An island of birds

This is the second part of the article that deals with the flora and fauna of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore.

While the earlier post was devoted to bats, this is for the many birds that is found in the IISC.

The IISc is an ocean in the vast urban metropolis that Bangalore has now become. This post wishes to record some of the birds that have made IISc their home for several years and they live in relative quite and peace.  

The large number of trees, the vast grasslands and the open spaces all make the campus a veritable sanctuary. Just look around you when you are sure to be astounded abut the flora and fauna.

There are about 8600 species of birds in the world and of them, 1,200 are found in India. Karnataka possess 525 of  them and the IISc campus offers a safe haven for 120 of them.

The IISc is a sprawling campus of 170 hectares and even before the land on which the IISc stands was made over to the institute, it played host to a variety of flora and fauna.

The IISc was an open scrub and forest land before the institute came into being in 1909. A host of scientists and botanists changed the landscape of the IISc but retained its original character. Thus, apart from birds, we also have small animals like the Slender Loris, Bats, snakes and even snails.

The campus is dominated by several fruit trees and avenue trees of  May Flower (Delonix regia), Rain Tree (Samanea saman), Mahogany (Swietenia mahogani), Cassia, Tabebuia,  Ficus benjamina, phyllode Acacia and Casuarina apart from dense thickets of Lantana.

Apart from these trees, grasslands and open ground are found in and around a small area meant to be an airstrip. A small grassy marsh and a pool in an old quarry are the only major wetland habitats in the campus.

Unlike the worldwide phenomenon, tree cover has increased in the campus. Several surveys have been conducted about the birds of IISc and almost all of them are scholarly and well-documented.  Some of the recent surveys have indicated that Iora, Indian Treepie and Little Brown dove are no longer present in the campus and they were found to have migrated to the outskirts of Bangalore. These birds need open grounds and shrubs, which has been decreasing in the IISc campus. These birds are common only in the outskirts of Bangalore where

Large Grey Babblers, Thickbilled flowerpeckers, Tickell’s Flowerpecker, all rare in an urban conglomerate, have been seen. Tickell’s Flowerpecker is found in plenty roosting on Singapore cherry trees (Muntingia calabura), feeding on its berries and also using its fibrous bark for nest building.

The Indian Robin and Pied Bush Chat were found along the Northern boundary of the campus. The Indian Roller and Blackwinged Kite are getting increasingly rare to spot.

The marsh in the campus once had open water and Baya weaverbirds nested from the wild date palms (Phoenix sp.) around it. When the authorities drained the marsh, the Baya seems to have vanished along with the Small Blue Kingfisher.

The quarry pool in the campus  had clear water and Pied Kingfishers regularly fished in it. Today, the water is putrid and

murky and the kingfishers are not seen.

You need prior permission to enter the campus.

The birds that can be generally spotted in the campus are: Grey Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis), Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax niger). Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii), Large Egret (Ardea alba), Smaller Egret (Egretta intermedia ), Little Egret (Egretta garzetta), Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis), Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala), Lesser Whistling Teal  (Dendrocygna javanica), Pintail (Anas acuta, Shoveller (Anas Penelope), Blackwinged Kite (Elanus caeruleus), Honey Buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus), Pariah Kite (Milvus migrans govinda),

Blackeared Kite ( Milvus migrans lineatus), Brahminy Kite (Haliastur Indus), Shikra (Accipiter badius), Sparrow-Hawk (Accipiter nisus), Longlegged Buzzard ( Buteo rufinus), White-eyed Buzzard (Butastur teesa), Crested Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus cirrhatus), Booted Hawk-Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus), Tawny Eagle (Aquila rapax), Indian Longbilled Vulture (Gyps indicus), Indian Whitebacked Vulture (Gyps benghalensis), Scavenger Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), Pale Harrier (Circus macrouros),

Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus), Marsh Harrier (Circus aeroginosus),Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus), Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus japonensis), Shaheen Falcon (Falco peregrinus peregrinator), Red-headed Merlin (Falco chicquera), Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), Grey Partridge (Francolinus pondicerianus),Yellowlegged Button-Quail (Turnix tanki), Whitebreasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus), Redwattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus), Yellowwattled lapwing (Vanellus malabaricus), Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus), Common Sandpiper (Tringa hypoleucos), Fantail Snipe (Gallinago gallinago), Woodcock ( Scolopax rusticola), Green Pigeon ( Treron phoenicoptera), Blue Rock Pigeon (Columba livia), Rufous Turtle Dove ( Streptopelia orientalis), Red Turtle Dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica), Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis), Little Brown Dove (Streptopelia senegalensis), Roseringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri), Redbreasted Parakeet (Psittacula alexandrii), Blossom headed Parakeet (Psittacula cyanocephala), Pied Crested Cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus), Common Hawk Cuckoo (Cuculus varius), Indian Cuckoo (Cuculus micropterus), Indian Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis passerinus),  Koel (Eudynamis scolopacea), Crow Pheasant (Centropus sinensis), Barn Owl (Tyto alba), Collared Scops Owl (Otus bakkamoena), Spotted Owlet (Athene brama), Mottled Wood Owl (Strix ocellata), Common Indian Nightjar (Caprimulgus asiaticus), Alpine Swift (Apus melba), House Swift (Apus affinis), Lesser Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis), Small Blue Kingfisher (Alcedo atthix), Whitebreasted Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis), Blackcapped Kingfisher (Halcyon pileata), Bluetailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus), Small Gree Bee-eater (Merops orientalis), Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis), Hoopoe (Upupa epops), Small Green Barbet (Megalaima viridis), Crimsonbreasted Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala), Indian Pitta (Pitta brachyuran), Rufouswinged Bushlark,  Ashycrowned Finch-lark (Eremopteryx grisea), Eastern Skylark ( Alauda guglula),Collared Sand Martin ( Riparia riparia), Dusky crag martin (Hirundo concolor), Barn/Common Swallow (Hirundo rustica), Wire Tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii), Redrumped/Striated Swallow (Hirundo daurica), Baybacked Shrike (Lanius vittatus), Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) and Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus).

Other birds that can be spotted on a regular basis are: Black Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis), Grey Drongo (Dicrurus leucophaeus),

Whitebellied Drongo (Dicrurus caerulescens), Haircrested Drongo (Dicrurus hotentottus), Greyheaded Myna (Sturnus malabaricus malabaricus), Whiteheaded Myna ( Sturnus malabaricus blythii), Blackheaded Myna (Sturnus pagodarum), Rosy Pastor (Sturnus roseus), Indian Myna (Acridotheres tristis), Jungle Myna ( Acridotheres fuscus), Indian Treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda), House Crow (Corvus splendens), Jungle Crow (Corvus macrorhynchus), Common Wood Shrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus), Large Cuckoo Shrike (Coracina novaehollandiae), Blackheaded Cuckoo Shrike (Coracina melanoptera),

Small Minivet (Pericrocotus cinnamomeus), Common Iora  (Aegithina tiphia), Goldfornted Chloropsis (Chloropsis aurifrons), Goldmantled Chloropsis (Chloropsis cochinchinensis), Redwhiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus), Redvented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer), Large Grey Babbler ( Turdoides maclolmii), Whiteheaded Babbler (Turdoides affinis), Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa latirostris), Redbreasted Flycatcher (Muscicapa parva), Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher (Muscicapa tickelliae), Verditer Flycatcher (Muscicapa thalassina), Whitethroated Fantail Flycatcher (Rhipidura albicollis), Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradise), Blacknaped Blue Flycatcher (Monarcha azurea), Streaked Fantail Warbler (Cisticola juncidis), Plain Longtailed Warbler (Prinia subflava),  Ashy Longtailed Warbler (Prinia socialis), Tailor Bird (Orthotomus sutorius ), Blyth’s Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum), Booted Tree Warbler (Hippolais caligata), Orphean Warbler (Sylvia hortensis), Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca), Tickell’s Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus affinis), Greenish Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides), Large Crowned Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus occipitalis), Bluethroat (Erithacus svecicus), Blue chat (Erithacus brunneus), Magpie Robin (Copsychus malabaricus), Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros), Pied Bush Chat (Saxicola caprata), Indian Robin (Saxicoloides fulicata), Blueheaded Rock Thrush (Monticola cinclorhynchus), Whitethroated Ground Thrush (Zoothera citrine) and  Grey Tit (Parus major).

Surveys have also identified birds in the campus such as Indian Tree Pipit (Anthus hodgsonii),Paddyfield Pipit (Anthus novaseelandiae), Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis), Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea), White Wagtail (Motacilla alba), Large Pied Wagtail (Motacilla maderaspatensis), Thickbilled Flowerpecker (Dicaeum agile), Tickell’s Flowerpecker (Dicaeum erythrorhynchos), Purplerumped Sunbird (Nectarinia zeylonica), Purple Sunbird (Nectarinia asiatica), Loten’s Sunbird (Nectarinia lotenia), White-Eye (Zosterops palpebrosa), House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), Baya Weaver Bird (Ploceus philippinus), Red Munia (Estrilda amandava), Whitethroated Munia (Lonchura malabarica), Spotted Munia (Lonchura punctulata) and Blackheaded Munia (Lonchura Malacca).

Apart from these birds, there are at least a dozen varieties of snakes including the cobras.

The forests near Mysore

Talk or think about Mysore and one if immediately transported to several wildlife sanctuaries, forests and bird sanctuaries surrounding the royal City.

The Ranganthittu bird sanctuary in Srirangapatna, the Bandipur and Nagarhole forests are so well-known that there is no need to describe them.

