Elsewhere in the world, a lot of interest in Birds and Bird Watching has been achieved by bringing about the concept of "bird day" or sometimes "bird race". It is a single day event where the folks will be out in the field, watching birds, and meet up in the evening to share their experience. More than ticking around, it is also a chance for us to share our knowledge with beginners and people with a passive interest in birds. It would be great to have Students and teachers actively involved in the programme. It can also be a chance for you to take your friends or family who otherwise might shy away from your more rigorous trips. Though competition is an integral part of the day, the primary motive should be participation and sharing - data gathering should be secondary. This blog is intended to share all relevant information about the first "Kerala Bird Race".

Though this year the event will centre around the cities of Kochi, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram we intend to make this website as a platform for future events that could encompass the entire state, hence we are trying to list all important bird sites of Kerala. Please scroll to the bottom of this webpage to see a complete list of 'Where to watch birds in Kerala'.


Bird watching sites in Kerala


View Larger Map
  • Above markers show approximate locations of most of the interesting bird watching sites of Kerala. Please zoom in to see them clearly and click for some basic information or links.
    (Red markers - National Parks and Ramsar Sites)
    (Green markers - Wildlife Sanctuaries)
    (Yellow markers - other areas of interest)
    The polylines show areas within 100kms of three official Pakshi Dinam gatherings
    (Purple polyline - areas close to Kozhikode)
    (Blue polyline - areas close to Kochi)
    (Purple polyline - areas close to Kozhikode)

    • Monday, November 12, 2007

    Rare species spotted in bird ‘race’

    The migratory greater spotted eagle sighted

    by Staff Reporter
    THE HINDU
    Online edition of India's National Newspaper
    Monday, Nov 12, 2007
    A flock of bird watchers: A team engaged in bird-spotting at Aakkulam
    as part of the race on Sunday.

    THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As many as 130 species of birds were spotted by teams of bird lovers in a day-long ‘race’ held in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam.

    The exercise was held as part of the HSBC India Bird Race organised by KeralaBirder, a bird lovers group on the Internet. In Thiruvananthapuram, the race was organised by the green groups ‘Warblers and Waders’ and ‘Thanal.’ The race was also held in Kottayam, Thrissur, Malappuram and Kozhikode on Sunday.

    The highest number of bird species — 92 — were spotted from the wetlands of Punchakkari and Vellayani near Thiruvananthapuram. The ‘bird of the day’ — the greater spotted eagle, a migratory bird — was sighted in this area as was the Black-crested Baza (Karimthoppi Parunthu). While 68 species of birds were spotted in Kakkamoola, 62 species were spotted in Arippa in the Kollam-Thiruvananthapuram border area.

    Fifty-four species of birds were spotted in and around the Museum complex in the city. C. Susanth of Warblers and Waders told The Hindu here that the sighting of so many birds in wetlands underlined the need to conserve these areas. “It is not common to sight the greater spotted eagle in Thiruvananthapuram. Many migratory birds were spotted during the race today. This shows that wetlands are crucial to the survival of a large number of birds,” he said. The lower-than-expected number of sightings in the Kallar-Ponmudi belt needs to be investigated further. This could be due to some climatic change or damage to the environment, he added.

    After the race, the bird lovers — about 80 of them, grouped into a dozen teams — got together at a city hotel to share their experiences. The prize for the best team was given to the group that went to the Vellayani-Punchakari areas. The chief guest on the occasion was poet Sugathakumari.

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    Where to watch birds in Kerala.

