Coorg and Kabini

Monsoons, and the Western Ghats comes alive during the time when the water starved regions, barren lands, dry forests, brown hillocks come alive in various shades of green and numerous waterfalls spring up in nook and corner of the region turning the virtual entire into a carpet of greenery. When it rains, it pours in some regions diminishing the might of the Sun for a few days and the tree canopies prevent the lesser available sunlight to pass through them to hit the forest floors thus rendering it moist always. Leeches love this environment and numerous bugs, beetles, frogs, snakes thrive during the rains. In a corner of the forest, safe from the flowing water, the might King Cobra builds its nest carefully and tirelessly to ensure its eggs hatch. Frogs and toads come out of hibernation and so does many of the smaller insects virtually infesting the whole region with their calls, songs and music. With abundance of prey around, the snakes make the most of it grabbing a meal or two, whenever it can.

The smell of the land after a good rain is probably the best fragrance you could ever sense and a lush green thriving forest is probably the best sight you could see and the calls of the birds, insects and animals is probably the best music you would hear. A complete therapeutic treat to entice all of a human’s senses and re-energize the mind and soul.

We were well aware of the fact the Kodagu region comes alive during monsoons with many waterfalls springing up and the well-known ones cascading in full force and we always wanted to explore some of them at leisure and so we did traversing through Kodagu and tracing out hidden gems that come alive mostly during the monsoons. We did visit a few and we had to skip a few more owing to short time, but nevertheless it was a rejuvenating sight that lot of people miss even though they wander so close to them. Some of these need a hike and walking through unknown terrains and the area around the waterfalls are generally slippery, so you need to exercise caution before you head out deeper into the woods. If you are not sure, then take the help of a local to accompany you as it’s easy to get lost!

Mookanamane falls & Hoysala temples

A quick visit to Gandikota was on the cards but as always, with only few people confirming and the long distance overwhelming us, we rather chose to explore few Hoysala temples around Hassan as well as visit the Mookanamane Abbi falls near Sakaleshpura.

Impromptu decisions and next morning me, Prashanth (Payaniga) and Avinash were off towards Sakaleshpura in search of the Mookanamane falls. Prashanth had a vague idea of the location of the falls having visited it few years ago. Sakaleshpura town was very quiet considering that the Shiradi ghat roads were closed for repair and also that the tourist flow is low during the rainy season. We were happy with the almost non-existent crowd and had a heavy breakfast at Surabhi restaurant, right next to Hotel Ashritha where we planned to stay for the night. With packed lunch we proceeded towards the falls but it turned out to be trickier than expected as we lost sight of the route and had to scout for people at many crossroads on where to go. Google maps assisted to an extent but considering the patchy network, it was not very reliable.

The landscape changes as soon as you cross over Hassan and being monsoon time, it was all shades of green everywhere all along the route and the smell of the earth after the rains is infectious. Cool breeze, drizzling rain and the shades of green along the countryside kept us company throughout the day infecting us with some wonderful vista views, pure air and dollops of energy to keep us going.

Sometimes, asking the locals for directions can actually detour you as we experienced this and after losing a couple of hours of going around, we finally reached closer to the falls. Rains were reluctant to leave and stayed with us and those umbrellas we carried came to our rescue as we embarked on the path to the falls being half a kilometer away. We could hear the roar of the falls getting louder as we moved closer and finally we reached the upstream area navigating ourselves on the slippery track all along. The water flow was heavy, strong currents, muddy water (due to soil erosion) and it did look scary at first sight but then, monsoon is the only time when you get to see a waterfall in full glory.

We had to navigate through the bushes, rocks holding on to them dearly and watching every step or lunge we took to finally reach the downstream or rather bang in front of the mighty falls. The umbrellas we carried became defunct as we were all drenched due to the rain and the splashing water from the falls. I was mighty impressed by the size of the falls being very wide and the water gushing down from a decent height to create the roars we were hearing. We were thrilled to be there enjoying the nature’s beauty in its rawest form but were also skeptical in staying long in front of the falls as a heavy gush of water would be trouble for us standing exposed in front. At times we had to shout to communicate to each other in front of deafening sound of the falls.

