Jahangirnagar University Naturewatch, September 2008

Jahangirnagar University Naturewatch

12 September 2008

It was a quickly organised tour. JU has always been one of my favourite spots for a quick getaway. So, when the call for the tour came up, my heart leaped! My recent trips came in May and February in 2008. The February tour was a birding tour, but the May tour was a tour of Summer colour. This time it would be mostly a birding event. I took my birding equipment with me and left everything else back home.

Birdwatcher of Bangladesh (BoB) was the tour organiser. They are the most avid birders around here. Its difficult to match their knowledge and enthusiasm. Faisal Bhai of TTL Group in Flickr gave the impetus; though a little late at night on the 11th. But 5:00 in the morning?? You gotta be kidding! I would've struggled even if it was 8:00AM! But when I met one of the birders the day before, I got inspired. Why not give it a try? May be not as early as 5:00AM, but 8-8:30 would be manageable. This is the month of Ramadan. Other times would've been a little easier.


Bronze-winged Jacana.........


Rufous Treepie...........

Going to sleep after the late night Seheri and waking up by 7:00AM wasn't an easy task at all. Neaz Bhai was my travel mate; while others reached JU a zillion hours ago! We boarded the bus by around 7:45AM. The road was clear and we eased to JU by around 8:15AM. The birders were already at work near the Fazilatunnesa Hall. The large tank near the Hall attracts a lot of migratory birds in the winter. A lot of spectators also flock here to enjoy this marvel of Nature. But this is Autumn. And the tank was largely empty. Not quite actually. A single Bronze-winged Jacana was finding its food among the floating plants. This became my first victim. The trees on the northern end of the tank was full of many types of birds. But the single Rufous Treepie captured my attention more than anything else.


Asian Koel..........


Red-vented Bulbul.........

Others were moving south. So, I thought it would wiser to follow the experts. That way, it was possible for me to find the birds much more easily. On the way, we found quite a few birds and had a field day clicking. Asian Koel, Red-vented Bulbul and others kept us busy. The experience of others helped them to capture more shots more quickly. I tried to follow them as much as I could.


A couple of juvenile Asian Koels waiting for its Common Myna mother.......

We found a couple of juvenile Asian Koels sitting right beside the road. They were waiting to be fed by a Common Myna mother! Well, this is a species that apparently relies on other birds (in this case, Common Myna) to bring up their children. The Koels are actually bigger than their mother Myna. We didn't really get a look at the mother though.


An Orange-Headed Thrush moving around the bush.........


The ever busy Coppersmith Barbet.......


Coppersmith Barbet having a feast......


Indian Pond Heron also joined us at a nearby tree........

We proceeded and hit the jackpot! A single Orange-Headed Thrush was jumping around the bush near a big tree. Everyone readied their guns! This single bird also introduced the Coppersmith Barbets on that tree. This is a beautiful bird; very colourful. But its colours are extremely hard to capture. Its a very busy bird and is constantly moving from one branch to the other. The thick leaves of the tree provided the crucial cover from the sun and made our lives difficult. The shadows under those leaves made photographing these birds damn difficult. But the birders were persistent. And when I say persistent, I mean it! They clicked the heck out of those Barbets! I don't know how many thousands of clicks those birds attracted, but it certainly didn't prove enough when the birders literally had to be taken out of that place! I also found an Indian Pond Heron on a nearby tree; spotted by expert birdwatcher Zamir Bhai.


The juvenile Scaly-breasted Munia allowed us to go "macro" close!!


But they kept on having their feast........

That place around the tree provided more opportunity to shoot and made the tour worthwhile. The bushes around there had a whole flock of Scaly-breasted Munias. We went close. Closer! Closer! We went close as long as the distance was the minimum focusing distance of the lens! It seemed like a bird-macro! I wondered how could we all go so close to those birds, yet they didn't bother to move! One of the birders gave me the reason: "they're juvenile". They're yet to get their full training. They just continued to eat right in front of our clicking machines.


Indian Pond Heron looking around..........


Spotted Dove basking in the Autumn sun.......


The silver beauty: Kaash Phul.......


Some were just hanging in the air.......


There was a whole bunch of them.......


Some were drying their wings........


Others were reaching for the Autumn skies......


Some were trying hard to distinguish themselves from cotton!!

