One afternoon I visited Magadi Bird Sanctuary 12 kms from Lakshmeshwar in Karnataka with the help of two local cotton friends Mr.Hemant Modi and Mr.Girish after reading in the newspaper about the presence of more than 5000 Bar Headed Geese at this location. We met the forest department watcher Mr.Somanna at Magadi who took us to a spot where a ace photographer had been there since morning observing and photographing these birds.
As I observed the birds for a while suddenly the birds got agitated due to some reason I didn't understand. According to the forest department watcher two locals were seen on the opposite shore which might have triggered the birds to start flying around. For the next 5 or 10 minutes there was chaos and We couldn't hear each other till the birds settled down at the same place. Mr.Somanna, the forest department watcher showed us two dead birds which according to him die of shock in times of panic which we witnessed.
He later sent the two dead birds to Belgaum forest office for inspection about the cause of death. He noticed me wearing our Birding team T- shirt and took me and my two friends Mr.Girish and Mr.Hemant Modi to a watch tower constructed at a vantage point for public to view the birds using a scope for the safety of the birds built by the forest department and showed me his register where he made records of the birds present there.
Some of the birds were ringed with blue ,red and yellow ribbons which indicated to him the year in which they were ringed. It was a life time experience to observe these birds which are some of the strongest flyers in the bird kingdom as they come from Nepal crossing the Himalayan ranges at heights which is scarce of oxygen.
The forest watcher told me that they feed on the rice fields nearby in the night and come back to this spot in the morning.
They come every year at the end of November and go back to their home grounds in March. The forest watcher is stationed at Magadi Bird Sanctuary for the entire period from their arrival till their departure for their home grounds for their protection.
The very next year due to drought the Magadi Bird Sanctuary lake was dry and the birds settled at a water body at Savanur 12kms from the Magadi Bird Sanctuary. Last year they came back to Magadi Bird Sanctuary again and were counted to be above 6000 in numbers. I visited Magadi Bird Sanctuary this year again and found their numbers had increased to 8000.
Anybody who wishes to see the birds at the Magadi Bird Sanctuary can travel 66kms by road from Hubli in Karnataka to Savanur and further to Laxmeshwar which is just 12kms from the Magadi Bird Sanctuary.
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