Mar 30th, 2025

The turn of the Tern.

If you have been following my posts, you will know that my current whim is to tag along on bird photography jaunts with a good friend of mine, to a few popular lakes and birding sites around Bangalore and beyond.

After our recent expeditions to Hadinaru lake – Mysuru, Kokkarebellur – Mandya and Jayamangali reserve – Tumkur, our latest target was the Ramasagara Lake/Reservoir – Kolar.

Ramasagara Lake in the Bangarpet taluk of Kolar district of Karnataka, India, is a freshwater lake and reservoir created by a dam across the river Palar.

This large waterbody naturally attracts several species of waterbirds as well as their terrestrial counterparts. I was enticed to visit this place with the promise of sighting several glorious winged residents and in particular, the River Terns (Sterna aurantia) which were supposed to be in breeding season, hence raising our hopes of getting a distant peek at their nests adorned with eggs and hatchlings.

So did our Terns turn up? Or did we turn back empty handed with no Tern? Your turn to find out, so scroll on 😎 Ok I better stop before I receive a sTern warning from you!

Ramasagara Lake –

Ramasagara Lake lies in the Bangarpet taluk of Kolar district. Also known as Bukkasagara, this lake cum reservoir has been created by a dam on the Palar river and is one of the series of dams along this river, another being the Bethamangala lake/reservoir which lies a mere 10 km upstream.

The river 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.

Occupying nearly 156 hectares, Ramasagara is quite a massive waterbody which also ensconces quite a few sandy islands and rocky outcrops, which I assume makes it favorable for ground nesting birds to reside in.

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.

Ramasagara Lake layout –

Ramasagara Lake vantage points and local guide –

Unlike most of the lakes I have visited so far where all the bird spotting, viewing and clicking was done from the river banks, the track surrounding this lake did not seem easily accessible and neither did the birds. I was told that the most optimal way to navigate this place was via water and hence we had to locate someone who could transport us accordingly.

It is always very convenient especially for first time visitors like us to have a local source of knowledge and information. This helps to save time and get optimal results too.

A few enquiries while researching the place, brought forth the contact number of Rashid who was said to be the boatman who could do the needful. We made our plans with him via Whatsapp, where he not only scheduled the time but also gave me information about the boat and all other details that I wanted to know prior to going, including the exact google location which is near the Shri Veerabhadraswamy temple, Ramasagara Lake.

Rashid not only turned out to be reliable and punctual but also was quite knowledgeable about the birds and their whereabouts. His friendly, respectful, helpful and patient manner was also a huge factor in making our trip even more enjoyable.

Hence we had a very fruitful and pleasant 2 hour long boat ride where we not only spotted all the birds that we had hoped for but we also enjoyed the leisurely ride itself, in the cool morning on the picturesque lake!

Please note that this boat has no seats. Prior to the trip, I had requested Rashid to make some provision and hence he had placed a sturdy plastic crate for me to sit on. My friend managed with a folding stool which we always carry along on these expeditions.

Our schedule –

We left Bangalore at 4.30 am and it took less than 2 hours to cover the 110 km distance. The new Bangalore Chennai expressway is excellent.

As we neared our destination, the sun performed its usual dramatic rise, enhanced by some theatrical untangling from the dry branches of a barren tree, which of course tantalized my ‘sunrise-crazy’ camera sufficiently enough to waste a good amount of time on!

After we reached the Google location which Rashid had sent, he then instructed us to drive further down a small 100 meter stretch of dirt track to the pick up point where he was waiting in the boat. The car actually went all the way to the water’s edge, so there was no walking to be done at all.

We eventually began our boat ride by 7 am which is a great time to start because the weather, the light and bird sightings are all optimal. Also by the time we were done 2 hours later, it was still very pleasant.

Birds of Ramasagara Lake –

The lake abounds in pond herons, grey herons and egrets. Apart from these there are Common Kingfishers, Pied Kingfishers, Cormorants, Spot-Billed ducks, Open billed storks, River terns, Small Pratincoles and many more.

My trophies –

Before setting sail, we were welcomed near the entrance arch by a few tiny birds perched on the overhead wires and surrounding bushes. These included Bulbuls, Baya weavers, Robins and even a House Sparrow, a bird that I have not seen in the city for ages.

There was even one that looked like a Pied bush chat or maybe a female Thrush (can you identify it?)

On the lake of course, there were pond herons, grey herons, egrets and others, posing in neat rows for the cameras, with a cormorant or two for contrast. The grey herons also entertained us by playing ‘Musical airs’ which is my name for the game they seemed to be playing in the air, which looked similar to musical chairs. See my Instagram video to understand my wild imagination better 😎

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A couple of herons were seemingly romantically serenading each other in the air or maybe just skirmishing? Well whatever it was they were doing, my camera was delighted at being treated to some ‘In-flight’ entertainment!

