Cinderella

It was a grey, damp evening. But, I had no reason to complain. The friendly neighborhood Shaheen Falcon was visiting again and kept me occupied for more than an hour. 

Ten minutes to midnight, I was preparing to sleep when I saw a mix of brown and white fluttering at the edge of the balcony railing. I assumed it was a bat, but the sound of the wings didn't seem like that of a bat's. The fluttering stopped in a few seconds and the mysterious visitor settled down. It was very dark outside, the moon wasn't out in full force yet, and the silhouette hinted at a little bird. I couldn't risk turning the light on, any quick movement could scare the bird. I ran away to fetch my camera and out of desperation, used the on-body flash to take a few record shots first. 

The camera revealed a very pretty little bird with rich brown-black markings on the wings and dark scales on the inner parts of the body and around the legs. Going by the size, shape, posture and the beak, I deduced that it could be a female/juvenile of a Robin/Thrush/Flycatcher, most probably in migration.

The bird was restless initially. It hopped around a couple of times, with its tail slightly up, making a faint krrrk-krrrkk call. It was a little skittish too, courtesy some noisy street dogs far below in the neighboring street. I was hoping that it would find a nice, cozy place and stay the night. And it did, like this ->

I watched it for 40 odd minutes and while the bird dozed away (I am guessing it did) I scouted for images and illustrations to try and put a name to the face. I sent images of the bird to friends and hit the sack. It was only the next morning when I was able to finally ID the bird, it was a female Blue-capped Rock Thrush (Monticola cinclorhynchus). The excessive markings on the wings and darker scales could be a result of long flights in the migratory season. When I checked in the morning, as expected, the bird had left.

Divya, Sridhar, Karthik and Shyamal - Thank you for your help!

Until next time, when Cinderella hopefully visits me again :-)

Ganeshgudi

A sleepless night. Departure at 3.15AM. The highway mostly empty, except for huge trucks. Brightly lit up toll booths. Fleeting lights from villages and towns. 120 kmph on the speedometer. Trance and house music to keep up with the momentum. A well-laid out NH4. The journey to Ganeshgudi had only begun.


Considering the number of people who'd told me that Ganeshgudi is to a birder what Disneyland is to a 10 year old, it had been on the 'must visit' list for a long time. When Alexis and Neha graciously offered to take me along on a trip they had planned, I finally had the opportunity to check Ganeshgudi off the list (and add it to the 'visit again' list of course). At around 500 kms from Bangalore, Ganeshgudi is insanely far. While researching on the route and traveling options, we decided that driving would be the best choice. Since it would be a very long drive, Alexis decided to get his driver along. 


National Highway 4 is in excellent condition and is well suited for a long drive. The landscapes on either side change by the second. Cotton fields and open barren land alternate with sunflower fields. A lush green Davangere kicks in out of the blue, brick making units convert the landscape to a bright red here and there. Ranebennur has the typical arid dry grassland habitat, Chitradurga is brown and rocky. The highway doesn't have good pitstops, there are very few places to eat or rest. 


After a failed attempt to get 'benne dose' at Davangere - apparently none of the restaurants there serve breakfast before 8:30AM - we stuck to tomato sandwiches prepared by Neha for breakfast. Luck struck twice and we were caught at two railway crossings, trucks lined up in order next to us. If only city-folk could learn a thing or two from them.

Birding was effortless, it began as soon as the Sun came up and we were well past Chitradurga by then. A Black Shouldered Kite being chased by a perky Crow, rows of Laughing Doves on the wires, Drongos busy finding their first meal, Peafowl pecking at the soil in a field - they all gave us company in the long drive. As we turned off the NH4 into SH1 towards Tadas, a lake bustling with birds came into sight - Cotton Pygmy Goose, Lesser Whistling Ducks, Spot Billed Ducks, Great Egrets, Painted Storks, Pond Herons, Coots, Swamp Hens.

Cotton Pygmy Goose -- Male (L) & Female (R)

As we photographed a pair of hovering Pied Kingfishers, a very curious Spotted Owlet couple kept a watch on us. They jumped up and down the branches, with bobbing heads, bulging eyes, extremely wary, yet, very eager to befriend us. The scene was so delightful that I can play it out entirely in my mind even now.

Spotted Owlet

A Crested Serpent Eagle hovered over the fields by the highway.

