Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Land's End
LANDS END
A visit to India's southen most tip- KANYAKUMARI- also called CAPE COMORIN (british had named it so) It is from the Kumari Amman temple that this lovely place gets its name.
removing a page from my bird book -MIGRATION -I thought why not go to this place to see the migratory birds here with the best birdman of INDIA-DR BALASUBRAMANIUM.
This is the one of the few places wher ,if the horizon is devoid of clouds ,it is possible to see both the sunset and moonrise at the same time.
This is the place where all 3 seas meet -the indian ocean/the bay of bengal and the arabian sea.
The beaches are clean with foaming blue waves . I paid my respect to the father of my Nation- MAHATMA GANDHI at the GANDHI MEMORIAL.They say that on october 2nd the first rays of sun fall on the very spot where the Mahatama's ashes were placed before being immersed in the sea.
GANDHI MEMORIAL
We boraded the overcrowded /overloaded motor boat which carried us , half kilometer to Vivekananda rock memorial. This is spot where Swami Vivekananda chose to meditate.
Constructed in the same line is the mammoth 133 ft. high statue of Thiruvalluvar-one of the best known and earliest tamil writers.
THIRUVALLUVAR
ROCK MEMORIAL
Kanayakumari has more than 500 small ponds and numerous salt pans which are visited by migratory birds coming from north to enjoy the sun here.
I went to study the numerous birds found near the salt pans-called waders.
SALT PANS WITH WADERS 
painted storks
The panorama of pink was very soothing and memeorable moment for me. It was the sight that I loved the most .-yes the flamingoes huge line of pink blazing across blue waters . This was at the Puthalam salt pans. We also visited the Kovalam salt pans.
greater flamingoes. 
Many more birds were seen like golden plovers, egrets, stilts, common red shanks, green sandpipers,wood sandpipers, marsh sandpipers etc..
But here in the south , The bird is worshipped like GOD.
At the suchindrum temple, every year there a rath yatra where the gods are placed in a specially decorated rath and driven around the village of suchindrum about 10 kms away from kanayakumari. The yatra starts only after the siting of the brahminy kite- which is also called GARUDA.
brahaminy kites.(photo by Mr Naimi)
We went to Kodhayar forested areas of western ghats to see the forest birds.On our way we visited a dam called Pechipperai.There was a bombax tree flowering and it was really fun to watch loads of diff birds on one tree.
the birds seen on one tree are-
ashy drongo
roufus treepie
wt cheeked barbet
chestnut tailed starling
blossom headed parakeet-male/female
common myna
golden oriole
greenish leafwarbler
plain flowerpecker
blue winged chloropsis
gold fronted leafbird
on the nearby coconut tree
black rumped flameback
greater flameback
sitting on the electric wires-cuddling cutely-ashy wood swallow
and lonesom wt wagtail.
heading towards our forest where there were loads of rubber plantation we saw a mixed hunting party of birds. For me highlights were
heartspotted woodpecker and chestnut tailed starling but S.BLYTHII VARIETY also called wt. headed starling but Dr Salim ali.
some more photos to share with you taken by Mr Naimi.
pied crested cuckoo fighting yellow billed babblers
battle won -love time
ashy wood swallow
Koonthankulam bird sanctuary was a heaven for birds.
spot billed pelicans in large numbers were roosting there.Ducks-like the spot billed and common teals were every where.But the migratory Bar headed Goose was a sight you must look for.Due to failing llight we could not appeciate this bird well.
The Boat ride on the river Paayar estuary gave us views of 3 kingfishers.
On the beach near Manakudi we learnt how to ring the birds or bird banding.
bird banding programme
Overall an enjoyable experience.
the most memorable point was we drank only tender coconut water most of the time instead of regular drinking water.
total bird list was 108 species.
A visit to India's southen most tip- KANYAKUMARI- also called CAPE COMORIN (british had named it so) It is from the Kumari Amman temple that this lovely place gets its name.
removing a page from my bird book -MIGRATION -I thought why not go to this place to see the migratory birds here with the best birdman of INDIA-DR BALASUBRAMANIUM.
This is the one of the few places wher ,if the horizon is devoid of clouds ,it is possible to see both the sunset and moonrise at the same time.
This is the place where all 3 seas meet -the indian ocean/the bay of bengal and the arabian sea.
The beaches are clean with foaming blue waves . I paid my respect to the father of my Nation- MAHATMA GANDHI at the GANDHI MEMORIAL.They say that on october 2nd the first rays of sun fall on the very spot where the Mahatama's ashes were placed before being immersed in the sea.
GANDHI MEMORIALWe boraded the overcrowded /overloaded motor boat which carried us , half kilometer to Vivekananda rock memorial. This is spot where Swami Vivekananda chose to meditate.
Constructed in the same line is the mammoth 133 ft. high statue of Thiruvalluvar-one of the best known and earliest tamil writers.
THIRUVALLUVARROCK MEMORIAL
Kanayakumari has more than 500 small ponds and numerous salt pans which are visited by migratory birds coming from north to enjoy the sun here.
I went to study the numerous birds found near the salt pans-called waders.
SALT PANS WITH WADERS 
painted storksThe panorama of pink was very soothing and memeorable moment for me. It was the sight that I loved the most .-yes the flamingoes huge line of pink blazing across blue waters . This was at the Puthalam salt pans. We also visited the Kovalam salt pans.
greater flamingoes. 
Many more birds were seen like golden plovers, egrets, stilts, common red shanks, green sandpipers,wood sandpipers, marsh sandpipers etc..
But here in the south , The bird is worshipped like GOD.
At the suchindrum temple, every year there a rath yatra where the gods are placed in a specially decorated rath and driven around the village of suchindrum about 10 kms away from kanayakumari. The yatra starts only after the siting of the brahminy kite- which is also called GARUDA.
brahaminy kites.(photo by Mr Naimi)We went to Kodhayar forested areas of western ghats to see the forest birds.On our way we visited a dam called Pechipperai.There was a bombax tree flowering and it was really fun to watch loads of diff birds on one tree.
the birds seen on one tree are-
ashy drongo
roufus treepie
wt cheeked barbet
chestnut tailed starling
blossom headed parakeet-male/female
common myna
golden oriole
greenish leafwarbler
plain flowerpecker
blue winged chloropsis
gold fronted leafbird
on the nearby coconut tree
black rumped flameback
greater flameback
sitting on the electric wires-cuddling cutely-ashy wood swallow
and lonesom wt wagtail.
heading towards our forest where there were loads of rubber plantation we saw a mixed hunting party of birds. For me highlights were
heartspotted woodpecker and chestnut tailed starling but S.BLYTHII VARIETY also called wt. headed starling but Dr Salim ali.
some more photos to share with you taken by Mr Naimi.
pied crested cuckoo fighting yellow billed babblers
battle won -love time
ashy wood swallowKoonthankulam bird sanctuary was a heaven for birds.
spot billed pelicans in large numbers were roosting there.Ducks-like the spot billed and common teals were every where.But the migratory Bar headed Goose was a sight you must look for.Due to failing llight we could not appeciate this bird well.
The Boat ride on the river Paayar estuary gave us views of 3 kingfishers.
On the beach near Manakudi we learnt how to ring the birds or bird banding.
bird banding programmeOverall an enjoyable experience.
the most memorable point was we drank only tender coconut water most of the time instead of regular drinking water.total bird list was 108 species.
