Photo of the Day: The Herons of Petulu

In one of the most scenic areas on the island and directly north-east of Ubud in Central Bali is located the village of Petulu is famed for its artists, dancers and carvers of wood and stone. But that is not only what the village is renowned for. It is also a bird sanctuary and home to the famous Javan Pond Heron and Plumed Egrets.

No one really knows why the Herons, who first began roosting there in 1966, chose Petulu as their nesting site. Ask any of the elders in the village and they will tell you that the birds are in fact reincarnations of the tens of thousands of men and women who died during the civil unrest throughout Bali in 1966. It is a well known fact that many of those Balinese who died were laid to rest near the roosting grounds.

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