    District wise distribution of bird watching sites

    Locations District Habitat
    Kuttanad Aalappuzha This highly fertile land is a low-lying deltaic formation of backwaters, canals and a network of streams. These are the flood plains of the rivers Achenkovil, Manimala, Pamba and Meenachil, all of which drains into Vembanand Lake unlike other rivers of north Kerala which discharges into the Arabian Sea directly.
    Thannermukkom (Bund) Aalappuzha Part of the Vembanad Lake with a 2 km long barrier constructed across it, to prevent the entry of the saline/sea water to the Lake and thus to Kuttanad fields, with an intention to have more crops of paddy in Kuttanad.
    Pathiramanal (Isand) Aalappuzha An island in the Vembanad Lake with small patches of mangrove vegetation.
    Kalappara Ernakulam Open degraded scrubland near a village in the periphery of Thattekkad.
    Wellington (Island) Ernakulam A small Island in the Arabian Sea, but very close (less than one km) to the Kochi city
    Mangalavanam Ernakulam A small wetland patch (8.44ha) right in the middle of Kochi city, with some remnants of mangroves. The water body of Mangalavanam is connected to the backwaters by a small canal. It was declared as a bird sanctuary in 2004.
    Vagamon Idukki A high-altitude area more of tourist importance. Most of the natural habitat has been encroached upon and the natural vegetation highly degraded. Quite a few private resorts have come up here, dotted among the partly degraded natural vegetation. Large patches of grasslands can also be seen at Vagamon, within and outside the resort areas.
    Madayipara Kannur A flat topped lateritic hillock overlooking Payangadi town on the northern bank of Kuppam river, located in Madayi Grama Panchayath, (12°. 2’ N and 75° 16’E), about 21 Km. north of Kannur town, the district headquarters of Kannur district. On the northwest of Madayipara lie the wetlands of Chemballikundu formed by the Ramapuram River, Peruvamba River and Kavvayi backwaters. On the west, at the seacoast, is situated the promontory of Ezhimala. The seashore from here is less than 2 KM away.
    Katampally Kannur Once a large swamp on the floodplains of the Valapattanam River with reed beds and mangrove vegetation, part of the area had been converted to paddy fields and coconut plantations. The ambitious Kattampally Project consisting mainly of a regulator-cum-road bridge and bunds along the sides of water channel was commissioned in 1966 was expected to prevent salt water intrusion and ‘convert 450ha of swamp into paddy fields’. But this project wreaked havoc in the traditional agricultural system that had used rice varieties which thrived in saline water and was sustainable for centuries. Only less than half of the former paddy fields are in use now. There is no tidal effect now, but the water is still saline especially in areas near the regulator. The mangroves are all gone now but reed beds and aquatic vegetation like water lilies are still present. There are considerable stretches of open water also; the obnoxious weed Salvinia, a bane in the backwater system of south Kerala has not infested this wetland system. The area lies within 15 km from Kannur. The area is spread over 9 panchayaths.
    Matakkara Kannur Estuary of Valapattanam and Thaliparamaba (Kuppam) rivers. Large tidal mudflat, now mostly covered with mangroves, both natural and planted (by the Social Forestry division, Kerala Forest Dept. from 2001 onwards). The sea is about 1.5 km away from the mudflats. Irinavu Grama Panchayath.
    Pamburuthy Kannur An island, in Valapattanam river, c.10 km upstream of the estuary. 85 acres in extent thickly populated. Coconut, Mango and Jackfruit trees are used by the water birds for nesting. Another smaller uninhabited island 500 m away, mainly with mangrove vegetation and coconut trees, is also used by the nesting birds. Kolachery Grama Panchayath.
