A Bird Lover’s Paradise

Watching birds is something I have enjoyed a lot ever since I was child. Around the year, quite a variety of birds land in our house’s compound and hence I had a good time watching and observing them throughout my childhood. When I grew older and got into photography, I started capturing their images and hence this hobby took me to various places in search of different types of birds. But one place that is perhaps my favourite birds watching spot of all is the Deepor Beel.

The Deepor Beel has been a treat for bird lovers at Guwahati and has been a getaway for people like me who prefer for some isolation from the noise and daily humdrum of the busy city life. It is the perfect setting where you have a huge lake, hills on one side, farming fields on the far distance and lots of birds to satiate your curiosity.

Situated in the south western side of Guwahati, the Beel is located on the NH 31 and lies between Garchuk and Jalukbari. The area is quite huge and a broad gauge railway also skirts on one side of the lake. The Beel was first made a bird’s sanctuary in 1989 and then a protected wetland in 2002.

I’m not the only one who enjoys holding a camera in hand and scouring the lakeside looking for exotic birds. While you can visit the Beel area any time of the year, it is advisable to go there during the winters. That is the time when several species of migratory birds come in for their annual breeding. It becomes quite a sight to behold and clearly the observers can watch these birds from a safe distance and learn first-hand information about them.

Ornithologists have recorded about 219 species of birds that can be seen in the Deepor Beel area. This includes over 70 species of migratory birds that come in during the winters.  During the rest of the year, you shall find several birds species like the egrets, pond herons, storks, cormorants and even pelicans. These are the birds that you will see roam among the water as they prey for fishes. Off the water, you will find several other species such as the red-vented bulbul, sparrows, drongos, hoopoes, woodpeckers and many more. Among the migratory birds that I have found to be frequent to spot are the Siberian crane, barn swallows, Asian open-billed storks, pied wagtails, yellow wagtails and several varieties of ducks and other birds. Because of its closeness to the Rani and Garbhanga reserve forests on the south, the Beel is also frequented by herds of elephants that come for an occasional drink and a bath. I, though, have never witnessed a single elephant during my visits there. Apart from elephants, other animals that can be found around the Beel area are leopards, wild cats, porcupines, barking deer and spotted deer.

The Beel is a source of livelihood for several of the villages around it whose fishermen depend on it. Boats moving around the lake are a common sight here as the fishermen throw their net into the water hoping for a good catch of freshwater fish. What is heartening is that overfishing is never the case here and the local people are also well aware of the need to preserve this rich piece of wetland to sustain the ecosystem of the area. There have been serious cases of land cutting, waste water disposal and land grabbing in the vicinity that has raised serious concerns regarding the dangers faced by the Beel’s ecosystem. Hunting and trapping of birds happens occasionally and more manpower is needed for the authorities to look into these matters. Thankfully, the local people realise it and have been active with several groups and NGOs to counter these maladies and keep the Beel fit for all purposes.

 

The Deepor Beel is very important for Guwahati and its surrounding ecosystem in the sense that it provides for a natural heritage to exist within easy reach for the citizens of Guwahati to enjoy. Bird lovers like me enjoy hours roaming along the Beel area and it is an easy way to connect ourselves with nature in its unadulterated form and experience its beauty and majesty right in front of our eyes. 

Meet the Rhinos!

The rhino is the pride of Assam. We here have the most sizeable population of the one-horned rhinoceros on the planet. We have a reason to feel pride over this magnificent beast. While we know that rhinos are found in Africa as well, there is a misconception among many of us that rhinos are found nowhere else but Africa and Assam. This is not so. We are hosts to one of the species of the greater Rhinocerotidae family that hold five species in total.

Many of us also think that rhinos are found only in Assam and nowhere else in India. This again is wrong. The Indian one-horned rhino is distributed in the states of Assam, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. In Bengal, the rhino is found in the reserved forests of Gorumara and Jaldapara in the Dooar region and in Uttar Pradesh, they are in the Dudhwa and Katarniaghat reserved forests. But yes, without doubt, Assam takes away the prize in having the highest population of rhinos in India. But again the Indian rhino is not found in India alone and there is a presence of around 645 individuals in the reserved forests of neighbouring Nepal, with the highest number being in the Chitwan National Park. 

Out of India, we are well familiar with the two-horned rhinos of Africa. These beasts are marginally larger than the Indian rhino and often have massive horns in comparison to the smaller ones of the Indian variety, which give them the most majestic look in the rhino family. African rhinos are divided into two species of the white rhinoceros and the black rhinoceros. These two types of rhinos dominate the African landscape and the white variety has the largest population of a rhino species in the world. The white rhino is divided into the northern variety and the southern variety depending on their distribution throughout the African continent. The black rhino is spread all over the continent.

Out of Africa, the continent of Asia houses three species of rhinos. Apart from the Indian rhino, the other two are the Javan rhino and the Sumatran rhino. The Javan rhino is very similar in appearance to the Indian rhino but is smaller in size. It is found on the island of Java in Indonesia and is on the verge of extinction. According to an estimate only about 60 remain, all in the wild. They are single horned and are considered to be a sub species of the Indian rhino, but their smaller size and exclusive availability on the Javan island has given them the distinction of being a separate species.

The last remaining species in the global rhino family is the Sumatran rhino which is found in the jungles of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. This is a unique rhino and has a seemingly different appearance from the rest of the rhinos in the world. It is two-horned but they are not as big as those of their African cousins. This is the smallest rhino species in the world and does not possess an armoured covering but a hide like that of a boar. Also it is the only rhino species that has body hair on it. Also, it beak like mouth gives it a distinct look from the rest of the rhinos in the world. This is also a critically endangered species and about 275 of them remain today.

Rhinos are a fascinating species. They are a force of brute strength and are perhaps one of the most well armoured animals created by nature. Though they may appear peaceful, they are known for being short tempered and are very protective about themselves and their territories. Even predators like lions and tigers do not dare to go up against them. The Sumatran rhino is considered to be the most docile among them and is not very aggressive in nature.

Rhinos have always fascinated me. I have always been awed by the presence of these magnificent creatures during my visits to Kaziranga and Pobitora. They are one of the oldest surviving species on the planet. Having descended from the woolly rhinoceroses of the bygone Ice Ages in the prehistoric era, the rhinoceros was once spread throughout the continents of Africa and Asia. By the end of the 20^th century, rhinos vanished from everywhere in Asia except India, Nepal, Java and Sumatra. In India and Nepal, they remain confined to certain pockets of protected forests.

Poaching is the single biggest threat to the rhino today. Kaziranga continues to witness rhino killings by poachers occasionally. Although their numbers have increased over the years, the continuous activity of the poachers is a major cause of worry. The Javan and Sumatran rhinos are on the verge of extinction and if strong steps are not taken to protect them then we might lose them in this century. The illegal trade in rhino horn has been the biggest cause of worry here and it will not be over till the governments of various countries take steps to eradicate this evil trade for good.