Kaggaladu Heronry Sanctuary

About:

A nondescript village in Tumkur district wakes up each year to the raucous cries and colourful plumage of painted storks and grey herons as they nest on old tamarind trees amidst the houses. This is the only place in Karnataka where these species nest side by side. The birds live in perfect harmony and mutual tolerance with the villagers and enjoy their protection - a perfect example of peaceful co-existence between man and nature.

Kaggaladu is a small village in the historic Sira Taluk of Tumkur district in south-eastern part of Karnataka state. Since 1999, the villagers have been a welcome host for Painted Storks and Grey Herons, which annually breed on the trees inside the village and raise their young ones. Kaggaladu is located about 9 km to the north-west of Sira town on the Sira-Chengavara Main Road and the heronry was first made known to the outside world in 1999 by members of the Tumkur-based NGO Wildlife Aware Nature Club.

The birds usually stay in Kaggaladu Bird Sanctuary for about six months, starting from the month of February[2]. The birds start arriving in groups for the nestling season. By the end of August month, the migratory birds go back.

Kaggaladu is said to be the second largest painted storks sanctuary in South India, after Kokkare bellur sanctuary in Mandya district, Karnataka[2]. It has been observed that, many birds of the foreign origin also migrate to Kaggaladu during the nestling season.

In this bird sanctuary, one can find the birds in hundreds of number, but the big gathering of birds is not of the same feather. The tamarind trees have been maintained exclusively for birds shelter and nestling. It has been reported that, the villagers of Kaggaladu are very much attached to these migrating birds[2].

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History of the Park

According to locals, the Grey herons have been nesting here on a single tamarind tree since 1993. Their numbers increased in 1996, when a lone tree in the neighbouring Muddakanahalli, on which these birds were nesting, was disturbed by poachers and some birds were killed. The villagers are so interested in conserving the birds that, they do not harvest the tamarind in the trees owned by them as well that of the Government. While many of the villagers are interested in protecting the birds just because they look beautiful, a few believe them as harbingers of prosperity, hence their protection

Natural History of the heronry

Flora

The dominant species of trees in the village are Tamarind Tamarindus indica and Indian Banyan Ficus benghalensis

Fauna

As the area lies in the plains of the Deccan Plateau, bordering Andhra Pradesh, the wildlife found here is related to the drier areas. WANC is compiling a detailed report of the flora and fauna found in the area. But notably a few herds of blackbuck roam around Kaggaladu and surrounding villages. Also some of the villagers claim to have sighted the Great Indian Bustard in the area, but this has not yet been confirmed.

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How to reach Kaggaladu Heronry Sanctuary?

Road Transport:Nearest Highway: National Highway No: 4

Getting there: Since the Bangalore - Pune/Mumbai National Highway No: 4 passes through Sira Town, the best way to get there is to drive down from Bangalore city (about 3 hrs drive). Sira is about 50 km away from Tumkur City and about 120 km from Bangalore.

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