Migratory birds double in Hakaluki Haor this year

Migratory birds double in Hakaluki Haor this year

Arrival of migratory birds in Hakaluki Haor this year is more than double than that of last year. About 1, 26, 800 birds of 41 species were counted during a survey done on December 29 and 30. The number was 51,528 last year. A team led by prominent bird specialist Inam Al Haque conducted the survey under the Coastal and Wet Land Bio-diversity Management Project (CWBMP) of Directorate of Environment (DoE). He also conducted last year's survey during February 12-13 under the same project. This year, the bird watchers also found Bears Pochard and grey headed lapwing birds of rare species. The vast water body covers parts of Moulvibazar and Sylhet districts. Birds of different species found during this year's survey include Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveller, Graganey, Blue-winged-Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, Wigeon, Common Teal, Tuffed Duck, Ferruginous Pochard, Common Pochard, Ruddy Shell Duck, Cotton Pygmy Goose, Fulvous Whistling Duck, Lesser Whistling Duck, Falcated Duck, Gray-leg-Goose, Common-Shell-Duck, Indian-Pond-Heron, Grey Heron, Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Large Egret, Little Egret, Intermediate Egret, Purple Swamphen, Pheasant-tailed-Jacana, Little Grebe, Great-Crested-Grebe, Little Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Asian Openbill, Common Coot, Pintail Snip, Marsh Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Green shank, Red shank, Red-Wattled Lapwing, Wattled, Brown-Headed-Gull and Black-Headed-Gull. This correspondent visited Kulaura portion of Hakaluki Haor recently. It was an eye-soothing scene with flocks of flying birds chirping and fluttering, thanks to the government's initiative to create bird sanctuaries there. In the survey done in February 2006, 46, 712 birds of 49 species were found. But Spot Bill Duck, Comb Duck and Grey Headed Lapwing were not found during the survey in 2006. Spot Bill Duck and Comb Duck are local species or 'permanent residents' of Hakaluki Haor and Grey Headed Lapwing is a Siberian bird. Hakaluki haor is spread over Sylhet and Moulvibazar districts. Eleven unions under six upazilas of Sylhet and Moulvibazar districts cover 40,000 hectares of the water body spread in Fenchuganj, Beanibazar, and Golapganj upazilas in Sylhet district and Baralekha, Juri and Kulaura upazilas in Moulvibazar. About 70 percent of the water body of the Haor is in Moulvibazar and rest 30 percent is in Sylhet. In 1999, the DoE declared Hakaluki Haor an ecologically critical area as its natural environment with aquatic trees and plants like Hijal and Koroch were being destroyed, resulting in decrease in arrival migratory birds. To save the environment, the Coastal and Wet Land Bio-diversity Management Project' (CWBMP) is being implemented by the DoE. Md Shibli, assistant director of CWBMP at its Kulaura office said, guards have been appointed to protect Hijol and Koroch plants in the haor. A large number of aquatic trees have been planted and birds sanctuaries created at different points. Arrival of birds is increasing after the steps, he said. Source: the daily star

28 Jan 2008