Kamakhyanagar: To understand how closely nature, birds and human beings are related to each other, Nua Rekula village under Kamakhyanagar block in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district will be a perfect destination.
As one enters Nua Rekula village, he will be welcomed with a continuous yet pleasant chirping of about 10,000 birds. They have nested in ten large trees in the village.
If you think these birds are native to this area, you are mistaken. This time every year these winged guests come here for mating and laying eggs. And the huge trees in the village provide them with a perfect place for having their nests.
This season, these winged guests arrived at Nua Rekula village in June itself. Presently they are laying eggs. They will return to their natural habitats in October when the chicks come out of eggs.
These birds come to this village from faraway places every year not so much for the huge trees but for the love and care they get from the villagers.
The villagers treat them as their guests. During these four to five months, they make it a point not to disturb or cause any harm to them. Besides feeding them all through this period, they take great care of chicks if they fall from trees.
Meanwhile, Nua Rekula village has already earned a name for itself as a birds’ paradise. The hunters of nearby villages know better than to hunt birds here.
According to the villagers, the birds had been flocking onto a huge tree close to the famous ‘Hadajoda Kendra’ (a fractured bone care centre) for forty years. It has been four to five years that they have started flocking onto the other trees in the village.
Over the years, people have begun to believe that the birds bring good luck to the village. They believe, more the number of visiting birds, more prosperous their village will be. All the villagers take great care of these winged guests.
“Forget our belief about these birds being the harbinger of prosperity. The scenes these colourful birds offer us in mornings and evenings when they fly from the trees fluttering their wings in flocks are real and precious,” a villager said.
“Seeing them flying in flocks is indeed a feast for the eyes. The scene is to be seen to be believed,” they added.
“Beauty apart, the avian guests help the ecosystem thrive as they keep the number of insects to a minimum level. It helps the farmers of our village immensely,” another man said.
Tehsildar Sanjay Kumar Rout, also an ornithologist, says, “The seasonal guests mostly include six to seven varieties of birds. Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Middle Egret and Pond heron are the most noticeable ones. During their stay here, they get plenty of food here. Small fishes and insects are their favourite food.”
“The female birds change their colours at the time of mating and this offers a scene out of any of famous avian lands in foreign countries. They play a significant role in maintaining the ecological balance,” he added.
According to western region range officer Bibhudananda Mishra, these domestic birds have turned the area into heaven, literally. “The forest department is taking all measures to protect these guests from hunters. We are getting all supports from the villagers,” he added.
An Ayurveda practitioner Sarveshwar Patra says, “The entire area is filled with a distinct stench for four to five months owing to the droppings of these birds. That said, the villagers never drive them away.”
PNN
