Baikka Beel is a wildlife sanctuary in the Hail Haor wetlands near Srimongol. It is a USAID-funded project. I bicycled there yesterday. Here are some pictures.
The sign on the main MoulviBazar-Srimongol road is to your right if you are coming from MB, about 0.5 km past Bhairabganj Bazar:
On the road I ran into fishermen returning from the haor with fish...
... as well as water buffaloes, whose milk is rich and flavorful...
... not to mention grandma who was out shopping with granddaughter...
...but this horseman was a surprise.
After about an hour of cycling from the main road, there was this explanatory sign...
...and an observation tower with incredible views from the top.
On the tower, Ujjol - one of the caretakers - points out some birds...
... of which there were thousands...
...and thousands.
Another view from the tower...
As I started back I saw the field was full of cobwebs reflecting morning light.
An excellent morning of exploration. My thanks to the sponsors and organizers of this project, which provides sanctuary for 98 types of fish and 160 types of birds. I will certainly visit it again, Inshallah.
sistunes
Monday, December 11, 2006