Best Places to See Migratory Birds in India

A protected area of land where birds are encouraged to reproduce is known as bird sanctuary.

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary in Karnataka

Ranganathittu’s islets were formed when the then-king of Mysore, Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar, erected an embankment across the Kaveri river between 1645 and 1648. These islets, which were originally 25 in number, soon began to attract birds. Salim Ali, an ornithologist, discovered that the islets provided an essential breeding ground for a wide range of birds and convinced the king of Mysore to proclaim the region a protected area in 1940. The Karnataka Forest Department now maintains the sanctuary, and attempts to develop it are underway, including the purchase of adjoining private land to enlarge the protected area. In 2014, the sanctuary’s surrounding 28 square kilometres were designated as an eco-sensitive zone, which means that certain economic operations are prohibited without the authorization of the government.

During particular wet seasons, when water is discharged from the Krishna Raja Sagara dam upstream due to high rains, the sanctuary and its islets undergo heavy flooding. Boating is suspended during extreme flooding, and tourists are permitted to observe the breeding birds from a safe distance. Over the last few decades, frequent flooding has also harmed some parts of three islands.

Fauna

Approximately 170 bird species have been identified. Ranganathittu is home to the painted stork, Asian openbill stork, common spoonbill, woolly-necked stork, black-headed ibis, lesser whistling duck, Indian shag, stork-billed kingfisher, egret, cormorant, Oriental darter, spot-billed pelican, and heron. The park is also home to a huge flock of streak-throated swallows, as well as the great stone plover and river tern. Ranganathittu is a popular nesting place, with over 8,000 nestlings spotted in June 2011. Ranganathittu is home to approximately 50 pelicans.

Starting in mid-December, up to 40,000 birds converge at Ranganathittu, with some migrating from Siberia, Latin America, and portions of north India. During the months of January and February, the sanctuary is home to around 30 different kinds of migratory birds.

Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary

Nal Sarovar is a Bird Sanctuary that encompasse120.82-square-kilometer lake with shallow waters (4-5 feet) and 36 tiny islands. The distance between Nalsarovar and Ahmedabad is around 60 kilometres, and it is located near Sanand Village in Gujarat. Nalsarovar Wetland is the largest wetland bird sanctuary in Gujarat and one of the largest in India, primarily frequented by migratory birds as a wintering site. Nalsarovar has been a Bird Sanctuary since April 1969, and it has been a Ramsar site since September 24, 2012.

The Nal Sarovar Lake is located at the lowest point between Central Gujarat and East Saurashtra. It reflects a former maritime link between the Little Rann and the Gulf of Khambhat.

This lake is home to over 200 different bird species, the majority of which are waterfowl that come from as far away as Siberia. In Gujarat, Nalsarovar Lake is a bird watcher’s paradise, with rosy pelicans, lesser and larger flamingos, crakes, brahminy ducks, purple moorhen, herons, white storks, numerous species of bitterns, grebes, and other birds. The best time to visit Nalsarovar is between November and February. Migratory birds, on the other hand, begin arriving in October and stay until April, but their population peaks in the middle of winter. The best times to see birds are early in the morning and late in the evening. The residents have kept a strict cleanliness code, and the water is so clean that you can see the sheval plants growing inside the lake. The sheval plant provides food for both the birds and the fish in the lake.

Nalbana Bird Sanctuary

The Nalbana Bird Sanctuary, also known as Nalbana Island, is the heart of Chilika Lake’s Ramsar-designated wetlands. In 1972, the Wildlife Protection Act designated it as a bird sanctuary. During the migratory season, thousands of birds can be seen descending in the park’s heart. The island vanishes during the monsoon season owing to inundation, only to reappear afterward.

Nalbana is an island covered in weeds. Odia is a language. It is a large island in the centre of the lake, covering 15.53 km2 (6.00 sq mi). During the monsoon season, the island is fully underwater. As the monsoon recedes in the winter, lake levels fall and the island becomes more exposed, attracting a significant number of birds to eat on its extensive mudflats. Nalbana was notified in 1987 and designated as a bird sanctuary under the Wildlife Protection Act in 1973. [1] [2] [3]

Large flocks of greater flamingos from Iran and Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch feed in the lake’s shallow waters. Lesser flamingos, Goliath herons, grey herons, purple herons, egrets, spoonbills, storks, and black-headed ibis are among the other long-legged waders spotted near Nalbana Island. The sanctuary is home to many bird species, including uncommon birds. Asiatic dowitchers (NT), Dalmatian pelicans (VU), Pallas’s fish-eagles (VU), the very rare migrant spoon-billed sandpiper (CR), and spot-billed pelicans (VU) have been reported in the lake (NT). [4] [5] Raptors observed here include the white-bellied sea eagle, pariah kite, brahminy kites, kestrel, marsh harriers, and the world’s most common bird of prey, the peregrine falcon. [4]

Many short-legged shorebirds can also be observed in a small zone around the lake’s and islands’ shifting beaches. Plovers, collared pratincole, ruff, dunlin, snipes, and sandpipers are among them. On the mudflats, you can also see larks, wagtails, and lapwings. Longer-legged avocets, stilts, and godwits feed in deeper water.

Moorhens, coots, and jacanas can be found in the lake’s more vegetated portions. Pond herons and night herons, as well as kingfishers and rollers, can be observed around the shoreline. Compact flocks of brahminy ducks, as well as shovellers, pintails, gadwall, teals, pochards, geese, and coots, can be observed on perches throughout the lake.