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Open-billed
stork, Darter, Spoonbill, White lbris, Night Herons, Grebes,
Grey Pelican, Garganey Teals, Shovellers, Pintails, Stilts,
Sandpipers come here from Siberia, Australia, Pakistan and Sri
Lanka for nesting and breeding. Some of the resident birds of
this sanctuary are Coots, Moorhen and Tern. About 115 species
of birds can be seen in this sanctuary. The best time to see
the birds is between 3 to 6 pm.
Bird Sanctuaries in
West Bengal
Sunderbans
National
Park
The Sunderbans National Park lies south of Kolkata, where the
Ganga with its various tributaries form the largest delta of
the world. Piyali, 70 kms from Calcutta via Dosarhat is the
gateway to the Sunderbans. Sunderbans means the beautiful
forests and derives its name from the words Sundari and ban,
which means “the forests of sundari” or mangrove trees.
Sunderbans is mainly covered by mangrove forests and vast
saline mud flats and covers an area over 2500 square km in the
Ganga-Brahmaputra delta and spread across to Bangladesh. The
Sunderbans was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in
1997. The Sunderbans are the largest estuarine forests in the
world. This tiger and biosphere reserve still preserves the
natural habitat of 200 or more Royal Bengal Tigers. Besides
Tiger, Spotted deer, jungle cat, fishing cat, Indian fox,
mongoose, spotted deer, wild pig, Indian flying fox, wild
boar, small Indian civet, Gangetic dolphin, rhesus monkey,
snake, pangolin, sea turtle, cobra, python and crocodiles are
the other wildlife which can be seen here. Sunderbans is also
the breeding ground of immense variety of birds like Heron,
Egret, Cormorant, Fishing Eagle, White Bellied Sea Eagle,
Seagul, Tern, Kingfisher, Whimprel, Black-tailed Godwit,
Little Stint, Eastern Knot, Curlew, Sandpiper, Golden Plover,
Pintail, White-eyed Pochard and Whistling teal. The Sunderbans
are accessible only by waterways. Motor launch facilities are
available round the year. The ideal time to visit the
Sunderbans is during the months of August to March.
Sajnekhali
Bird
Sanctuary
The Sajnekhali Bird Sanctuary is a real treat for
birdwatchers. This bird sanctuary contains a wide variety of
birds like spotted billed pelican, cotton teal, herring gull,
Caspian tern, grey heron, large egret, night heron,
open-billed stork, white ibis, common kingfisher, brahmini
kite and paradise flycatcher. The area is also important for
waders, including the Asian dowitcher, a rare winter migrant.
The osprey, Pallas’s fish eagle, white-bellied sea eagle,
grey-headed fishing eagle, peregrine falcon, Oriental hobby,
northern eagle owl and brown fish owl are the other birds.
Bird
Sanctuaries in Jammu and Kashmir
Overa
Wildlife
and
Bird Sanctuary
The Overa Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary is situated about 76 kms.
from the south-east of Srinagar, near Pahalgam. Overa Wildlife
and Bird Sanctuary is characterized by stunning mountain
landscapes, grass-clad hills and deep valleys. This sanctuary
covers an area of 33 square km. The Overa Wildlife Sanctuary is
richly covered with a variety of floral complexes which
comprise mainly of conifers. The principal species are Pinus
griffithii, Abies pindrow, aesculus indica, Morus alba,
Juglans regia, etc. This sanctuary is the home of 13 rare
species of mammals and over 80 species of birds. The mammals
are hangul, musk deer, serow, rhesus macaque, langur, leopard,
leopard cat, etc. It has acquired an outstanding position for
its varied and magnificent species of pheasants like chukar,
koklas, monal, Himalayan snow cock, jungle crow, red billed
chough, griffon vulture, bearded vulture, Himalayan whistling
thrush, rufous-backed shrike, Indian mynah, etc. The best
season to view the birds is from March to August and for
animals is September to April. The nearest airport is located
in Srinagar, about 87 kms from the sanctuary.
Bird
Sanctuaries in Himachal Pradesh
Maharana
Pratap
Sagar
Bird
Sanctuary
The Maharana Pratap Sagar Bird sanctuary is a famous lake
sanctuary. The major attraction of this sanctuary are the
ducks which migrate from Siberia during winter. Here one can
visit thousands of ducks in the swamp area between Shahnahar
barrage and Pong dam and the surrounding shallow waters of the
lake. Clean blue water all around with the panoramic view of
Dhauladhar Ranges and Kangra Valley make the visit to Ransar
Island an unforgettable experience. Black buck, Cheetal,
Surkhab, Cranes, Pintails and variety of water birds can also
seen on this island.
