Coffee while birding

After the temple visit in Sirsi I was heading south to Ooty. Ooty is short for Ootacamund, or originally Udhagamandalam, if you prefer. It’s a town, a municipality and a district capital nestled high in the Nilgiri Hills which translates directly to 'The Blue Mountains'; just thinking about the place was conjuring up all sorts of exotic images in my mind. Not to mention the birds, many of which are named after the hills, like Nilgiri this and Nilgiri that. I was getting rather excited about arriving, like a little boy waiting in line for an ice cream. I had now left the green wooded hills of the Western Ghats and was ambling through more open terrain. But it would still be a week or so before I got there, and in the meanwhile the lack of forest made me wonder how easy it would be to find spots for wild camping.

Hanging out with locals after another temple visit near Sagar.

My first lifer along the new stretch of road was a small group of Cotton Pygmy Goose, a rather common species which I had missed until now. Some other interesting waterbirds included Oriental Darter, Purple Heron, Lesser Whistling Duck, Indian Cormorant, Black-headed Ibis, and another River Tern.  I was surprised how Indian Pond Herons were just about everywhere, no matter how large or small a patch of water, there was always one or two never far away. Some excellent woodland along the way presented a new species, Malabar Woodshrike, and I am sure there were more potential lifers lurking there. There were often times when I was wedged between making daily progress or taking a little time off for birding; unfortunately I opted for the former more often than I would have preferred...

Great woodland beside the road, just spent too little time birding here.

A Malabar Woodshrike, showing the white stripe below the eye.

The Spotted Dove, a very common species found just about everywhere.

I was invited a couple times for lunch and also to join some college students for cold drinks (the very delicious badam milk), so there were quite a few opportunities for interacting with friendly locals. The top three questions I was asked while in India where as follows, and pretty much in this order too: 1) Which country?, 2) What is your name?, 3) Are you married? My answer to the latter would faultlessly bring about an expression of complete astonishment. They would normally ask the question twice to be absolutely sure they had heard correctly.

The college students who bought me one cold drink after another.

Where there's water there's an Indian Pond Heron.

I took on a small mountain pass, gradually rising about the drier plains and into the moist forest and shade coffee plantations around the village of Santaveri. I left behind Yellow-billed Babbler and Rufous-tailed Lark in the plains as I ascended. An Indian Eagle Owl beside the road was a nice surprise before welcoming the cooler environs around Santavari. The general birdlife also changed rapidly, with Indian Yellow Tit, Rufous Treepie, Ashy Drongo, and Crested Serpent Eagle being spotted along the way. I discovered a delightful coffee stall while taking the roller coaster ride through the plantations, and enjoyed a couple of cups while watching the last hours of daylight pass. Another one of those magical moments, when one is in that space where one experiences complete gratitude and inner stillness. 

Lads on their bikes in Santaveri. They were keen to follow me out of town.

Woodland with shade coffee near Santaveri.

A male Indian Blackbird, another common species in wooded areas. 

The coffee stall, the perfect spot to stop for a breather; wish there were more!

The splendid Indian Yellow Tit.

Santaveri had been like a mini-Ooty in a way, but I only found this out later. Not so much from a birding point of view, but rather in terms of the general topography. I had enjoyed the day ‘higher up’ before dropping down to the plains towards Chikmagalur and Hassan. I welcomed the fresh coconuts and egg puffs that awaited me. White-naped Woodpecker, Brown Shrike, Indian Grey Hornbill and the fairly diminutive Tawny-bellied Babbler also awaited me. The latter were in a group, typical of babblers, but I was surprised at how small they were compared to normal babblers. Yet they retained a similar giss and behaviour as their larger cousins. I also spotted a bushlark species perched on a roadside wire, but without some additional reference point, I was not likely to identify it with any certainty – not the first species to have alluded me thus far, so there was no stress! After negotiating some rather long stretches of pot-holed roads south of Hassan, and failing to find a camp spot, I rolled into Kushalnagar after sunset. I ended up staying two nights at the ‘Iceberg’ Hotel; who cares what the placed is called as long as the rooms are clean!   

Fresh coconut, oh, so delicious!

Camping in a teak woodland.