    Kuniyan (Wetlands) Kannur It is formed by the confluence of two small tributaries of the river Kavvayi such as Kuniyan and Vellur. This inland wetland is situated near Trikaripur town bordering Kannur and Kasaragod district (12° 9’N and 75° 12’E). The fringes of the riverbanks are lined with Pandanus and patches of mangrove vegetation. High fertility of the soil and the availability of the water three crops of paddy are raised in a year.
    Pattanur Kannur A village 26 km by road from Kannur in the east, in the lateritic midland, typical of north Kerala. Altitude 60 m. Homesteads, cashew and rubber plantations: the terrain is with small hillocks and valleys. Some paddy fields are present in the valleys. Two sacred groves and several woodlots. Koodali Grama Panchayath.
    Chempallikundu Kannur The flood plain parallel to the Ezhimala hills formed by the rivers Ramapuram, Peruvamba and Kavvayi. (12° 31’N and 75° 14’E). Chemballikundu is situated about 28km north of Kannur town and within Cheruthayam and Kunhimanglam Grama Panchayath. This wetland is characterized by large stretches of mangroves, backwaters, abandoned paddy fields and shrimp farms
    Ezhome (Wetlands) Kannur These wetlands are formed by the Kuppam river, near Ezhome, about 4km from Pazhayangadi town and 25km north of Kannur. These wetlands are known for the cultivation of brackish water paddy (Kaipad cultivation) during southwest monsoon season. Mangroves and mangrove-associated species are abundant along the riverbanks and in many other parts of Kaipad cultivation.
    Mappila Bay Kannur Fishing harbour near Fort St.Angelo, Kannur. A crescent shaped beach with a crowded market on the shore.
    Sacrifice (Rock) Kannur The legendary Velliyankallu, immortalized by the novelist M.Mukundan in the novel "Mayyazhi puzhayude theerangalil". A rock formation 3 acre in extent, 10 km offshore from Payyoli.
    Karali (Marsh) (Swamp) Kollam A swamp near Kollam not directly adjoined to Ashtamudi with some amount of cultivation in certain stretches.
    Karunagappally Kollam A small town in Kollam district in the lowlands with several shallow water ponds/tanks. Coconut, paddy, tapioca, banana etc. are the main agricultural crops.
    Kandanchira Kollam A swamp near Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam
    Neendakara Kollam A fishing harbour on the Ashtamudi Lake with some estuarine ecosystem.
    Sasthamkotta Kollam Largest fresh water lake in Kerala; recently declared as a Ramsar site.
    Kumarakom Kottayam A mixed heronry on the west coast of Vembanand Lake, which was earlier called Baker Estate. Small stretches of mangrove vegetation exist along with rubber, coconut and other large trees.
    Kanjirapally Kottayam A small town at the eastern tip of Kottayam district amidst rubber plantations
    Vakathanam Kottayam A small village in Puthpally panchayat with mainly rubber plantations interspersed with small stretches of paddy fields.
    Kadalundi (Estuary) Kozhikode Mudflats at the mouth/estuary of Kadalundi river with some mangrove forests being regenerated. A sandbar across the river mouth with a small opening to sea creates a shallow lagoon. A new concrete road bridge has been built recently at the river mouth.
    Kottappuzha (Estuary) Kozhikode Degraded mangrove swamp at the mouth of Kuttiadi river near Vadakara. A broad sandbar at the mouth has created a medium sized saline lagoon.
    Peruvannamuzhi (Dam) Kozhikode Reservoir of Peruvannamoozhi dam to collect the tail-water of Kakkayam Hydel Project. Some patches of forests still remain around the reservoir. Chakkittapara Grama Panchayath.
    Azhinjilam (Chali) Kozhikode A large shallow and slushy wetland near Feroke town with lots of weeds and vegetation.
