Voyage 361

Birding at Bhairasagara lake: Indian Roller or Indian Blue Jay in flight Last weekend of February and the end of the winter, headed north to Bhairasagara lake in Chikkaballapura dist. This is another less explored destination for birding. Apart from birding the lake is a wonderful tourist destination for a long drive from Bengaluru. By the time I reached the place it was past 11 am and the sun was too harsh for bird watching. Although was not able to spot any waders and waterfowls, but was able to spot some new species of birds including the state bird of Karnataka, the Indian Roller (ನೀಲಕಂಠ). My long awaited bird to be captured with my camera was finally accomplished. Indian Roller - the state bird of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Odisha A short walk around the lake, I was able to spot a group of Wire-tailed Swallow's, a pair of Indian Robin and a pair of White-browed Wagtail from a near distance. Along with the Wire-tailed Swallow and a large group of Pip

Valley School bird watching: Verditer flycatcher After a long wait, I got to visit the most acclaimed bird watching spot in Bengaluru, the Valley school. It was a long drive for me about 40 km and reached the security gates by 6.45 am. I was greeted by the Greater coucal at the parking area. There were over hundred visitors who had come for bird watching with their binoculars and camera's, proving it to be one of the most popular hotspot for bird photography in Bengaluru. Little information about the Valley school bird watching trek: The Valley school is around 140 acres partially shared by the Forest lands. The school campus is fenced and visitors are not allowed inside, having said this one would be wondering where we go for birding. After entering the visitor details in the security entrance gates, one can walk around the walking track along the campus fencing. The pathway goes deep inside the forest after crossing the abandoned guest house. The thick canopies can make

Birding in Davanagere - Part II: The colorful Blue-tailed bee-eater Continued...from...Birding in Davanagere - Part I Water Birds Apart from the water birds and waders I spotted many species of birds, the highlight of the show was the Hoopoe, and a surprise sighting of the Barn Owl, with these two, my long awaited first sighting of these species we're accomplished. Another spectacular sightings were the colorful bee-eaters and Common Iora, along with the Wool neck Stork, which were also my first sightings. ‎Hoopoe, found patrolling the grounds Barn Owl Blue-tailed bee-eater with its favorite food damselfly/dragonfly Green bee-eater Common Iora Woolly-necked stork, categorized as vulnerable species under IUCN Red List  It was interesting to see a pair of bold large grey babblers trying to flip the mud layer on the trees in search of prey. Large grey babblers seen flipping the muddy layer on the tree in-search of insects Apart from these spo

Birding in Davanagere - Part I Water Birds: With not much expectations headed for bird watching in Davangere, but what turned out later was an extravaganza of our beloved winged friends. A colony of Black-winged Stilt There is a reason why I had less expectations, we usually hear from bird watchers in and around Bengaluru and have rarely heard of a city such as Davanagere for bird spotting. Winter is the best time for bird watching in Davanagere as the winged guests from far across the Himalayas visit here in search of food and tropical climate. Was expecting to spot the migratory bar headed goose and waders along with the resident Kingfishers, Munias, Weaver bird, and Coucal. Though couldn't witness some of them but ended up spotting over 50 species of birds. A little knowledge about these birds and a lots of patience can help spot many of these with a binocular or a camera with 250 mm lens. Compared to birds in Bengaluru, here the birds were very shy and not used to