Away from the pollution and the traffic of the city of
Bangalore, on the road to Mysore, is an endless mosaic of lush
green paddy fields stretching towards the horizon. Beyond the town
of Channapatna is a semi-metalled road which deviates
to the left, bordered with rustic teashops, where villagers recline
on wooden benches and watch visitors curiously. There is not a single
clue to what lies ahead.
Moving along this path, the eye is caught by the unusual number of
birds flying in a V-formation overhead. A few kilometers further down
the road is an uncommon sight. Every tree seems to be taken over by
migratory birds of various sizes and shapes. They have built nests
and are nursing hungry chicks. You watch amazed. These shy birds,
that normally keep away from human habitat, seem to be at ease right
in the middle of a bustling village. But all too soon your unvoiced
questions have answers. A chick suddenly falls down from a tree close
by and the parent bird hovers above calling for help. Surprisingly,
help seems close at hand.
A
village boy comes running, picks up the bird and places it back in
its nest. We were taken aback at the concern shown by an illiterate
village lad in protecting the birds. And it is quite natural that
the birds have built nests on trees just outside their houses. This
is the famed bird sanctuary village "Kokre Bellur", where people
have taken care of migratory birds over centuries. Birds like the
Painted Stork, Grey Pelican, Black Ibis, Cormorant, Pond Heron,
Little Egret and others flock to this safe haven before the onset
of every monsoon. They come in around December-January and
stay on till the monsoon peaks in June-July.
The Painted Stork breeds around 4 to 5 chicks and waits
until the young ones develop their wings and learn to fly. Then they
return to the Himalayas for the rest of the year. Grey Pelicans
have pouch-like beaks to help them catch fish in local ponds and marshes.
Parent birds swallow the food and then regurgitate the semi digested
food for very young birds to eat. Local birds like the Cattle Egret
can be seen riding on the backs of buffaloes lazily grazing in the
fields.
Instances of people hunting
birds are rare because of the severe punishment meted out by the villagers.
The villages also have realized the benefits of having these birds
nesting in their backyard. The droppings of the birds enrich the soil
and Kokre Bellur is economically better off than surrounding
villages. The forest department is all praise for the commendable
job done by the community in protecting these endangered birds. But
it is unable to declare Kokre Bellur a bird sanctuary officially because
of legal constraints which forbid human habitat from co-existing with
wildlife. Anyway, the regular inflow of visitors to the village to
see this unusual symbiotic existence between humans and birds has
given it a lot of publicity. An environmental organization, Mysore
Amateur Naturalists, is working with the villagers in preserving
this safe haven for coming generations. The birds are leaving now
for their northern abode, so rush to Kokre Bellur to see them off….
3:51:52 AM 
tes
to the left, bordered with rustic teashops, where villagers recline
on wooden benches and watch visitors curiously. There is not a single
clue to what lies ahead.
A
village boy comes running, picks up the bird and places it back in
its nest. We were taken aback at the concern shown by an illiterate
village lad in protecting the birds. And it is quite natural that
the birds have built nests on trees just outside their houses. This
is the famed bird sanctuary village "Kokre Bellur", where people
have taken care of migratory birds over centuries. Birds like the
Painted Stork, Grey Pelican, Black Ibis, Cormorant, Pond Heron,
Little Egret and others flock to this safe haven before the onset
of every monsoon. They come in around December-January and
stay on till the monsoon peaks in June-July.
birds are rare because of the severe punishment meted out by the villagers.
The villages also have realized the benefits of having these birds
nesting in their backyard. The droppings of the birds enrich the soil
and Kokre Bellur is economically better off than surrounding
villages. The forest department is all praise for the commendable
job done by the community in protecting these endangered birds. But
it is unable to declare Kokre Bellur a bird sanctuary officially because
of legal constraints which forbid human habitat from co-existing with
wildlife. Anyway, the regular inflow of visitors to the village to
see this unusual symbiotic existence between humans and birds has
given it a lot of publicity. An environmental organization, Mysore
Amateur Naturalists, is working with the villagers in preserving
this safe haven for coming generations. The birds are leaving now
for their northern abode, so rush to Kokre Bellur to see them off….
