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Keoladeo Ghana National Park
Keoladeo Ghana National Park (Bharatpur Birds Scauntary)
The
Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary has a distinguished status. It is specially acknowledged
for its migratory birds coming from all corners of the globe including Siberia.
As per ornithological records, over 350 species of birds are seen breeding,
nesting and fishing in the Ghana swallow lakes in an area of 29 sq km. It
is a bird lover’s paradise constituting one of the most important heronries
in the world.
The Keoladeo Ghana National Park or the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary lies
between the historic cities of Agra and Jaipur. It is situated in the
state of Rajasthan. The name ‘Keoladeo’ is derived from the
name of an ancient Hindu temple devoted to Lord Shiva in the sanctuary’s
central zone while the Hindi term 'Ghana' implies dense, thick areas of
forest cover.
The Bharatpur Sanctuary is home to a variety of bird species from across
the globe. About 380 species of birds are found in this 29 sq km stretch,
of which approximately 10 sq km consists of marshes and bogs. The rest
of the area comprises scrublands, grasslands and more than 44,000 trees
that are used for nesting by birds each year. This spectacular fusion
of marshes, woodland and flora found represents the density and diversity
of the region’s forest cover.
The Bharatpur Sanctuary is one of the most inviting destinations in the
world for ornithologists, amateurs and nature lovers for some 377 different
species have been spotted here. Various species of indigenous water birds,
waterside birds, migratory water birds, land migratory birds, and domestic
land species inhabit this area, and there are approximately 56 different
families of birds, of which the Passeriformes (156 species) and Charadriformes
(56 species) dominate. One-third of birds at Bharatpur are migrants, many
of which spend their winters here before returning to their breeding grounds
in the Arctic and Central Asia.
This
one-of-a-kind bird sanctuary has a special history. The Maharaja of Bharatpur
is credited for its creation in 1890, even though conservation was the last
thing on his mind. He got a large area enclosed with embankments and further
divided it with earthen dams called ’bunds’ creating a large number
of marshes and lakes. Thus, Bharatpur is mainly an artificial creation.
The government banned the indiscriminate shooting of birds in 1965. The
area was declared a national park in 1982, and accepted as a World Heritage
Site in 1985.
The most popular bird among tourists and ornithologists is the Siberian
Crane. According to experts, the Siberian Crane is known to travel distances
of up to 6,500 km migrating from the Ob River basin region in the Aral
Mountains in Siberia. Conservationists are working hard to protect this
fast disappearing species. Apart from Feredunkenar in Iran, Bharatpur
Sanctuary is the only place where the Siberian crane migrates. The cranes
arrive in December and stay until early March. According to ornithologists,
unlike its Indian counterpart the Siberian crane feeds on Cypress Rotents
grass (an underground aquatic root). An intriguing fact is that though
Siberian cranes have a mixed diet of vegetation, fish and other small
creatures back home, they adopt a vegetarian diet during their stay in
India. they react to intruders with spectacular displays and loud cries.
Other migratory birds at Bharatpur include big birds like Dalmatian pelicans,
which are two meters in length, and minute ones like the Siberian leaf
warbler, which is merely the size of our index finger! Several other species
of cranes-corcomorants, egrets, darters, herons, storks, geese, ducks,
eagles, hawks, shanks, stints, wagtails, wheatears, flycatchers, buntings,
larks, spoonbills, kingfishers, owls and pipits-also make Bharatpur their
temporary abode.
Bharatpur
heronry is one of its kind and bustles with zealous activity. The production
of chicks during the breeding season is put at about 30,000. This avian
kingdom also hosts mammalian species like nilgai, sambhar, chital, black
bucks, jungle cat and the wild boar. The large rock python (which is spotted
at Python Point beyond Keoladeo temple) as well as its nemesis, the mongoose,
are found in appreciable numbers. However, spotting a duel between the two
is purely a matter of chance.
The mode of transport for getting around the sanctuary is a bicycle.
Cycle-rickshaws may also be hired. Boats are available for hire from the
ticket checkpoint. Boating is an excellent idea for getting around the
Keoladeo Lake and observing the birds at close quarters.
During summers (April-June), the temperature ranges from 38°C to
45°C. The onset of monsoon (July-August) lowers the temperature to
about 27°C. Winter (October-March) season peaks after Christmas with
temperatures falling below 10°C. Ground fog in the winter persists
rather erratically on unspecified periods in January.
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