    Cherandathur Kozhikode Vast area (5 sq. km) with paddy fields and freshwater marsh with floating vegetation. Privately owned. Maniyur Grama Panchayath.
    Mavoor (Kalpally –Palliyol Wetlands) Kozhikode A large wetland in the NW side of Mavoor town; mostly water logged with muddy banks.
    NIT (Campus) Kozhikode Campus of National Institute of Technology erstwhile Regional Engineering College Calicut Lightly wooded amidst buildings at Chathamangalam
    Badagara (Sandbanks) Kozhikode See Kottappuzha Estuary.
    Chelavur (Kavu) Kozhikode A medium sized sacred grove near Kunnamangalam
    Thusharagiri (falls) Kozhikode A series of waterfalls at the western base of Banasura Peak amidst semi-evergreen forests.
    Purathur (Estuary) Malappuram Estuary of River Bharathapuzha. An extensive estuary with lots of mudflats on both banks.
    Vellimukku (Chali) Malappuram Freshwater marsh, paddy fields. Morayur Grama Panchayath.
    Calicut University (Campus) Malappuram Campus of the University of Calicut at Tenhippalam in Kozhikode-Malappuram border. Lightly wooded country.
    Poolenkara (Chali) Malappuram Slushy freshwater inland wetland, paddy fields.
    Marancheri (Kole) Malappuram A large wetland with floating vegetation in the border of Malappuram and Thrissur districts.
    Uppungal (Kole) Malappuram A very unique wetland habitat, most of the area lying below sea level. Inundated by water during most of the year. One crop paddy used to be cultivated here during November-January, by draining off the water to the required level. Of late, two crops are raised at Kole wetlands. The name "Kole", which is a Malayalam word, refers to the bumper yields the farmers get from here.
    Walayar (Reservoir) Palakkad A fresh water reservoir on River Korayar, which is a tributary of Bharathapuzha. The reservoir lies in the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border and has adjoining meadows and scrub vegetation. Teak plantations and mixed deciduous forests extend from the base of the dam and on to the Palakkad hills. There are semi-evergreen tracts on the higher reaches of Walayar where the mines of the Malabar Cements factory are situated.
    Malampuzha (Reservoir) Palakkad Perhaps the largest reservoir in Kerala built on one of the tributaries of Bharathapuzha. When the water dries up in winter vast mudflats are exposed and in summer turns into meadow habitats along the eastern fringes of the reservoir adjoining Kawa.
    Choolanur Palakkad The Western Ghats south of Palakkad Gap extends as a spur hill via the hills of Peech-Vazhani sanctuary and finally flattens on the basin of Bharathapuzha through a series of rolling small hillocks. Choolanur (declared in 2007 as a Peafowl Sanctuary) is situated right at the tip of these hillocks and has light deciduous jungles perfect for woodland birds.
    Chulliyar (Reservoir) Palakkad Formed by one of the dams at the southern end of Palakkad gap built on one of the tributaries of Chittoor Puzha. Typical of the other reservoirs in the Palakkad gap dries up to vast stretch of meadows in late winter and summer.
    Meenkara (Reservoir) Palakkad Like Chulliyar, formed by one of the dams at the southern end of the Palakkad gap, built on one of the tributaries of Chittoor Puzha. Also, typical of the other reservoirs in Palakkad gap with vast stretch of meadows in late winter and summer.
    Mannanur Palakkad A village on the banks of Bharathapuzha near Shornur with an island in the river where there is a heronry with storks nesting.
    Mangalam (dam) Palakkad A dam built on Mangalam river near Vadakkanchery in Alathur Taluk. The catchments area is contiguous with Peechi and Chimmony sanctuaries in Thrissur district.
    Aakkulam Thiruvananthapuram Backwaters contiguous with Veli but now mostly a tourism center.
