The Kolleru Lake a repository of avifauna was almost lost once earlier when the Grey Pelican which was the seen as the ecological mascot of the lake went in search of “greener pastures”.
Now this habitat of thousand of birds seems to be under threat for the second time with the State government proposing diversion of water from feeder rivulets and drains for irrigation. The Central government is even examining a proposal to reduce the size of the Wildlife sanctuary.
Even before the lake was declared a wildlife sanctuary and a Ramsar Site, Kolleru, one of the largest fresh water lakes in the country was know to tourists, wildlife enthusiasts, amateur birdwatchers and professional ornithologists as a Pelicanery—a location were the Grey Pelicans, a large magnificent bird, nest and breed.
But these birds vanished from the lake in 1973 for nearly 35 years and returned to it to nest again in December 2006.
The Grey Pelican also called the Spot Billed Pelican is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection cans and in the Red Data Book. It is also considered a “globally threatened species” under the “vulnerable” category.
Former Assistant Conservator of Forests and an authority on the avifauna of Kolleru P.Gracious said the reason for the disappearance of the Pelicans was large-scale felling of Palmyra trees used by the birds to build nests.
The Pelican nests were also reported by Prof. Neelakantan in 1949 in Matlam, Pedalanka, Garisipudi, Ollanka and Nidmarru, outside the lake area, but these areas were also de-reserved and converted into agriculture fields, Mr Gracious said.
Later the aquaculture boom came and all fish eating birds were driven away by the pisciculturists. The Grey Pelican returned to the lake only after Operation Kolleru, in which the fish tanks were destroyed implementing a Supreme Court order.
Important Bird Area
Ornithologists have been documenting the birds of Kollery Lake from the time of Independence. It is also listed as an Important Bird Area (IBA Site Code—IN-AP-04). Important avifauna of the lake include a variety of water fowls, ducks, teals, storks, egrets, herons, ibises, bitterns, cormorants and a number of waders.
As many as 224 species of birds have been from in and around the lake A large number of Lesser Whistling teals were recorded in 1997.
