Al Qudra lakes are a series of manmade lakes in the middle of Saih Al Salam desert. It is one of the six huge freshwater bodies created by the office of the engineers of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Al Qudra’s main attraction is its freshwater body covering about 10 hectares and the lake banks are covered with fruit trees and green trees that give a very shady and cool atmosphere. It is one of the best examples for the human ability and eagerness for creating natural habitats. Near the lake, you can see world’s largest designated cycle track. It is an awesome experience to cycle through the desert without any traffic disturbances, enjoying the tranquility of nature.
Al Qudra lakes are now the home for a large number of migratory and resident birds of nearly 180 species. Not just the beautiful birds, there are plenty of freeroaming wildlife animals like Foxes, the Arabian Oryx, Arabian Gazelles, Rabbits, Owls and several desert plants. Hundreds of migratory birds have taken shelter in this beautiful lake. As a photographer, I always reach there before sunrise or sunset, so that I will be able to shoot the beautifully colored sky along with the lake and the birds.
It is a peaceful place to sit and watch the birds play and fight and love each other and to listen to their enchanting music. I got ample number of opportunities to visit this place and photograph many of the bird species in action. Some of the birds I have seen in the lakes include the Black Swan, White Swan (Mute Swan), Black-necked Swan, Whooper Swan, Egyptian Goose, Wood Duck, Cackling goose (Canadian Goose), Grey Heron, Flamingos, Black winged Stilt, Magpie goose, Egyptian Goose, Sandpipe, Houbara bustard, Crowned crane and many more. I have seen some of the species here which are in the endangered list too occasionally.
There are many animal and bird observation platforms. While observing the beautiful birds and their activities, I sometimes even forget to click pictures. If we have understanding of their behavior it will help us to take some great photographs. I always love to watch birds wherever I go, and here, it’s not one or two species but plenty of species and I will never miss any chance to visit this beautiful man made heaven.
Though it is a human creation by the able architects of the office of engineers of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, with his vision and love for the nature it is not inferior to a natural lake in all sense and beauty. That is why the huge number of birds and animals love to stay over there without any human intervention. That is also one of the reasons for the birds to select the lake and its surroundings to breed..
The water is always clean and the area is not at all polluted because it’s quite far from the residential area. Anyone who visits here will find peace and pleasure and never know the passage of time, as he/she will be lost in the beauty of the lake and nature.
