Watery Wetlands: Part 2

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In my last post titled Watery Wetlands: Part 1, I took you through some beautiful wetlands of India. Even though I tried to portray a diverse set of wetlands, it still felt incomplete. There is so much more! So here is part 2 of the same post and I take you on yet another journey of wetlands found across India.

WEST: Nandur Madhmeshwar Bird Sanctuary (Maharashtra)
Nandur Madhmeshwar is a Ramsar site and a bird Sanctuary located close to Nashik district in Western Maharashtra. As this place lies close to the confluence of the Godavari and Kadwa Rivers, it has a unique wetland habitat comprising of marshes, small lakes and a not-so-dense forest buffer. The marshy areas here support a diverse group of waterfowls, waders, and other uncommon bird varieties like crakes. The sanctuary is less than
1500 hectares but is known to support more than 500 species of birds!
East: Bhitarkanika Mangroves (ODISHA)

Bhitarkanika National Park is a reasonably large park of 145 sq km which is located in the eastern part of Odisha state. Known to house some of the largest reptiles in India, the humongous Salt water Crocodile (aka saltys!), these creeks are also home to Water Monitor Lizard, Spotted Deer, and Boars. The boat rides take your through the creeks and on either side, one find dense mangrove patches.

Brown-winged Kingfisher, Mangrove Pitta and Collared Kingfisher are some of the prized sightings from this area. Bhitarkanika is known for the variety of Kingfishers one finds here. In case you want to know more, you can check this post on Kingfishers found in India.
North-West: Keoladeo National Park (RAJASTHAN)
Keoladeo National Park or Bharatpur National Park is one of India’s most famous wetland birding spots. Winters are a great time to visit this place as it houses numerous migrants that come there from different parts of the world. More than 300 species of birds are found in this area. However, unlike other parks, Bharatpur to a great extent is “managed” by the park officials, ensuring that the areas are seasonally flooded with water and dried out in other months. Keoladeo National Park is also a Ramsar Wetland Site. At one point of time, the rare Siberian Cranes were spotted here, but are no longer reported to be seen since early 2000s.
South: Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary (KARNATAKA)
Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary is a popular destination for bird-watchers, nature enthusiasts, as well regular tourists. The reason is that one can view birds and crocodiles here from very close quarters. Ranganathittu is primarily known for being a breeding and nesting ground for many species of birds. It is located on the banks of Kaveri and because it is so small in size, one can sense a sheer abundance of birds there. The place is just flooded with ibis, terns, egrets, herons and storks.
I particularly remember that we were in the boat and I could see a Marsh Crocodile (Mugger) basking in the sun with its mouth wide open. We were so close so that we could see every speckle on its thick tongue!

Lastly, I will leave you with this thought: Wetlands mostly come across as barren lands, with little “forest cover”. But wetlands are not wastelands! They may not have a very specific “look” but wetlands play a very important ecological role, that not only supports a huge variety of flora and fauna but also maintains a lot of checks and balances in the environment. So keep an eye out for the wetlands close to your home! For all you know, they may be housing a rare bird or protecting you from the next tsunami!

PS: If you remember, the 2004 Earthquakes and Tsunami proved disastrous for India.

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My name is Adithi Muralidhar. I am a nature enthusiast based in Mumbai, India.

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