

BENGALURU: Come November, and the backwaters of Almatti, where the Krishna and Bhadra rivers meet, become a paradise for birders, with several winged visitors making their annual trip to the state. Bringing in a myriad colours with them are the Greater Flamingos, who migrate here at the beginning of November, before making their way to Gujarat at the end of May.
The birds, dressed in pink and white, have been coming here since 2006, and feed primarily on snails and small fish. Here, they nest and breed, and fly away with their young ones during the summer months. In the past few years, locals say that the numbers of these migratory birds has come down. For the past three years, local wildlife enthusiasts have been pushing for this area to be turned into a bird sanctuary. Apart from flamingos, bar-headed geese, brahminy ducks, painted storks, open-billed storks and river terns are seen migrating here.