After indulging in some modest luxury in Kushalnagar I made for Nagarhole National Park. The habitat changed once again to coffee plantations interspersed with teak and bamboo woodlands. Malabar and Plum-headed Parakeets were about, as well as Purple-rumped Sunbird, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, White-cheeked Barbet, and leafbirds. I was having a challenge identifying some of the smaller species without their calls. Relying on a process of elimination I was pretty sure that I was seeing Greenish Warbler and Blyth’s Reed Warbler most of the time. Aerial birds included Barn Swallow, Alpine Swift, Little Swift and Wire-tailed Swallow. Two vulture species circled above, one of which was certainly a Red-headed Vulture thanks to the relatively close views. The other remained rather high but could only have been a White-rumped Vulture judging by the characteristic all-while underwing coverts and darker flight feathers. The Indian population of this vulture species experienced a catastrophic collapse of more than 99%(!) during the 1990s due to unintentional poisoning by diclofenac, a veterinary anti-inflammatory drug used on cattle. Vultures that fed on livestock treated with diclofenac, even just traces of it, suffered from kidney failure and faced a certain death. While all efforts have been made to take the responsible drugs off the markets, one can only hope that this species, once described as possibly the most abundant large bird of prey in the world, will return to the skies in good numbers. 

Woodland with bamboo; spent far too little time here.

A Red-whiskered Bulbul, a common species throughout.

My visit to Nagarhole National park did not materialise so there is nothing to write about it (relief, it makes this blog post shorter). The road that traverses the park is closed to two-wheelers as it is a tiger reserve, and sprints between cyclists and tigers are not encouraged! So I took a detour to get back on track, and it really did feel like a detour! My map was missing some roads while the distances seemed longer than they should have been, so it felt like I was going nowhere slowly. The signs for ‘The Coffee Camp’ lured me down a track through, you might have guessed, coffee plantations. Though they were closed to visitors due to intensive plantation maintenance, I was invited to pitch my hammock for the night (thank you very much, I won’t decline the offer!). After some morning birding I was on the road again, and in retrospect, I should have tried a little harder for Forest Wagtail among the coffee plants – that was probably my last opportunity to see the species.    

      

I was not stopped from going through here on my bike.

The Coffee Camp, surrounded by coffee plantations.

A Jungle Striped Squirrel living in a shade coffee plantation.

I don't think this slogan on the windscreen had anything to do with birding.

The coffee gave way to another sort of beverage-making crop. Tea plantations as far as the eye can see were stretched out between me and the Nilgiri Hills that rose from the surrounding countryside. The tea slopes provided some great downhill cycling terrain, which made progress all the more pleasant and effortless. One final delight came in the form of a dumpster beside the road. I could not believe what I saw, and had to back up to make sure of its identity. During the past few weeks I had had a better chance at seeing a unicorn in the forests than finding a bin, let alone a dumpster. It turns out I had crossed into another state, one where bins were clearly more common than elsewhere. Now I could finally dispose of my assorted collection of empty water bottles as I headed for Gudalur, the north-western gateway to the Nilgiri Hills.

Tea in perfect rows.

Slopes with tea and the Nilgiri Hills rising in the distant background.

Down the Western Ghats

From Mumbai I took the road down the west coast of southern India, through a range of hills and mountains known as the Western Ghats. I was heading for the State of Goa, a popular tourist region some 500 km to the south of Mumbai. While staying at the hostel in Mumbai, practically everyone I met there had either just arrived from Goa or where on their way there. So I just had to see for myself what this place was about!

On the way south after leaving Mumbai.

Occasionally locals would be very keen for a chat.

Like in South Africa, traffic is left-sided in India so for the first time I was not cycling on the right side - it felt both strange and normal at the same time! Despite the intensity of the traffic in India, it felt surprisingly safe. Almost every vehicle coming up from behind would horn before passing, so there were few heart-stopping surprises. 

The birds rolled in by the dozen, and I fairly quickly ticked off the most common roadside species, such as Coppersmith Barbet, Jungle Myna, Red-Whiskered Bulbul, and Streak-throated Swallow around bridges over rivers. I was lucky to spot a Red-naped Ibis by chance during a random stop beside the road. Other typical road side species that where no longer new to me included White-throated Kingfisher, Purple Sunbird, Red-vented Bulbul, Indian Roller, Indian Pond Heron, Cattle Egret, and Indian Jungle Crow. 