By around half past nine, we started to move. We moved towards the vast open spaces behind Mohsin Hall. The path towards that place was also not devoid of birds. I snapped an Indian Pond Heron and a Spotted Dove on the way. But what caught my real attention on this path is the "Kaash"; "Kaash Phu". These white marvels just bogged me down while others proceeded. I simply couldn't leave these cotton-like beauties without snapping. This is Autumn; Bengali season of "Sarath", and Bengali month of "Bhadra". And this season is characterised by those silvery white flowers. For some time I was wondering whether I would be able to get a view of Kaash this year. I can't complain now. The Kaash was at its full blossom there. Though the whole place wasn't flooded; yet it was enough for me to continue clicking. I fell behind; but with a very valid reason.

I proceeded very slowing; stopping on the way. By around 10:00AM I was at the big playing field and found the birders toiling away under the scorching sun. Some of them were crawling on the ground looking for that rare glimpse! I enjoyed their enthusiasm more than anything else. But I didn't have the energy to chase the birds like they could. We were all tired actually. None seemed fit enough to continue this venture under that kind of heat. Most of us were also fasting; so, thirst grew up to our tongues and made us call it a day.

We were all tired. But it was a great trip. We had a lot of fun and for me especially, it was a trip of knowledge. I was able to learn from them things that otherwise would've been very difficult for me to get. I came back tired physically; but mentally I came stronger; for yet another naturewatch, which may come pretty soon. I would keep my fingers crossed.

Jahangirnagar University: The Beauty of Summer [May 2008]

01 May 2008

As Jahangirnagar University (JU) is one of my favourite places for a quick getaway, I always look for excuses to pay a visit there; even if thats during the scorching heat of summer. During my last visit to JU on 15 February, I put Sakran, my wife's cousin, on Krishnachura alert! I told him to call me the moment he find the red flowers in full bloom. That being the case, Sakran all on a sudden called me on 27 April. I knew that I had a long weekend coming, starting on Labour Day. But I needed to be sure of my time; so, I waited until the 30th before I gave Sakran my full go-ahead. Told him to stay there. As usual, I looked for partners. But people were busy for the day, I had to stick to my own individual plan.

Original plan was to jump into the bus before 10AM. But the heat seemed too rough; so decided to start during the afternoon, when the sun would become at least a little tired. I boarded the bus exactly at 4:00PM and reached JU by 4:45. Scorching summer heat didn't give me any respite during the whole journey. Saw a few Krishnachura in bloom right beside the main gate. Sakran told me to come to his hall. Once I reached there, I found Sakran in the middle of an inter-batch cricket match. So, we waited until the match was over (Sakran unfortunately lost) and he got freshened up a bit. I watched the Indian Premiere League match for the time being. Anyway, we were on our way to walk around the campus by 5:15. The sun became quite bearable by then. We took a northerly route from Sakran's hall (Al Beruni Extension Hall) and went past Transport and Munni Sarani. It wasn't long before we started to find some Krishnachura on fire. The road took us towards the Vice Chancellor's house and beyond. The last part of the road was particularly fascinating. Before the JU School and teachers' quarters, we could see the road decorated with beautiful colours. We took our time to take photos as well as enjoying the beauty of nature.

Before long the sun set in front of us. A scorching summer day went down with the sun. But this is a place where one can really see the beauty of nature. Most would like to hide themselves from the sun. But sun is the reason summer gets such magnificent colours. Our country is blessed with six seasons. And before we go near the nature and feel it, we do not realise what makes this blessing so unique.

I boarded a return bus to Dhaka in the evening. The weather was no pleasant even without the sun. But hey, what would I except during the summer? And we need summer if we want the nature to bloom. We have to accept what nature brings for us; because thats were the beauty lies. This is one beauty man cannot create; at least for now.

Avifauna of Jahangirnagar University, February 2008

15 February 2008

Jahangirnagar University (JU) has always been one of my favourite places for recreation and recuperation. Can’t remember exactly how many times I’ve visited the campus. But its only been a couple of years that I’m carrying a camera with me to record some of the memories there. Had been lucky with friends studying over there, especially Saadi, one of my old buddies. His stay over there gave me the excuse to escape from the busy life of the Capital City. Even after he left the University, he couldn’t resist the temptation to give regular visits over there. And I always looked for the opportunity, though I went there only irregularly, compared to Saadi, of course.


Anyway, this visit to JU campus was a little different as I had a specific objective to follow, shooting birds. On Thursday afternoon, as soon as my previously scheduled visit to Tangail was cancelled, I started to look for partners to accompany me to JU. Unfortunately Saadi was unavailable this time; but I found a new partner in Riad, my wife’s brother. Also acquired the privilege of having a host at the spot; Sakran, my wife’s cousin. My wife had been my travel partner on so many occasions, but she missed this one due to her Masters exam.

