Haven for Birds to Flock Together

Birds are the most beautiful beings on the Earth and they are a treat to watch when they flock together. At Pulicat Lake Bird sanctuary this delightful sight can be seen more often as more than 15000 birds of different species flock together on a fast land space of 481 square kilometers. The Pulicat Lake Bird sanctuary is a place with serene natural beauty with tranquility in the atmosphere.

Beauty of Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary

The Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary is one of the famous bird sanctuaries in India second to Chilika Lake Bird Sanctuary of Orissa. The lake is situated in Nellore, Chitoor districts of Andhra Pradesh and protected areas of Thiruvallur district in Tamil Nadu. The lake is the second largest brackish water eco system in India next to Chilika lake in Orissa. The area of the Lake in Tamil Nadu side is 153.67 Sq Km. The lake receives its water from Arani River at its southern tip, Kalangi river from the North West and Swarnamukhi River at the Northern end and the lake runs parallel to Bay of Bengal with a sand bar making it a lagoon of its own kind.

The weekends at the lake are more beautiful as there are different kinds of bird flocking in. The length of the lake is about 60 Km and the width varies from 0.2 km to 17.5 km in the vast stretch of the sanctuary. The monsoon season is the best season to relish the beauty of the lake as the lake is abundantly filled with fresh and nutritive water for the growth of varied flora and fauna. The growth of abundant flora and fauna leads to attraction of wetland birds from varied places towards the lake.

The lagoon was formed a millions of years ago separated from Bay of Bengal where on the spitted land stands the city of Pulicat. The bird sanctuary is located at a distance of 137.5 km away from Oragadam in Chennai which needs to be travelled by road at 2 hours and 47 minutes through NH16 and via Thiruvallur it is 3 hours approximately. There are quite a few bus services from Chennai to Pulicat Sanctuary. The rail services to the sanctuary are available from Chennai railway station.

The lagoon is a home for 160 species of fishes, 25 species of worms, 12 species of prawns,100 different species of birds who are aquatic or terrestrial in nature. The species of birds attracted and attracting the tourists are Painted Stork, Grey Heron, Marbled teal, Terns, Egrets, Kites, Lesser Flamingoes, Ducks and Partridges, Quails, Sea Gulls, Grey Pelican and a number of Waders such as curlews, stilts, plovers, sand pipers, lapwings and redshank. The bird sanctuary is famous for its eco tourism using a flat boat instead of motor boat. The best time to visit the sanctuary is between November and February and one can stay in the Forest Rest House with 2 suites available for stay to enjoy the scenic beauty of the place. The sanctuary opens at 6 in the morning and closes at 6 in the evening.

Legacy of Pulicat Lake is Threatened

Pulicat lake known for its beauty, abundant flora and fauna but as the other greener pastures are getting depleted due to our manhandling and polluting of the nature this place is also getting threatened by the silting, over fishing and pollution with agricultural chemicals. Due to all these reasons Global Nature Fund had declared Pulicat Lake as a Threatened lake in 2010. Government and the private NGO’s have been taking up steps to resurrect the place to its original form. Nature’s beauty is to be protected not destructed for selfish gains. Let’s live and Let live…….