Bhadra Reservoir, Lakkavalli

lake · Tarikere

Photos: Dineshkannambadi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Dineshkannambadi at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Kandukuru Nagarjun from Bangalore, India, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The dam across the Bhadra at Lakkavalli backs up a lake dotted with islands, and the islands are where the river terns nest. From about February to June more than a thousand of them wheel over the water, close enough to a boat that you need no binoculars. The rest of the year the backwaters are quiet, with elephant and gaur coming down to drink on the sanctuary shore at dusk. The dam garden is open to the public; the water is best seen from a Forest Department boat.