Vellode Birds Sanctuary

Vellode Birds Sanctuary

Vellode Birds Sanctuary is an 80 ha (200-acre) sanctuary located in the Erode District in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It has an area of 77.185 hectares. It comprises of 75.935 ha of Periyakulam Yeri and 1.250 ha of odai poramboke in SF No.503 in Vadamugam Vellode village. 

The sanctuary is about 13 km from Erode Central Bus Terminus on the way to Chennimalai, near Vellode, and 10 km from Erode Junction Railway Station, in the south.

Vellode Bird Sanctuary is truly a bird lover’s dream come true. In a census conducted by the Forest Department, a staggering 33,000 birds of assorted varieties were spotted! The sanctuary is home to not just local birds; many migratory birds wing their way here. This apart, it teems with many fish and aquatic creatures. So nature lovers can have a great time here.  

VELLODE BIRD SANCTUARY
Location	12 Km away from Erode toward Chennimalai main road
Area	77.185 ha.
Forest Type	Acacia nilotica plantation
Animal Found	Visited by large number of Resident & Migratory bird species
Nearest airport	Coimbatore 92 Km
Nearest Railway station	12 Km away from Erode
Best season	November to April
Entry fees	No entry fees are collected from the visitors.
Accommodation	Hotels available at Erode.
Other facilities	1.      Tourist can approach the staff and make use of facilities like Binoculars. 2.      An Interpretation centre is available 3.      A tourist canteen building is available. 4.      A watch tower is available for viewing birds clearly.
For greater details	District Forest Officer, Roja Nagar,  Erode-4 Ph:0424-2291722

Flora & Fauna

Vellode Bird Sanctuary is quite distinctive because it is concentrated in a huge lake and there are no forests surrounding it.  Acacia plants abound and you can also see Palmyra and eucalyptus trees. The area is surrounded by lush paddy fields. In spite of no forest cover, some 102-odd species of birds, both rare and common, have been spotted here. These include night heron, white breasted kingfisher, pin-tailed duck, darter, common sandpiper, cormorant, Indian roller, painted stork, common coot and common teal. There are observatory towers around the lake from where you can enjoy watching these lovely feathered creatures.

When the grey clouds of the Northeast Monsoon start cascading in the sky, the migratory birds make a beeline for the sanctuary. During the monsoons (September-December), Vellode Bird Sanctuary is an ideal habitat for the winged visitors. The tank has plentiful water and brims with fish and aquatic organisms which provide food for the birds. The neighboring fields and the trees here provide shelter for perching and nesting.

Flora

The Vellode Birds Sanctuary is a storage tank and as such there are no forests in this tank. The main vegetation of the sanctuary consists of Acacia nilotica plantation. The other tree species present in the sanctuary includes Azadirachta indica, Palmyra and eucalyptus plantation all along the bund and profuse growth of Prosopis juliflora

Fauna

The Vellode Birds Sanctuary is visited by large number of resident and migratory bird species. The migratory birds start arriving to the Sanctuary at the onset of the Northeast monsoon. The Sanctuary becomes an ideal habitat for the birds, because of the availability of abundant feed in the tank and in the neighbouring agricultural fields and plenty of trees for perching and nesting. There are abundant fishes and other aquatic organism present in the tank, which form part of food for many resident birds.

Bird species

It is at a large lake surrounded with semi-dark bushes, near Vellode. This .772 km2 (0.298 sq mi) sanctuary near Erode is home to many foreign birds. The sanctuary features thousands of birds coming from various countries, some of which can be easily identified. Some easily found bird species include cormorants, teals, pintail ducks, pelicans, and darters.

Season

Villagers near this sanctuary are very much concerned about the sanctuary and the birds coming to this sanctuary, so they have taken many serious steps to avoid disturbance to the flow of birds. The best time to visit this sanctuary starts in November and continues until March. During this time birds are mostly busy in building and maintaining their nests. Many observatory towers have been built to watch these birds, around this lake.

This comes under the List of Protected areas of Tamil Nadu: Protected areas of Tamil Nadu

Connectivity

This sanctuary is situated 12 km away from Erode toward Chennimalai main road and is easily accessible by road Erode is 12 km and Chennimalai is 14 km. ON Erode-Chennimalai road from Mettupalayam, a diversion road towards North to a distance of 1 km takes you to this sanctuary.

Tourist Information

For the benefit of the visitors, a watch tower is constructed. A tourist canteen building was also constructed to cater the needs of the visitors. An interpretation center was also constructed for creating awareness among the visitors especially to the student visiting the sanctuary. 

The vehicles of the visitors are restricted at the entry point itself so as to observe silence in sanctuary which is required for the perching birds.

The tourist can approach the staff and make use of the facilities like Binoculars.

No entry fee is collected from the visitors 

Best time to visit - November to April