Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary, Chengalpattu

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary, Chengalpattu

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary is a 30-hectare (74-acre) protected area located in the Kancheepuram District of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The sanctuary is about 75 kilometers (47 mi) from Chennai on National Highway 45, south of Chengalpattu. More than 40,000 birds (including 26 rare species), 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 like. 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. Realizing 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 Chengalpet.

The best time to visit this sanctuary is from November to March. During this time, birds are seen busy building and maintaining their nests.

Villagers near this sanctuary are very concerned about the sanctuary and its winged residents, and they have taken many serious steps to avoid disturbance to the flow of birds. The local people have been protecting the sanctuary for centuries now because they have realized that the bird droppings falling into the tank increases nitrogen content of the water and when used to irrigate crop increases the yield greatly and saves the cost of fertilizers.

As far back as 1798, the village folk convinced the authorities to give protection to the birds of the 30 hectares area of the Vedanthangal tank. Around 30000 birds come every season even though the area is just 30 ha It then attracts multitudes of herons, egrets, storks, ibises and spoon bills. If the monsoon is heavy, these trees can be partially submerged.

Vedanthangal Water Birds Sanctuary is a paradise for bird lovers and ornithologists. The sanctuary gets its name from a village close at hand that has the same name.  Vedanthangal Sanctuary is just 75 km from the city of Chennai, and its serene environs provide a refreshing retreat from the noise and grime of urban chaos. The leafy landscape, the lush greenery, the twitter of birds and the sight of our colorful feathered friends darting about are an instant pick-me-up for city weary souls! The sanctuary is easily accessible by road and rail as well as from the Chennai airport. And the Forest Department and Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) provide decent accommodation for those who wish to stay over.

Location	Kanchipuram District – 86 Km from Chennai
Area	30 ha.
Annual Rainfall	About 1200 mm
Nearest airport	Chennai – 58 Km away
Nearest Railway station	Chengalpattu – 30 Km away
Accommodation	Forest Rest House at Vedanthangal with catering arrangements, P.W.D. Rest House at Karunguzhi.
Other facilities	Regular bus services from Chennai, Tambaram and Chengalpattu.

History

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary is one of the oldest in India and also one of its smallest. The sanctuary has a fascinating history. The locals have protected this sanctuary down the ages. The rain fed Vedanthangal Tank’s water has been greatly enriched by bird droppings as these droppings increase the nitrogen content of the water. When this water is used to irrigate crops, the yield is significantly larger and farmers save on the cost of fertilizers.

Interestingly, as far back as 1798, the local villagers persuaded the authorities to provide protection to the birds of the Vedanthangal tank. Even though the tank is small – just 30 ha – it attracts approximately 30,000 birds every season especially egrets, herons, storks, spoonbills and ibises.

Towards the end of the 18th century local villagers complained to the collector of Chengalpet Lionel Palace, about the British soldiers shooting the birds. They demanded and obtained a 'Cowle' from the collector (Mr Place, Collector of Chengalpet 1796-1798) to protect the birds. In 1936 the collector officially recognized the lake as a sanctuary. In 1962 it was given the legal status of reserved forest under the Madras Forest Act.

Several accounts of the sanctuary were published in the mid-19th century. In 1936, the park was notified as a sanctuary, and in 1962, the Madras Forest Act legally accorded the status of a reserve forest to Vedanthangal. Ten years later, the place was declared as a wildlife sanctuary.

In the government order dated 8 July 1988, the area was declared as 'Vedanthangal Lake Bird Sanctuary', under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

In 1967, a rest house was constructed for the convenience of visiting inspecting officers and tourists.

The area had a compact grove of more than 500 Barringtonia trees earlier. An additional 100 trees were planted in 1973 and over 1,000 trees were planted in 1996.

Location

The Vedanthangal Lake Birds Sanctuary at 122 m above MSL lies 48 km inland from the Bay of Bengal in Chengalpet District of Tamil Nadu.

The Lake

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 10 mm, mostly from the north-east monsoon.

Flora

The rain fed Vedanthangal tank is dry through much of the summer. An earthen embankment along its western precincts impounds the water when the tank begins to fill in August. It does not support permanent water plants. The Barringtonia trees at the edges and the center of the tank support the nests and are scenes of hectic activity. Their crowns, looking like leafy green islands in the water serve as nesting platforms and perch-sites.

Flora: Barringtonia acutangula, Acacia nilotica, and Alangium salviflorum trees and dry evergreen scrub and thorn forests.

Fauna

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary is a must visit if you are love nature and birds; the sight of thousands of graceful birds flapping around is bound to send you into raptures! The sanctuary is home to a host of aquatic birds and the sight of these charming winged creatures flitting around in various hues, shapes and sizes is enchanting to say the least. Ideally, visit this charming sanctuary between November and January because that is when hordes of migratory birds swoop down on to its verdant surroundings.

During summer, the Vedanthangal Tank is quite dry but once the monsoons arrive, the tank starts filling up. The Barringtonia trees form a lush border at the edges of the tank and also rise up in the center where they look like leafy emerald islands bobbing in the water. These trees serve as nesting sites for birds as well as perching sites.

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary attracts over 1, 00,000 birds so the variety of feathered friends that you can spot are quite staggering. Occupying pride of place here are the aquatic birds.

