travelogue-ketki: April 2017

Friday, April 07, 2017

COLOURS OF HOLI -GANESHGUDI

MARCH -10,11,12,13,

HOLI WITH THE BIRDS

There was a long Holi weekend coming up and I had missed out good birding season in Mumbai due some family matters etc..when I met Parvesh sir, and he offered to take me to Ganeshgudi.
Very kind Vikas Mahajan accepted to drive to Belgaum via Bhimgad to Ganeshgudi.
We all fiinished our routine on 10th of March and piled into the Innova for the long drive to Belgaum

team :Mr Vikas Mahajan -owner of the car-Innova AC
Mr Parvesh Pandya -navigator with lots of influence with all forest officers
Ms Shaila Shenoy- landscape photographer
Mr Kiran Marthak - takes all my bird pictures
Me -Ketki -Mad birder with my only jewelry - Binoculars.
Carried Lunch which was in the car -THEPLA AND KARELA AND GRAPES (courtesy -Pandya Sir.)
with stops for Chai we reached Nipani -at about 9.30 pm.for Dinner

Our night halt of 5 hours at Surya yatri niwas-reached Belgaum at around 11.45 p.m and after a quick morning shower left for Bhimgad .The forest officer was very kind to allow us entry into park at 6.00 a.m Gave us a VIP TREAT with jeep safari and officers at our beck and call .We were offered breakfast of Idlis and Wadas with the chief forest officer who explained all further plans for Bhimgad . It is extremely important site for WROUGHTON'S FREE TAILED BATS -ONLY 250 remaining in the wild and only found here and in Cambodia.

our team near the cave.

Malabar lark in the fields

Left for Ganeshgudi at 9.30a.m.

At Ganeshgudi there were already lots of photographers, already trying and competing to get the best picture and the birds ever obliging with their fashion show at the water tables.

The birds:
1-white bellied blue flycatcher(male)
2-tickell's blue flycatcher
3-indian yellow tit
4-white bellied blue flycatcher -female

(birds from top left,right,lower left and then right.)

1-lesser hill Myna -gracula (religiosa) indica
2-flame throated bulbul
pycnonotus(melanicterus)gularis
3-malabar trogan -male
4-malabar trogan -female
(harpactes fasciatus)

1-brown cheeked Fulvetta,2-white rumped Shama;3-puff throated babbler;4-dark fronted babbler

5-crimson backed Sunbird,6-Blyth's Starling;7-Emerald dove;8-orange headed ground thrush

9- malabar barbet

10-chestnut headed bee eater

11- lesser yellow naped woodpecker

12-black naped blue monach

11th : evening visited the bridge of Kali river where we saw the sunset and malabar pied hornbills coming in pairs to roost in near by trees

12th Morning :

Crested goshawk woke every one up by hunting in the morning .It successfully caught a mouse.

There was less activity near the bird bath since the photographers had doubled and had become too noisy .

Evening we decided to go to Bison river resort.

It is a place where the water adventure sports are very popular among the teenagers. We sat near the river bank and saw 57 + Malabar pied hornbills come in to feast on fruiting trees in the campus and to roost . One side the full moon was rising and the other side more and more Hornbills coming close to us to roost .This was so fascinating that I just cannot stopping dreaming of it.

13 morning : I felt I cannot leave Ganeshgudi without spotting one Malabar Trogan. So I went on nature trail with one local guide Mr Jumma (sharing his contact number: 9481686325). He knew the exact spot where the Trogans come for an early bath. He took us there and bingo Male was merrily calling his mate who was opposite the roadside. That was going on till 5 minutes till some local had come down for his morning rituals .Walking back towards the camp, near the garbage dump I saw a pair of grey jungle fowls and 20 odd wild boars but a little distant away from this was one pretty bird turning the leaf litter -YES THE INDIAN PITTA .

To my surprise ,we all spotted nearly 3 malabar trogans. So I will call it a Trogan Day.

Packing our bags and we were about to leave to drive back home, when Mr Mohan babu just did not allow us to leave due to HOLI celebration. Evening spent talking about Mohanbabu 's experiences and history of GANESHGUDI, watching the few birds coming in at bath pots.

14 morning: A surprise bird came in front of the camp and we all rushed out of our bunks torch in hand, we all saw this lovely guest hunt a snake -SPOT BELLIED EAGLE OWL.

in this dark only a fuzzy record shot was what we got.

A few common bird photos :