Water Buffalo trotting down the road.

A Jungle Myna, the most common myna in the Western Ghats, India.

I could not resist taking this picture.

A truck getting a wash down in a river.

There was no shortage of new species, and I was seeing anything between five to ten new species a day. I would start each morning with some birding for a couple hours around my camp site, before tackling the day’s cycle. I must admit it was a little over-whelming the first few days, with so many new species appearing around every bush and tree. And I was still just seeing the typical species of the Indian countryside! Wooded areas held White-bellied Drongo, Common Iora, Small Minivet, Black-hooded Oriole, Indian Blackbird, Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrike, Common Woodshrike, White-cheeked Barbet, Brown-headed Barbet, Thick-billed Flowerpecker, Grey-breasted Prinia, and Yellow-crowned Woodpecker. Birds that also occupied disturbed habitats and clearings included Spotted Dove, Southern Coucal, Indian Robin, and White-browed Wagtail.  My first Brahminy Kite caused a lot of excitement, and while they were a common sight thereafter, they were always great to see. I was also hugely surprised to see a pair of Malabar Pied Hornbills, a species with a limited distribution in south western India. 

White-bellied Drongo, a fairly common woodland species.

A White-spotted Fantail.

A splendid Brahminy Kite, with bright rufous tail and wings.

Closer to Goa more lifers awaited in the form of Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Jungle Babbler, Nilgiri Flowerpecker, Pied Bushchat, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Purple-rumped Sunbird, White-spotted Fantail, Golden-fronted and Gerdon's Leafbirds, and the very elegant River Tern. I reached Goa's border on the seventh day; it was all a bit rushed so I potentially missed out on some really good birding along the way. I headed for the city of Mapusa and then on to Calangute Beach, which I discovered was packed with foreigners. The last time I had seen so many foreigners in one location was at Dalyan in south western Turkey. To escape the crowds I headed a little north to Chapora where I camped for two nights in the forest away from tourist hot spots. It was here that I saw my first Orange-headed Thrush, Brown-cheeked Fulvetta, and Crimson-backed Sunbird. A nearby marshland produced more lifers, including Asian Openbill, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Bronze-winged Jacana and the spectacular White-bellied Sea-eagle. The latter is a particularly impressive bird and perhaps one of the most attractive of the sea-eagles. Other species enjoying the marsh included Red-wattled Lapwing, Glossy Ibis, Yellow Wagtail, and Intermediate (Yellow-billed) Egret, among others.

A Chestnut-headed Bee-eater.

A male Golden-fronted Leafbird.

An appropriate sign beside the road; there were many with similar messages.

Boats near the beach at Calangute, Goa.

Ah, the beach life; dogs are pretty laid back in India.

Marshland near Chapora Beach, Goa, India.

The Little Cormorant, with diagnostic white throat, is a common waterbird in India.

A Rosy Staring feasting on nectar.

The first birding location I planned on visiting was Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, a little inland from the coast. On the way there via Panjim and Ponda I picked up more lifers including Indian Golden Oriole, Bronzed Drongo, Long-tailed Shrike, Black-headed Ibis and two Lesser Adjutants, a species with a very restricted range in southern India. Arriving at Bondla in the late afternoon, I learnt that the sanctuary would be closed the following day. Not a problem as there was extensive pristine-looking woodland all about, so I figured the birding would be good anywhere. I had already seen Greater Racket-tailed Drongo and Flame-throated Bulbul minutes before arriving at the gate, so was confident that the birding would be good in the morning. I pitched my hammock in the vicinity and went to bed with a group of monkeys settling in for the night in the trees above me. 

Fresh coconut, marvelous stuff. Drink the water, then eat the soft flesh.

Some woodland near the entrance to Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, India.

The next morning at Bondla was phenomenal despite a slow start. The number of species showing themselves picked up eventually, and I had good views of Malabar Grey hornbill, Greater Goldenback, Dark-fronted Babbler, Little Spiderhunter, Orange Minivet, Yellow-browed Bulbul, Plum-headed Parakeet and Vernal hanging Parakeet. Two awesome species which had me mesmerised were the White-rumped Shama, a robin-like species sporting a long tail, and Malabar Whistling Thrush with its iridescent blue forehead and shoulders – they are just something else! 

The exquisite Malabar Whistling Thrush; worth seeing every time!

