The forest department’s cottage and the waterbody in Gosaihat. Picture by Anirban Choudhury

Alipurduar, March 15: A waterbody in a Jalpaiguri forest that was once taken for abandoned has now turned into a birders’ den after its recent revival, with the forest department setting up a cottage for bird watchers.

The waterbody in Gosaihat under the Moraghat range of Jalpaiguri forest division, 84km from here, had been frequented by nature lovers who for sometime had been asking for a cottage at the spot. Yesterday, the forest department opened the two-storeyed building in which five persons can stay for Rs 600 a day.

This year, birds like oriental white stork, grey-headed lapwing, gaddwal have been spotted at the waterbody. Last year’s census had put the number of species spotted there at 35, foresters said.

Rampant felling of trees in the Gosaihat forest in the early years of this decade had ruined the waterbody. But forest officials later decided to develop it as an eco-tourism spot. The nearest town is Dhupguri, 20km away.

In 2008, a watch tower was constructed in the area. A picnic spot and boating in another waterbody nearby had also been developed. Members of the forest protection committee look after the maintenance of the facilities and share 25 per cent of the profits. In the last season, in October, nearly Rs 1.50 lakh had been collected from tourists, the foresters said.

The foresters are thinking of extending the Gosaihat waterbody to attract more birds. Rasik Beel in Cooch Behar is also a haven for migratory birds, but thanks to a number of concrete structures and human interference, the number of visiting winged creatures has come down. So, the officials are not interested in constructing pucca buildings near waterbodies. The cottage at Gosaihat is an exception.

Manindra Biswas, the conservator of forests (north) who inaugurated the cottage, said: “The waterbody had been lying abandoned for long. We developed this spot to make it a bird watchers’ paradise and also to arrange for a source of income for the fringe villagers to reduce the pressure on forest.” Birds like dabchick, lesser whistling teal, jacana, commonmoorhen, along with a few rare like oriental white stork, grey headed lapwing, gaddwal are found in the area, Biswas said.

“We have stopped boating in the waterbody. Some migratory birds have become permanent residents in the waterbody. The area has already become an attractive spot for nature lovers and bird watchers, besides tourists.”