A visit to a bird sanctuary

People often go to visit places of their interest like zoo , hill-stations, sea-shores etc. but our teacher one day made a plan to visit a Bird Sanctuary . It sounded
quite thrilling to us because it was a very unusual type of visit . Of late I have been participating in the different nature related activities , quizzes, nature trails,
poster competitions , walks , programmes etc. so I got selected for the visit . I was overjoyed and felt on top of the world as it was going to be a completely
different experience for us . On 5th November ,2012 at 7 am we were to meet at the school premises from where it was over to our teacher . About after forty
minutes drive we were at the “CHINTAMANI KAR BIRD SANCTUARY” in Narendrapur , Kolkata .It Is one of the most oldest Bird sanctuaries in Kolkata
and situated away from the hustle and bustle of the city . As we entered the sanctuary the pristine greenery of the place made us speechless because in cities
only we can see the highrises,malls,multiplexes and lots of vehicles running everywhere .

The huge trees , the dense foliage and the silence thrilled us all. We were filled with inquisitiveness and the strong desire to explore . Slowly we were escorted
into the sanctuary and then it was never before . Beautiful trees , creepers , canopies, different variety of Butterflies , Moths, Birds ,Squirrels and other beauties
of nature greeted us . As we headed inside , we got the glimpses of a Black Drongo , some Red – Vented Bulbuls , a Black –Headed Oreol ,Purple Heron ,
Common Sparrows , Cormorants etc. Our teacher spotted the common Kingfisher targeting his breakfast delights . The interior of the sanctuary resembled
dense forest . After exploring the sanctuary we realised how beautiful nature is and what I had been missing .There was also a small lake which was centrally
located .

There in the lake were Lesser Whistling Ducks , Pochards and other aquatic birds. Soon it was time to return . We came back to school with the fond memories
of the visit . The visit to the sanctuary was not only a new experience for us but also very enriching . Some experiences are like waves which come and pass by
but some leave an indelible mark on our minds and my experience of the visit is one of them. I would like to thank our school for providing us such good
opportunities and hope to have some more like this in near future.