A Little Spiderhunder at Bondla.

An Asian Paradise-flycatcher with prey.

Having heard about a quiet beach in southern Goa, I was keen to experience some beach bliss, something I have never made the time for. So I headed south to a tranquil beach known as Agonda, reputed to be one of India’s best. During the two-day trek I slept under a cashew nut tree for one night and also took on the steepest and most exhausting midday climb I ever encountered in India, between Betul and Agonda. I also passed the floodplains of the Zuari River, which was teeming with hundreds of Lesser Whistling-ducks but only handfuls of Indian and Little Cormorants. The drier parts of the floodplain held scores of Purple Swamphens; I counted about 50 in a relatively small area.

Purple Swamphens almost everywhere, together with Red-wattled Lapwings.

Cashew nuts being harvested from the tree I slept under.

Fishing boats on a river near Agonda.

Upon arriving in Agonda I took the first room that was available, on the second floor of a house owned by a local fisherman and his family. I shared the floor with Willem from the Netherlands, a talented solo musician and veteran visitor to Agonda. After my first late afternoon walk along the entire stretch of beach, I felt that I might just succumb to the beach life! I ended up staying four nights, and the only birding I did was along the beach; Kentish Plover and Lesser Sand Plover foraged along the shore while the occasional Brahminy Kite and White-bellied Sea-eagle flew overhead. 

While having breakfast at one of the beach restaurants, something rather remarkable happened. I was staring out at the ocean watching the small fishing boats rise and fall with each passing wave, when I experienced something that could only have been a genuine ‘living in the moment’ moment. There were no distracting thoughts, yet I was filled with a deep sense of gratitude. It was an incredible feeling, yet hard to describe. Living in the moment is a habit that can be cultivated, so guess what I am working on now... 

A boat on the beach at Agonda, and a typical beach restaurant.

A fisherman servicing a net.

Sunset over Agonda beach. That's about as crowded as it gets.

Who says a cow can't enjoy a stroll on the beach.

Indian Flying Foxes at Agonda; the restaurant below the tree is named after them.

An Indian Flying Fox in flight.

A White-browed Wagtail with an old coconut at Agonda.

After dragging myself away from Agonda I was back on the road again. Not far from the next city, Karvar, I met Saiprakash while taking a second look at a White-throated Kingfisher beside the road. Sai was keen to host me for the night, and this being my first invite in India, I was happy to follow him home. I was warmly welcomed by his family during a brief stop-over at his sister’s home; simply wonderful folk. It was also here that I was introduced to the egg puff, a pastry containing half a boiled egg in a mild curry and onion relish. I subsequently had these very regularly during the remainder of my time in the country. Sai was a great host, and back at his home his mother prepared fried fish and rice with a delicious curry while Sai poured the whiskeys! For breakfast water dosa and coconut chutney was on the menu, and tasted truly marvelous. 

Saiprakash in front of his home near Karwar.

After leaving Sai’s place I was headed for Sirsi, where Sai had organised that his nephew Sindhoor show me the famous Marikamba Temple. I figured this would be a great opportunity to experience some more Indian culture, as my arrival coincided with the biennial Sirsi Marikamba Jatra, one of the biggest temple fairs in the Karnataka state. During the fair the wooden statue of the Goddess Shri Marikamba is temporarily kept in the city centre where devotees can pray and offer their vows and gifts. The streets were crowded and hundreds of people were queuing up to go before the deity and present their gifts. Sindhoor and I joined the queue, before heading back to the temple to take a look inside and marvel at the artwork.   

Laundry day.

Outside the Marikamba Temple in Sirsi.

Relaxing inside the Marikamba Temple.

Devotees before the Goddess Shri Marikamba in Sirsi.

Merchandise for sale everywhere.

Powders sold for ceremonial purposes.

It was the perfect way to spend the afternoon, leaving enough time for me to make some progress on the road before sunset. I found a Eucalyptus plantation in which to camp for the night; and I was again surprised at how relatively easy it was to wild camp in India, or at least along the stretch that I had cycled from Mumbai. I had now reached the eastern limit of the Western Ghats, and was about to embark on a new stretch of road towards the highlands of the Nilgiri Hills, a hotspot for endemic bird species.  

A small temple beside the road, a common sight in India.