    Veli Thiruvananthapuram Backwaters with floating vegetation but now mostly encroached for tourism activities
    Vellayani Thiruvananthapuram Low lying paddy fields and adjoining wetlands
    Arippa Thiruvananthapuram Low-land forests of Kulathupuzha reserve forests in Kollam-Thiruvanathapuram border.
    Punchakarai Thiruvananthapuram See Vellayani
    Kallar Thiruvananthapuram The forests at the base of Ponmudi Ghats - mainly moist deciduous / semi evergreen forests.
    Neyyatinkara Thiruvananthapuram A small town on the banks of Neyyar river with adjoining paddy fields.
    Pallipuram Thiruvananthapuram Wooded areas near Thiruvanathapuram city, camp of the Central Reserve Police Force. Also has some paddy fields around it.
    Perumathura Thiruvananthapuram Adjoining Veli, a village on the coast with a neighboring backwater.
    Kariyavattom (Campus) Thiruvananthapuram Wooded campus of the Kerala University with cashew, coconut and other trees.
    Kovalam Thiruvananthapuram One of the best tropical beaches in the world and a famed tourist centre
    Kerala Agricultural University (KAU Campus) Thrissur Campus of Agricultural, Veterinary and Forest Colleges in Mannuthy and Vellanikkara having lots of natural (light wooded) and man made (plantations) vegetations amidst buildings.
    Adat (Kole) Thrissur A very unique wetland habitat, most of the area lying below sea level. Inundated by water during most of the year. One crop of paddy used to be cultivated here during November-January, by draining off the water to the required level for paddy cultivation. Of late, two crops are raised at Kole wetlands.
    Enamavu (Kole) Thrissur A large low-lying expanse of paddy fields, which are mostly flooded in monsoon and winter.
    Punnayurkulam Thrissur A very unique wetland habitat, most of the area lying below sea level. Inundated by water during most of the year. One crop paddy used to be cultivated here during November-January, by draining off the water to the required level for paddy cultivation. Of late two crops are raised at Kole wetlands.
    Koottanad Thrissur A small town, with some tall and old trees
    Cheruthuruthy Thrissur A small village on the banks of river Bharathapuzha and the location chosen by the renowned Malayalam poet Vallathol Narayana Menon for setting up Kerala Kalamandalam, the institution that revived indigenous art forms like Kathakali in the 1950s.
    Kotakara Thrissur A small town in Thrissur district with some large trees, criss-crossed with wetland patches, most of which are being lost due to various developmental activities.
    Aathirapally (falls) Thrissur A large waterfall on River Chalakudy with equally majestic rapids upstream at Vazhachal. Degraded moist deciduous forests, riparian forests and teak plantations are found in this area.
    Banasura Sagar (Reservoir) Wayanad Reservoir, of the Banasura dam, commissioned in 2005, across Panamaram river, a tributary of Kabani.
    Panamaram Wayanad Paddy fields and riverbank at Panamaram, c.15 km from Mananthavady, north Wayanad. The water birds nest on bamboo clumps on the riverbanks of the Panamaram river.
    Periya Wayanad Periya RF, on the Ghat road from Thalassery to Mananthavady. Evergreen forest. The Gurukual Botanical Sanctuary with a good collection of orchids and ferns is situated near the reserve forest.
    Vythri Wayanad A small town at the top of Wynad Ghats from the plains has a medium sized lake, Pookode, which is now a tourist destination.
    Kalpetta Wayanad Capital town of Wayanad. Lots of tea and coffee plantations around the town
    Thrikaipetta Wayanad Village in south Wayanad, near Kalpetta. Small patches of evergreen forest exist close by.
    Pookode (Lake) Wayanad A medium sized fresh water lake near Vythri. Semi-evergreen forests are found in the banks of the lake with tea plantations around it.


