Community awareness restores Jatinga’s birdlife; rare Tiger bitterns sighted after 9 yrs

Haflong, Oct. 16: After a gap of nine years, tiger bitterns were sighted here again during the seasonal mysterious bird suicide phenomenon at Jatinga. This was possible, perhaps, due to the increasing awareness among the masses about the protection of birds in the area.

The mysterious bird suicide phenomenon has made Jatinga, only 7 km away from Haflong, the district headquarters of Dima Hasao in the State, world famous for the peculiar behaviour of migratory birds that occurs from September to November. The arrival of the birds, mostly Indian pittas, kingfishers of two varieties, common moorhens, drangos, and green pigeons began recently during evening hours as the weather condition was favourable for them.

The birds are young and they belong to the current year's brood. None of these birds are found to be resident birds of Jatinga. Birds come on heavy foggy, drizzling, moonless nights flying against the wind when it blows from the south-west to the north-east direction. Significantly, absence of even one of these conditions results in non-appearance of the birds.

The birds, mostly aquatic and coming from various places, throng a few locations near Jatinga. Though there has been a marked fall in the number of visiting birds due to environmental and climatic change, but the enthusiasm of the bird lovers is still there to witness this peculiar phenomenon.

The same phenomenon is also observed at Doiheng village located on old Haflong-Silchar Road via Retzuol, some 25 km away from Haflong, where a record number of birds visited this year.

The gaonburha Doiheng, Ruothlal Hmar, said they came to know about this peculiar bird phenomenon long ago, but people were not aware of the importance of preservation and protection of these birds. Now, as the forest department has organised awareness campaigns among the villagers, and pleaded with them not to harm these birds, no villagers are harming the birds these days.

Hmar has also appealed to the villagers not to cause any harm to these visiting winged guests of Doiheng. He also requested the authorities concerned to establish a bird watch tower at Doiheng for the benefit of tourists making the village a major tourists' destination in days to come. Tuhin Langthasa, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), West Division said that the forest department is committed to protect and preserve these visiting winged guests and continuing the patrolling during the entire season so that no one can cause any harm to them.

Regarding the sighting of tiger bitterns after nine years, he said that it is very encouraging that some rare and endangered birds, including tiger bitterns are being sighted at Jatinga which proves that people are very much aware of the importance of preservation and protection of birds at Jatinga and Doiheng.

- By Anup Biswas