May 4th, 2025

No Luck, no Duck, no Buck! 

When you have nothing much to write about but you really really want to use the above caption. (Somewhat like buying a saree just because you have a blouse piece, if you get the analogy 😏)

Well, all ye faithful readers of mine who have been following my minor adventures in the past few weeks, I am sure ye will know that a kind friend has been allowing me to tag along on bird photography jaunts to a few popular lakes and birding sites around Bangalore and beyond (and other enroute attractions of heritage and history thrown in for good measure).

And while I have had reasonably fruitful outcomes (sightings, photos, food) from these trips, this time my winning streak felt that it had done enough for a while and decided to take a break.

And yeah, the only reason I am writing about this futile expedition, is to use the above opening line. Yeah I am nuts like that 😎

Of course I should also give a bit of credit to the fact that I sighted and clicked pictures of 4 species of birds that were new to me and I managed to score a delicious Mulbagal dosa … but mostly the ‘caption reason’ wins!

So follow me on this somewhat barren trip to Bethamangala town in the Kolar district of Karnataka, India, where I was lured with promises of the uncommon Knob-billed ducks, graceful Blackbucks and the famed Mulbagal dosa. And well, read on to see how that saga turned out!

To provide some context to this sad tale, let me tell you the back story. After our recent expeditions to Hadinaru lake – Mysuru, Kokkarebellur – Mandya,  Jayamangali Blackbuck reserve – Tumkur and Ramasagara Lake/Reservoir – Kolar, the next place in our crosshairs was the Bethamangala lake, Kolar, which had somehow slipped through our research when we visited its ‘downstream sibling’ Ramasagara lake on the previous trip.

In addition, I had been tipped off by a local contact that this was the season for the quaint looking Knob-billed duck (Sarkidiornis melanotos). Also, my earlier visit to Jayamangali Blackbuck sanctuary had kindled in me a new found interest in Blackbucks and I learnt that the premises of the erstwhile Kolar Gold Fields was now home to a large number of these graceful animals and quite a few birds too.

Now who can say no to – Shooting several species with one camera? (which is more politically correct than the original and highly inappropriate idiom – Killing 2 birds with 1 stone!)

All this exciting data was sufficient cause for making an impromptu plan to go back to Kolar. Though people who know me will attribute my enthusiasm to the Mulbagal dosa which I had savored and written about on my last visit and which had been haunting my dreams and urging me to come back for an encore! Well do you believe them or me? I would love to hear your opinion in the comments 😎

In this post we will focus on the ducks (or lack thereof) while the next blog post will bring forth an equally sorry tale of the rather elusive Blackbucks. Remember, it takes great skill to utilize over 2000 words to describe how we came back empty handed!

Bethamangala Lake and Dam – 

Bethamangala lake lies at the center of the town of the same name which is situated in the Kolar Gold Field taluk of Kolar district.

This freshwater lake cum reservoir has been created by building a dam across the river Palar and is one of the series of dams along this river, another being the Ramasagara lake/reservoir which lies 10 km downstream.

Palar translates to River of Milk and originates in the Nandi Hills in Karnataka and flows through Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu before it merges with the Bay of Bengal, winding through a noteworthy 350 km in total.

I was unable to find information regarding the size of the Bethamangala lake but it definitely is a massive one. Constructed in the early 1900’s, its purpose was to supply water to Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), the former gold mining town whose operations were  shut down in 2001.

This lake and its surroundings are also popular with bird enthusiasts because they provide a conducive environment to several resident and migratory winged species.

This was supposedly the season for the Knob-billed ducks and recent sightings had brought us here with high flying hopes.

Kolar –

Kolar/Kolara city is the district headquarters of Kolar district. In the past, Kolar was famed for its gold mines at Kolar Gold Fields, KGF (also called Bharat Gold Mines Limited, BGML) but these have not been operational since 2001.

Kolar is also home to several temples like Someshwara, Kolaramma Devi, Kotilingeshwara, Sri Ramalingeshwara, Anthargange Sri Kashi Vishweshara Temple and others.

Bethamangala Lake vantage points and local guide –

As I always say, one should sufficiently research a place before visiting it and also get useful data if possible from local sources. This helps to save time and get optimal results too. So this time with a bit of online hunting, I made contact with an avid bird photographer called Shankar, who also works in the police force in Bethamangala.

He informed me that the Knob-billed duck season was rapidly coming to an end and if I visited immediately, I would have a good chance of satisfactory sightings. I also learned from him about the presence of the Blackbucks that roam the BGML grasslands.

He was also thorough enough to send a couple of Google locations for our destinations and I have posted the link to the one we opted for.

One look at the tantalizing pictures of the ducks and bucks which Shankar sent on WhatsApp and I needed no more incentive to decide to go and that is how I landed here the very next morning with 2 of my friends.

Of course it was not his fault that our fate eventually turned against us.

Our trip –

We left Bangalore at 4.30 am and it took less than 2 hours to cover the 95 km distance. As we neared our destination, we halted for a brief while for our customary sunrise shot.

When we reached the Google location, we could find no sign of the lake but as we were wondering how to proceed, there was a flurry of activity in the bushes and we were favored with sightings of several birds, all within that cluster.

