Date:15/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/15/stories/2008121556160300.htm

Karnataka

A feast for birdwatchers

Staff Correspondent

Guests: The bar-headed geese flying over Heggerikere near Haveri.

Haveri: Thousands of migratory birds have made the Heggerikere their haven. The tank is about 2 km from Haveri and this time around the winged guests have come in record numbers.

Among thousands of different kinds of birds, the most prominent are the bar-headed geese. The presence of the birds is a treat for the birdwatchers and the general public many of whom are seeing the migratory birds in such large numbers for the first time.

The rain-fed Heggerikere, said to be the second biggest tank in the State, was built by King Nala in 1134 A.D. The tank usually dries up in the summer.

A birdwatcher and Professor of Zoology in KLE Society’s G.H. College Naryan Birasal, who has conducted a study on migratory birds, said that the tank used to attract 43 species of birds in the 1990s.

“However the number of winged visitors has reduced gradually over the years and now only 30 species of birds of ten families visit the tank”, Mr. Birasal said.

According to birdwatchers, Magadi tank in Shirahatti taluk of Gadag district had become the temporary abode for the birds but their numbers have dwindled over the years due to alleged illegal mining operations in the vicinity of the tank.

If the Heggerikere is maintained properly , then this place could become a popular tourist spot.