There were also several Black-winged stilts walking agilely on their ‘Stilt-ettos’ (which is what I called their slender, long legs) and flocks of Barn swallows networking within a maze of dry bushes, both of which gave us generous sightings.

Then there also were the singles, with a Pied Kingfisher with its black and white presence blending in with the morning haze and hence making the camera struggle, a brightly hued Common Kingfisher, a Red-wattled lapwing strutting up a rocky boulder, a pensive Common Greenshank and an astonished looking Open billed stork, all of which preferred to turn up solo for the photography session!

A couple of white-browed wagtails broke the solo streak.

Of course the omnipresent Cormorants did not fail to present themselves either.

Well apart from all these, I was particularly interested in spotting the River terns but I was disappointed to hear that their numbers and nests had been far higher the previous week. Though there were a few zooming around in the skies, we definitely did not get to see large clusters of nests and birds on the rocks as expected. However, after some hunting and initial heartbreak, we finally found a few of them on a sandy island, squatting long enough to give a decent picture.

The River tern (Sterna aurantia) or Indian river tern is a resident of freshwater inland rivers. With a black cap, grey upper wings, whitish lower body and a forked tail, the only brightness in this sober color palette is the bright yellow beak and yellow stubby legs. They build their ground nests among the rocks or sandy areas near the rivers.

Apart from the River tern, another bird that we found here was the Small Pratincole (Glareola lactea). Also known as Little pratincole or small Indian pratincole, this bird was also new to me and I was quite excited to spot several of them on the same island, importantly strutting around their ground nests laden with eggs, which we could actually spot from a distance.

This is a small bird with a mainly pale greyish brown body and a brown head. The wings are greyish with black and white bars at the rear edge of the inner feathers. The belly is white and the tail is forked. Finally among these staid hues, there is a little dash of red near the beak, like a bit of smudged lipstick.

We ended our leisurely sail in a couple of hours, quite pleased with the bounty that the lake had generously granted us. And just as we returned to the shore, I wrapped up my headcount for the day with a shiny, bright Western yellow wagtail, my golden souvenir from Kolar Gold Fields!

A short video – 

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What is available and what you should carry –

The lake lies within a rural locality 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 etc. We carried folding stools and newspapers because the boat had no seats at all.

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 and do not get too close to their ground nests so as to leave them undisturbed.

Things to do in the Surroundings –

As mentioned earlier, Kolar district is home to several famous temples.

In the limited time that we had, we decided to visit the Sri Ramalingeshwara temple because it was not too far away from the lake and also because such ancient places fascinate me!

Where to eat –

Due to our temple detour, our return journey was via Old Madras Road where there were several restaurant options along the highway, with all types of cuisines right from local to pan Indian to fast foods.

We reached Mulbagal town at the right time for a mid morning meal and realised that we were lucky to be in the place that is famous for the Mulbagal dosa. This version of the dosa is crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, akin to an appam.

Despite being a native of Karnataka and a foodie at that, I am abashed to admit that I had never tasted this dosa in my entire life! But that was quickly rectified at this place called Shettar Thindi which we spotted right along the highway and I definitely recommend this dosa and place. I later came to know of other places serving this dosa, including the Prasad Hotel whose owners are said to have originally created this dosa long long ago in 1930. Well, now I have reason to go back soon!

Of course I have to mention that we also bought some crisp, plump guavas from the lovely lady just outside the restaurant.

And in the interests of full disclosure, I also stopped to buy fresh vegetables from the enticing vegetable stalls along the highway 😉😎

Sorry for sounding as enthusiastic about the food as I am of the birds, but when you have a ‘Foodie Birdie’ writing this blog, what else can you expect 😁

Best Time to Visit –

I am still trying to obtain information about the best time to visit but from the limited knowledge I currently have, I have made a few points here.

While the lake is home to many of the resident birds all year round, the breeding season of the River Terns is said to be from March to June though on 30th March we did not really see signs of intense breeding. We spotted only a few ground nests of the River terns and Small Pratincoles.

Also at this time, the water level is low enough for the islands to be seen. In the monsoon months of June to September, the water rises significantly and they will probably be submerged.

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.

We experienced both routes on this trip, taking the expressway while going and the Old Madras road on our return since our visit to the Sri Ramalingeshwara temple, brought us closer to this route.

It is most convenient to travel by car, though there definitely will be public transport options by bus too.

We left Bangalore at 4.30 am and it took less than 2 hours to cover the 110 km distance.

I do not know if there are alternate vantage points at the lake but you can use the Google location for Shri Veerabhadraswamy temple, Ramasagara Lake, to get to where we started from.

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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 – Ramasagara Lake, Kolar (coming soon)

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.

Mar 30th, 2025