Crested Serpent Eagle

With some excellent navigation by Alexis, who referred to the route mentioned on the Jungle Lodges site and Google Maps on the phone, we reached the resort by 11AM, 8 hours later. From Bangalore, we took the NICE Road towards Tumkur and then drove through Chitradurga, Davangere, Haveri, Tadas, Kalghatgi, Haliyal to reach Ganeshgudi. The Old Magazine House resort at Ganeshgudi is a property run by Jungle Lodges and Resorts. Surrounded by a thick moist deciduous forest, it is located on the Londa-Dandeli road. There are 5 cottages and a dormitory that can accommodate up to 20 people. The dining area is located on the roof of a charming bungalow, the Old Magazine House, in which ammunition was once stored during the construction of the nearby Supa dam.

As I got off the car, a Malabar Tree Nymph floated past, with its tantalizing flight, as an indication of the exotic birds and butterflies we were to sight in the next two days. This beauty had eluded my camera in Valparai and had just managed to do that again, for my hands were full of bags! I had only dumped my bags in the room, Alexis called out, he'd spotted a Rat Snake behind my cottage and Neha had just spotted a Scorpion scuttling away. It was a wild world there.


There are many birding spots in the resort, the best spots being the dining area and the bird baths below. A group of noisy Dark Fronted Babblers make their way to the bird bath. A shy pair of Chestnut Tailed Starlings await their turn, slowly hopping down the bamboo. White-bellied Blue Flycatchers, Oriental Magpie Robins, Blue-capped Rock Thrushes and Emerald Doves, all followed suit.

Emerald Dove

Chestnut Tailed Starling

Oriental Magpie Robin -- Female

Malabar Pied Hornbills flew about, high up in the canopy, an occasional one perching on one of the tall trees.

Malabar Pied Hornbills

In the evening, the naturalist at the camp Joma, led us on a steep, exhaustive walk up the hill. We trudged up, gasping for breath and saw a sight that literally took our breath (or whatever was left of it) away. Sepia toned still waters kissed the edges of hills. Thick clouds enveloped the Sun, creating a haze that obscured most of the hills in the distance.

Everything was aglow in the evening light - the Brahminy Kite that drifted along, its flight taken care of by the strong wind; Langurs on top of the canopy; Malabar Pied Hornbills finding that perfect perch to roost before the night ahead - they were all lit up.

We settled down to watch the sunset, quite a spectacular one it was. If not for all the haze, I think I would have been able to make better images.

As the Sun went lower, the Brahminy Kite glided past. A mix of white and golden brown one minute and turning into a pretty silhouette in the next. And then it kissed the Sun goodbye.

We walked back downhill, the leaf litter making the entire path very slippery. My mandatory slip-and-fall happened too. A male Sri Lanka Frogmouth called out and we began to track it with our torches. We followed its call and spotted it in the dense foliage, five minutes later. Back at the resort, we sat at the bonfire, listening to male and female Frogmouths calling out to each other with their distinct, loud calls. Dinner was simple and tasty. The cook had prepared the yummiest tomato soup in the world, I am not joking when I say that!


While you are in the Western Ghats, you don't need an alarm clock, a Malabar Whistling Thrush will wake you up, which is what happened the next morning. One started whistling right next to my cottage early in the morning, it woke me up and then soothed me back to sleep. I remember, there were three Thrushes on the second morning, each one sang a different tune, interspersed with each other's songs. Oh, how I love this bird!


While birding activity was relatively quiet in the evenings, a flying frenzy took place in the mornings, there were birds everywhere. This was the peak of the mating/breeding season and all birds were as active as they can be. A Heart Spotted Woodpecker called out as it whizzed past; White Browed Bulbuls sang their garbled songs; Puff Throated Babblers sang aloud; Malabar Grey Hornbills gave a fleeting glimpse of their flying finesse; Scarlet Minivets and Bronzed Drongos were busy in their mixed hunting flocks. A Barking Deer made a brief appearance one morning near the resort gate.

Scarlet Minivet -- Female

Nearby, a Malabar Giant Squirrel clucked loudly, busy feeding on everything in sight.

Malabar Giant Squirrel

An Asian Fairy Bluebird sat pretty, though we saw it several times we never heard its lovely call during the trip. A male Malabar Trogon made a rare appearance on the second day, so did a very shy Orange Headed Thrush. One sight I will remember for a long time is how three Racket Tailed Drongos chased a Common Kestrel. Other flagship Western Ghats species we saw were Ruby Throated Bulbuls, Little Spiderhunters, Forest Wagtails, Crimson Sunbirds, Vernal Hanging Parrots and Chestnut Headed Bee Eaters. A courting pair of Emerald Doves were a delightful sight, they would strut around on the ground all day long. 

