Head to Lalbagh to see these friendly winged beauties

Head to Lalbagh to see these friendly winged beauties

Staff Reporter



Welcome visitor: One of the two spot-billed pelicans at Lalbagh.

Bangalore: The endangered spot-billed pelican is not an infrequent visitor to Lalbagh botanical gardens, drawn as it is to fish that thrive in its algae-rich tank. But visitors on Sunday were pleasantly surprised by an unusually friendly pair of pelicans that waited determinedly among the ducks for the bread crumbs to draw the fish to the surface.
Fearless

“I have never seen pelicans come so close to people. They are generally shy birds,” said Ullas P.A. an avid birdwatcher who happened to be there on Sunday morning. “It was quite amazing. The pelicans were quite fearless and seemed to have their strategy all worked out. They were waiting patiently for visitors to throw bread for fish so they would surface,” he said.

“The pelicans looked like they were leading the pack of water birds there. It would be a great thing if this trend were to continue,” said naturalist M.B. Krishna who was also witness to the pair’s antics. The lake, which is home to ducks that were introduced by the Horticulture Department, is also frequented by cormorants. “If the department allows natural vegetation to grow then many more water birds will roost here, including coots, dabchicks and purple moorhens,” he added.

Recently Hebbal Lake in north Bangalore saw the largest ever congregation of spot-billed pelicans in Bangalore. Little is known about the current location of this flock which were over 200 in number. “Pelicans, like all water birds, are rather mobile and have possibly dispersed around the city’s lakes,” Dr. Krishna said.