It was my first sighting ever of the Jacobin cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus), Rufous treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda), Indian paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi) and White-browed bulbul (Pycnonotus luteolus), perched on the branches above, while a mini conference of Cattle egrets in breeding plumage maintained the ground level activity.

 

All these birds posed very briefly for us before disappearing and these were the only worthwhile pictures that I managed to capture. After this short lived activity, we found a group of helpful locals at a nearby temple, who guided us to the lake which was … guess where? Yeah it was right behind us and we had driven past it without noticing it.

 

Well we were not to blame because on this day of early May, the lake had very little water and most of the lake bed was exposed and looked like any regular field or flatland.

We were told that normally one could drive right up to the water but since it had rained on the previous night and the ground was slushy, there was the danger of the car getting stuck in the muck, which would have been quite yuck 😎

So we parked at a distance and while my friends valiantly set forth on foot through the slush, I waited patiently in the car for them for 2 hours. Apart from a few common birds which I could spot from my location, like herons, egrets, kites, drongos, stilts etc, there was nothing exciting for me to click. Only this cute little chap kept me company.

So I gazed at the Bethamangala dam in the distance and hoped that my friends would be luckier.

Unfortunately they too did not fare all that well, even though Shankar had sighted these birds really close up, as recently as a few days prior. My friends did see the ducks in the distance though but were unable to get the kind of pictures they had dreamed of.

And speaking of dreams, this is one of the pictures sent by Shankar which I am posting here to give you a sense of what we missed!

And this is how the Part 1 of the fiasco ended.

I am sure you are eagerly waiting for Part 2 where the buck did a duck on us!

Birds of Bethamangala Lake – 

This large lake is home to several species of birds both resident and migratory. The list includes Lesser Whistling-Duck, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Knob-billed Duck, Coot, Cormorant, Stilt, Painted Stork, Kingfisher, Jacobin Cuckoo, Rufous Treepie and many many more.

A short video –  

View this post on Instagram

What is available and what you should carry – 

The lake lies in village territory and there is not much available in terms of food or even toilet facilities. It is preferable to carry one’s own food and drink at least to tide over breakfast. For lunch etc there are several places on the highway back to Bangalore. For the toilet, you have to depend on the shielding ability of mother nature’s bushes or wait to get to the highway restaurants.

Apart from the food, some of the items you could carry are caps, sunglasses, binoculars, camera and its associated paraphernalia, folding stools etc.

Early mornings are quite cold in winters, so equip yourself accordingly. Layering your clothing may be a good idea because it gets hotter as the day goes by. Do not wear bright colored clothing but go with neutral colors that will suit the natural surroundings.

Do not strew food around or litter. Please bring your trash back.

Do not make loud noises or create any commotion while watching the birds.

Things to do in the Surroundings –

As mentioned earlier, Kolar district is home to several famous temples and other places of interest.

During our previous visit to Ramasagara Lake, we visited the Sri Ramalingeshwara temple and this time we went to the BGML Blackbuck sanctuary.

Where to eat –

On my previous trip, I had discovered the pleasures of the Mulbagal dosa which is a crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, version of the regular dosa. I was very keen to fulfil this desire at least because the failure of the earlier 2 ventures with the duck and buck. So we actually drove significantly out of our way to show the mean ‘bird gods’ that the ‘food gods’ were at least on our side!

So it was back to the same Shettar Thindi along the highway, followed by the customary raiding of the nearby fruit and vegetable stalls to gather our treasure of fresh produce, to assuage our feelings of overall disappointment.

Best Time and season to Visit –

While early mornings are definitely the best time of the day for sighting both the land and water birds, this time’s debacle does not qualify me to instruct you on which the best season would be 😏

I will hopefully visit again with a more successful outcome and then try to provide that information.

In general however, the migratory months of November to March are good for birding at any lake.

Also, the surroundings are home to many of the resident birds all year round, so any month should be good enough for a visit.

Phone and internet connectivity –

Phone signals were good throughout, even on the lake. Airtel, Jio etc seemed to work fine in our rural surroundings.

Getting there –

There are excellent roads from Bangalore to Kolar. One can choose Old Madras road or the spanking new Bangalore Chennai expressway which is quite a dream to drive on.

On this trip, Google sneaked us onto the Old Madras road when we were not paying attention. Hence we missed the pleasure of zipping down the Bangalore Chennai expressway, which would actually have been a better option.

It is most convenient to travel by car, though there regular public transport options by bus too between Bangalore and Kolar. From Kolar bus stand, autos can be hired for last mile connectivity.

We left Bangalore at 4.30 am and it took less than 2 hours to cover the 95 km distance.

There are supposedly more than one vantage points to watch birds at the lake but we followed the pin that was given by Shankar.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/kFfYmYCjzBUkwVE17 

---

Please Note –

This was a personal trip and my narration is based on the inputs I received from various sources as well as my own experiences.

For more pictures see My Facebook – Bethamangala Lake and Dam, Kolar

Also catch me on My Facebook, My Facebook page, My Twitter and My Instagram

Before venturing, please check what birds have been recently sighted. There are a few websites like eBird which provide regional and current statistics.

I would really appreciate your feedback and comments in the comment box below.

May 4th, 2025