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 Here:
Air: Agra (50 km)
Rail: Bharatpur (2 km)
··» Indian
Wildlife Parks —› Bandhavgarh
National Park —› Bharatpur
Bird Sanctuary —› Corbett
National Park —› Ranthambore
National Park —› Kanha
National Park —› Pench
National Park —› Periyar
Wildlife Sanctuary —›
Gir National Park —›
Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary
—› Sunderbans
National Park
