One of the mysteries of Nature is the selection of the nesting tree by the birds. What are the criteria that make the birds prefer one tree over the other? Some nests are well camouflaged while some look precariously open. There are no definite answers or at least the humans cannot decipher the logic. Proximity to a water body is one very obvious choice but one is at a loss to explain a congregation far away from water. I found one such in the compound housing KSTDC hotel in Belur. Several water birds were roosting in the trees and the nearest water body was miles away. There is another village called Kokrebellur where Pelicans come to breed (and are fiercely guarded by the villagers) but there is no water in sight.

Trees surrounded by water are very sought after abodes especially for water birds. Ranganna Thittu near Mysore is one such haven for the birds. This place is just about 10 kms from the famous Krishnaraja Sagar dam and the BrindavanGardens. Down stream from the dam, the river Cauvery has formed a few islets and on these islets are several trees providing the perfect nesting places for water birds to raise their young.

Egrets, Open-billed storks, Painted storks, Herons, Paddy birds, White Ibis, Spoonbills all congregate on these trees, building their nests so low and so close to the water. A few feet away, in a colony, hundreds of huge fruit bats hang about lazily, dozing in the daylight and waiting for dusk. Come darkness, they stretch their wings to fly far in search of food. The birds sit on the slimmest of branches, grappling for foot-hold, flapping their wings and crooning all the time to their mates, in a perennial ritual of procreation.

Boating trips takes one much closer to the birds and their nesting sites. It is a well organized system but apart from a fading board painted with pictures of some birds with their names, there is no effort to educate the visiting public. There are no guides, unlike Bharatpur and most of the visiting public are picnicking revelers with little or no interest in birds. They come for the boat ride on a day of outing. A few fresh water crocodiles sunning themselves on the rocks attract more attention than the birds.

Apart from the novelty of seeing the birds in close quarters, the place itself is so beautiful. The gurgling river, the surrounding trees and the murmur of the birds in their love talk makes Ranganna Thittu a very enchanting place.