Being less than an hour’s journey, JU never put any real pressure on me as far as hassle of travel is concerned. So, without worrying anymore, I woke up in the morning ready to travel. The first news came from Riad, as he fell ill and I was now on my own. I left home by around 9:15AM and took the bus from Asad Gate. The bus left me at the JU gate by around 10:00AM. JU campus is big and has a real flvour of nature to it. Its green surroundings, lotus-filled lakes, quiet paddy fields and chirping of birds take you to a rural setting, which we don’t get within this concrete jungle where we live. There are rickshaws to take you around, but I decided to rely on my feet, as I wanted to feel the nice environment of the campus more than anything else.

Did I forget to mention that there was a Pakhi Mela (Bird Fair) going on at JU? Oh no!! It was a Friday, a holiday. And many people had the time off to take their families for some badly needed recreation. The JU Zoology Department took this opportunity to introduce people the beauties the campus contains, especially during the winter months. Every winter thousands of birds migrate to the campus and make this place full of life. A lot of people do visit the campus during winter. JU Zoology Department calls these times Pakhi Utsob (Bird Festival) to promote the phenomenon. But this time BRAC Bank came up with the sponsoring and the event got some real promotion. It just shows how corporates can make a difference. This reminds me of the sponsoring that HP did during our recent Photography Exhibition to aid victims of Cyclone Sidr. The event’s publicity brought a lot of people there and gave the city dwellers a chance to marvel at the brilliance of nature. This was especially nice for children, who are passing their time carrying heavy bags full of books. These bookworms are unfortunate enough to learn about these birds only on books. But this event brought the opportunity to at least some children to actually see and enjoy what they had been seeing only on pages.






migratory ducks


Cattle Egret

I went straight to the lake that housed most of the birds. There were programs going on at the Zoology Department, but I was more interested to see the birds in action. I reached the lake by around 10:15AM. It was a captivating sight and had to close my jaws to be able to bring out my photography equipment from my bag. I set up my equipment and closed on the birds. These birds, floating on water, made a joyful sound that kept the gathering crowd interested. Although most birds were resting on the lake bed, some were taking an aerial tour before coming back to the lake. But it was when most of the birds left water together with a brilliant flocking sound and deafening chirping noise that took the show. The audience was awed at this fantastic play of these magnificent creation of nature. It was as if they were all going by one single divine voice. What a sight this was!! I soon realised that my big lens was not capturing the real beauty of this event. I missed my wife dearly as she usually does the video during my visits. This is an event that carries more value on a video than still photos. I was entertained by these birds until my real venture got started. Sakran reached there by around 10:30AM. He usually stays at the hostel on the campus, but he just gave a visit to his parents’ at Uttara on Thursday, which is why he reached there after me.

After a while with these birds, we decided to leave the lake for the opposite direction. As far as I know, JU hosts around 31 species of migratory birds every year. Of these 31 species of migratory birds, 28 are local species that come from different parts of the country. Local migratory birds throng the campus from the beels and haors of Sylhet, Nijhum Dwip and Chittagong hill tracts. Usually, about three species of birds reach the campus from Siberia and the Himalayas. A number of species use Bangladesh as a stopover to go on to another country. But what most people don’t know is that 128 species of resident birds live at the lakes and bushes around the lakes of JU, which had proved to be a safe sanctuary for the birds. During my previous visits there, I had the opportunity to some of them. Now I was prepared to find them, as many as we could.


Bubuli (Red-vented Bulbul)


Sat Bhaila (Jungle Babbler)


Holde Pakhi (Black-hooded Oriole)


Black-rumped Flameback Woodpecker (Bangla Kaththokra), Male

We headed for the wooded areas behind the Botanical Garden. The chirping reminded us that we were in the right place. Before we could realise, we found at least 5-6 species that are not commonly seen around populated areas. We noticed Bulbuli (Red Vented Bulbul), Fingey (Black Drongo), Sat Bhaila (Jungle Babbler), Holdi Pakhi (Black-hooded Oriole), Kaththokra (Black-rumped Flameback Woodpecker), Tuntuni (Common Tailorbird) and another two birds that we couldn’t identify. Apart from these birds, Bhat Shalik (Common Myna) and Gobrey Shalik (Pied Starling) were also there in abundance. The Woodpecker was a particular delight to watch as he flew from one tree to another and then jumped along the vertical plane of the tree trunks to show his acrobatic abilities. The Oriole and the Bulbul were also keen on showing their acrobatic skills. Sakran gave me a great help finding the birds. Soon enough Sakran proposed that we could go to another place where the woods are thicker. And off we go. We took a rickshaw and reached a place behind student halls. There were some young plantations that were quite thick, but prospect of finding birds over there seemed pretty low. We looked for opportunities to go to other wooded areas nearby where there may be more opportunities to find birds.


