Mangalajodi, The Birds’ Paradise

Bhubaneswar: It is winter and Mangalajodi, famous for its winged guests, is full of migratory birds. Nothing matches the thrill of witnessing the lovely avian species from close quarters here.

Mangalajodi

Mangalajodi is a village located on the northern banks of Chilika Lake in Odisha. This village, under Tangi block of Khurda district of Odisha, is 75 km from Bhubaneswar towards Berhampur. ‘The Birds’ Paradise’ hosts lakhs of birds in its marshy waters, especially in winter.

One can see the birds by taking a ride on country boats cruising slowly through the waters. The chirping of both the migratory and residents birds is literally like music to the ears. Some extremely rare and endangered species of birds lay eggs and raise their young here.
Local boatmen take visitors along the channels to see the birds. The boatmen also double up as guides as they know and can also identify all the resident and migratory birds.

Species

Around 90 species come to Mangalajodi throughout the year from different parts of the globe including the Siberian and Arabian countries. Among them are Purple Heron, Blackwinged Stilt, Brahminy Shelduck, Grey Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail and many others.
“There are around 200 species, both migratory and resident birds Mangalajodi every winter. Some migratory birds have become resident birds also,” said Bhagyadhara Behera, secretary, Sri Sri Mahavir Pakshi Surakshya Samiti.

“Glossy Ibis came here six years back but is now a resident bird. We have around 40,000 Glossy Ibis here,” he added.

Poachers turn protectors

The people of this village, who were once known as bird poachers, have now become saviours of the avians. The man behind this miracle is Nandakishore Bhujabal, a nature and wildlife lover. The poachers of Mangalajodi were motivated by Bhujabal and formed a bird protection committee called Sri Sri Mahaveer Pakshi Suraksha Samiti in 2000.

“We were all poachers. These migratory and resident birds were here at that time also. Poaching and fishing was our source of income. Though fishing was our main profession, we used to earn an extra buck through poaching,” said Behera.

“There was a saying in our village that if we do not give the flesh of a bird to a pregnant woman, she will not deliver a healthy baby, he added. But things changed when Bhujabal came to the village. “Nandakishore Bhujabal came to our village from Tangi. He inspired us to save the birds. He continuously motivated us to preserve these lovely creations of nature,” said Behera. “Initially, people thought he is mad as he was not thinking of our livelihood,” he added. Later, some people were inspired by him.

A nine-member committee was formed in 1998. Later, the number increased to 12. Interestingly, all the 12 members of the committee were professional poachers, who used to kill around 2,000 birds in a day. They decided not to kill the birds. Bhujabal took them to Maa Kalijai and they promised there not to kill birds anymore. Since then, the poachers have been protecting and taking care of the birds. They do not allow tourists to harm them.

Best time to travel

The peak time here is from December to January end. However, one can still see some species till the end of February. The resident birds however, can be seen throughout the year. “Birds started coming here in September,” said Behera.

Demands

“Now the state government has decided to take care of Mangalajodi. We demand that the state government should understand the effort that we have put in and the pains that we have taken in the last 20 years. The government should make a law for tourists and protect the birds. They should also give us some work for our livelihood,” said Behera.

Their demands also include forestation for the preservation of birds. “For us, tourists and birds are like God,” said Behera.

(All pics: Sefali Suman)