Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary.....Mysore

I am sure that you all have been to one of the most beautiful and historically richest cities in South India -Mysore at least once or twice in your life...It is such a charming city and is my all time favourite...The city itself is well planned with wide roads, old heritage buildings which has lot of old British raj stories to say. I come to Mysore 3-4 times a year with tourist groups from UK as part of my job. Every time I visit Mysore, I come across new & interesting things like, restaurants, new tourist spots, old buildings, daily markets etc. Mysore has still that old world charm which has not given way to modern amenities. During the Maharaja rule, there was a law prevailing that no buildings should go beyond the height of the Mysore Palace. That is why you will not find any big apartments or sky scrapers like in any other cities in India. I hope you all have visited Mysore Palace, Chamundi Hill, Nandi Bull, Tippus Summer Palace at Srirangapattanam and Vrindavan garden during your stay in Mysore.

I’d like to share about another not-so-famous spot in the out skirts of Mysore which falls on the Mysore- Bangalore highway[ 14 Kms from Mysore] - “Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary”. It is a bird Sanctuary located on the banks of river Kaveri. The isolated islets and the abundance of aquatic insects round the year make this place an abode for migratory birds. The sanctuary was declared a bird sanctuary in 1940, when the noted ornithologist Dr Salim Ali, while surveying the birds of the area, put emphasis on declaring Ranganathittu a bird sanctuary. Since then this sanctuary is a paradise for wildlife enthusiast, nature lovers, photographers and bird watchers. The climate is pleasant through the year except during the south west monsoon which results in water logging n floods. No where else in South India can you see migratory birds at such a close distance. Major bird sighting includes Spoonbills, Open billed Storks, Painted Storks, Herons, Stone Ploughers, White Ibis, Cormorants, darters etc. These migratory birds lay eggs on the small islets in the river. Birds start coming by December and they fly back by Mid August. Local inhabitants include 5-6 types of kingfishers, peacocks, Myna birds, parakeets etc. The park authorities and bird watching experts have traced the origin of some birds as far as to Siberia, North America and Australia. Another highlight is the number of marsh crocodiles in the river. Sometimes you will see crocodiles taking a sun bath on the rock with mouth open or even chasing your boat. So far nothing has been reported on the attack of crocodiles on humans. They don’t bother humans as they get neck full of birds throughout their life span.

The sanctuary is managed by Karnataka Forest Department and it is well looked after. They have landscaped the area, planted more trees, kept many boards all over the park with descriptions of birds found in that area and even started a small refreshment bar .Boats are available at the sanctuary to take you for rides [ 30/45 mins] along the river and the islands where you can witness trees and islands filled with birds. You will be accompanied by a forest guard cum oarsman who helps you spot birds better. The entry charge for the bird sanctuary is Rs. 25/person, another 25/camera and Rs.50/seat on boat basis. By paying Rs.500 you can hire an exclusive boat with a maximum in take of 5 people. It is best to reach there early as it tends to get busy later with school groups.

Wish to see more photos or to know more about this place?... Drop a mail to .................fenjacob@gmail.com.