Wayanad: A Birder's Delight

First thing first, wishing all of you a very Happy & Prosperous New Year 2017. The start of every year takes you a step closer towards attaining your dreams. Hope this year is THE year for you and may your dreams finally turns into reality.

I will remember 2016 as the year when I decided to take Bird Photography seriously. This is one the decisions which I am very proud of, the decision that changed the way I look into things now, in a small way.

On a lighter note, my hands-eye co-ordination became better, probably better than Sehwag during his peak. The equipment itself weigh close to 2.7 KG (telephoto lens + camera body) while Sehwag's bat weight somewhere between 1.5 KG to 1.6 KG. Pun intended !!

I started last year with a trip to Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Karnataka & ended with Wayanad, Kerala; the last trip of 2016.

So lets get started for Wayanad, shall we??

Wayanad district is in the southern tip of the Deccan Plateau & part of Western Ghats.

Western Ghats.... read about it a lot during school days but experiencing it is altogether a different experience. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the eight "hottest hot-spots" of biological diversity in the world.

Coming back to my short trip to Wayanad, I was accompanied by my wife, sister-in-laws & bother-in-law. It was a outing for 2D/1N & with lot of hotspots to cover, the schedule was jam packed. We reached our resort (Sunbird Garden Resort, Kolagappara, Wayanad) on the early hours of 29th Dec & straightaway I went out for birding.

The resort was surrounded with big tall trees & hearing the chirping of birds was inevitable. The morning mist just added the magic to this serene view.

Within couple of minutes I had my first sighting, it was that of a Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia) which are found in abundance across the tropical Indian subcontinent. It's very hard to get a glimpse of these birds as they are quite swift, let alone clicking them.

While on the lookout for birds, the view of sun rays piercing through the leaves was mesmerizing. The body was obviously tired after the journey but when it comes to birding, everything else becomes secondary, yes almost !!

My second sighting was yet another yellow bird but before I can identify, it flew away. I waited on the same spot for couple of minutes expecting it to come back. It did came back, an Orange Minivet (Female) it was, a lifer for me. I spent around 1-2 minutes with that bird before it went off.

Now you must be wondering (not birders) what the heck is "lifer". So a "lifer" or "life bird" is a species that a birder has seen and identified in the wild for the very first time in their life. By the way have you seen the movie "The Big Year" ? I guess not!!

I was sure the male will be somewhere near & so was keeping a close eye. While waiting for the Orange Minivet Male, I saw many commoners like Bulbuls, Barbets, Drongo, Prinias around me chirping loudly & hopping from one tree to another. I can just watch them for hours, such a delight.

Though the male remained elusive, I saw the beautiful Grey bellied cuckoo (Cacomantis passerinus) sitting on a tree preening itself. It gave me ample time to click but was not able to make any eye contact. After minutes of standing there, it turned back for a couple of seconds which gave me the shot I wanted.

That concludes my birding for Day 1 as I went back to my resort, to get ready for local sightseeing. Not a bad start, spotting a lifer was easily the highlight of the day. Was I tired ? nah!!

I started Day 2 early as it was my last day & so wanted to give myself as much time as possible to get a glimpse of Orange Minivet (Male).

I went to the same spot where I sighted the female but couldn't saw either of them.

In the mean time, I could see two green birds sitting on a tree from a distance. I zoomed through my lens, looked like a pair of parrot, which parrot not sure yet. I went towards the tree slowly & steadily making sure I do not scare them off. I managed to reach a point from where I can click them, I pointed my camera towards them & CLICK.

Voila, it was a pair of Vernal hanging parrot (Loriculus vernalis), another lifer for me. But before I can take anymore, they just vanished in the jungle. Though not the best of the images, but I was happy at least to get a shot. Vernal hanging parrot is a small parrot which is a resident breeder in the Indian subcontinent & has a red rump and bill, and blue throat patch.

A Spotted Dove just flew out of no where & sat on a tree which was quite close to me. The dove stayed there for a minute before it took off.

My eyes were still searching for the Orange Minivet Male but no luck as yet. I changed my spot & planned to go a bit deeper into the woods. I found a lot of betel nut trees on the way & small birds like Prinias & Tailor Birds were feeding on the seeds. I got couple of shots & proceeded further

I was fortunate to see a Black-headed Cuckoo Shrike (Coracina melanoptera) sitting on a tree full of pink flowers. I must say the flowers were complementing the bird beautifully.

The clock was ticking away & was reaching a point where I have to go back to my resort. I again saw a Orange Minivet female flying across me but no trace of the male. I went further crossing a small stream of water & BOOM, there is the guy, sitting on a banyan tree turning its head towards me & as if saying "Are you looking for me dude ? "

I was screaming with joy from inside but I have a task in hand, task to capture this beautiful life in my camera. Though it hopped from one tree to another, I was able to get some good shots.

I was more than satisfied as I started to move back to my resort with lot of sightings & lifers. Speaking of luck, I was blessed with the sight of tiny Blyth's Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum) near to my resort's garden. As per sources, it is a migratory bird, wintering in India and Sri Lanka. Like most warblers, Blyth's reed warbler is insectivorous, but will take other small food items, including berries.

With that I signed off for the day as far as birding is concerned with lot of sightings & a sense of accomplishment. It's the best way to end 2016 & welcome 2017. Time to unearth some other jewels of Wayanad.

Till next time, Adios !!