Jun 8th, 2025

A vast, thick drape of green, broken only by a tiny puddle of water, was my first view of Muthanallur lake. A dirt track below that had suffered the lashings of a recent rain and another track atop the raised lake bund, were the only access to my friend and I who were visiting the place, mainly for the purpose of bird spotting and photography.

Due to the choking of almost the entire surface of the water by the knotted tapestry of water plants, there were no water birds to be found but the surrounding vegetation was better blessed with a few other species. Apparently the lake was less polluted and less overrun with aquatic weeds in the past.

Muthanallur Lake is located in the Bangalore Urban district of Karnataka, India. Come with me as I take you through a visual exploration of whatever I found at this lake … it was certainly not water 😏

Muthanallur Lake – 

Spread over a vast 600 acres, this lake which is situated in Bangalore is said to be one of the largest waterbodies in the region. It is said to be home to diverse birdlife both migratory as well as resident. Being such an expansive place, one’s experience would probably be dependent on which part of the lake one visits.

My friend who is familiar with the region, chose to go to the more popular side with the car park and dirt tracks. This seems to be the location that most of the bird photographers prefer.

We can choose to explore the birdlife from the lower track or climb up the slope that leads to the raised bund from where one can view the lake or rather the thick green carpet covering the lake!

We tried out both the paths, taking the lower first and then promoting ourselves to the upper. The lower track gave us better sightings, though from the upper track we got a close-up view of the birds that squatted on the overhead wires.

There is also a clearing further down which is only accessible from the upper track because the lower track ends in a messed up terrain which one cannot navigate through. This clearing was barren with a dry, cracked ground which reminded me of the Little Rann of Kutch but without its exotic wildlife of course (hence it may be more interesting for you to click on this link, rather than continue with this post😜)

However, we did spot a few non-exotic ones flying overhead and in the surrounding bushes, so it was not all bad!

A short video glimpse – 

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Birds of Muthanallur lake –

Birds of several species are said to have been spotted at this lake but when we visited, Baya weavers were the flavor of the season, along with a few others like munias, drongos, red vented bulbuls, swallows, lapwings, stonechats and so on.

Getting there – 

Google pin to the spot that we went to. This also has a car parking area.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/eeaFgEjXdTtoYxFE9

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 – Muthanallur lake

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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.

Jun 8th, 2025