Lingambudhi Lake - Birds

Birds

Lake was once considered as the flying highway of winter migratory birds. Variety of migratory birds used to arrive and congregate (22,000 in year 1995) in September third week and then gets spread out. Again, just before summer, March–April, spread out birds started arriving from different directions, to assemble and fly back towards northern direction to their breeding ground. Water birds involved in congregating were: Garganey, Shoveller, Common Teal, Pintail, Common Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, like. Gull billed Tern, Black bellied Tern, Black headed Gull, Brown headed Gull, European Roller, Pallas Grass hopper Warbler, Eurasian Curlew, Terek Sandpiper, Curlew sandpiper, Pied Avocet, Thick-billed Green Pigeon (escapee?), Verditer Flycatcher, Tickell’s Green Leaf Warbler, Red-necked Phalarope are some of the rare birds observed over a decade and half. A total of around 210 birds have been spotted here including the local and the migrants.

Breeding activity of Pelicans, Spoon bills, Ibises, Grey Herons and Cormorants were recorded here for two consecutive years, 2000 and 2001. Episode of birds’ death too has been observed here.

Altering the sanctuary entirely to cater the need of human beings has threatened the healthy habitat of migratory birds. In next move, only two species of seedling; Pongamia pinnata and a variety of Bamboo was introduced in entire sanctuary (monoculture). Within next five years entire area wore green look attracting few new arboreal birds but at the cost of water birds (both migratory and local) and existing plant species.

North-western part of the lake bed is dominant of only two species of Sesbania sesban and Acacia suma. In last few months, variety of plant species have been introduced. But, already encroached shoreline has driven away the waders.

Lake got completely filled once in last one decade. Twice, there were reports of fish and birds death. Meanwhile, the lake has been designated as important bird area (IN-KA-22) by Islam et al. (2005) for the priority of conservation. Lake bed used to host very rare migratory birds during winter that are unusually seen in inland. This lake is considered as one of the flyway route adopted by the migratory birds from Central Asia and Eastern Europe. The lake environ is the only known regular breeding site of the Indian Spotted Eagle Aquila hastate. The Spot-billed Pelicans Pelecanus philippensis large congregation was observed during 13.3.1999 to 6.4.1999 (maximum 400 nos on 28.3.1999) and 28.3.2002 to 6.5.2002 (maximum 522 nos. on 13.4.2002). Though numerous lakes are found in Mysore area, Pelicans and Darters chose only few selective ones for foraging.

Era of Digital photography resulted in finding a few rare migrants and local birds’ proper identification and authentication that made the check list more elaborative. It was the Lake’s location as a habitat accommodating many listed residents and migratory birds had influenced the Outer Ring Road realignment decision in order to protect the Lake.