Ariyalur KARAIVETTI BIRD SANCTUARY - VETTAKUDI

 Ariyalur KARAIVETTI BIRD SANCTUARY - VETTAKUDI

Vettakudi Karaivetti Birds Sanctuary located at Karaivetti village in Ariyalur District Tamil Nadu state, India,Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary is established on April 5, 1999 at 4.537-square-kilometre (1.752 sq mi) protected area  as per Government Order opened for public in 2015.

 

Karaivetti sanctuary is basically an irrigation tank that receives water from the Mettur dam from September onwards which is supplemented by the northeast monsoons from October till January.

 

Karaivetti Birds sanctuary is one of the most important fresh water feeding ground for migratory water birds in the state of Tamil Nadu. One of the largest tanks in the state, it has recorded the largest congregation of water birds among all the tanks in the state.

 

Karaivetti Birds Sanctuary has 188 species of birds recorded in the sanctuary, 82 are water birds. Among the important visitors to the tank is the endangered Bar Headed Goose ,Northern pintail, White Stork, Northern shoveler, Garganey, Blue-winged teal, Osprey and common sandpipe.

 

Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary is one of the largest inland freshwater lakes in the State of Tamil Nadu. It provides important stopover and foraging ground for birds migrating along the Central Asian Flyway. Some 10,000 individuals of 14 colonial waterbird species have been found nesting here.

 

The gum Arabic tree (Acacia nilotica) provides roosting and nesting grounds for threatened species such as spotted eagle (Aquila clanga), tawny eagle (Aquila rapax) and Indian darter (Anhinga melanogaster).

 

When the water level starts receding after January, larger birds such as painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala) flock to the Site; it has recorded one of the largest congregations of waterbirds among all lakes in the State of Tamil Nadu.

 

The Site also provides breeding habitat for the vulnerable Indian flap-shelled turtle (Lissemys punctata). During the driest period, between July and October, the water level of the Site is maintained with water from the Mettur Dam.

 

The lake water is used to irrigate about 4,000 hectares of surrounding farmland. There are issues related to human-wildlife conflict, in particularly concerning the vulnerable bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata).

 

Vettakudi  karaivetti bird sanctuary Geography :  Vettakudi  sanctuary is a large irrigation tank located in the northern alluvial plains of the Kaveri River. It is fed during the northeast monsoons by the Pullambadi canal, an aqueduct from the Kaveri via the Venganur reservoir and dam.

 

It is one of three interconnected reservoirs. It is one of the largest freshwater lakes in southern Tamil Nadu. An important aspect of this sanctuary is the presence of water till the month of May as most nearby water bodies dry up by the month of March. It remains dry from June till August.

 

 Rainfall ranges from 800 mm (31 in) -2,000 mm (79 in). It is often referred to together with another nearby tank and called Vettakudi-Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary.

 

Vettakudi  karaivetti bird sanctuary Flora : The Social Forestry Department has planted Cassia trees along the northern and western shores of the reservoir. Aquatic vegetation includes: ganthian sp., sedge sp., bullrush & Hydrilla. Shoreline trees include wattle, neem, Indian beech sp., and casuarina sp.

 

These trees provide habitats necessary for breeding water birds.

 

Vettakudi  karaivetti bird sanctuary Fauna : The Important birds here are long migrants including the high flying bar-headed goose, white stork, woolly-necked stork, rosy pelican, spoonbill, open bill stork, and grey heron, night heron, Pond heron, purple heron, egrets and glossy ibis.

 

The diving birds little cormorant, kingfisher, Indian cormorant and sixteen species of ducks, including spot-billed duck, common pochard, tufted pochard and northern shoveler, plus Coots and Twenty three species of waders, including whiskered tern, gull-  Billed tern, and little tern, sandpipers, little ringed plover and Kentish plover, have been recorded in the sanctuary.

 

karaivetti bird sanctuary Entry fee : Entry is free for visitors. 

karaivetti bird sanctuary best time to visit : Early morning or evening is the best time to visit during the month of December to January. The sanctuary is open to visitors throughout the year. 

How to Reach karaivetti bird sanctuary : 

By Road :

Ariyalur Bus Stand - via NH 136 ( ~20 K.M.) 

By Train : 

Chennai - Trichy Route, Stop: Ariyalur Railway Station. 

By Air : 

Nearest Airport : Trichy Airport. Ariyalur can be reached by bus or train from Trichy.