KATHMANDU: The ground floor of Nepal Art Council, Babermahal is filled with photographs of rare birds from Bangladesh and Nepal. The photographs of these various species of birds have been captured by Jalal Ahmed, an amateur bird photographer from Bangladesh.

Fifty photographs of birds are on display in Ahmed’s solo photo exhibition 'Friendship through the Lenses' that kicked off at the gallery on September 2. The three-day exhibition was inaugurated by photojournalist Gopal Chitrakar and Ambassador of Bangladesh Mashfee Binte Shams.

From purple sun-bird to green bee-eater and Kentish plover to Coppersmith barbet, the photos on display depict colourful rare birds from the two countries — 40 photographs showcase birds from Bangladesh, and 10 photos feature birds from Nepal.

Expressing the value of birds in nature, Ahmed, also the Chairman of Nepal Bangladesh Bank, shared, “Bird is an integral part of nature. To see the changes in nature, one should observe the birds. The increasing number of birds in certain area means nature there is in good condition. Birds are beautiful and they enrich our nature too.”

That is why he got interested in birds and started bird photography some six years ago. As such, to take photographs of birds, he has been to different places of Bangladesh and Nepal. He shot the 10 photos of birds from Nepal on display in Godavari, Phulchoki, Nagarkot and Pokhara.

“Bangladesh is a land of rich natural beauty and biodiversity. I believe this exhibition will contribute to our endeavours of showcasing an interesting aspect of Bangladesh to nature lovers of Nepal and other tourists,” Shams expressed at the event.

The exhibition is on till September 4.