Kalomatha Koshai Pakhi (Long-tailed Shrike)


Tila Ghughu (Spotted Dove)


Indian Pond Heron & Yellow-wattled Lapwing


Cattle Egret & Yellow-wattled Lapwing


Lal Lotika Titi (Red-wattled Lapwing)


Indian Pond Heron

We soon figured out that it was 1:20PM and we had an empty stomach. So, rather than looking for the other wooded areas, we sat for lunch. We took our time to rest and then started yet again for the newer places. It was around 2:15PM. On our way we found a smallish wooded area that was looked pretty much barren. I noticed a small bird jumping from tree to tree over there and decided to capture it in the camera. What a pain this was! This was one agile bird and he simply touched the trees on the outskirts. He was never there on a single tree for more than one and a half moments. I took some snaps, but yet to identify the bird. As soon as we left that barren wood, we found a Kalomatha Koshai Pakhi (Long-tailed Shrike). He was jumping between small trees, quite close to us. I took the opportunity to follow him, as he was not as irritating as the earlier bird we tried to capture. He soon caught an insect and carefully displayed it in front of the camera before really dealing with it. Once we thought we had some good enough shots, we moved once again. This time we noticed a quiet lake in front of us and decided to head for it. We had a notion that as this looked like an isolated place, there may be bigger birds around here. We soon found a nice couple of Tila Ghughu (Spotted Doves) on a barren tree. They were nice enough to pose in front the camera even though we were quite close. The lake shore revealed, along with a lot of Pied Starling, a bright white Bok (Cattle Egret) roaming around. The Egret flew to the opposite bank, so I pointed my camera towards him. I was surprised to see that he was not alone on the other bank. He had a couple of Holud Lotika Titi (Yellow-wattled Lapwing), a Lal Lotika Titi (Red-wattled Lapwing) and an Indian Pond Heron with him. These aquatic birds were basking in the sun together moving ever so slowing. But occasionally they were making that graceful flight.


Pied Kighfisher


Magpie Robin


Fingae (Black Drongo)

All on a sudden we were amazed by the superb entrance of a Machhranga (Pied Kingfisher). He didn’t land. He hovered over the water and looked for prey. After a short while of hovering in different places, he flew away and never came back. We again concentrated at the birds on the other side. We wanted to get a closer look at those birds, so we decided to go to the other bank of the lake. Before we moved on from this bank, we thought we should finish off our business on this bank. There was a small cottage nearby with several trees closely knitted. We decided to go in. There were quite a few birds resting there at least for a while—Bulbuli (Red Vented Bulbul), Fingae (Black Drongo), Sat Bhaila (Jungle Babbler), Gobrey Shalik (Pied Starling), Chorui (House Sparrow), Doel (Magpie Robin), Kalomatha Koshai Pakhi (Lang-tailed Shrike) and another bird, quite close to Magpie Robin, but don’t know for sure what it was.

After finishing our business over here, we reached the other bank of the lake. It was already around 3:30PM. With winter light conditions, we had some one-and-a-half hour’s shooting time left with us. The other bank brought us very close to the Heron and the Lapwing. They few closer to us and gave us the opportunity to shoot them. They also made some noises while flying, giving us some idea about their voice. But there were more birds here. A brilliantly coloured Chhoto Machhranga (Common Kingfisher) flew around us, but eluded our camera. The same thing happened with Tuntuni (Common Tailorbird). There were quite a few Sat Bhaila (Jungle Babbler) that made a lot of noise together. Some Fingae (Black Drongo) were fighting in the air just like dogfight.


migratory ducks

While around 4:00PM we decided to move to the same lake area where we started. We wanted to end the day with what we started with. Half and hour’s shooting before the light faded out. That was it. The chirping brought us here and they bade us goodbye in that same vociferous way.



Left the campus with a lot of joyous memories and unfulfilled desire. I would surely want to come back here as there are many other birds that have not yet showed themselves to us.