The Hindu : Karnataka News : Kaggaladu in the news once again

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Wednesday, Mar 12, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Kaggaladu in the news once again

K.N. Shivaraja

Painted storks have returned to the village tank for nesting

BREEDING TIME: A stork comes back home.

TUMKUR: As many as 218 painted storks have been found nesting on the banks of the Kaggaladu village tank in Tumkur district.

Kaggaladu village tank area, 50 km north of Tumkur, on Sira-Changawara Road, was a popular destination of birds from across the Asian region from 1998 to 2000.

The tank and its vicinity, however, later proved unworthy of nesting activity. Soon after it shot into fame in 1999, there was a rush of visitors to the area and that had scared the birds away.

The tank had gone dry in the last four years due to incessant drought in the area. It was yet another reason why nesting activity had come to halt. Birds used to come and leave soon after noticing the dry tank.

The tank received some water during the rainfall in September-October last.

On Sunday, T.V.N. Murthy, chief adviser of Nisarga, a Tumkur-based wildlife awareness nature club, visited the tank area to verify the present status of nesting activity there. He was surprised to find a rare kind of birds nesting in over four gigantic trees.

Mr. Murthy told The Hindu here on Tuesday that he took a rough count of 218 storks. He said, “There could be more of them. Many birds were yet to return to their nests in the trees.”

“One of the four trees looks like a maternity ward. A number of storks have laid eggs,” Mr. Murthy said.

According to Mr. Murthy and Ameen Ahmed, an environmentalist here, stork, (called “dokh” in Hindi), is a large bird with yellow, long and heavy bill, slightly de-curved near the tip. It has a black band across the breast. Dr. Ahmed said storks are found in large numbers near water bodies all over the subcontinent. Storks like to eat fish. The birds live on frog and snakes also. The area has abundant feed for them. He said the female laid usually three to five eggs. Both the male and the female took great care of their young ones after the eggs are hatched.

According to Mr. Murthy, the storks would fly back with their young ones in May-June. Kaggaladu of Tumkur is in the news once again.

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