The Vedanthangal Lake Bird Sanctuary features thousands of birds coming from various countries, some of which can be easily identified. One of the first birds to arrive at Vedanthangal are Open billed storks and breed twice during the same season before leaving the sanctuary. Egrets, Spot billed pelican, Painted stork, Great cormorant, Indian Cormorant, Darter, Eurasian spoonbill, Asian open bill, Black-headed Ibis, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Great Egret are seen in large numbers.

Some of the other commonly seen waterfowl are the white ibis, night heron, darter, pond heron and ducks like Comb duck, pintails, common teals, dabchick, Shoveller, black-winged stilt, little stilt, red shank, sand piper, ringed plover, curlew etc., and arboreal birds like parakeets, babblers, mynas, barbets, bee-eater, rollers, cuckoos anoles, drongos etc., and raptors such as black winged kite, Brahminy kite, short-toed eagle, pariah kite etc., are seen in Vedanthangal . Mammals seen here are Jackal, Jungle Cat, Wild Boar, and Black-naped Hare.

List of Fauna

·         Grebes (Podicipedidae)

·         Little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)

·         Pelicans (Pelecanidae)

·         Spot-billed pelican (Pelecanus philippensis)

·         Cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae)

·         Great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)

·         Darters (Anhingidae)

·         Darter (Anhinga melanogaster)

·         Herons (Ardeidae)

·         Grey heron (Ardea cinerea)

·         Intermediate egret (Egretta intermedia)

·         Little egret (Egretta garzetta)

·         Indian pond-heron (Ardeola grayii)

·         Black-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

·         Storks (Ciconiidae)

·         Painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala)

·         Asian open bill (Anastomus oscitans)

·         Ibises and spoonbills (Threskiornithidae)

·         Glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)

·         Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)

·         Ducks, geese and swans (Anatidae)

·         Lesser whistling-duck (Dendrocygna javanica)

·         Northern pintail (Anas acuta)

·         Stilts and avocets (Recurvirostridae)

·         Black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

·         Terns (Sternidae)

·         Common tern (Sterna hirundo)

·         Cuckoos (Cuculidae)

·         Common hawk-cuckoo (Cuculus varius)

·         Typical owls (Strigidae)

·         Spotted owlet (Athene brama)

·         Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)

·         Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis)

·         Cuckoo-shrikes (Campephagidae)

·         Black-headed cuckoo-shrike (Coracina melanoptera)

·         Sunbirds (Nectariniidae)

·         Purple-rumped sunbird (Leptocoma zeylonica)

Conservation

Several steps have been taken by the Government of Tamil Nadu to protect the area. Water channels have been built by the Public Works Department to facilitate water supply to the sanctuary from neighbouring lakes.

In 2013, two lakh Barringtonia saplings were planted in the sanctuary to allow birds to nest. The Vedanthangal Lake was also desilted and deepened to hold more water.

Best Season

The best time to visit the sanctuary is during the winter seasons that is from the month of November to March. The temperature is pleasant during this time with maximum is around 27°C and the minimum being around 16°C. Migratory birds also fly into the sanctuary during November to December. Season is open throughout the year.

Contact

Wildlife Warden, 

259 Anna Salai, DMS compound, 

Teynampet, Chennai 600 006 

Phone: 044-24321471

Accommodation

For accommodation in Vedanthangal, you can either go for the Forest Department Rest House or Hotel Tamil Nadu of the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation. One can make reservation at the Chennai Office.

Connectivity

By Air:

The nearest airport to Vedanthangal is Chennai international airport which is approximately 70 km from the sanctuary.

Chennai is the nearest and most convenient airport, connected by daily Indian Airlines flights from Delhi (6:40, 10:15, 16:45 & 19:00), Mumbai (7:05, 9:20, 11:45, 18:10 & 20:30), Bangalore (8:30) and Kolkata (14:30 & 18:10). From here you can hire taxi to the destination.

By Train:

The nearest railway station is Chengalpet Railway Station which is 26 km away from Vedanthangal.

Delhi is conveniently connected through the Thirukkural Exp. (6:00, Sat) & T N Sampark Kranti (7:25, Tue, Thu) while Mumbai through the Madurai Exp. (00:15, Fri) & Nagercoil Exp. (12:05, Tue, Sat).

Daily trains running Chennai-Chengalpattu include the Nellai Exp. (21:00), Kanyakumari Exp. (17:30), Pandian Exp. (21:30), Pearl City Exp. (18:30), Anantapuri Exp. (19:30) & Rock Fort Exp. (22:30). One can hire taxi from the station to the sanctuary.

By Bus:

To travel by road from Chennai, take the national highway no. 45 to Chengalpattu and head south towards Padalam junction. A right turn here will lead to the sanctuary road.

The sanctuary can also be accessed from other nearby towns of Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram, but the road is not very well maintained. State transport buses ply between Chennai and Chengalpattu, the best option however would be to travel in your own four wheeler or hire a taxi from Chennai.

There are many buses running between Vedanthangal and Chengalpet, Kanchipuram, Chennai and Mahabalipuram. One can choose between a/c and non a/c buses.

Distance by road: Chengalpet 34 km, Mamallapuram 45 km, Chennai 82 km. towards the south west and is approached by NH 45