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An annual rendezvous

Rabindra Sameeran

Nadu vittu nadu vanthom .... koodu katti vazha vandom,

Veru engum inbamillai ... Vedanthangal inba ellai.."

We left our home in search of a haven.. to build a nest of our own. there is no joy anywhere else. Vedanthangal is our

bliss.

Signboards like this greet as you approach the Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary, the oldest in India, situated about 100 km south of Chennai in Kancheepuram district. Conceived by the local people, these welcome boards in a way reveal the role played by them in bringing international recognition and patronage to the sanctuary.

Set up over a 30-hectare marshy lake, the history of Vedanthangal, dating back to many centuries, is a saga of the local people co-operating with the natural process of migration of some birds from distant countries such as Australia, Canada, Siberia and closer home Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

By patronising migratory birds, the locals exhibit their innate understanding of the relationship between the birds and the productivity of their own crops. They are aware that the huge concentration of birds means prolific bird droppings into the water which form a greenish liquid `guano'. The fields of Vedanthangal enriched with guano fertiliser yield better crops than neighbouring villages. Thus the use of harmful chemical fertiliser is eliminated. With the birds devouring the pests, pesticides are a lso not required. This mutually beneficial relationship has resulted in increased density of birds making Vedanthangal one of the best breeding zones for herons.

Archival records mention that towards the end of the 18th century local villagers complained to the then collector Lionel Place about the indiscriminate shooting of the birds by the British soldiers. Reacting positively to this spontaneous protest, the c ollector issued a `firman' prohibiting any shooting in the entire village. Today generations later, the villagers displaying similar zeal prevent any noisy activity near the sanctuary. Even marriages and festivals for these 3,000-odd villagers are a sile nt affair in the months that the winged visitors make this their home.

The lake was recognised as a sanctuary first in 1936, and then, in 1962, it was accorded the legal status of a reserve forest under the Madras Forest Act. Subsequently in 1972, the entire lake was declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary under the Wildlife Prote ction Act. The sanctuary is replete with trees such as Neerkadappai (Barringtonia), Karuvelam (Nilotika) and Neermathi (Terminolia) which enable migratory birds such as the Little Cormorant, Pond Heron, Night Heron, Snake Bird, Glossy Ibis, Cattle Egret, Grey Heron, Spoon Bill, Grey Pelican and Painted Stork to build nests.

During the monsoon, rain water accumulates not only in the main lake but also in the 60 ponds and adjoining paddy fields resulting in abundance of aquatic prey for the birds such as fish, tadpoles, frogs, water insects and snails. The water around the tr ees ensures natural protection to the birds from most predators such as pariah kites, crows and snakes etc.

Vedanthangal is a home not only to migratory birds but also to many ornithologists who camp here for weeks observing the birds at close quarters. With a powerful pair of binoculars, you can spot a Cormorant or a Snake Bird dive under the water to gobble up a nervous fish which is its staple diet. Soon after the hunt, the Cormorant must come up to the shore to dry its feathers as nature has not endowed it with oil-glands to water-proof the feathers.

The Spot-Billed Grey Pelican, on the contrary, moves in groups lashing the water with powerful wing strokes driving the fish to a shallow corner for the ultimate assault. The Spoon Bill, however, prefers to devour frogs and insects in the muddy water wit h its bills half open.

The winged visitors regulated by biological clocks land at Vedanthangal after the monsoon with amazing clock-work precision and get into the breeding act quietly. The population of the migratory birds swells to around 40,000 by the middle of January.

With the onset of summer, the water starts receding in the tanks signalling the exit of birds in batches after completion of their breeding cycle. The villagers assemble now and then to bid adieu to yet another group of feathered friends and wait for the m to instinctively return to Vedanthangal year after year...

Fact file

How to get there: Chennai is the nearest airport and one can motor down a distance of a hundred kilometres, most of it on the well-maintained National Highway 45. The nearest railhead is Chinglepet (26 km).

When to visit: The best season to visit is from November to January.

Where to stay: Accommodation is available at the Forest Department Rest House or Hotel Tamil Nadu of the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation. Reservations for the latter could be made at the Chennai office, through money order or bank drafts.