Hello, 

Honey valley, Coorg is one of the best places for birding, herping and other nature related excursions. I have done multiple trips to this place and have documented some of the interesting species in my post. 

https://kiranvrb.blogspot.com/2020/01/a-place-called-honey-valley.html 

Hope you like it. C&C welcome. 

Thanks, 
Kiran Kashyap.

Hello,

Pulicat bird sanctuary is well known for its black lagoons that hosts various species of winged beauties. 

Check out my trip reports on Pulicat Bird Sanctuary.

https://kiranvrb.blogspot.com/2019/09/in-search-of-flamingos-i.html

https://kiranvrb.blogspot.com/2019/09/in-search-of-flamingos-ii.html

Hope you like it. 

Hello,

I have shared my birding experience of Thattekad in three parts. 

Needless to say, it is one of the best place to spot some of the rare endemic species. 

Part 1: https://kiranvrb.blogspot.com/2019/05/thattekad-bird-sanctuary-part-1.html 

Part 2: https://kiranvrb.blogspot.com/2019/05/thattekad-bird-sanctuary-part-ii.html 

Part 3: https://kiranvrb.blogspot.com/2019/06/thattekad-bird-sanctuary-part-iii.html 

Hope you find it useful. C&C appreciated. 

Thanks, 
Kiran Kashyap.

Hello,

Hornbills are very good seed dispersers. Its a sheer joy watching these big birds hogging on ficus trees. I have written a trip report based on my observation.

Here it is:

https://kiranvrb.blogspot.com/2019/05/fruit-hunters.html 

Hope you like it.

Thanks,

Kiran Kashyap.

Hello,

This is the continuation to the first part of "To the land of Hornbills". It was an amazing experience to witness some of the rare western ghats endemic species. 

https://kiranvrb.blogspot.com/2019/04/to-land-of-hornbills-ii.html

Hope you like my trip report. 

Thanks,

Kiran Kashyap

https://www.photocrowd.com/photos/green-bee-eater-2576848.33b33ca60/

Green Bee Eater

One of the magnificient and colorful creations of the Almighty.

It is indeed mesmerizing to watch and photograph them at the same time.

Hello friends,

This would be my first post in this forum. Am excited to share my trip reports with all like minded audience. Since the post do not allow me to post the photos along with the text, I have shared the link from my blog post on Great hornbills.

Hope you like it. 

https://kiranvrb.blogspot.com/2019/02/to-land-of-hornbills-i.html

Thanks,

Kiran Kashyap.

Why did the bulbul choose a tree at the entrance to our house to build a nest?  Well, here is the story.

Our garden has feral cats, shikras and tree pies visiting regularly.  Needless to say all three are predators of birds.  The bulbul perceived less threat from the occupants of the house.

I Watched the parent birds and chick through the camera sitting in my house comfortably. Visitors to our house never noticed the nest, so the chick hatched successfully and grew into a handsome bulbul.  

An organic garden which is not manicured, but left to grow naturally.  That is the secret of attracting birds and butterflies into your garden. For me the pleasure of gardening is complete when I see it come alive with bird chirpings.

Please share the video if you like it.  Please also tell  what you think about the video.  Here is the link to the video.

https://youtu.be/csI7uur4mt8

Bird Photography at Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary

If you are a Birdwatcher then you should definitely visit the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary in Thattekkad. it is a must visit place for any bird photographer. You can enjoy shooting many varieties of birds which include western ghats endemics also. Special bird varieties here include Malabar Trogon, Great-eared Nightjar, Oriental Bay Owl, Ceylon Frogmouth, Black Baza and many more. You would definitely love this place. it is good for learning bird photography also.

 If you visit Thattekad Bird Sanctuary during winter season then you can even photograph the winter migratory birds. I have been to this place many times. If you are lucky then you can even get a sighting of the rare Legge’s hawk Eagle. Nearest railway station is Alwaye and the nearest airport is Cochin International Airport. You can arrange a taxi or cab from there to reach this place.

Story:  How can a small species be defensive....here as everyone can see a bee eating bird is trapped in the web of a giant wood spider.... bee eater is a bird which feed on insects so the predator is a prey struggling for life.  Mother nature always surprises you;  it is never predictable ..!

Every day is a new lesson for every animal in the wild....and this is how they learn..never ignore common species they are the base for us to learn and understand wild nature.

Birds often feed on spiders to gain protein and use web material to line their nests. However, "birds in these situations are likely to be aware of the web and do not become entangled.   In most cases, spiders do not dine on small birds caught in their webs and may even cut the web to drop the load a web-encased bird imposes on their intricate, gossamer-threaded insect traps.

Also, a bird is normally too big a morsel for the mouth parts of a spider.

BHAUTIK R. DESAI

Naturalist at Tadoba Andheri Tiger Reserve