Kolleru lake in Andhra Pradesh, is humming with the activity of about a million migratory birds. This year, has been a windfall of sorts, as the teeming Kolleru, a Ramasar conservation site, spread over 308.55 square kilometeres, gets its fill of the winged visitors. The Kolleru lake is the largest fresh water body in the country. Set between the deltas of the rivers Krishna and Godavari, to which it is joined via 67 channels, the lake also receives seasonal water from the rivers Budameru and Tammileru.

The reason it attracts birds from across the world is its reservoir of fish, with an average production of 7,000 metric tonnes per year, since aquaculture is also practiced here. An important water fowl habitat, Kolleru is a paradise for the migratory birds, and the indicator species here, the Grey pelican.

A wetland marsh habitat, it has flora such as the Ipomoea aquatic, Ottelia spp, Typha spp, Acacaia nilotica, Samanea saman, and Prosopis juliflora, and it shows that the birds love to spend the winter here. From the Glossy ibis, Open billed stork, and Purple moorhen, to Painted storks, Pied avocet, Marbled teal, and Common redshank, etc, along with the resident biodiversity, Kolleru has its waters full this year. Additionally, the lake also supports a rich biomass of 63 fish species, and planktons, which is an important food source for the birds.

Flying in from as far as Siberia and Russia, are the Glossy ibis, Open billed stork, Purple moorhen and the Painted stork, as they escape the harshest of winters with sub-zero temperatures, in the northern hemisphere, and settle into tropical climate at Kolleru which remains between 24 to 32 degrees centigrade.

While earlier many birds fell prey to poachers, lately the governments at all levels have been making a constant effort to sensitise local people on the importance of migratory birds for ecological balance. The state forest department has had trees planted on mud mounds, and constructed metal stands for nesting, and set up habitat centres. There have been stringent punishments handed out to do breaking the law.

The Information

Best time to visit October to March

How to get there Kolleru is accessible by road from all parts of the country. The nearest airport is at Vijaywada, which receives connecting flights from across India, and is approximately 132 kilometres from Kolleru.