Muhuri Dam
The Muhuri river originates in India's Tripura before flowing into Bangladesh, where it passes through Feni on its way to the Bay of Bengal. At Sonagazi in Feni, a dam has been built to seasonally hold the river's water for local agricultural irrigation. The dam closes in early winter creating a large lake, and the sluice gate is opened before monsoon to release its water. During winter and spring, this lake, in addition to holding agricultural water, is used for fish cultivation, thus attracting many types of birds.
Muhuri Dam is therefore a destination for bird enthusiasts. It has long been on my list of places to visit but I made the trip only recently. Arriving there, I noticed that the lake's frontage is setup for tourists with snack stalls and hawkers. Nearby is a boat mooring site from where one can hire boats for cruising the lake. Tourists go out on these boats for an hour-long pleasure cruise on the lake.
For birders, it is probably best to rent a boat for half- or full-day. Since it was already 1pm – due to reasons explained later – I opted for a half-day boat.
As soon as I entered the lake I realized it is special. Off to one end, a large flock of black-headed gulls were sitting on the water. They took off in a hurry when the boat approached.
There was considerable fishing activity, as evidenced from the poles and nets which cordoned off areas from boats. Water hyacinth covered large chunks of the water's surface. Birds were everywhere.
A specialty of the lake is the (white) whiskered tern. Hundreds of them flew around, sometimes hovering over the water while scanning for fish, then diving swiftly to catch a meal. Sometimes they perched on top of the poles for a better vantage point while catching the winter sun's rays.
Groups of cotton pygmy goose rested among the water plants. These geese, at twelve inches perhaps the smallest anywhere, were once plentiful in Bangladesh; nowadays they are less so. Several other ducks were in evidence too, including tufted ducks and pintails.
Due to our late arrival we missed most of early morning's birds of prey, but we still saw a few marsh harriers. These birds glide low while searching for prey. Sitting on top of a fishpole was a majestic osprey, famous for catching fish. A large eagle, probably a greater spotted eagle, perched on a far away tree.
Perhaps the day's highlight was the Ballion's crake, a small, shy waterbird of the rail family that lives among the aqueous plants. Sporting an intricate, rust coloured pattern on the back, these crakes were plentiful at the lake, running around and eating vegetation. Having never seen them before, I was thrilled.
I would love to return to Muhuri. But here is the problem. Starting at 5 am from Dhaka it took me eight hours to cover the distance of 160 km. That's because the Dhaka-Chittagong highway had essentially become a parking lot. The drive home was another seven hours.
So, there you have it: a beautiful lake with a rich diversity of birds. But if you go, take lots of patience and water and food for the road. staying overnight in Feni and birding the next morning might be more effective.
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