After the customary photo shoot and with growling stomachs, we cautiously made our way back to the parked car where the packed food was devoured in a flash. Manjarabad fort remains unseen as the delays during the day ensured we would be late and the gates locked. Back to Ashritha hotel, we spent the evening chatting through the night and making plans for the next day.

(Kondajje temple and below Chennakeshava temple, Saalagaame)

Early next day, we left early as we had quite a few places to cover and the intention to see the historical Hoysala temples that are spread around the Hassan region. We did manage to see the Kondajje temple near Belur followed by Chennakeshava temple located in Saalagame near Belur and then Boocheshwara temple located in Koravangala and finally the Aanekere Chennakeshava temple near Channarayapatna (CR Patna) before heading back to Bengaluru. Of all the lot, the Kondajje temple presents a sorry state of affairs to such an extent that you cannot make out that it’s a temple of the Hoysala era.

(Boocheshwara temple, Koravangala & below Aanekere Chennakeshava temple)

J&K logs - some more landscapes

It's been a year (June-July 2014) since I had been to J&K - Ladakh and my memory is still afresh with all the tripping we did and all the sightings we had throughout our two week sojourn from Srinagar to Ladakh and back to Srinagar.

In this post, I will just brief on the places we covered, more details will be shared in a later post.

Srinagar-Sonamarg-Drass-Mushko valley-Jozila pass-Leh-Khardungla-Panamik-Leh-Changla-Pangong lake-Karu-Chumathang-Tsumdo-Tsokar-Taglangla-Rumtse-Leh-Drass-Manasbahl-Srinagar-Dachigam-Srinagar

We (myself and Kannan) traveled by GoAir from Bengaluru-Srinagar via Mumbai (and return via Delhi) and were joined by PK (Prashanth) from Mumbai and Amit picked us up from Srinagar (he had flown in two days earlier to pick the car - SX4 that was to be our vehicle for the entire duration).

To start off, I would just share a few landscape shots (nothing excellent by any measure) that I was able to take throughout the journey. J&K is so beautiful that you just can't stop clicking, be the green valleys beyond srinagar that changes over to brown once you are in Ladakh region and the himalayas in the distant background and those stunning vistas you get to see at the high altitude lakes... everything is just so beautiful!

Also, to note J&K is the place where unrest is real and happening and Srinagar town has army presence everywhere...and sometimes you do get that eerie feeling seeing so many army people. Another thing I would mention is the presence of army camps all through the way from Srinagar and covers entire Ladakh region, you pass one and you get another... and the huge convoy of army trucks in those narrow hilly stretches.

Let me stop boring you and take you to the pictures... enjoy!

(many such fields and sights makes on wonder - why go elsewhere)

(the huge mountain ranges and home to some of the inhospitable army posts)

(glaciers, streams and mountains...)

(valleys, hills and mountains...)

(landslides...not a day without them!)

(Himalayan ranges as far as you can see!)

(snow...ice... sheets of them everywhere!)

Follow the entire J&K logs here...

Andamans - final part

Read the earlier post here...

In the last post, I had showcased images of some of the birds we could see on our trip. Continuing that in this post, I will few more images not only restricted to birds but also covering landscapes, butterflies and some generic.

Hope to have your attention :)

Also adding few notes to help the travelers out there who intend to explore the island for some birding and travel.

Notes:
> We traveled by Air from Chennai to Port Blair and return in the same way. Blr-Chennai was covered by Shatabdi express train. Taking a stopover flight from Blr-Portable would be ideal if a good airfare offer is on.

> Standard taxi fares in Port Blair (irrespective of vehicle size and make), so chose a bigger vehicle for space and flexibility. Rates are fixed for destinations and day long hires costs are also fixed, roughly about 2500/- when we went in 2013.

> We stayed at Hotel Aparupa that is a budget hotel and mind you budget hotel fares start only from about 1500+ tax for a small and simple double room. Food is extra.

> Only two (if I'm not wrong) 'vegetarian' hotels in Port Blair and are little expensive. In general, most of the decent hotels are expensive. Don't expect non-veg food to be cheap, they are equally expensive.

> Port Blair, being an island is very small and houses most of the facilities that you would need on your trip with the airport and the harbor.

> Rates compared to any other tourism places is on the higher side and you will definitely feel it if you are traveling on your own.

