area all around the wetland, that contributes the surface run-off into this wetland, yet it has little effect on the hydrology. Water regime During monsoon period, specially during flood, the whole area get inundated as reported by the local people. However, in normal years, the spatial extent of water within this wetland varies from 2.075 sg.km. in pre-monsoon period to 3.15 sg.km. in post-monsoon period. Water quality The water quality data of Purbasthali Wetland, presented in Table, shows the excellent qualities of all the parameters. The water of Purbasthali is clearest of all the wetland studied by the visiting teams so far. Avi-fauna Oxbow lake is famous here for thousands of migratory birds coming here from far-off places including Siberia in winters. Hundreds of bird species (Birds of Purbasthali) can be seen here. People from far-off places come here for birding. Avi-flora The vegetation of the area () is portrayed by the arborescent species, for example, Simul (Salmalia malabarica Schott.), Neem (Azadirachta indica), Amlaki (Phyllanthus embica), Coconut (cocos nucifera), Khejur (Phoenix dactylifera L.), Tal (Borassus flabellifer L.), Bat (Ficus bengalensis L.), Asvattha (Ficus religiosa L.), Palas (Butea frondosa), Krishnachuda (Caesalpinia Pulcherrima), Am (Mangifera indica L.) and shrubby species, for example, ashsheoda (Glycosmis pentaphylla Corr.), Rajanigandha (Polyanthes tuberosa Willd.), Ghentu or Bhat (Clerodendron infortunatum Gaertn.), Kurabaka (Barleria Cristata), Gulancha (Tinospora cordifolia), Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), From Poachers' field to a Birders' Paradise On a bird watching mission in one winter morning of 1989, THE JUNGLEES (www.junglees.org), headed by the Secretary Mr. Raja Chatterjee discovered Purbasthali Gangetic Isle complex - tucked away in the remote course of river Ganga. It was a Mission Apocalypse. In a day-long sailing sojourn, THE JUNGLEES beheld flocks of Migratory Waterfowls aptly transforming the whole region a fair ground of feathered guests. Their booty was rich with a mammoth check-list of 102 species of water birds and arboreal glittered with Baikal Teals, Spoon Bills- nowhere could be seen in Bengal. This wintering ground located on geographic co-ordinates of 23.25N & 88.22E is essentially a cluster of riverine isle scattered over a 20 km long stretch on Ganga that flows forming oxbows, bordering the populace of Mayapur in the east and Purbasthali in the west in districts of Nadia and Burdwan. Their subsequent surveys and interactions with local villagers soon revealed that each winter countless ducks fall prey to meta hungry poachers' gun, leading to the economics of seasonal