Bangalore diaries - Kaikondrahalli lake visits

I visited 2023 November, so it has been close to a year.

26th October 2024

8-10am

To my delight, I discovered a skywalk across the Sarjapura main road, which meant I could not only get to, but could also return from Kaikondrahalli lake easily when the traffic would be bad.

 Photos and observations are at iNaturalist.  

E-bird list here.

The entry area is a complete turn-off.  There is muck in the water, it smells of sewage and quite sensibly the water birds do not linger here.  It is the western side and the north that have some bird activity.

The flocks of Little Grebe were not there this time.  And the Harrier was missing.  

But I saw Cinereous Tits, busy and vocal!  they were foraging in the scrub.  I spotted a moving flash of white on grey on the mud face to the west of the lake, and decided to check with my binoculars.  I did not know they were common in Bangalore, and I was happy to watch them for a while - there were a pair of them, and they had a regular gossip session going, chirping and wheezing to each other as they hopped and flitted around in the undergrowth.

The Kites and Cormorants were a plenty, as also the Swamphens. Dusky Crag Martins dived and glided over the water's surface.  The piercing call of the white-browed wagtail drew my attention to the stone bunds, where it was moving around.

Walking back home on the skywalk - it was 10 am but the weekend traffic was so light!

30th October '24

I went anti-clockwise around the lake today, and started with the wood spider, which caught me in its  fascinating web, metaphorically, and delayed my progress.  Try as I might, I could not get my camera to focus on it!

Ebird list for 30th.

iNaturalist Observations for 30th

A Spotted Dove called from the Tabebuia tree and sunbirds flitted around so fast that I could just catch glimpses of them.  Sunbirds are so busy, and so vocal, for some reason they fill you with a good feeling, a sense of joy.

These little drops of sunshine dotted the undergrowth, and I came to know they are called Hairy Beggarticks!!  What a strange name!

The stones were covered with fresh moss, renewed by the overnight rains.

The Tits were there, and I saw the shy white-cheeked barbet high up in the canopy, pulling fruits from the Kusum trees that lie the northern end of the lake.

On the stone bund in the lake were some very glum looking lapwings, and one energetic sandpiper!

The path is lined with these Millingtonias, dripping their jewels.  

2nd Nov '24 ebird checklist

iNaturalist uploads here.

My last visit this trip to Kaikondrahalli.  And I saw a familiar friend - a lone painted stork, surrounded by Spot-billed ducks and Coots.

The stillness and quiet made me stand and stare, and daydream for a bit.  I watched a kingfisher flash past.  I heard the Dove coo above me.  A jogger went by.  It was like an amplification of quietness.

This black kite also seemed to be enjoying a morning moment of quiet, sitting still and observing me observing it.

And then the magic was broken by a bunch of barking dogs who then went and parked themselves on the bund.  I hoped they were not hunting eggs or fledglings.

I did a U turn, retracing steps quite happy to go back to the quieter part of the lake rather than the road-facing part.  And I am glad I did.

There was a photographer sitting on the fence, and he greeted me with a smile and said in low tones - "chestnut headed starlings".

I looked up to see a bunch of them, in a mixed flock, with drongos as well.

This is what I captured.  A drongo and a chestnut tailed starling sitting on a Eucalyptus tree.

And this is what he captured!

We both watched a pair of common kingfishers with their sharp calls, as they ducked from one dead branch to another. A Coucal sat in the open - forced to emerge from the shadows to dry its wet feathers in the sun.

It was a goodbye to the lake and its denizens, until next time.  

There are half-finished drain connections, iron bars sticking out dangerously, pigs snorting in the dirt and garbage, groups of stray dogs, and plastics in the water.  It is a wonder that despite this horror, the birds are there.  Maybe by the time I visit next, things may be better?  Maybe that's why the winter ducks are giving the lake a miss?

eBird India Checklist - 2 Nov 2023 - Kaikondrahalli Kere / Kaikondanahalli Kere - 37 species

eBird India Checklist - 2 Nov 2023 - Kaikondrahalli Kere / Kaikondanahalli Kere - 37 species

2nd Nov 23

The water level was low, there continues to be sewage inflows, but the marshy wetland areas were abuzz with activity - Ibises, swamp hens, egrets and pond herons aplenty.  Little grebes everywhere.

A bunch of Great Cormorants are nesting at the Lake.  its a good place to se all the Cormorants, but no Darters.

My first Marsh Harriers of the season as well.

No large herons though, a lot of Dabchicks and the beautiful Spot billed ducks.  I enjoyed watching them foraging in the waters and preening and sunning on the rocks and shore as well. 

The hyacinth and marshy area was teeming with birds, who were busy feeding among the reeds and in the mud.

A couple of Black Kites dozed in the sun, while others soared and circled above.

White-cheeked barbets called from the canopy, lapwings stood stock still and morose, and a bunch of wood sandpipers were too busy to acknowledge my presence.

Sunbirds could be heard in the trees and Coots were noisy and vocal in the water.

A flock of Jungle Mynas came into the trees and caught me by surprise.

It was time to leave, but not before I saw the Powder Puff tree.

Bangalore diary - Despondent about Kaikondrahalli lake

 25th April 2023

It is quite an adventure trying to cross the main Sarjapur road - tellingly, there are no pedestrian crossings, so you make your way, with a prayer on your lips and nerves of steel.  And a little too late, I realised the stupidity of trying to do this with 80+ year old mother as well.  

All this urban adventure in order to see Kaikondrahalli lake, which we had enjoyed on our previous visits. Mother and daughter let out a collective gasp of consternation on entry, as we were hit by the smell of sewage, and foamy, green water covered with hyacinth at the entrance run-off area.  It did not get better as we went in and around the lake on the bund - the water level was understandably low, but there was no sign of life - where were the fishes we would see? And where were all the ducks and coots and cormorants?

The path wound round to the other side, and here I saw a whole lot of Little Grebes

Of course there were more apartment blocks all around - to be expected - but not the flow of untreated sewage in from the side!

At the far end, in the submerged skeleton of the eucalyptus grove, the Large Cormorants continue to roost, and there were several Black Kite nests, untidy and large.

A large, undisturbed ant hill - I wonder if it is still intact after the rain of the last few days.

I listed 19 species, as we left and headed back for our reverse adventure crossing.

My mother entered the apartment complex, and exclaimed that she was not going back to the lake - it had made her so upset and despondent.  She did not want to go back.