Periyar Lake

Periyar lake is located within the Periyar National Park, or Periyar Tiger Reserve, as it is commonly called. The lake was artificially created by building the Mullaperiyar dam across Periyar river, in what was originally a river valley covered with forests. 

Tree stumps of the submerged forest can be seen even today, although most have been cleared to create a waterway for the tourist boats. During the summer, the lake is more of river, snaking through the valley surrounded by thick evergreen forests. 

The boat rides are good and provide a safe way watching wildlife. However, ticket sales can be better managed. Tickets are sold on first-come basis. This creates a lot of confusion, as there is rush towards the counters, where one has to fill a form with your name and age, before the tickets can be bought. Also, the best seats for viewing wildlife are on the upper deck of the boat, but you are not permitted to select seats and may be allotted seats on the lower deck if you are unlucky. 

Both, the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) and Kerala Forest Department (KFD) operate boat services for tourists. The KTDC boats are better maintained and faster than KFD boats – a good 10 minutes faster. But, you would be better off seated on the KFD boat. That’s because the KTDC boats have rows of 4 seats and are not suitable for those stuck in the middle, while KFD boats only have 2 seats in each row. 

The faster speed also negates the very purpose of the ride – watching and photographing wildlife. On the day of our visit, a herd of elephants emerged from the forest towards the end of the ride, a sight the KTDC tourists missed, as they had already disembarked and exited from the area.  Suggestion: the KTDC counter is on the left and KFD counter is on the right.

The best time to take the boat ride is in the morning at 0730. At this time, it is not too hot and the weather is pleasant. It is also the time when one can spot several wild animals as they emerge to quench their thirst. We were lucky and could spot several birds, sambar (deer), wild boar, bison (Indian Gaur) and elephants.

Snake-bird or Darter

Indian Cormorant

A general observation

One is sure to notice that the forest reserves are well maintained. This is because the ban on use of plastics is strictly enforced by the Forest Department. May be we should hand over civic administration duties in the cities to the foresters.

Keep our surroundings clean; reduce use of plastic - save the environment from further deterioration.

Green Pigeon

April is not a good month to for bird watching as it is very hot and dry during this period. However, if you plan to spot birds at any of the nearby areas, an early morning trip is the best bet.

We reached Karnala Bird Sanctuary (KBS) at around 6.45 a.m, much before it got crowded with the trekking groups moving towards the fort. KBS is around 30 km from Thane / Mumbai on the Goa highway. At this time of the year, after the spring season, most of trees appear fresh and green due to sprouting of new leaves. Very soon, they will turn dry and dusty owing to the summer heat, until the arrival of the rains. As we walked about in the sanctuary, we noticed that the grass and undergrowth in some parts of the sanctuary on the path towards the fort, was burnt dry. The forest personnel were unable to explain the cause of the fire though it was almost next to the rest-house. Unless it was done deliberately to stimulate growth of grass, one hopes the department takes all preventive measures to avoid such fires.

Birds spotted: Pampadour Green Pigeon, Golden-fronted Leaf bird, Racket-tailed Drongo and caught a glimpse of a large raptor, which could not be identified.
 
I have no idea why the Pampadour Green Pigeon was so strangely named. It is an arboreal bird and keeps to upper reaches of fruit or berry trees, and is not easily spotted.
Status: Uncommon

Golden-fronted Leaf bird: Status: common and frequently spotted.

Plastic-free zone
The sanctuary is a plastic-free zone, which is monitored by the forest department. This makes one wonder - if regulations can be implemented in such areas, why cannot the same be done in the city? Unless existing regulations regarding ban of thin plastics (less than 50 micron thickness) are enforced strongly, and awareness is created among the citizens, the use of plastics will continue unabated.