Winged beauties from distant lands come to Gadag’s lake in Karnataka

GADAG: The winged beauties have started arriving at the Magadi Lake, a well-known bird sanctuary in the Gadag region. The lake, which is 26 km away from Gadag, attracts thousands of birds from Austria, Siberia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and other countries every winter. Birds from the Himalayan region also come here during winter. The lake is now brimming with the region receiving good rains during the monsoon.

Species such as Eurasian spoonbill, Ruddy shelduck, white-necked stork, spotbill, grey duck, white ibis, painted stork, grey heron, white-necked stork, little cormorant and bar-headed geese can be spotted here.

The Department of Forests has built watchtowers at the sanctuary and provided binoculars and monoculars to facilitate birdwatching. Forest officials have been deputed to help birdwatchers visiting the sanctuary. Pavers have been laid on the paths across the sanctuary for the benefit of visitors.

A villager from Magadi said, “People of the village have been told to keep the lake clean and not to wash clothes there. We want to keep the lake clean and safe for the visiting winged beauties.” A staff of the sanctuary said, “Migratory birds have started arriving and we have to wait for a few more days to see  hundreds of geese and other birds.”