An entire village in Jajpur district plays host to nesting birds which arrive for four months every year. The residents consider them auspicious and take pains to protect them.
At first glance, Dhanamandal village appears to be a typical village with cattle, dusty mud tracks and small houses. A closer look reveals its unique feature; every tree in the village is covered by hundreds of nesting birds, and the whole village resounds with their cries and flapping of wings.
“This village is a natural sanctuary amidst human habitation for egrets, herons, storks, cormorants, darters, spoonbills, ibises and other species of birds. About 12,000 birds are nesting in the village at present. Birds stay from June to September. Since there are no forests here, the birds crowd the trees around the houses of the village. The birds return each year for nesting, since it is a safe haven where they are protected from any predators, animals and even human beings. The villagers look forward to and are fiercely protective of their winged guests,” said Basudeb Jena of hanmandal.
large numbers of nesting birds make a pretty picture in Dhanamandal. They are very attractive birds with huge wing spans and a beautiful rose pink color on the wings and shoulders. Storks breed in large colonies, and the nests are close to each other. In nearby trees, the pelicans have massive circular nests, filled with noisy chicks. It is a magical sight seeing them soaring and circling in the sky, alighting in the fields and tanks for food, and then back to their hungry fledglings, said Dr Suresh Chandra Dalai, a social worker of Jajpur.
This village is a prime example of people’s initiative and participation in protecting and cherishing the rich avian life that the village has been playing host to for several years, he said.
The passion and commitment of the people is a powerful reminder that conservation is everybody’s business and not to be left to star campaigners and scientists, said Sudhanshu Parida, an environmentalist and the secretary of the district unit of Peoples For Animal (PFA).
Watching the birds make and mend nests, collect green branches for building and repairing the nests, lay, incubate and hatch eggs, feed fledglings, guard them from predators, cover them with outspread wings to protect them from scorching sunrays and heavy downpour is a sight to behold.
The Kelue river flows near the village and the surrounding area is having few ponds and lots of agricultural fields and all these provide food (fish) for the nesting birds. Birds are visiting for the past 5-6 years and the number is gradually increasing. The villagers are interested in protecting and are nursing and feeding the orphaned birds, said Arabinda Samal, a villager.