    Description of protected areas and reserve forests

    Protected Area Description
    Aaralam WLS Forests measuring 55.sq.km in the slopes of Brahamagiris form this sanctuary whcih is the northern most one for Kerala. Altitude ranges from 60m to 1589m above MSL and is the only protected area of west coast tropical evergreen forest of the Dipterocarpus-Mesua-Palaquium type in Kerala. The edaphic conditions in this part of the Western Ghats is distinct from that of further southern reaches. Less than 25 sq.km of fairly undisturbed forest of this type is included in this sanctuary.
    Chimmony WLS Along the souther-western flanks of Nelliampathies contiguous with and further south of Peechi and extent of 90 sq.km covering the low foot hills and extending east to Parambikulam area falls under Chimmony WLS. The sanctuary, that falls in the catchment area of Chimmony dam, has an altitude gradiant of 50m to 1116m above MSL. Chimmony sanctuary is seperated from Parambikulam WLS to its east by an approximately 15km wid stretch of forest along the catchment of Kannankuzhithodu in Kodasseru reserve forest which fall in Vazhachal forest division. Main vegetation types include Southern moist mixed deciduous, moist teak bearing forest, moist bamboo brakes, west coast semi evergreen and southern hilltop evergreen forests.
    Chinnar WLS The Anjananad Valley is one of the three locations in Kerala where the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats fall within the state. Since some of the highest reaches and the broadest strecthes of the Western Ghats lie immediately to the west of the Anjanad Valley, there is an almost rainshow effect. Along the eastern edge of the Anjanad Valley lies Chinnar with an area of 90 sq.km. Vegetation type is mostly dry deciduos in the eastern edges of the valley, but all vegeration types ranging from ontane wet temperate forests in the highest raeaches of the sanctuary to low elevation vegeration occurs here. Along with the altitdudinal gradiant this santcuary has also rainfall ranging from 600-3000mm and a dry season ranging from three to six months.
    Eravikulam NP The highest reaches of the Western Ghats at the junction of the Anamalais and High Ranges form a high plateau with an average elevation of about 2000m above MSL with individual peaks going upto 2300m or more. Part of this high elevation area is in Eravikulam plateau in the Idukki district and partly in the Grass Hills of Coimbatore district. The national park ranges in elevation from about 1000m to 2695m above MSL. The rainfall in this area ranges from 2000-5000mm with a dry season ranging from two to three months. This area is perhaps the largest relatively undisturbed high elevation ecosystems in the entire Western Ghats. Most of the area is southern montane wet grassland with extremely small patches of montane wet temperate forests known as "sholas" restricted to the hill folds.
    Idukki WLS Idukki WLS is situtated around the reservoirs of three hydel project dams - Idukki, Chemthony and Kulamavu and has an extent of 70 sq.km. The altitude gradiant is from 450m to 746m and recieves a mean annual rainfall of 2200mm. The vegetation types include moist deciduous forests and some tropical wet evergeen and semi-evergreen tracts and grasslands at hilltops. However, most of this area is much degraded.
    Kannavam RF Forests contiguous with Periya RF, patches of natural evergreen forest with plantations of Teak and Mahogany forming the major part.
    Kole Wetlands Kole Wetland spread over an area of 136.32 sq.km are spread over a wide region extending from the northern bank of Chalakudy river to the southern bank of Bharathapuzha river. Kole areas are low-lying and have a central, narow strip covering a long expanse, with many pockets running into cultivated land on either side. The region is naturally subject to salt-water ingression. During monsoon, the entire region gets submerged. Most of its area is at sea level or below it and recieves an average rainfall of about 2760mm.
    Kottiyur RF Situated in the western slopes of Brahamgiris, Kottiyur reserve forest is adjacent to Aralam WLS and forms the catchment area of Bavali puzha, a tributory of Valapattanam river. Altitude varies from 70m to 1361m and average annual rainfall is about 3000mm. The main vegetation types are west coast tropical evergreen and west coast tropical semi-evergreen. A significant extent is covered by grassland at altitudes ranging from 900m to 1361m. A small part of the reserve forest has been converted to teak plantations.
    Kulathupuzha RF Kulathupuzha reserve forest lies between Shendurney WLS and Ponmudi Hills. With an area of 219 sq.km, the average altitude is about 500m and rainfall about 3200mm. The main vegetations types include evergreen, semi-evergreen and moist-deciduous forests apart from teak plantations.
    Nelliampathy Hills The Nelliampathy Hills forms the southern and the southwestern margin of the Palghat gap and they extend south, enclosing the Parambikulam basin. The western edge of the Nelliampathies gradually descends to the midlands of Thrissur district. The average rainfall ranges between 2000 to 3660 mm and the altitude ranges from 40m to 1650m. The main vegetation types include West-coast tropical evergreen forests, West-coast semi evergreen forests, Southern moist deciduous forests and Southern montane wet grassland and southern montane wet temperate forest apart from coffee, cardomom and teak plantations.