> Havelock Island is by far the most popular and the touristy island, renowned for its world famous Radhanagar beach, that we visited and sure is one of the best in the world.

> Havelock Island and Chidiyatapu are the locations for scuba diving, the former preferred more, but we did it in Chidiyatapu and enjoyed it. Read it here.

> Ross Island, Viper Island, Small Andamans, Neil island are some of the important islands on the tourist circuit.

> Cellular Jail in Port Blair, Caves at Ross Island, Sunset at Havelock are some of the places/activities not to be missed.

> Vikram Shil was our guide who is a localite and knows the locations very well and is the preferred person by any individual/group visiting. He is generally booked well in advance and can be reached on +91 9434262681

> Please remember, nature can play havoc anytime it wants to and could be in the form of cyclones, tsunami or dull, cloudy days. Any amount of planning or precaution may or may not work in your favor and keeping calm and having spare days on hand is ideal.

> Again, the airport / port functions if the weather is ideal, else you are 'stuck' there till the conditions turn favorable.

> Sun rises very early here and sets very early. So, at 6pm you are staring at pitch darkness and at 5am you have bright sunshine.

> Birding in general is difficult as the canopies are very high and light reaching the base is very less and in some places nil. The birding is mostly from the roads or near marshes and not many trails inside.

> You may see snakes, birds, butterflies but sighting the big mammals is very difficult considering how dense the forests are, in fact there are no big cats in the Islands.

> Narcondam Hornbill is a bird every birder would have on his wishlist, but unfortunately the island is a no-go with permissions not given to visit as it's a secured location. Nicobar islands hold many gems and again visiting them is practically difficult and permissions, very hard to obtain.

Below is a video of the nature's wrath we felt, cyclone Lehar unleashing its fury. Sadly, no news of Andaman & Nicobars is considered worth to be of national news importance and hardly shown in the mainstream media.

Below are other images that I was able to get through my visit to the islands.

(Light availability is difficult in many places)

(boundaries are only for man!)

(Andaman Tree Nymph, a very delicate butterfly that glides)

(Brown Shrike, this is a subspecies of the mainland visitor that visits this region)

(An un-id'd snake, found it crossing the road in the evening)

(Blue-tailed bee-eater, again a subspecies that visits this region)

(White-breasted Woodswallow, found only in the Havelock Island)

(Andaman Monitor Lizard, unexpected catch from the mangroves)

(Eastern Jungle Crow)

(A couple enjoying the sunset at Radhanagar beach, Havelock Island)

That's it from me folks for now :)

Andamans birding

Day 1 - Scuba diving at Chidiyatapu
Day 2 - Jirkatang road birding
Day 3 - wash out due to Lehar cyclone
Day 4 - Chidiyatapu birding trails and local harbour
Day 5 - Chidiyatapur trails and Sippy ghat
Day 6 - Havelock Island
Day 7 - Jirkatang road birding
Day 8 - Corbyn's Cove and departure

In short, this was the summary of our week long birding and wildlife trip to the Andaman islands of which two full days were lost due to the Lehar cyclone that hampered the weather, our plans and made us miss quite a few species that were otherwise had to be seen.

Tsunami had a devastating effect on these islands and the proofs of that are still evident today with numerous localities lost and some tracts of land lost forever to the might of the sea/ocean. Lehar cyclone came in unexpected and hit with greater impact than expected (was expected to be a passing one with the impact being a gloomy half day with some showers) and Mount Harriet and Havelock islands bore most of the severity of the cyclone.

We thought of cancelling and pulling out mid way but when the cyclone hits the islands, all services are disrupted and importantly the air services are cancelled for the days till the impact reduces. So, in short we were stuck on the island and had to bear the gloomy days. Being positive thinkers and having planned and spent, we decided to complete our trip to the T and then return as per our schedule. Photography wise, it was not very fulfilling but sighting the species through your eyes and binoculars were rewarding enough.

Overall, birding in Andamans is no easy job, there are no definite trails as such and most of the forest birding happens from the road. Jirkatang trail is a traffic magnet as this road passes through the Jarawa reserve that has restricted timeline and the vehicles are always in a hurry to cover that stretch. Early mornings and early evenings are the order of the day which means early morning birding is the best bet and evening sessions would be short and a bit tricky. Darkness sets in very fast and you need to spend long evenings everyday.

