One million winged visitors expected this season to Kolleru lake in AP By Gopavajhala Diwakar
It is that time of the year when most part of Andhra Pradesh’s Kolleru lake is abuzz with lakhs of migratory birds and by looking at the current number of birds, it is only expected to go north and touch a million, a report by PTI stated. In the coming days, more winged visitors are all set to make the Ramsar site their winter stay.
According to forest department officials, Glossy ibis, Open billed stork, Purple moorhen and Painted stork are flocking here for the nestling season, many flying from as far as Russia and Siberia, known for their harsh winter. Many more winged visitors are expected to make their way here in Kolleru in the coming weeks escaping the cold and blizzards in their homelands.
Where do they come from?
Flying in from as far as Russia, Siberia and other cold European countries, migration during the winter months is a natural phenomenon. The birds come to these parts for nesting and breeding after their long voyage. And Kolleru, the largest freshwater lake in the country located between the deltas of Krishna and Godavari rivers, makes for a perfect abode for the winged visitors. The lake is a source of abundant food in the form of fish and suitable climatic conditions for breeding are some of the reasons attributed for the avian members making this lake their home during winters, PTI report quoted officials as saying.
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“We have already received about six lakh birds. This number may go up to 10 lakh in the coming days. Constant efforts by the government to sensitise local people on the importance of migratory birds for ecological balance and keeping a strict vigil on poachers are now paying dividends,” SVK Kumar, Forest Range Officer (wildlife), Eluru told PTI.
According to Kumar, stringent punishment has resulted in poaching coming down significantly. The birds use facilities created by the state forest department such as habitat centres, trees planted on artificially made mud mounds and iron stands.
Increase in tourism
With the birds, come tourism. The tourism activity in the area has increased as several people come to the lake to watch the fowls and the lake has been declared as a wildlife sanctuary. Kolleru being one of the main hotspots for a migratory route called Central Asian Flyway and also the strategic location which made it a bio-central hotspot for the migratory birds, the lake is considered more important in terms of ecological balance, a senior official of the Andhra Pradesh Forest department said.
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Kolleru lake also figures in Ramsar sites. The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. It was signed in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar.
