vaduvoor bird sanctuary

vaduvoor bird sanctuary

Vaduvoor Bird Sanctuary is located in Thiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu. The nearest city, Thanjavur, is located 25 kms from the sanctuary. Created in July 1999, the Sanctuary attracts more than 40 species of water birds like Ibis, Painted stork, Grey pelican, Pintail, Cormorant, Teals, Herons etc. The Sanctuary is a large irrigation tank which receives water from Mettur dam especially from the northeast monsoon from August to December. It remains dry from April to August.

Vaduvur Bird Sanctuary in Thiruvarur district, Tamil Nadu is a sure-fire treat for bird lovers. At the heart of this serene sanctuary is a large lake which lies alongside the stunning Sri Kothandaramaswamy Temple in Vaduvur. The forest department has created mounds along the lake shore and it’s such an amazing spectacle to see thousands of chirping birds roosting on the trees here.  It’s a truly unforgettable sight.

Vaduvur was located 25 Kms away from Thanjavur on the Thanjavur - Mannargudi state highway. The irrigation tank receives water from November to April every year which attracts a numerous foreign birds from Europe and America. The main attraction is the fertile wetlands in the region.

There are also numerous lakes which provide the most required variety of fishes for the birds. The sanctuary is free for Visitors and the government has provided basic facilities for an overnight stay. There are two towers located in the sanctuary for the ease of visitors. More than 38 species of water birds are found here.

Bird migration is a seasonal phenomenon and when the temperature escalates in Europe and in the North America, the bird’s starts seeing for a location that will be suitable for survival. The wetlands in this region are quite suitable for the migratory birds as it provides suitable environment for food, shelter and reproduction.

The farmers of this region also love the arrival of migratory birds as the irrigation water becomes fertile once it was enriched with the excretory of the birds. The state government had appointed officers for prevention of both hunting and poaching. Poaching and hunting is illegal and a punishable offence. The villagers were aware of this and a friendly environment for the shelter of the birds prevails. The small town is a good agricultural land and rice is grown in plenty.

Vellanadu Blackbuck Sanctuary

 Vellanadu Blackbuck Sanctuary

Vallanadu Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area of Tamil Nadu in South India created for the protection of blackbuck antelope. Located on an isolated hillock in Vallanadu Village of Srivaikundam Taluk, it is the southernmost place in India where a natural population of blackbuck exists

Vallanadu is the southernmost place in India where a natural population of Blackbuck exists. The Vallanadu Blackbuck Sanctuary is an isolated hillock with scrub forest in Thoothukudi Revenue District situated on eastern side of Tirunelveli – Tuticorin highway. A learned man would immediately think how the Blackbuck – dweller of plains ended up in hillock would. The whole plain area of Tamilnadu used to have large number of Blackbucks in the 19th century. The developmental pressures, poaching and agriculture has cornered them to four places now – Guindy National Park in Chennai; Mudumalai sanctuary near Masinagudi; Point Calimere sanctuary in Nagapattinam; and Vallanadu in Tuticorin.

Vallanadu Blackbuck Sanctuary is a scrub forest area that is spread over 16.41 sq km. This sanctuary is situated in the Thoothukudi District. Thoothukudi District is situated in the extreme southeastern corner of Tamil Nadu. It is surrounded by the districts of Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar, and Ramanathapuram, and southeast by Gulf of Mannar and on the west and south-west by Tirunelveli District. The city is also known as "Pearl City". Thuthukudi is a seaport city, which serves southern Tamil Nadu, including the inland cities of Coimbatore, Madurai and Tirunelveli. It is one of the oldest cities in India.

Blackbuck, Spotted Deer, Macaques, Jungle cat, Mongoose and wild hares are the fauna that be seen in Vallanadu Blackbuck Sanctuary, in plenty in this reserve. Originally Blackbucks were spread over large tracts of India but today the Black Buck population is confined to small parts of India, like Tamil Nadu Sanctuaries. The original habitat of Blackbucks is open plain and not dense jungles. On the open plain the black buck is one of the swiftest animals.

Flora

The sanctuary is a South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forest. The thorny hardwood and xerophytes: Dalbergia horrida (see Dalbergia), Dichrostachys cinerea, Vachellia horrida, Acacia planifrons, Albizia amara, Zizyphus sp. and a few Azadirachta indica, Dodonia viscosa[clarification needed], Carissa carandas, Pterolobium hexapetalum, Euphorbia, Acalypha fruticosa and Ocimum tenuiflorum form the undergrowth.

Fauna

Blackbuck, spotted deer, macaque, jungle cat, monkey, wild cat, mongoose, black naped hare, scaly anteater, viper and rat snake live here.

