A bird at every step

Susheela Nair

As we strolled through a tree-canopied walkway, lined with tall bamboo and little-wooden bridges, the chirps and hoots got louder. On the way, we found large illustrations of birds displayed on trees. Boats ferried us within touching distance to the nesting sites. Situated on one of the three islets of the River Cauvery, in Karnataka's Mandya district, Ranganathittu is South India's best Bird Sanctuary. It is an all-season water fowl preserve and ideal weekend getaway.

The genesis of the sanctuary can be traced back to 1940 when Dr. Salim Ali, the legendary Indian ornithologist, stumbled upon this lush green belt while surveying the birds of the area for the Government of Mysore. Enamoured by the incredible variety of birds at Ranganathittu, he persuaded the then ruler of the region to declare it as a protected area for birds. On his recommendations, it was declared and protected as a sanctuary.  

The sanctuary boasts of two unconnected groups of islets along the Cauvery River. It is the western part that attracts bird lovers. It is home to hundreds of species of feathered guests, many of which come from as far as Siberia, Europe and our own Himalayas. Interestingly, the vast variety of trees like the bamboo, eucalyptus, fig, jamun and acacia also host a variety of woodland avian fauna such as fruit eaters, bee-eaters and also birds of prey.

We clambered into a boat and shades of green with reeds and grass greeted us. The scattered rocky islands, some bare, while the larger are well wooded, not only provide excellent habitat for water birds, but also shield them against predators, such as jackals, foxes and civets. Scores of birds use this sanctuary as a breeding ground and most breed in June. The birds nesting in the trees source their food from the fields surrounding the sanctuary. Abundance of aquatic insects and fish attracts numerous birds to the sanctuary.

many a wing 

The spectacular heronry of Ranganathittu comes alive with the flappings of colourful wings that descend from the sky between May and November. Four species of egret (large, medium, little and cattle egret), three species of cormorant (large, shag, and little), snake birds or darters, white ibis, open billed storks, night herons, pond herons, and spoon bills breed here at this time. In winter, migratory birds like northern pintails, common teal, marsh harriers come from colder climes of Northern Hemisphere to enjoy the excellent weather here.

From December to May, cliff swallows, large-pied wagtails, whistling teals, red-wattled lapwings and spotbill ducks can be spotted. Further away we found river terns and great stone plovers standing daintily on rocks. Birds like the river tern, though found in small numbers throughout the year, descend on the rocks in and around the river in thousands during the month of May and later leave the place at the outset of the monsoon. With a pair of binoculars we could appreciate and closely observe the plumage colours, features and expressions.

Art of nesting

We watched winged visitors building nests or plunging into the water and returning with a fish for its young. Open billed storks are found here throughout the year as there is plentiful supply of food for them in and around the sanctuary. Most of the species that nest in Ranganathittu Sanctuary are resident birds and do not migrate to any other place in any part of the year. An interesting aspect of this amazing water fowl preserve is the early commencement of nesting. Unlike in other places where nesting starts by the end of October, here the birds nest with the first rains of the monsoon in June. During the monsoon, all the nesting birds hatch. One can go boating and watch the nesting early morning. Though one can indulge in bird watching throughout the year but the ideal time is during the onset of the monsoons when the birds nest.

During the monsoon, the birds nest on the partially submerged barringtonia and kadam trees. Perched on these tree tops are innumerable nesting sites of birds like storks, egrets, cormorants, spoon bills, herons, ibis, etc. The most fascinating among them is the darter. In the middle of the river, one finds a big terminalia arjuna tree which is the main nesting centre of open billed storks. As we glided over the river, we sighted a large colony of fruit bats roosting in trees on the edge of the river. We had fleeting glimpses of the bonnet macaque, common mongoose, palm civet, etc. There were also marsh crocodiles basking open-mouthed, on the rocks along the river but as our boat approached, they slithered away. With sunset, the flying foxes set out in regular flights scouting for fruit-bearing trees, whilst the birds return to roost for the night.