Emerald Dove

Apart from Blue Mormons, Southern Birdwings and many other butterflies, we saw Chestnut-Streaked Sailers quite often.

Chestnut-streaked Sailer

This was also the weekend during which the unimaginable happened, India won the Cricket World Cup. The staff had set up a small television in a hall that houses rafting equipment. Sri Lanka's batting session was mostly boring and we went out for some birding. During India's batting session, Joma asked us if we would like to see Tarantulas and we headed out with our torches. We spotted several Tarantulas, Wolf Spiders, Scorpions and a certain exotic looking red colored spider of which I only have a mental image. We also saw a Deccan Ground Gecko which is quite a looker. Unfortunately, we didn't have our cameras handy. Amidst all this spider spotting, India held on to the world cup dream and put up a superb performance. I never dreamed that I would watch India in a World Cup final game, in a remote jungle, on a tiny black and white TV screen which was running on a generator! But India won and all this just added to the thrill and excitement :) 

When I commented about how this trip wasn't very fruitful from a photography perspective, I was told by the staff that this is not the best season for photography and I should go back there in November to make good images. It was time to head back and we decided, a second trip must be made here, hopefully in winter later this year. The long drive back on a very hot day took us 8 hours again. From Ganeshgudi, we drove towards Dharwad and then on to Hubli (bypass road), Haveri, Davangere, Chitradurga, Tumkur and reached Bangalore - the end of another memorable trip and a beginning to new memories.


Alexis's trip report is here and a complete list of fauna sightings from the trip is here on his blog.

There are many things I'll remember for a long long time from this trip... waking up to the songs of the Malabar Whistling Thrush, Neha's innovative bird names, the sunset, the Forest Wagtail behind my cottage, the Emerald Dove that almost hit my head as it whizzed past, the tomato soup, the bad coffee, the Drongo - Kestrel chase, the hoot of the Owl we never saw, the graceful float of the Malabar Tree Nymph, the bobbing heads of the Owlets... but one thing I'll remember longer than all these is a tree that wore its heart on its sleeve. Salut! 

The Falcon Visits, Again..

After spending an evening with the Shaheen Falcon last month, I was craving for another sighting. And better images. My wish came true!

Wednesday, the 17th of November was a holiday for Eid. At around 1 PM, I was scanning the building as usual and noticed the Falcon perched just two floors below, on a pipe again. A small boy playing in a balcony close by kept the bird occupied and it watched him with interest.

Noisy Pigeons, people walking in and out of their balconies, Pariah Kites gliding overhead - the Falcon had many things to keep itself occupied. It watched everything in the surroundings and occasionally glanced at me too. Meanwhile, it preened, a lot.

Unlike last time, the bird seemed very edgy and kept shifting positions. In a while, it relaxed and took a nap. I saw the bird's eyes shut for the first time!

A couple of streets away, some kids were bursting crackers and I noticed the bird jerk and move every time it heard a loud sound. It began preening and scratching again, just before taking off.

I was quite disappointed that I missed photographing the take-off again. Little did I realize that I was going to get luckier :)

In about 5 mins, the bird flew right back in and this time, it settled on a balcony very close by, on the same floor as mine.

As soon as it settled down there, it *pooped*. And I did manage to photograph that moment.

A Common Emigrant flying around caught its attention and it traced its flight. Its amazing how they can turn and twist the neck around without shifting their body or legs.

Once the Emigrant was gone, I became the subject of interest and it looked at me, curiously and stealthily at the same time.

After spending another 5 minutes perched on the balcony, the Falcon took off.. 

..swooped down..

..and was gone.

For the rest of the noon, I saw the bird circling around the building. Several attempts to photograph it in flight failed, thanks to the bird's speed and other obstructions. Towards evening, I saw it perched on a pipe, about 7 floors below. When I checked again at 5:30 PM, it was gone.

And now, I wait again :)

Details of Sighting -

Date : 17 November 2010

Time : 1:00 PM - 5:30 PM

Place : Arekere, Bannerghatta Road

 ** I own the copyright of all images. Please do not use them without my permission.

Shaheen Falcon

A birding trip on the Sunday of 3rd October didn't prove to be very fruitful thanks to an overcast sky. I returned with just an image of a Pied Cuckoo, ranting over how the birds weren't kind to me that day. How wrong I was!