    Neyyar WLS The catchment area forests upstream of Neyyar Irrigation Reservoir extending over 128 sq.km. including the waterspread area of the reservoir. The sanctuary is contiguous with the Peppara WLS to the north and with Mundanthurai and Kalakkad sanctuaries in Tamil Nadu towards each across the state border. The forest of this sanctuary range in elevation from 80m to 1866m above MSL. Located in the southern tip of the penisula, with the crestline height of the ghats not exceeding 1500m, it has moderatly heavy rainfall ranging from 1800mm to 3000mm, per year with a very short dry eason ranging from one to two months only. Extensive areas of climax natural vegeration in the sanctuary has degraded to secondary types. The southern secondary moist mixed deciduous forest in the lower reaches and the south Indian sub-tropical hill savannah (woodland) in the higher reaches are the vegetation types common now. THe best remaining vegetation type is the southern hill tropical evergreen forest along the crestline of the ghats. There is also a small number of scattered pockets of intact west coast semi-evergren forest along th hill folds and short reaches of riparian fringing forests along the stream margins before they join the reservoir.
    Nilambur RF Continous with Silent Valley N.P in the southern border, Nilambur and Amarambalam RF lies in the western slopes of Nilgiri Plateau. The 265.72 sq.km reserve forest has an altitude gradiant of 40m to 2554m and receives a mean annual rainfall greater that 3000mm. The main forest types include tropical wet evergreen, tropical semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests with some of the most intact tracts of wet evergreen forests on the western slopes of Nilgiris.
    North Wynad Forests Periya, Hilldale and Thirunelly RF, mostly evergreen, but patchy. Thirunelly RF has goood mid-altitude grasslands on the slopes of the Brahmagiris.
    Palakkad Hills Lying at the northern tip of Palghat gap, these hills abruptly rise from Walayar-Madukkarai area, as a narrow steep ridge which runs west and curves north along Palamala-Elival ridges and merges with the Muthikkulam-Siruvani ridges. These forests form a part of the catchment area of Malampuzha and Walayar reservoirs. The altitude gradiant varies from 110m to 2070m. The main forest types include moist deciduous forests, semi-evergreen and wet evergreen forests with some grasslands and sholas at higher reaches. The forests in the eastern fringes are much degraded and drier
    Parambikulam WLS Parambikulam basin, well worked in the last centuary, has been known for its rich forests and wildlife. With an area of 285 sq.km, and an altitude range from 459m to 1439m above MSL, this area is mostly teak bearing forest with some undisturbed streches of west coast tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen along the western part of the sanctuary in scattered pockets.
    Peechi-Vazhani WLS Along the southern tip of Palghat (=Palakkad) gap a spurhill range extends north-west from the Nelliampathies seperating the Thrissur and Palakkad districts. Being low hills exposed to the dry Palakkad gap as well as the heavy raingall western side, this tract has a variety of forest vegetation types and sub-types, in particular extensive west coast semi-evergreen and southern moist mixed deciduous forests. Forests totalling 125 sq.km in the catchment area of Peechi and Vazhani dams on Karavannur and Keecheri rivers respectively form the sanctuary area. The altitudinal gradiant extends from 40m to 928m above MSL
    Peppara WLS Contiguous with the Neyyar WLS which is on its osuthern border, the catchment area of the Karamana river upstream of the Peppara dam extending over 53. sq.km including the waterspread area. Across the state border, to the east of the Peppara sanctuary, is the Mundanthurai sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. Its altitudinal range is from 60m to 1717m above MSL. Average rainfall is 1800-300mm with a dry season lasting for only one or two months. Similar to Neyyar WLS, this santuary also has floristically valuable areas, such as Chemmunji peak environs, from where a number of plants with extremely restricted distribution has been reported. THis sanctuary has les than 20 sq.km of intact southern hilltop evergreen forests along the crestline contiguous with Neyyar WLS.
    Periyar Tiger Reserve This tiger reserve falls in the catchment area of Periyar river and covers 777 sq.km. IT has an altitudinal range of 900m to 2019m above sea level and the average rainfall is between 2000-5000mm per year. There are two to three rainless months. This is not only the most extensive in Kerala but also includes the largest extent of west coast tropical evergreen, southern hilltop tropical evergreen, west coast semi-evergreen, west coast secondary evergreen dipterocarp forests and southern Indian tropical hill savannah woodland forest ecosystems. COntiguous with this sanctuary, towards thes outh and south west, there is a further 500 sq.km of practically undisturbed forest vegeration in the adjacent Ranni and Tenmala divisions forming part of the Gudarakal, Konni and Ranni RFs