Added to all the above, the vegetation in Andaman and Nicobar islands are tropical rain forests and the trees compete with each other in growing tall and at many places, the sun barely gets a chance to reach the ground that means light is quite tricky for birding. Species wise, almost all that you see in this region are either new for you (if you are visiting for the first time) or are subspecies of the mainland species. So, it's like you need to make a note of everything you see including the most common ones too as you never know for tomorrow they may be classified as a new species in itself.

For us, Chidiyatapu and Jirkatang was the best trails in terms of species seen as we got to see the Anadaman Woodpecker, Andaman Drongo, Andaman Bulbul, Andaman Serpent Eagle, Andaman Scops Owl, Andaman Cuckoo Dove, Violet Cuckoo, Andaman Nightjar, Andaman Shama, Andaman Hawk Owl, Andaman Treepie, Andaman Teal, Olive-backed Sunbird, White-headed Starling and many more species.

I'll add below a few species that I could document for you guys out there to see and enjoy from the Andaman islands. Please note they are nowhere close to good but yet want to showcase what we got to see.

(pair of Changeable Hawk Eagle)

(Andaman Coucal)

(Andaman Woodpecker, most commonly seen)

(Andaman Treepie, always prefers to be inside...)

(Red-breasted Parakeet and the moon)

(Crested Serpent Eagle, Andaman subspecies)

(Andaman / Sunda Teal, their numbers have gone down after the Tsunami)

(Collared Kingfisher, Andaman subspecies, the most common Kingfisher seen here)

(Hume's Hawk Owl, Andaman speciality)

(Andaman Hawk Owl, another Andaman speciality)

(Violet Cuckoo, one of the most colorful birds)

(Andaman Cuckoo Dove, another Andaman specialty)

(Blue-eared Kingfisher)

(this was being chased about by the bully Stork-billed Kingfisher)

I'll try and fit in shots of landscape, butterflies and few more birds in the next post.

Till then... Adios!

Karnataka Coastal birding

The coastal belt is very rich in birdlife and you get to see diverse species only if you are willing to explore. In Karnataka, coastal birding is not as so famous as the forest birding owing to many reasons and choices people have, coastal birding is more fun when you have the flocks of winter migrants coming in to the shores to stay for a few months out here. My last coastal birding was in Gujarat, a couple of years ago and that 'itch' was egging me to do more of it...

Finally, Amith came up with a plan for the weekend (way back in Nov 2013) and me along with 5 others traveled towards Udupi to explore the beaches and the backwaters around the region.

We roamed around Hoode-bengre, Kaup, Mulki, Someshwara, Sasihithlu from dawn till dusk for some amazing birding and were surely tired out by the end of day 2 covering so many places and looking out for so many bird species, yet we missed a few of them! bad luck!

One important factor to keep in mind for coastal birding is the 'tide timings', low tides are the best time when the crabs come out in zillions and the birds come for them whereas you reach the same place during high tide and all that you see is water everywhere. Also, unlike forest birds, birds on the shore can be seen throughout the day, be it rain or shine. And, the most important factor is to have loads of patience as the birds can sense your movement from far away and tend to move away if they feel threatened or by your brisk/sudden movements. Slow pace and less movements gets you closer to them without any added efforts.

What we used to do was to spread out in small groups, pick a location where you have seen movements and wait there... be it for 10 minutes, or an hour or a couple, your efforts would be rewarded if you have that patience to do it.

I've nothing much more to detail down, will allow the images to speak... Sit back and have a look :)

(Terek Sandpiper)

(Western Reef Egret)

(Grey Plover)

(Whimbrel)

(A colony of crabs...)

(Common Kingfisher)

(Pacific Golden Plover)

(Lesser Sand Plover)

(Sanderling)

(Ruff)

(Ruddy Turnstone's - up and below)

(Lesser Sand Plover)

(mixed flocks - top and below...)

Important:-
Coastal birding can get very hot, carry adequate amount of water and snacks.
Wear a hat and carry lotions as required.
Udupi is about 400 odd kms from Bangalore and add another 30 odd kms towards Mulki
Hotels are available in Mulki for stay and food.
Don't litter on the beaches as they are already littered bad.
Saandip has presented it much better on his blog here.