The Teals and Shanks

On the morning of Friday 12th January, I heard the unfamiliar bird calls coming from the pond. As I scanned with my binoculars, I found that these birds were the lesser whistling teals that were floating on the pond. But, in fact, they were enjoying a sunbath. The pond is situated near our residence and the three sides of this polluted pond is surrounded by human habitation. The remaining side is full of fields and between these green fields the modern trains pass with speed and loud noise. But now the birds have become used to living at a place called Maharaj Nagar in Lakhimpurkheri. This is the first time that these duck size birds have been seen at Maharaj Nagar. I spread the news quickly with the help of my father, and all the forest officials and a conservationist, Dr. V.P. Singh, gathered to see these resident tree ducks. Even now these aquatic birds have been beautifying our town. In the beginning, some ravenous fowlers, along wittl their fowling pieces, had been looking at these birds in a greedy manner, but they have gone away depressed because these birds are wiser than them. On 2 February 2001, at about 08.00 hrs., I spotted seven spotted red shanks foraging by probing into the mud with their bills. They were near a small tank and this tank is situated at a distance of half a kilometer from that pond. These birds along with many other water birds such as sandpipers, bronze winged jacanas, dabchicks, egrets, herons, cormorants, storks, etc., are also found around these ponds and tanks. The societies, NGOs and also the satellite channels like Discovery, Animal Planet, BBC and National Geographic, have been trying to save our natural and avian wealth, yet day by day our birds are becoming endangered. Please help save them before these winged jewels of the sky depart from the earth. Remember, we cannot survive in the world without these birds.

©Uruj Shahid