Keoladeo Ghana National Park
The famous avifauna sanctuary of northern India - Keoladeo Ghana National Park (Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary) is known to be home to 366 resident and migratory bird species. Siberian cranes used to visit Keoladeo Sanctuary and it is still visited by many migratory birds. Once a hunting ground for water fowls it is spread over29 Sq Km and is a manmade wetland. Keoladeo sanctuary is one of the best birding area in India.
Named after the Shiva temple inside the sanctuary it was made by Maharaja Suraj Mal of the princely state of Bharatpur using natural depression in land. Once a shooting ground for the royal family and their guests it has been declared a Ramsar site and a World heritage site now.
Keoladeo sanctuary has Tropical dry deciduous forest, intermixed with grassland and artificially managed marshes. Kadamb, Jamun, Babul, Ber, Khair and Kandi are main trees found here. Marshes are rich in aquatic vegetation which are main source of food for waterfowl.
Jackal, Striped Hyena, Fishing Cat, Jungle Cat, Nilgai, Sambar, Python, Civet, Otter and wild Boar can be seen here. Once even a migrating tigress made Keoladeo its home for some months. Keoladeo bird sanctuary is famous for waterfowl population and some of the common once we can see here include gadwall, shovlers, teal, tufted duck, comb duck, little cormorant, great cormorant, Indian shag, painted stork, white spoonbill, Asian open-billed stork, ibis, darter, sandpiper and Sarus crane. Land birds and birds of prey we can see here include warblers, babblers, bee-eaters, bulbuls, buntings, chats, partridges, quails, grey hornbill, osprey, peregrine, short-toed eagle, tawny eagle, imperial eagle, spotted eagle and crested serpent eagle.
It is one of the best bird sanctuary to see birds and photograph them. A visit to Keoladeo Ghana is a must for bird lovers.