And that’s Pulicat at its inimitable best - Pulicat Lake

Standing across the narrow path

Alongside the pristine lagoon

Chill waft embraced me with love

Crazy water birds posed for my lens

And that’s Pulicat at its inimitable best

Divine path leading to ISRO

Not all the time you get to visit a place that you have been longing to visit, through an official assignment. Aha! Sounds exciting right?

Pulicat Lake, being the second largest brackish water lake in India, is one of the beautiful places to visit for any nature enthusiast. It straddles between the two southern most states of India – Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Tamilnadu (TN); former owning the majority of it though.

If you love to paddle across this striking lake, then go for TN part of it. Pulicat (Pazhaverkadu) is a fishermen island, where you can get a boat to visit the estuary as well as birds sanctuary. This could be an ideal chance for you to capture the true essence of nature and be bowled over with its compelling magnificence. However, the boat ride may perhaps cost you; not in terms of money (they charge well below 800 INR) but in terms of time. You need time (ample time) to sit and observe the birds and its interesting behavioural patterns. 

A lone ranger scared off seeing the pinkish flock

For that, my advice is to go for AP part of Pulicat Lake. Pulicat lagoon lays aside a narrow road in Sullurupeta of Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh. The road connects the barrier island, where the prestigious Satish Dhawan Space Centre (producers of Mars Mission) is situated (about 60 km from Sullurpeta). The primary inflows of the lagoon are from three rivers namely Arani, Kalangi and Swarnamuki.

As you hit this long and beautiful stretch, get ready to feel and experience the visual sparkle of nature. The shrouded pheasant-tailed Jacana dancing beneath the water lilies, majestic pied-kingfisher lunges over its prey after cautiously monitoring its movement from aerial view and river tern flying along the airstream at the shore are some of the unique elements of this charming lagoon. That’s not the end of it, as there are lot more species out there to amaze you.

 Don't miss t majestic pied-kingfisher lunging over its prey after cautiously monitoring its movement #Nature #Pulicatlagoon via @gowthy87

Spot a bird with heads-up stance?

The shorebirds like curlews, plovers and sandpipers wade through the shallow waters. Standing beside them are the huge flock of flamingos actively foraging the surface with hooting noise. Apart from this you can also spot, black-headed ibis, spot-billed pelicans, painted stork, spoonbill, northern pintail, common coot, grebe, etc. There is an interpretation centre in the village named Attangaanithippa, where you can know about the place and also find the names of the species present in Pulicat. During birding season (Nov-Feb), you can also find forest officials standing on both sides of the road offering high-range binoculars and spotting scopes, for better visibility of species.

Northern pintail along with palm backdrop

Sullurupeta also hosts a unique festival – Flamingo Festival – during late January or early February every year. It is ideal to visit the place during this time as one can enjoy the glimpse of ever beautiful water birds along with the cultural activities of the local people.

As a whole, Pulicat is a beautiful place to visit especially during winter for watching migratory birds. I suggest AP over TN part of Pulicat primarily for spending more quality time with nature. You can very well take an auto/bus from Sullurupeta railway station to the spot. If you have your own transportation, then you are in heaven buddy.

P.S. The bird names are highlighted (Bold & Italics)