Singara - Masinagudi

After birding at TG hali, it was almost 10 am when we proceeded towards Bandipur National park and we there reached by afternon after mandatory stops for food and fuel in between. The safari ride in Bandipur was uneventful and the conditions being heavily overcast did not help.

It was past 6pm when we reached the Singara checkpost. Route taken is Bandipura-Theppakadu-Masinagudi (right turn at circle)-Singara check post. From here private vehicles are not allowed and our homestay person had arranged for a jeep to pick us up. From there the homestay is hardly about 3-4 kms but as there is absolutely no road a 4WD vehicle is mandatory to reach there and its all the more difficult during monsoons.

As it was completely dark, we did not realize where we are but could sense thick woods all around :)

I was up early morning to find greenery all around and couple of isolated buildings in the near vicinity and with the constant calls of the peafowl all around. A nice way to begin your day! Sitting in the backside open verandah, I was openly gazing into the forests looking out for birds and any mammal movement. Before even I realized a lone Indian Gaur made its appearance and exit in an instant. Spotted Deers were all around the homestay and the estate in large numbers.

After a brief session of birding around the place, we went for a small trek inside the estate and into the virgin forests of singara and we were back with bountiful leeches stuck all over our legs (so far probably the highest no of bites I had and the max quantity of blood donated)!

Back at the place and a heavy breakfast later, it was birding again till lunchtime as we ventured into the tea / pepper plantation nearby. Elephants / Gaur are common here and we were unlucky not to bump into any of them!

After lunch and some rest, our evening plans of a safari at Anekatti went for a toss because of the heavy overnight rains and we had to just be content whiling away time around the place that we are experts in doing :) A long evening as darkness envelops very fast with hardly the sun being visible from the past couple of days.

Next day all of us were up early, sitting in the verandah and watching the bird activity and listening to their calls. Again trekked for a couple of hours and this time we were back seeing a fresh tiger pug mark close to the homestay, hardly within a radius of 1 km! Surprisingly the sun was out better than before, but bird activity was very evasive either high up in the trees or in the thick bushes around.

After breakfast, we were dropped off the Singara checkpost in the jeep and then only we got to see what was the path that we actually took while coming in. Wish I had a 4WD vehicle with me... From there it was an uneventful journey back home...

Bird checklist:
Peafowl
Junglefowl
Streak throated Woodpecker
Black rumped Woodpecker
White cheeked Barbet
Asian fairy bluebird
Black headed Cuckoo Shrike
Spotted Dove
Indian Robin
Blue tailed Parakeet
Rose ringed Parakeet
Indian Robin
Yellow Wagtail
Brahminy Mynah
etc...

Thippagondanahalli (TG halli) biding

On our way to Masinagudi, we took a detour and landed up in TG halli for birding early in the morning.

Directions: TG halli is around 35kms from Bangalore on the Magadi road. About 4kms after Tavarekere on the magadi road, a diversion to the right downslide and then straight ahead keeping to the left will lead to the lake (Its easy to miss this diversion if you are driving fast).

Currently avoid the vijayanagar stretch and preferred is the NICE highway and get out on the Magadi road and from there its a cruise as the highway is in good shape till Magadi.

Mist all around and heavy overcast conditions welcomed us and the skies threatening to open up anytime. We drove a little inside and parked ourselves near the mud bunds. Raptors are commonly sighted here during winters and we were not dissappointed as we got to see the Tawny eagle pair and the Kestrel here.

I'm not getting into too much of writing but would rather allow the pictures to speak for themselves...

Bird checklist:
Tawny Eagle
Black Kite
Common Kestrel
River Tern
Egrets
Cormorants
Indian Roller
etc...

Food is available at Tavarekere that may not be to the liking of everyone but would definitely suffice an hungry stomach :)

Ranganthittu bird sanctuary

Ranganthitttu has been a special place to us and we have lost count on the number of times we have been here...

Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary is located in the Mandya District of the state of Karnataka in India. It is a very small sanctuary, being only 67 km². in area, and comprises six islets on the banks of the Kaveri River. Ranganthittu is located near the historic town of Srirangapatna.

The islets came into being when a dam across the Kaveri river was built in the 18th century. The ornithologist Dr. Salim Ali observed that the isles formed an important nesting ground for birds, and persuaded the Wodeyar kings of Mysore to declare the area a bird sanctuary in 1940.

Bird watching can be done by opting for a boat ride or walking along the banks, just around anywhere. Gardens and artificial ponds are created to keep the families busy. A small canteen caters to the hungry stomachs within the sanctuary area.

Pied Kingfisher - The Pied KF is a water kingfisher and is found widely distributed. This KF is about 17cm long and is white with a black mask mainly feeding on fishes. The Pied Kinfisher is estimated to be the worlds third most common Kingfisher and is a noisy bird, unmissable in its range.

Black headed Ibis (White Ibis) - is a species of wading bird of the Ibis family. It feeds on various fish, frogs, insects and other water creatures. Adults are typically 75 cm long and white plumaged. The bald head, neck and legs are black.

Spot Billed Pelican - is a relatively small pelican but still a large bird. It is 125–152 cm (49–60 in) long and a weight of 4.1–6 kg (9-13.2 lbs). It is mainly white, with a grey crest, hindneck and a brownish tail. The feathers on the hind neck are curly and form a greyish nape crest. The pouch is pink to purplish and has large pale spots, and is also spotted on the sides of the upper mandible. Like most other pelicans, it catches fish in its huge bill pouch while swimming at the surface. The birds nest in colonies and the nest is a thick platform of twigs placed on a low tree.


The particular description for each species is inspired from this wonderful piece of blog by Rohini and Keshav. Intend to cover more species as my visits to this place keep increasing :)

Bird checklist:
Spot billed Pelican,
White Ibis,
Grey Heron,
Pied Kingfisher,
White breasted Kingfisher,
Barn Swallows,
Stone Plover,
River Tern,
Night Heron,
Darter,
Small Cormorant,
Grey headed fish eagle .