However, there is one small oasis of green that a visitor has missed. This small patch of green too is in Mysore but it is not as well-known as other forests. This forest is home to several flora and fauna and more than anything else it is worth exploring.

This is the Arabithittu wildlife sanctuary of Mysore district.

Arabithittu was declared a wildlife sanctuary on April 30, 1985 and it is spread over 14 square kilometers.

The forest  is mainly scrub interspread with plantations and it is surrounded by agricultural fields on all sides except the north east which belongs to the Defence Food Research Laboratory, Mysore. The forests also house a fairly large area of eucalyptus and sandalwood plantations. Some of the other species of vegetation found here are Emblica officinalis, Ficus Species, Hardwikia binata, Mitragyna parviflora, Terminalia tomentosa, Zizypus spp, Acacia sundra, Dononea viscvosca, Cassia fidtula, Diosphyros melanoxylon, and even sandal wood.

The common birds that can be spotted are peafowls, partridges, mynas and black drongos. They are part of the 230 species of birds that have been recorded here.

Some of the reptiles found here are cobras, rat snakes and vipers.

Some of the animals I notices was Leopard, fox, spotted deer, wild pig, porcupine, hare and common mongoose.
This is the only patch of forests within a radius of 40 kms of Mysore apart from Ranganthittu and Chamundi Hills.

The area is surrounded by several villages like Bannikuppe, Mallinathapura, Jinahalli, Kuppa Kolghatta, Gagenahaly, Halepur and Madehalli.

The best time to visit the forests is between December to February. Mysore is the nearest airport and K R Nagar the nearest railhead. The forest is about 30 kms from Mysore and it comes under Hunsur taluk. There are regular bus services from Mysore and KR Nagar.

For more information about the forests and permission, you can contact the Assistant Conservator of Forests, Wildlife Sub-Division, Aranya Bhavan, Ashokapuram, Mysore - 570 008
Tel. 0821 - 481 159.

The lake of Lalbagh

Many lakes in Bangalore have fallen prey to the greed for land. While scores of lakes and tanks such as Dharmambudhi lake, Millers Tank, Sampangiramanagar tank, Shooley tank have been breached due to the short sighted policies of the civic agencies, many others have been encroached upon and some like Kempambudhi and Byresandra are fighting a battle for survival. However, one of the few lakes in Bangalore that faces no threat from encroachment or from the civic agencies is the Lalbagh lake or the lake within the Lalbagh premises that goes by the name of the park.

This is not to say that the Lalbagh lake is free of problems. A few years ago, sewage from Siddapura and surrounding areas were being let into the lake and this had led to the death of fishes apart from choking the water body. A sewage treatment plant was set up and sewage diverted. This has helped the lake survive.

This is the biggest water body in Lalbagh and as per oral history it predated the establishment of the botanical gardens by Hyder Ali in 1760. In fact, it is believed that the lake was one of the reasons for Hyder to set up the park.

Others say that the then Superintendent of Lalbagh, James Cameroon, commissioned the lake in 1890 to provide water to the gardens. Whatever the truth, it stands to reason that the water body can become the lifeline of Lalbagh if the water is properly utilised. However, we can credit Cameroon with development of the lake and its surroundings. It was Cameroon who built the bund, fixed attractive and ornamental steps leading to the tank and also set up a waste weir.

Today, the surroundings have been further beautified and the inner side of the bund plastered with stones and a walking path created around the lake. Flowering trees have been planted along the path. Do you see the two islands in the lake? These islands formed naturally while the lake was being de-silting some years ago.

Today, these two islands, though small, are a haven for birds, some of them migratory, who visit Lalbagh.

The lake is situated close to Lalbagh’s West gate and Siddapura. It is set in nearly 40 acres. Over the last few years, it has become a bird watchers paradise. If you manage to go to the lake early in the morning, you can easily spot birds such as White-breasted Kingfisher, Egret, Commorant, Brahmini Kite and Parakeet.

Besides, ducks, herons and colourful black and white Pelicans crowd the lake.

Its catchment areas is just one sq kms. It has a small walk bridge  at the eastern end or the approach from the Siddapura Gate.

The lake is actually connected to two small ponds on its northern and western corners. One of the pond is known as Lotus Pond and the other is the Sunken Pond. These ponds have become dry in recent years and are silted.

A few years ago, the lake had fully silted and was full of water  hyacinth and other weeds. They were cleared and today they water looks more healthy than it did a few years ago.

There is no boating. Almost all the trees around the lake are hundred or more years old. The water body helps recharge water to ten borewells in the vicinity.
The Lalbagh lake was the first water body in the State where Vetiveria Zizanioides or Khus grass was used extensively to keep the lake clean. The experiment was first taken up by the Department of Horticulture