Birds of Puttenahalli Lake

Bird watching needs a lot of patience. I have just gained interest in bird watching and as I was searching on the internet for locales around Bangalore for bird watching, Puttenahalli Lake near Yelahanka was less known to people.
Few even confuse it with Puttenahalli Lake that is in South Bangalore. This lake is maintained by the forest department. Few bird conservators have been visiting this site regularly and keep a track of migratory birds.
How to get there:
Proceed on the Doddaballapur road from Yelahanka. After rail wheel and axle factory, just about 500m, on the left you’ll come across Yelahanka Bus Depot No.11. 200m, take a sharp left U-turn and you’ll see the gate to the lake.  If you reached Ramanashree California Resort, you've gone a tad ahead. You need to reverse a little and take the small road on the left.
Once you enter the gate, find the caretaker in the office and enter your details in the visitor’s log.
The lake’s boundary is shared by the state highway, a factory on the backside, a resort compound nearby. Despite the busy surroundings, many bird species make this their home.
Here are some of the birds I managed to capture on lens:
Hawk Cuckoo

Pond Heron

Spot Billed Duck

Grey Heron

Common Coot

Common Ibis

Common Sandpiper

Common Ibis

Pair of Spot Billed Duck

Apart from the above sighted, there were also Indian Night Heron and Common Moorhen sighted. End of January every year, migratory birds visit this place.
This place is definitely a worth visit for bird watchers.
In case you need more details on this place, you can reach me by email: aravindprakash@aol.in

Jayamangali Blackbuck Reserve

I got to know about this place from one of my close friends and managed to visit this place. Managed to found sufficient information on the internet and with the use of Google Maps, I was able to cover majority of the route.

Located in Tumkur district, Madhugiri Taluk, this reserve is the second reserve only next to Ranibennur Blackbuck reserve in Karnataka.

This reserve has a grassland vegetation and the Blackbucks are easy to spot. Apart from the Blackbucks, there are animals suck as Indian Fox, Indian Grey Mongoose, snakes and birds as well.

There is a watchtower close to the forest guest house from which visitors can get a glimpse of the reserve.

There is no jeep or SUV from the forest department. So, one would have to either choose to go on foot or by own car/bike. Cars with good ground clearance are ideal for the reserve visits. Any car with low ground clearance would be a risk as the terrains are not that great.

How to get there:

You can get to the reserve by either of these routes:-

Bangalore – Yelahanka – Bashettihalli – Doddaballapur – Gunjur – Tondebavi – Gauribidanur – Chikmalur – Maidenahalli (Jayamangali Blackbuck Reserve)

Bangalore – Nelamangala – Dobbaspet – Tangana Halli  - Koratagere – Maidenahalli (Jayamangali Blackbuck Reserve)

Average distance from Bangalore to the reserve is around 130km.

The road conditions are unpredictable and get rough every now and then. There are several villages on route and it is advisable to drive slow in the village limits.

In case you are in doubt if you are heading the right way, do ask the villagers for route and they will for sure guide you in the right direction. Just mention Maidenahalli and that is sufficient. If you want the route to the reserve, mention “Jin-kae kaadu” (Kannada for deer forest) and they’ll guide you right. Anything else mentioned confuses them.

Stay:

If you would like to stay overnight, the forest department has built a guest house with two rooms. You would need to book in advance with the Tumkur forest department. No other stay options available.

Food:

There is no restaurant nearby the reserve. It is advisable to carry food and water along. If staying at the guest house, the caretaker will cook food if you provide the provisions.

Contact:

1) Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF)
Tumkur Territorial Division,
Kunigal Road,
Tumkur City- 5721 02
Telephone : + 91 0816 2201196

2) Forest Guest House
Mr. Narasimha Murthy
+91 9663943823

Some thing to remember:

Respect the nature. Do not get too close to the animals as they tend to run away. Keep a safe distance from them and you’ll be able to view them without any hassle.

Do not litter the place. Be a responsible tourist.

Better to get there as early as possible to avoid noon sun. Summers get real hot. Best to avoid summer. Rest of the year should be fine to visit.

I believe my inputs will help you a lot. In case you need more information, reach me by email: aravindprakash@aol.in