Peafowl, heron, stork, grey partridges, jungle crow, common quails, pied crested cuckoo, crested-hawk eagle, black-winged kite, curlew, lapwing, nightjar, sparrows, horned owl, and nearly 100 other species of birds are found in the area.

The blackbuck population is around 20-40. Thick acacia growth makes it difficult to determine a precise population count. The blackbucks regularly come out of the scrubs and graze in wastelands on the eastern side of the sanctuary. 

Vettangudi Bird Sanctuary

Vettangudi Bird Sanctuary

Vettangudi Bird Sanctuary is a 0.384 km2 (0.148 sq mi) protected area, declared in June 1977 near Thirupattur in the Sivaganga District that includes the Periya kollukudi patti, Chinna kollukudi patti, and Vettangudi patti irrigation tanks. It was declared as sanctuary in June 1977. This home draws attention in various migratory birds and species.

The small drainage basins in the sanctuary attract over 8,000 winter migratory birds and you can spot over 200 species of birds from Europe and North Asian countries. Vettangudi Bird Sanctuary is 51 km from Madurai on the Madurai – Melur – Tiruppathur Road, in Sivagangai District. The closest railway stations are Karaikudi (32 km) and Madurai (51 km). The best time to visit would be between November and February when the weather is pleasant and you can get to see thousands of migratory birds.

Flora

The vegetation of the tank is dominated by Prosopis; in few locations with babul and on the bund with Tamarind.

Fauna

Vettangudi Bird Sanctuary’s prime attraction is the thousands of migratory birds that make their way here in winter. The sanctuary is the breeding habitat for grey herons, white ibis, darters, night herons spoonbills and Asian open bill storks. You can also spot many local birds here like painted stork, grey heron, darter, common teal, spot bills, little cormorant, little egret, intermediate egret, cattle egret, pintail and flamingos.

This area of small drainage basins attracts more than 8,000 winter migratory birds belonging to 217 species, mostly from European and North Asian countries. It has also attracted indigenous endangered species including painted stork, grey heron, darter, little cormorant, little egret, intermediate egret, cattle egret, common teal, spot bills, pintail, and flamingos.

Oussudu Lake Bird Sanctuary

Oussudu Lake Bird Sanctuary

The century old man-made Ousteri Lake - also referred to as Osudu Lake - is situated about 10 kms from Puducherry town and has been recognized as one of the important wetlands of Asia by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and it is the most important freshwater lake in the Pondicherry region. The structure of the lake is complex - consisting of water, wetland/marsh and mudflats; it acts as the single largest catchment of fresh water in Puducherry.

In 1995 the lake recorded some 20,000 birds and in 1998 it went up to 25,000 birds of 44 species (BNHS, 2004). In addition to residents like Little Cormorant and Common Coot, Cotton Teal, Spot-billed Pelican, Spoonbills, White Ibis; migratory species like the Eurasian Wigeon were recorded in large numbers (up to 4600 individuals!).Various species of ducks, herons, cormorants, hawks, kites, darters, terns, kingfishers, lapwings, flycatchers were abundant.

Ousteri Lake has been designated as one of the important wetlands of Asia by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). Bombay Natural History Society has also nominated it as an Important Bird Area. The lake has also been declared as a bird sanctuary by Government of Pondicherry.

The lake, however, faces numerous threats. Dredging and de-silting by the authorities has caused removal of some useful weeds that the birds would nest on. Trees have been uprooted to make the spot suitable for a children’s park; only a few trees stand on the lakeside giving just a handful of tree-nesting birds the opportunity to breed here. The lake is also facing problems of poaching, fertilizer poisoning, plastic waste pollution and inflow of various other pollutants that also flow in from nearby manufactories. Motor and pedal boats regularly ply in the lake when the water level is sufficiently high and that also happens to be the bird season. A big hospital has been constructed nearby and a restaurant-cum-bar has grown ostentatiously.  Further urbanization, as has been proposed, around the lake will only add to the commotion and noise and additional pollution. Apathy and reluctance on the part of the authorities to run it as a real bird sanctuary are visible.

Although the Government declared it a bird sanctuary in 2008, no positive action was taken to match the declaration. The Government has formed a committee that will take suitable action and will look into rights of different individuals and groups around the lake. The authorities have assured us that all-out action will be taken to maintain the integrity of the lake as a bird sanctuary once all the formalities are over. We hope that the lake will see better days in the coming years.

The state of the Bahour Tank that lies north of Pennaiyar River, about 22 km south of Pondicherry is better as it has not been ‘developed’ for tourism.  As a matter of fact there is no indication anywhere to show that it is an Important Bird Area, either on the way or near the site. The water body was full when we visited it and we are told that more birds will visit it when the water levels go down. By March, however most of the water will be drained for irrigation. The field next to this tank is big and birds often congregate here. If this site is neglected it may get degraded and soon also become unsuitable for birds.