At around 5 in the evening, I stepped out to the balcony in my residence at Arekere, Bannerghatta Road and found a bird perched amidst some pipes, five floors below. I couldn't ID the bird, so I photographed the bird right away, before it could take off. 

A quick look through the bird book and I knew it could either be a Peregrine/Shaheen Falcon or an Oriental Hobby. While the Shaheen Falcon is a breeding resident all over the country, the Oriental Hobby is a resident only in the NE and the Himalayas. The lack of streaks on the breast and belly of the bird caused some amount of confusion.

I messaged a couple of friends, desperate to confirm the ID. While I waited to hear from them, I watched the bird's behavior. It spent a lot of time just sitting still, at times its eyes were closed too and it seemed to be taking a short nap. In the interim, the bird also kept preening.

When I described the bird's colors to a friend, he said it could be a Shaheen Falcon. Though there was a stronger possibility of the bird being a Shaheen Falcon, an Oriental Hobby has been sighted here in Bangalore a decade ago, so the possibility couldn't be ruled out. I processed a couple of images and mailed them to get a better idea of the bird species.

Meanwhile, the bird continued to groom itself. I found it scratching and then fluffing its feathers. It also *pooped* a couple of times. It seemed as if the bird had fed and was taking some time off from flying. Loud and large groups of Pigeons didn't disturb it, neither did a bunch of Black Kites hovering above.

Thanks to the bad viewing angle, it became quite difficult to judge the size of the bird, but I was quite sure it was a little larger than a Shikra and an Oriental Hobby would have been smaller. A year ago, during the months of September - October, my Father had photographed a similar bird in the building, perched on a bicycle, 6 floors below. The image was from a point and shoot camera, with about 3x optical zoom. He remembers how crows tried to mob the bird and it took off, like a jet.

More discussions with friends and it was confirmed that the bird is a Shaheen Falcon (Falco peregrinus peregrinator), an Indian subspecies of the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus). 

The bird spent more than 40 minutes on the perch and then quietly bid adieu, its a pity I missed the take-off.

And now, I wait for the Falcon to make its next visit..

Birds of Corbett

Corbett National Park is the oldest national park in India and has a wide variety of flora and fauna. The critically endangered Royal Bengal Tiger rules the jungle here and that has converted this national park into a popular ecotourism destination. However, the park has over 580 species of birds alone. Here are some of the birds I photographed in my recent visit to the park.

Indian Roller or Blue Jay (Coracias benghalensis) is a beautiful, bright bird and is the state bird of 4 states – Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa. The Roller gets its name from the aerobatic display the male puts up with its twists and turns during the breeding season. The birds have an assortment of colors like bright blue, turquoise, indigo and white on their wings and are a visual treat in flight. They are commonly seen in open grasslands, scrub forests and are often perched on dead trees and electric lines. They are easily one of the most photogenic birds around.

Chestnut-tailed Starling (Sturnia malabarica) is a member of the Starling family of birds. A sub species exists in the Western Ghats which has a white head. These Starlings are omnivorous and feed on insects, nectar and fruits. Like most Starlings, these birds fly in a tight flock and have the ability to change directions rapidly with perfect synchrony.

Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela) is a bird of prey that is found widely across many different habitats in India. In comparison to other large raptors, the bird is fairly medium-sized. They hunt for snakes and lizards by flying over the forest canopy. They usually make nests close to a water body. These eagles have a prominent yellow eye and are a treat to watch and photograph.

White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus) was earlier known as the Shama Thrush. The bird is a melodious singer and has a rich, clear voice. It is also known to mimic other birds often. While photographing this bird, I recall how it kept singing. When other birds joined in, the Shama began to mimic songs and calls, including that of the Common Hawk Cuckoo, or the Brain-Fever bird! They are mainly insectivorous birds. During the breeding season, the female builds the nest in the hollow of a tree, while the male stands guard.

Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) is a common bird and can be found in various habitats like grasslands, scrub jungles and even away from water. They have vibrant colors and when perched together, they make a colorful sight. As the name suggests, Bee-eaters mainly feed on bees, wasps, ants and dragonflies. A Bee-eater repeatedly thrashes the prey on a branch to remove the sting from its prey before feeding on it.


For more images from Corbett, visit my Flickr page.