Bird Walk at Kakolu Lake Bengaluru, Karnataka
- Bengaluru
- 15 August, 2026
- Subhas P
About Kakolu Lake
On the rural southern fringe of Bengaluru Urban district, Kakolu Kere sits beside the dry, thorny expanse of the Kakolu scrub forest — a pairing of habitats that is rare so close to India’s tech capital. The tank itself is a fairly typical South Karnataka irrigation kere: a shallow, seasonally replenished waterbody with reed-fringed shallows and open water at its centre, ringed by grazing land, thorn-scrub, and scattered acacia. It is this scrub-plus-wetland combination, rather than any single dramatic feature, that gives Kakolu its ecological punch — the surrounding dry country supports larks, shrikes, and warblers rarely seen on a typical city lake, while the water itself attracts everything from egrets to eagles.
Birders who make the trip out from the city are rewarded generously: well over a hundred species have been logged here, spanning resident waterbirds like Painted Storks, spoonbills, and ibises to winter visitors such as the Greater Spotted Eagle, Booted Eagle, and Western Marsh Harrier that arrive from Central Asia, plus a strong supporting cast of Palearctic warblers and pipits passing through on migration. That richness sits, however, alongside the same pressures facing almost every lake around Bengaluru — unregulated construction on the lakebed and buffer zone, untreated sewage and agricultural runoff, silt build-up, and invasive weeds — leaving Kakolu’s long-term health dependent on the kind of citizen and civic attention that has helped revive other lakes in the region.
Bird Guide: Subash P
He has been actively birding since 2020 and has participated in bird surveys across Hyderabad, Tirupati, Pulicat, Puducherry, and Krishnagiri. He regularly leads bird walks at GKVK, Bengaluru, introducing campus students to birdwatching and urban biodiversity. Passionate about exploring new landscapes, he actively birds across North Karnataka and contributes to identifying and documenting emerging birding hotspots.
Bird walk Location
Common birds of Kakolu Lake
Kakolu’s bird list runs past a hundred species, but even a first glance turns up a striking cross-section of what the lake and its surrounding scrub have to offer. Parakeets and prinias share the thorn cover — an Alexandrine Parakeet is unmistakable in flight, while an Ashy Prinia scolds from low in the bushes — and bee-eaters are a constant presence, with the Asian Green Bee-eater working the open ground and the Blue-tailed Bee-eater hawking over the water. An Asian Koel calls incessantly from the canopy, an Asian Openbill wades the shallows, and overhead an Asian Palm Swift and an Asian Tit keep the skies busy alongside commuting Barn Swallows. Raptors and larger birds add real weight to the list too: Bay-backed Shrikes hunt from low perches, a Black Drongo sits sentinel on a wire, Black Kites wheel above the water, and a Black-crowned Night Heron waits motionless at the edge while a Black-headed Cuckooshrike and Black-headed Ibis turn up in the same short walk. Rounding things out are the Black-rumped Flameback drumming on a dead branch, a Black-winged Kite hovering over open ground, a Black-winged Stilt picking through the mud, a shy Blue-faced Malkoha slipping through the thicket, and a Blyth’s Reed Warbler working the reeds — a small taste of a list that keeps growing with every visit.
Alexandrine Parakeet
Ashy Prinia
Asian Green Bee-eater
Asian Koel
Asian Openbill
Asian Palm Swift
Asian Tit
Barn Swallow
Bay-backed Shrike
Black Drongo
Black Kite
Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-headed Cuckooshrike
Black-headed Ibis
Black-rumped Flameback
Black-winged Kite
Black-winged Stilt
Blue-faced Malkoha
Blue-tailed Bee-eater
Blyth's Reed Warbler
Summary of Walk
A small group of 4 cooperative and eager participants joined guide Subhas P at Kakolu Lake in Bengaluru, a location that consistently proves productive for both waterbirds and woodland species throughout the year. The walk opened strongly with an Ashy Woodswallow as the very first bird of the day, setting an encouraging tone, and continued to deliver throughout as the group moved along the lake’s edge, recording sightings steadily with strong participant engagement despite the modest turnout for the session.
By the end of the session, the group had logged an outstanding 55 species, with the Indian Grey Hornbill, Blue-faced Malkoha, and Eurasian Spoonbill forming the core highlights of the walk. A juvenile Brahminy Kite that landed directly in front of the group was a particular thrill, and watching the Spoonbill feed proved equally mesmerising for everyone present at the lake. The Blue-faced Malkoha and Grey Hornbill made a memorable joint appearance near the end of the walk, capping off what Subhas described as a genuinely informative and enjoyable session at Kakolu Lake for all involved, with the small group size allowing everyone extended, unhurried views of each highlight species and plenty of time for follow-up questions and detailed conversation along the way.
Number of Participants
0
