Hoskote lake, on the outskirts of Bengaluru is a great place for birding. As the city is growing and pushing its limits, the area offers the extremities of high-end apartments and malls along with agricultural lands lying side by side. But still the lake attracts various birds and can definitely be considered as one of the best birding places near Bengaluru. I visited this place along with Sankara few weeks back and it was a good experience.
How to reach Hoskote lake?
When you travel on Bengaluru-Kolar road, take a left turn just before Lanco Hoskote toll. This diversion can be easily missed as lorries parked on the service road obstruct the approach. As long as you don’t cross the toll plaza, you will be fine. The road to lake is very narrow at the entrance of the deviation. It basically depends on your comfort level in driving your vehicle in such sections. we parked our car on the service road and walked the remaining distance.
In case if you cross the toll booth, there is another way to reach the lake as per Google Maps. But why one should unnecessarily pay toll?
At Hoskote lake
The distance from the highway to the lake is about a kilometer and you can see many birds on this section. There is a water body on the left side which is now covered fully with water hyacinth and duckweed. It is home to purple moorhens and many other water birds. We saw many Baya weavers who had built their nest at the edge of the branches to ward off the predators. They are beautiful creators who build stunning nests!! Interestingly, I have mostly seen the nests built in colonies and not the isolated one.
After walking for a kilometre or so, the lake made its appearance. Thanks to good rains this year, the water level was decent. We could see many birds like Pond heron, Night heron, common moorhens, pelicans, painted storks, egrets, cormorants, Grey herons to name a few!! We were very happy to see lot of birds. Our previous visit few years ago was a washout as it was raining heavily. But this time, it was definitely promising.
On the main tank bund is a temple that is locally famous. We took a small road going to the left and next to the lake. This road goes along the lake for a long distance and provides great opportunities to see the birds at close distance. This is the place where we witnessed maximum bird activity. We spent a long time in observing and photographing birds.
The area next to this road has many small trees and shrubs housing several small species of birds. They are not easily visible but if you hear carefully to the chirping of these birds and along with sharp eyes and patience, it is possible to get a glimpse of these birds. We took short detours leading to the nearby fields where we could see more birds.
Where to eat?
The only decent restaurant nearby is Nandi Grand restaurant just before the toll booth. There are many restaurants on the way if you are coming from Bengaluru city.
Last words
Hoskote Lake is a good place to spend a morning watching or photographing birds. Along with places like Hesaraghatta lake, Valley school and Shivanahalli, Hoskote lake provides nice opportunities for birding. The area is not clean but that the state of most of the villages around Bengaluru.
Sadananda Hegde
Nice,description of place is interesting
aravindgj
Thank you.