Birding at Pulicut lake

The brackish water system is the water body having more salt content than freshwater but lesser than seawater. India has many brackish water ecosystems, and one of them is Pulicut lake on the Tamil Nadu – Andhra Pradesh border. It is popularly known as the second-largest brackish water ecosystem in India after Chilika lake in Orissa. The lake attracts many migratory birds, with Greater Flamingos being a top attraction in winter. Sriharikota, where ISRO launches its rockets to space, is in this area.

As a person interested in birding, Pulicut lake was on my bucket list for a long time, but it did not materialise due to my focus on abroad travels in recent years. This year gave an opportunity, but we had a narrow window as summer was ready to set in. Finally, we made a weekend dash to this place at the beginning of March. Like many birding travels, this trip was planned and executed by Sankara.

Our journey to Pulicut Lake

Sankara and I started from Bengaluru on a Friday evening. We took Hoskote -> Kolar -> Mulabagilu -> Chittur -> Tirupathi -> Sri Kalahasti -> Tada route. Dinner was near Tirupathi, and we reached our hotel in Tada at 11 PM. The route till Chittur is 4/6 lane, and the Chittur-Tirupathi stretch is undergoing expansion. The road after Tirupathi is a single lane road. Overall, the road conditions were good.

Pulicut Bird sanctuary near Sriharikota

Our day started at six in the morning. It was hard to get up in the morning as we had slept late, but birds are active at early morning!! The sun was rising when we left the hotel.  Our first visit was Pulicut bird sanctuary on Sriharikota road. We had our morning tea at a roadside shop and proceeded towards Sriharikota. Soon we were at Pulicut lake. Sriharikota is an island, and the road towards that township cuts the lake from the Bay of Bengal. It was a nice drive with aquatic birds on both sides of the road. But we were in late February, and the water level had come down a lot. It had resulted in a fewer number of birds.

We spent some time photographing birds on this road before entering Sriharikota. After our breakfast at a hotel in the township, we went back to the lake and drove towards another island called Venadu.

Nelapattu bird sanctuary

It was time to visit the second place of the day. Nelapattu is a bird sanctuary on the outskirts of Pulicut Lake in Andhra Pradesh. We drove further north on NH 16 (Chennai-Kolkata road) and took a deviation to Nelapattu. At the entrance, we had to pay for individual and vehicle entry, camera and binocular. As we entered the parking lot, we saw few school buses parked. It was a Saturday, and schools had arranged a picnic.

Nelapattu is similar to the Vedanthangal bird sanctuary in Tamilnadu and Gudavi in Karnataka, where a small lake attracts migratory birds. There is no boat ride in Nelapattu, but a well-constructed path on the lake periphery provided a nice view of the birds. There was numerous birds nesting, and the place was bustling with their activities!! All the usual suspects were present – Spot-billed Pelicans, Ibis, Cormorants, Egrets, Swamphens, etc. It was a good time to watch the bird activity.

Afternoon boat ride in Pulicut lake

After seeing Nelapattu bird sanctuary, we came back to Tada and had our lunch in a hotel. We went to an Air Conditioned hotel, and it brought a much-needed respite from the hot and humid weather outside. One thing I observed in this area was the complete absence of “Pure veg” restaurants!!

With our stomachs taken care of, we went to Pulicut, a small fishing village in Tamilnadu. Sankara had arranged for a boat ride on the Tamilnadu part of Pulicut lake. Pulicut is a fishing town, and all boats cater for fishery purpose. Tourists use boat only to reach nearby beaches!! For birding, the boat driver or the guide must have a clear understanding of species of birds. Yuvaraj was one such person who made his living as a fisherman but turning into a bird guide whenever birders arrived!!

Yuvaraj was ready when we arrived at Pulicut town at 2:30 PM. It was a small fishing boat with no cover from the sun. I never lived in a coastal area and have no tolerance for the humid weather on the Indian coast. It was a challenging time for me. To protect myself from the sun, I was wearing full sleeves shirt and covered my face and head with a towel. It looked funny.

Very soon, Yuvaraj showed his might with his knowledge of birds. He knew where he could find birds and took us to various places. We found brown-headed gull, many species of terns, sandpipers, etc.

It was a great afternoon, and we were satisfied as we came back to the town while the sun was setting down.

When we returned to the car, we realised that we had committed a blunder. We had parked our car below a peepal tree which was also home to many birds. By the time we returned, the bird’s droppings had covered the car!! Our immediate priority was to clean the car as the bird dropping can damage the car paint. It took some time for us to find a place to clean the car!!

Morning boat ride

We were back at Pulicut town on Sunday morning. The sun was rising as we started our boat ride. This time we saw more varieties of birds. Some of them were first sightings for me – Sanderling, Godwit, Oyster Catchers, Gulls etc.

We were back in the town at 10:30 AM. Now, we had a long journey back home!!

Information and tips

• You can visit Pulicut lake as a day trip from Chennai.
• There are no good hotels in Pulicut town. You can either stay in Chennai or near Tada.Apart from Nelapattu, there is no organized birding activity in Pulicut lake. You need to arrange it yourself.
• Winter season (November to February) is the best time to visit.
• The weather is always hot and humid. The boat ride would be uncomfortable during mid-day.