Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary
This sanctuary is located 48 km inland from Bay of Bengal at Chengalpet district.
Flora
Being small in area, not much varieties of trees are found. Predominantly water plants, and Barringtonia trees are present. During summer season, not much water is left in the pond, so most of the water plants can’t survive. Other tall trees serves as the platform for the birds to build their nests.
Fauna
The first bird to inhabit Vedanthangal is Openbilled stroks. They visit this sanctuary every season and breed twice before leaving. Egrets, Spot billed pelican, Painted stork, Great cormorant, Indian Cormorant, Darter, Eurasian spoonbill, Asian openbill, and Black-headed Ibis are few frequently seen birds in Vedanthangal. We can also spot lots of bird varieties. Apart from birds most common animals found here are Jackal, Jungle Cat, Wild Boar, and Black-naped Hare.
Approach
This sanctuary can be easily approached from Chengalpet, Mamallapuram and Chennai. There are both train and bus facilities from all these places. Nearest airport is at Chennai.
Tourist info
This sanctuary is open for all throughout the year. The best time to visit is November to April. Only during these season we can see birds nestling with their babies at a very near range.