Mysore/Mysuru:  Come December, bar-headed geese from Mongolia have winged into the water body on the way to Bandipur on Ooty Road.

Shivu, a reptile rescuer and wildlife photographer from city, who has clicked a few photos of these migratory winged beauties said that only bar-headed geese without identification tags numbering about 46 have come to the lake.

These birds migrate mostly from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere, during the winter months as winter months are colder and harsher in the Temperate Zones and warmer and congenial in the Tropical Regions.

He said that these bar-headed geese from Mongolia fly over the Himalayan Mountains and come to roost in different parts of the State. They can also been seen in Kabini backwaters in H.D. Kote, Hadinaaru Lake in Nanjangud and Kaggalipura Lake near Bannur as these water bodies play host to these birds during winter. Hadinaru Lake in Nanjangud taluk is a favourite among the bar-headed geese, he added. 

Every year, these migratory birds which are one of the world’s highest flying birds across the Himalayas, travel around 4,850 km to reach the water bodies here during the winter.

These birds feed on harvested rice crop stubble shoots adjoining the lakes they visit late evening and dusk and during daytime they take refuge in the midst of vast water bodies and doze off in the warm winter sun in the midst of lakes.