August 2008. A group of young people gathered in the intellectual premises of Chittagong University. Aim—To ensure the protection of wild animals and their habitats. This initiative of the students of the Department of Zoology Professor Md. Farid Ahsan liked it very much. Chittagong University Bird Club (CUBC) was formed under his guidance.
In the beginning, there were four-five members of the club. Everyone is a student of zoology. Now there are more than hundred students of different departments in this club. As a result the organization got universal form. The organization started with the aim of identifying birds, but now the scope of their activities has increased. Such as knowing and knowing about wild animals, creating public awareness for wild animal conservation, motivating students in animal studies, familiarizing with nature, acquiring proper knowledge about environment and life, maintaining mutual harmony, harmony and unity; Everything now falls under the responsibility of the organization.
Birding (bird watching) is one of the regular activities of the Bird Club, which is taught hands-on to new members. For this, on a certain day of the week in the early morning, the experienced members of the club go out with the interested members. They visit different places of the campus to see birds. He identified the identity by hearing the call of the bird. Discussions continued on topics such as how to identify bird species, which habitats inhabit which birds and wildlife, and how to ensure their protection.
Representing the university in wildlife competitions is another responsibility of this club. The Chittagong University Bird Club is very successful in that regard. A bird fair was held in Jahangirnagar University a few days ago. This was the 21st season of Pakhi Mela. 10 teams from various educational institutions of the country including Dhaka University, Jagannath University, Chittagong University participated in this event. Chittagong University Bird Club members team ‘Blue Napped Pitta’ and ‘Green Magpie’ caught everyone’s attention this year.
There are four categories of competition in the fair. Chittagong University Bird Club participates in two – inter-university bird recognition and bird watching competitions. In the bird recognition competition, each team is shown a picture of a different species of bird. They identified the bird by looking at the picture. Marks may be deducted for wrong answers. And if they ‘pass’, the other team can take the opportunity as a bonus. Chittagong University’s ‘Blue Napped Pitta’ won the first place in this bird recognition competition. The winning ‘Blue Napped Pitta’ team members are Nazmul Hasan and Syeda Ishrat Jahan.
On the other hand, two teams from each university participate in the bird watching competition. Each team consists of four students. According to the rules, a judge has to walk around the Jahangirnagar University campus for an hour and write the correct name after seeing birds or hearing bird calls. Chittagong University’s ‘Green Magpie’ won the second place in this competition.
Since the establishment of Bird Club, Chittagong University regularly participates in bird fairs. However, the participants say that this year’s event is exceptional for various reasons. According to them, they have never seen so many foreign guests at the bird fair before. Jahangirnagar University’s Jahir Raihan Auditorium was attended by the largest number of birders (also called birdwatchers, that is, those who watch birds). The auditorium was packed to the brim. There was a pressure to do something good in front of so many people. How did you get over that pressure? In response, Nazmul Hasan, the team leader of champion ‘Blue Napped Pitta’ said, ‘Our preparation was good. I practiced a few days ago. So after sitting in the final competition, even though I was under pressure, the question seemed easy.
Regarding the feeling of being a champion, the chief coordinator of the Bird Club and the apprentice researcher of the Venom Research Center said. Achir Uddin said, ‘I am very happy as the chief coordinator of the organization. The members of the club have kept the reputation of Chittagong University intact.
Members of CUBC want to spread love for wild animals and birds among the younger generation. They think that people will feel the urge to save birds only if they get to know the birds.