Kokkare Bellur is village in Karnataka famous for its rare birds.

Spottbilled Pelican at Kokkare Bellur

Understand

The Village of Storks, off the main highway between Bangalore and Mysore, is one of the few nesting sites in India of the spot-billed pelican. In addition, it is also home to hundreds of painted storks. The place is not a sanctuary; the storks and pelicans live freely in the trees in the middle of village, and are quite used to their human neighbors. Mysore Amateur Naturalists (MAN) have been working with the inhabitants of village to preserve the nesting site of the spotbilled pelicans, which are an endangered species. Pelicans and painted storks visit this place in January and stay until June .

Get in

The village is located off the Mysore highway, about 75 km from Bangalore. There is a road sign for Kokkare Bellur, but it is easy to miss. The village is 12 km from the main highway.

If you are approaching from Bangalore side of the Mysore road, look out for a left after the first Cafe Coffee Day on the highway. Alternatively, ask for BPL factory which is around the corner of that turn.

By bus

Regular Sarige buses are available from Bangalore to Maddur. Non-stop buses and AC buses do not halt at Maddur and hence better to take the buses on enquiry of the Maddur halt. Autos can be hired from Maddur bus stand to reach the place. Ordinary buses also available.

From Bangalore to Maddur, ordinary bus charges ₹45 ($1); From Maddur to Kokkare Bellur, the fare is ₹10.

Get around

The village comprises of totally around 4 streets, that need to be walked down, and are dotted with tamarind trees majorly; agricultural fields form the border. Total walking time can be kept anytime between 15 min to 2 h, depending on the interest.

See

Watch the birds at various levels. The birds arrive in the month of January and stay until June majorly. Each season they can be seen at various levels of jobs. Breeding, mating, nesting, hatching, training and returning. Training period is the major time; countless of them can be spotted, even the clear sky will not be spotless with the chicks taking training for flight in the strict supervision of elders.

• 1 Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary. 18 km from Mysore 

Do

Walk down the roads. Meet the villagers. They have got accustomed to tourists now and talking to them is very informative. Play with the calves and cows if possible. Visit the medical centre homing the sick birds.

Eat

It's a small village; there is no restaurant. The nearest places to eat are Channapatna or Maddur. There is a Kamath Upahar near channapatna. Maddur or Cafe Coffee Day/ MTR joint on the way to Bangalore (20 km).

Drink

Fresh tender coconut.

Sleep

There are a couple of hotels in Maddur but the best option is to stay in Bangalore, Srirangapatna or Mysore and make a day trip.