Vedanthangal Oldest Water Bird Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu

 

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary is a 74-acre protected area located in the Chengalpattu District of Tamil Nadu, India. More than 40,000 rare species birds from various parts of the world visit the sanctuary during the migratory season every year. Vedanthangal is home to migratory birds such as pintail, garganey, grey wagtail, blue-winged teal, common sandpiper and the other rare species birds.

 

 

Vedanthangal is the oldest water bird sanctuary in the country. Vedanthangal in Tamil language means "hamlet of the hunter". This area was a favourite hunting spot of the local landlords in the early 18th century. The region attracted a variety of birds because it was dotted with small lakes that acted as feeding grounds for the birds. Realising its ornithological importance, the British government undertook steps to develop Vedanthangal into a bird sanctuary as early as 1798. This was established in 1858 by the order of the Collector of Chengalpattu. Villagers near this sanctuary are very concerned about the sanctuary and they have taken many serious steps to avoid disturbance to the flow of birds.

 

 

The Vedanthangal lake is situated 122 m above sea level. It supplies water to 250 acres of agricultural land around the area. The west and south sides of the lake are bordered by a long bund, whereas the northern and eastern sides extend to the agricultural lands. Input of water into this lake is through four small canals. Maximum depth of the lake is 5 metres. The area receives an average annual rainfall of 1400 mm, mostly from the north-east monsoon.

 

 

The Vedanthangal Lake Bird Sanctuary features thousands of birds coming from various countries, some of which can be easily identified. Some easily found birds include cormorants, darters, grebes, large egrets, little egrets, moorhens, night herons, paddy birds, painted storks, pintails, pond herons, sandpipers, shovellers, terns, white ibises and many more. The migratory birds include garganeys and teals from Canada; snake birds and glossy ibises from Sri Lanka; grey pelicans from Australia; grey herons and openbilled stork from Bangladesh; painted storks from Siberia; spoonbills from Burma and the Indian spot-billed duck. It is a good tourist spot.

 

 

Although the bird sanctuary is open throughout the year. The best time to visit this sanctuary is from November to March. During this time, birds are seen busy building and maintaining their nests.

 

 

The sanctuary is easily reachable from Chennai and Chengalpattu. Chennai is the nearest airport 58 kms away and Chengalpattu the nearest railway station 30 kms away from the Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary. Regular bus services are also available from Chennai, Mahabalipuram and Chengalpattu.