Children like the lake, so do the birds

Citizen Matters Puttenahalli Post

17 Nov 2011

Usha Rajagopalan (PNLIT)

The Nature Walk on Sunday, 13th November. went off very well with participants mostly from South Bangalore and one enthusiast who came from Malleswaram. The 40 odd participants including children and adults came early to see the sun rise and light up the lake and its inhabitants. They were amply rewarded - sighting several species of birds, insects and even a couple of water snakes. They had a whale of a time and, with Deepa Mohan as their guide, got a very good introduction to the beautiful flora and fauna at our lake. 

Shubho’s son Angshu, a photography buff was full of questions: Why are there so many ducks in the lake? Why are they swimming in the dirty water? Why did the snail hide itself when he poked it?

PNLIT salutes all the child participants for their enthusiasm. They had oohed and aahed at every little thing they were shown whether it was a signature spider, a snail or a common coot. Enjoy their representation of life at Puttenahalli Lake.

Niveditha Reddy, a class 12 student and the oldest youngster following Deepa, listened closely shared, “Nothing is more beautiful than nature. This has truly helped in giving a new dimension to the way I look at things .... absolutely fantastic....”

Well, we think you are all are as fantastic as the birds in the Puttenahalli Lake!

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It is not only water birds that are attracted to the lake but also land birds. Here are a few of them captured recently by Srini, our bird specialist. The best of them all is the pair of house sparrows which have been in the news for their diminishing numbers in cities. The hollow in a dead palm in the coconut grove is the home of a spotted owlet family. I once saw two heads looking out. The grey headed myna (also called Chestnut-tailed Starling) is another rare sight.

More migrants are coming to the lake. The latest is a flock of Garganey ducks. Srini spotted them this morning at the lake. He says, "This is another first for the lake. The garganey is a long-distance migrant that comes in from Europe. It has never been sighted in the Puttenahalli area before. The ducks were right in the center of the lake, and this is the best shot I could get. This is truly a remarkable event!"

Read and see the photos of this article online