MYSORE
19km from Mysore, best Nov-Jun for nesting painted storks and river terns; go early morning for the best bird activity, and note it's a shared 30-min boat ride unless you pay for a private one
The rocky islets that form the sanctuary were created when Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wodeyar built an embankment across the Kaveri River between 1645 and 1648. Ornithologist Dr. Salim Ali surveyed the site in 1939-40 and persuaded the Maharaja of Mysore to declare it a protected bird sanctuary on 1 July 1940 under the Mysore Game and Fish Preservation Act of 1901, making it one of India's earliest formally protected bird habitats. Located about 3 km from Srirangapatna, its six islets remain a major breeding ground for painted storks, herons, and other migratory and resident waterbirds.
