Nellore, Feb. 12: It is going to be an enthralling experience for bird lovers and watchers embarking on a visit to the Nelapattu bird sanctuary located close to Sullurpeta in SPSR Nellore district for the flamingo festival.

Unlike in the previous years nearly 2,000 grey pelicans are nesting in the sanctuary, which is the breeding ground for some rare and endangered species like grey pelicans, open bill storks, little cormorants, spoonbills, white Ibises, night herons among 76 varieties of winter migratory birds. In fact, the sanctuary is one of the largest pelicanry in South East Asia.

The number of pelicans used to be around 1,000 till last year, according to wildlife officials who are keeping a tab on their numbers on a daily basis during the breeding and mating season.

The availability of the large fresh water body of the Nelapattu tank and the nearby Pulicat lake with an inexhaustible source of food, addresses their feeding needs and the presence of a good number of Barringtonia Acutangula trees which can tolerate inundation for longer periods in the tank bed and foreshore area, attract birds for perching and nesting.

Moreover, the protection offered by the surrounding villagers who consider them as angels from heaven is also one of the reasons for the birds to select the place as their winter sojourn.

Speaking to this newspaper, the district forest officer, wildlife management, Mr Ch. Pardhasaradhy, said that the number of pelicans was around 15,000 in the 70s and the steps taken to protect them had led the number to increase to 25,000 in 2002 across the world.

He maintained that among them, nearly 5,500 are spotted in South India. He claimed that the Nelapattu sanctuary is the biggest breeding centre in the world.

The bird sanctuary is located close to the national highway 5 about 80 kms south of Nellore, 95 kms north of Chennai city and 80 kms east of Tirupati.