The lake - Nalsarovar - and the wetlands around it were declared a bird sanctuary in 1969. Spread over 120 sq.kms, the lake and the extensive reed beds and marshes are an ideal habitat for aquatic plants and animals. The lake attracts a large variety of birds like plovers, sandpipers and stints.
There are 360-odd islets in the lake. Most of them lie exposed when the water level is low. The lake gets filled with water that drains from the adjoining Surendranagar and Ahmedabad districts in the monsoon. With this fresh water inflow, brackishness in the lake is reduced considerably.
The migratory birds arrive in vast numbers, homing in on the lake. There are flocks of pelicans, flamingoes, ducks, demoiselle cranes, common cranes, and several waders occupying huge patches of the lake during the season. With the approaching summer the lake water dries up making it brackish, and the fish and other insect life becomes scarce. The migratory birds and most of the resident birds, such as cormorants, grebes and openbill storks, begin to leave by April.
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