Kalatop
Khajjiar
Bird
Sanctuary
Kalatop Khajjiar Bird Sanctuary with its well laid out
trekking jungle trails both at Kalatop and Khajjiar is a
tourist paradise. Dense Deodar and Fir forests are places of
solitude very close to Dalhousie town. Visitors should look
for pheasants and Serow in these forests but should be beware
of Black bear which can be encountered often in the area.
Chail
Bird
Sanctuary
Chail Bird Sanctuary is located in the Chail region of the
Himachal Pradesh. The Deodar and Oak forests and the
grasslands are mainly found in this region which provides a
home to the wildlife animals. Sambar, Goral, Cheer Pheasants,
Barking Deer and Kalijin are the various wildlife animals and
birds which are found at Blossom and Jhaja in Chail. There is
also a Cheer pheasant breeding centre at both these places.
The Range Officer of Wildlife and his staff assists the
wildlife lovers and tourists to view the wildlife in the
sanctuary area.
Bird Sanctuaries in Uttar Pradesh
Nawabganj
Bird
Sanctuary
Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary is situated about 43 km. away, on
Lucknow-Kanpur highway in Uttar Pradesh. The Nawabganj Bird
Sanctuary is an ideal place for bird watching and photography
and has a huge marshland and shallow lake bordered with mixed
dry forest. Stretching for about 3 square kilometers with a
concentric lake which sustains wild life, Nawabganj Bird
Sanctuary is a veritable heaven for ornithologists and common
men. Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary also houses a Centre for
Interpretation of Birds, their behavior and habitats. This
sanctuary is the home of several migratory and water birds
during winters. Some of the birds which can be seen in this
sanctuary are Pochard, Shoveller, Woodpecker, Shovards,
Parakeet, Coot, Purple moorhen, Greylag Goose, Common Teal,
Red Crested Porchard, Shoveller, Mallard, Peacock, White
necked stork. Mainly the inhabitants of the Himalayan Ranges,
Tibet and China these birds come flying over hills and
mountains for a respite from the beating cold. Spotted Deer
and Barking deer also finds a secluded destination at Deer
Park inside Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary. The best season to visit
this sanctuary is between October and March.
Bird Sanctuaries in Kerala
Kadalundi
Bird
Sanctuary
Kadalundi bird sanctuary is the most attractive Bird Sanctuary
in Kerala. Kadalundi bird sanctuary lies at a distance of 19
km from Kozhikode. Kadalundi bird sanctuary gives shelter to
more than a hundred varieties of native birds. Over 60 species
of migratory birds flock here in large numbers. The birds
inhabiting the places are woodpecker, black bulbul, jungle
fowl, laughing thrush, myna, kingfisher and peafowl. The
Kadalundi bird sanctuary is also known for a wide variety of
Fish, Mussels and Crabs which inhabit the water bodies near
the place. Other than being a haven to innumerable birds, the
Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary is extremely rich in its scenic
beauty. The sanctuary is spread over a group of islands, and
is surrounded by little hills. The Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary
spreads out over an impressive 3 kms, and one of the hillocks,
standing at 200 meters above the sea level, extends the beauty
of the place by allowing a splendid view of the adjacent river
mouth and sea. The ideal season to visit this sanctuary is
from December to April, during the early hours of the day.
Bird Sanctuaries in
Gujarat
Khijadia
Bird
Sanctuary
The Khijadia Bird Sanctuary is a bird Sanctuary housing
various species of birds. Located at a distance of 10 kms on
the north east part of Jamnagar, on the southern belt of the
Gulf of Kutch, the Khijadia Birds Sanctuary got its
notification in the year 1982. Wetlands all over, it has three
freshwater lakes, mangroves, tidal mud humps, salty beds and
everything suited to the migratory birds and waders. Two dams
were erected by the then ruler of Jamnagar in order to avoid
seeping of water from adjacent river Ruparen during high tides
and hence, the co-existence of two varied kinds of soil - the
salty wetlands on one and river freshwater on the other.
Covering an area of 605 hectares, the Khijadia Birds
Sanctuary, has three watch towers and Paddle boats are
available here come handy to cross over the lakes. The
position of the Sanctuary being at the western shore of the
country makes it an easier route for the migratory birds to
fly in. A wide variety of migratory bird can be seen in the
Khijadia Birds Sanctuary. Pheasant Tailed Jacana. Black Ibis,
Sarus Crane, Shoveler, Pintail, Baer's Porchard, and the black
neck stork are just to name a few of the migratory birds here.
Nakta, Comb Duck and Spot bill are domestic residents of the
sanctuary. A rare place for the Crested Grebe to breed,
Khijadia Birds Sanctuary is home to the Indian Skimmer which
is a real pleasure to watch because it sports colors of dark
red in the beak and black on the head with the whole body in
dazzling white. Jungle cats, mongoose, blue bells, rabbits and
cobras are some of the animals to be spotted here. |
