India Part 3

Sunday 23rd

We drove a couple of kilometres to the edge of town and got the shuttle bus into the Tiger Reserve. We donned our leech socks (they have spares for those who don’t have any) which were definitely needed as we saw quite a few and had several on our shoes at the end. A local guide hauled us across the river on a bamboo raft and we went for a walk around. 

on the bamboo raft

It felt a bit odd walking in a tiger reserve with an unarmed guard so we were hoping not to bump into any large stripey cats! Among the birds we encountered there were Malabar Parakeets, Brown-breasted Flycatcher, Grey Junglefowl, Yellow-browed Bulbul and Puff-throated Babbler.

Porcupine tracks; we also found a quill

Red-wattled Lapwing

Back across on the raft to the centre, we had coffee in a caged café – to keep the monkeys out, not any stray cats! 

On the lookout for an easy snatch

Enjoying a healthy snack...

White-browed Wagtail

Across the lake was a distant Legge’s Hawk-Eagle, along with six Black Baza and three Black Eagles. We then walked the 5km back to the car park, birding along the way, seeing Red Spurfowl and Jungle Owlet.

Jungle Babbler

Jungle Myna

Completing a hat-trick of jungle birds - Jungle Owlet

Velvet-fronted Nuthatch

Sambar feeding in someone's front garden

This is what happens when you cross a tortoise with a cafe!

We had lunch back at the hotel and then went back into the tiger reserve, getting the bus there and walking straight back. We abandoned the walk about halfway back as it started pouring with rain.

Monday 24th

It was still raining as we checked out of the hotel after breakfast. We had a long drive ahead but managed a couple of roadside stops along the way, getting Rufous Babbler, Nilgiri Flycatcher and Jerdon’s Leafbird. We stopped for lunch in a nice restaurant with views over the countryside and spent most of the time finding moths on the windows! 

A selection of unidentified moths

Afterwards, we climbed up into tea country although the rain and low cloud were still around. 

Highlands

Tea country

We reached the Deshadan Mountain Resort in Munnar mid-afternoon at 1,600m and went birding around the hotel where we saw our first Black-and-Orange Flycatcher, Nilgiri Woodpigeon and White-bellied Blue Robin. 

Nilgiri Woodpigeon

Square-tailed Bulbul

After dark we drove to a local spot to try for Bay Owl which we heard but couldn't get close to as there were Elephants feeding in the river, however we did see another Indian Scops Owl. 

Indian Scops Owl

India Part 2

Thursday 20^th

Another early start as we were being picked up at 5.30 so we took a packed breakfast with us to the airport. We had a domestic flight on IndiGo to Kochi; our original flight was at 10am but they cancelled that and put us on the earlier one at 08:10. 

Leaving Mumbai

Coming in to land at Kochi

We landed at 09:50 but took an hour a get out of the airport as someone left their walking stick on the plane. We met up with our guide/driver for the rest of the trip, loaded up the car and headed off to our accommodation, a family-run homestay. We arrived in time for lunch where we were greeted by an Indian Giant Squirrel that was feeding a metre away off our balcony.

Indian Giant Squirrel

Huntsman Spider in our bathroom

We then got ready for our first afternoon birding in the Western Ghats at Thattekad Bird Sanctuary.

Forest stream

This area has a lot of regional endemics and it didn’t take long before we starting seeing some of them with Malabar Flameback, White-bellied Woodpecker,  Malabar Woodshrike, White-bellied Blue Flycatcher and a lovely pair of roosting Sri Lankan Frogmouths amongst other more widespread birds. 

Sri Lankan Frogmouth

White-bellied Woodpecker

Blue-eared Kingfisher

Brown-cheeked Fulvetta

Common Kingfisher

Indian Blue Robin

Female Malabar Trogon

Male Malabar Trogon

Asian Vine Snake

We stopped for coffee at a roadside café late afternoon which had a lakeside view and added Blue-tailed Bee-eater and Brahminy Kite.

Back at the homestay we went up on the rooftop terrace towards dusk where a Great Eared Nightjar flew over. We then did two very successful owling sessions either side of dinner, seeing Indian Scops Owl, Mottled Wood Owl, Brown Boobook, Oriental Scops Owl and a couple of other nocturnal critters.

Brown Boobook

Indian Scops Owl

Mottled Wood Owl

Oriental Scops Owl

Anamalai Pit Viper

Indian Giant Flying Squirrel

Friday 21st

After an early breakfast we spent the morning birding the local area of Thattekad from 7am. The first bird seen was Grey-fronted Green Pigeon, quickly followed by two Malabar Grey Hornbills, both regional endemics. We walked up an old lava flow to a viewpoint and were soon joined by a couple of other birding groups as this was clearly the place to stand while our guide went in search of a roosting Bay Owl. We also met a rather miserable Irish crew who then followed us around for the rest of the trip.

There were plenty of birds to see and photograph and the guide’s young son, a budding birder, found a distant pair of Brown Fish Owls. 

Brown Fish Owl

Crimson-backed Sunbird

Golden-fronted Leafbird

Orange Minivet

Malabar Grey Hornbill

Malabar Imperial Pigeon

Rufous-bellied Eagle

Brown Shrike ssp lucionensis

butterfly sp

Common Lascar

We went back to the homestay for lunch, stopping briefly for a couple of distant Asian Elephants in a river.

Asian Elephant

 We spent the rest of the afternoon birding from the rooftop of our homestay while our guide again went in a vain search for the owl.

Bonnet Macaque

Common Myna

Lesser Whistling Duck

Asian Brown Flycatcher

Cinereous Tit

Black-rumped Flameback

Red-whiskered Bulbul

Vernal (AKA Infernal) Hanging Parrot

Saturday 22nd

We went back into the forest after breakfast for a last bit of birding in the area but it was raining so we didn’t get too much. We left mid-morning and checked out and drove to our next destination, Periyar NP. We did a little bit of birding en route before arriving at the Abad Green Forest Resort late afternoon. We had a wander around the grounds, seeing our only Clamorous Reed Warbler of the trip.

Black-rumped Flameback

Heart-spotted Woodpecker

Plum-headed Parakeet

Shikra

White-bellied Treepie

White-cheeked Barbet

Two more as yet unidentified butterflies

Oriental Garden Lizard

South Indian Flying Lizard

We couldn’t get a drink at the hotel, nor at any of the subsequent hotels in Kerala as it had been a dry state up until July when the sale of alcohol was legalised, albeit with many restrictions. Most of the hotels don’t even any bar areas so they aren’t able to offer drinks.