish in the lake for 15-20 years. Water lilies and some birds are there all year round, though more are seen in winter. Hunting birds and picking flowers are banned. People come from various places to visit, but no one is allowed in without the estate authorities' permission. Birds are most plentiful on the lake in the morning and late afternoon.
Estate manager Sujit Kumar Saha said the estate was established in 1838 and has been run since 2014 by City Group, one of the country's leading industrial groups. After taking over, the group stopped fishing in the lake to protect the lilies and the birds' habitat, and the number of birds began to grow. The birds lay eggs and raise chicks there, and the spot is a bird sanctuary.
Several workers have been assigned to guard the lake.
Source: Prothom Alo. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
Comments
(0)