Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary
Just 176 km. from Delhi is a very special wilderness - the Keoladeo Ghana
National Park, one of the finest water-bird sanctuaries in the world. The
28.73 sq. km. lake and wetland was artificially created by the Maharaja
of Bharatpur in the 19th century.
By building small dykes and dams and diverting water from an irrigation
canal, he converted this low lying area into a fine wild fowl shooting preserve.
In a few years, the new wetland surrounded by marginal forests was able
to support thousands of water birds.
Commonly referred to as Bharatpur, the Park is a delight for bird watchers.
Over 300 species of birds are found here and raised paths, camouflaged by
babul trees and undergrowth make viewing easy. A quiet ride by boat in the
early hours of the morning is also an unforgettable experience. There are
mixed heronries on the half submerged babul trees and the cacophony is unbelievable
as painted storks, open bills, spoon bills, egrets, cormorants, white ibis
and multitudes of others, tend their young. Jacanas with their iridescent
colors and elegant tail feathers and purple moorhen can be seen delicately
treading over the floating vegetation. While harriers and fishing eagles
circle overhead in search of prey, the pied kingfisher hovers dramatically
over the water in a flurry of wings.
There are varieties of storks and cranes and the local sarus crane is elegant
in a livery of grey and red. Every year Bharatpur waits with coated breath
for the arrival of the Siberian cranes.
There are only two wintering places for this rare species -one in Iran and
the other Bharatpur and these beautiful birds with their distinctive red
beaks and facial patches, fly over 6400 km from their summer retreats in
Siberia, to get to them. In 1996, there was great jubilation as a couple
of Siberian cranes with a young one made an appearance in Bharatpur after
a lapse of three years.
The forests around the lake at Bharatpur harbor the sambar, chital, nilgai,
jackal, hyena, fox, mongoose and porcupine. Occasionally, a fishing cat
can be seen scooping its prey also commonly seen sunning themselves along
edge of the paths or at Python Point.
General Information
Best Time to Visit: Throughout the Year.
Nearest Town: Bharatpur (2 km)
How to Get There
Air: Agra (50 km)
Rail: Bharatpur (2 km)
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