    Shendurny WLS Forsts in the catchment area of the tributaries of the Kallada river upstream of Parappar dam, over an extent of 100.sq.km, including the waterspread area of the reservoir. It is contiguous across the state border with the Mundanthurai WLS in Tamil Nadu and is seperated from Peppara WLS to the south by a 15-18km wide reserve forests in the Ponmudi hills and Kulathupuzha RF. The sanctuary spreads across and altitudinal range of 120m to 1785m. The average rainfall ranges from 2500mm-5000mm and the dry season is one to two months. This tract, in particular the lower reaches of the sanctuary, had been worked in the past through selection felling, reed collection etc. Upper reaches are well preserved southern hill tropical evergreen forests extending over at least 50 sq.km. in a composite segment. There are a few well preserved stretches of southern montane wet temperate forest, west coast semi evergreen forests and west coast tropical evergreen forest apart from the various edaphic sub types.
    Silent Valley NP The 89 sq.km tract forming the catchment area of Kuthipuzha river is perhaps the only protected area which does not have a reservoir inside it. Lying in the south-western slopes of Nilgiris, the altitude varies from 900m to 2500m and average rainfall from 3000-6000mm per year. This is one of the best remaining tracts of evergreen forests in the Western Ghats with four major recognised vegetation types as Tropical evergreen forests, Subtropical hill forest, sholas and grasslands which are restricted to te narrow sector west of the Kunthipuzha and to the higher slopes and hill tops in the eastern sector.
    Siruvani Hills Siruvani and Muthikulam Hills lies north of Palakkad hills from the Elival ridge and include series of high, steep, almost east-west ridges with fairly undisturbed high elevation tropical moist forests. This continues to a compact high plateau called the Siruvani (Muthikulam) Hills which in turn continues east and north-east along the edge of Attappady, the Varadimala-Bolampatti Hills and the outer rim of hills along the Attappady western edge. The eastern ridge enclose the Bolampatti Valley drained by the Noyil river. The southern and western faces of the Palghat Hills are drained by tributaries of the Bharathapuzha, and the Siruvani. The altitude of Siruvani forests ranges between c.500m to 2070m and recieves an annual rainfall of about 2000-4500 mm. The main forest types are Westcoast tropical evergreen forests , West-coast semi evergreen forests , Southern moist deciduous forests, Southern montane wet grassland and southern montane wet temperate forest
    Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary Thattekkad or Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary covering an area of just 25.16 sq.km. lies along the Periyar river and lies close to the lake formed by Bhoothethankettu dam. Altitude varies form 53m to 625m and the area receives an average rainfall of about 2500mm. ABout one third of the sanctuary is under monoculture teak and the remaining forest consists of disturbed evergreen, semi-evergreen and moist-deciduous forests. Much of the riparian forests which existed has been destroyed.
    Thrissur Ghats A portion of Peechi-Vazhani sanctuary extends further north and flattens into the Bharathapuzha river valley through a seies of rolling hillocks of mid-elevation. This includes the forest areas in Vadakkanchery forest division and Choolanur Peafowl Reserve. Average altidude is about 80m-200m. Most of the tracts are degraded moist deciduous forests and deciduous scrub.
    Vazhachal- Sholayar RF Lying almost southeast of Chimmony WLS and west of Parambikulam WLS, this forest division of about 413 sq.km area is an undualting terrain varies from 200m to a maximum altitude of 1300m. Average rainfall is around 3000mm and most of the reserve forest consists of west coast tropical wet evergreen, west coast tropical semi-evergreen and southern tropical moist deciduous forests. Rest of the area is under plantations. Several riparian stretches along the Chalakudy river also exits around Vazhachal-Adirapally, however is in a highly degraded state.
    Vembanand One of the Ramsar sites, Vembanad is a coastal lagoon and has a single, relatively narrow opening to the sea and must have been formed by the detritus dumped by six perennial rivers forming a narrow sand bar in the sae further west of the seashore. The only mouth of the enclosed water body is at Kochi. Most of the land is at sea level and the area receives an average rainfall between 4000-5000mm. Thickly populated, remnant portions of littoral forest, fresh water swamp eco-systems and grassy meadows exits apart from floody paddy fields and other ecosystems.
    Wynad WLS Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, sized 344 sq.km, is contiguous to the protected area network of Nagarhole and Bandipur of Karnataka on the north-east and Mudimalai of Tamilnadu on the south-east.Topography is gently undulating with occasional hillocks, from 640m to the highest peak of Karottimala at 1158m. The tract receives about 2000mm rainfall, most of which is received during June to August. Most of the forest area falls in moist deciduous forests. However, a few patches of west coast semi evergreen forests also exist. About 110 sq.kms of the sanctuary is under plantations of teak, eucalyptus and grevelia.

    All above information of 'Where to watch birds in Kerala' courtesy :
    Sashikumar, C, Praveen, J, Palot, Jafer Md, Nameer, P.O (2007 in prep)
    Birds of Kerala - An Update on Status and Distribution.