South India Endemics Birding Tour (15 days)

Thattekkad is a lowland forest with several types of eco-systems – riverine, grasslands, evergreen, scrub, dry deciduous, lowland forest, enabling it to be one of the best birding destinations in India. This is also home to most of the endemics of the Western Ghats. Our accommodation will be at the Hornbill Camp, located on the banks of the river Periyar.

One should sight the white bellied treepie, rufous babbler, crimson-backed sunbird, white-bellied blue flycatcher, Wayanad laughing thrush, Malabar parakeet, Malabar grey hornbill, besides owls like the mottled wood owl, oriental bay owl, oriental scopes owl, brown fish owl, oriental scopes owl and spotbellied eagle owl.

You should also be able to sight the red spurfowl, grey jungle fowl, Indian pitta, black-throated munia and the grey headed fishing eagle.

Periyar Tiger Reserve is one of the finest wildlife and birding destinations in South India. With over 320 bird species identified and a leading habitat for the Bengal tiger, this sanctuary is an ideal destination of the tour.

Periyar contains a variety of habitats from grassland and dry deciduous forest to evergreen forest and riverside scrub. As a result of its wide range of habitats Periyar boasts an impressive list of resident species including about half the peninsular endemics and near-endemics. We will spend the day searching for some very special species including the very secretive and wary wynaad laughing thrush.

Other birds to look out for include white-rumped and brown-backed needletails, oriental honey-buzzard, black eagle, the striking black baza, pompadour green and mountain imperial pigeon, the migratory chestnut-winged cuckoo, yellow-browed bulbul, gray-breasted prinia, thick-billed warbler, brown-cheeked fulvetta, and the Asian fairy bluebird among other more widespread species. We may also sight the woolly-necked stork, besra, vernal hanging parrot, jungle owlet, white-rumped spinetail, black-naped monarch and the little spiderhunter.

We will leave for Munnar via the Ghats to Khambam where we should sight the large grey babbler, common babbler, jungle bush quail and the grey fancolin. We will proceed to Bodi Ghat en-route Munnar and stop over for sighting the rare yellow throated bulbul, Indian robin, sirkeer malkoha, short-toed snake eagle, bluefaced malkoha and the black eagle. We will reach Munnar by evening.

The next day we will go birding in the sholas (high altitude montane forests) and grasslands for the Nilgiri pipit, painted bush quail, Nilgiri wood pigeon, black and orange flycatcher, Nilgiri flycatcher, white bellied shortwing, broadtailed grassbird, grasshopper warbler.

We will take the 2 hour drive across the Tamil Nadu border to the Indira Gandhi National Park - a place known for its great swathes of forests and wildlife - birds, butterflies, elephants, sloth bears, leopards, gaurs (Indian bison), dholes (wild dogs), king cobra and the lion-tailed macaques in their natural habitat - all within an area known as Top Slip. Your trackers during the safaris will be from the indigenous tribes.

We will go on birding walks as well as go on a wildlife safari through the forest trails. Target species include Malabar parakeet, Malabar grey hornbill, great Indian hornbill, Sri Lanka frogmouth, Waynad laughing thrush, Nilgiri laughing thrush and grey-breasted laughing thrush, besides Nilgiri woodpigeon, Nilgiri flycatcher, black and orange flycatcher, grey-headed bulbul, yellow-throated bulbul and the white-bellied treepie. 

We will take the long drive to reach Ooty by afternoon. Ooty - is a hill station, at about 2,200m in the Nilgiri Hills. The Cairnhill Reserved Forest, 3km from town on the Avalanche Road will be our main destination, where the endemic Nilgiri laughing thrush, white-bellied shortwing, and black-and-rufous, rusty-tailed and Nilgiri flycatchers all occur.

After a full day of birding at Ooty looking for the Nilgiri laughing thrush, we will make our way through the Sirgur Ghats to Masinagudi. Mudumalai at the foot of the of the Nilgiris hills, is one the many reserves located within the forest belt between the Western Ghats and the Nilgiri mountains. The terrain being varied with hills, valleys, ravines, watercourses and swamps, moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous forests and scrub forests is ideal birding country.

We should see Jerdon's bushlark, Sirkeer Malkoha, Indian blue robin, chestnut-bellied nuthatch, white-bellied minivet, yellow-billed babbler, white-bellied woodpecker, large cuckooshrike, banded-bay cuckoo, thick-billed warbler and painted bush quail.

We will proceed towards Mysore and visit the famous heronry on an island on the Cauvery River at the Ranganthittu Wildlife Sanctuary. A rowing boat cruise enables us to view Eurasian spoonbill, black-crowned night heron, three species of cormorant, river tern and thick knee, and many others. Marsh crocodiles will also be seen. We also visit the remote village Kokre Bellur for the nesting painted storks and spot-billed pelicans followed by birding at a nearby reservoir.

Depart for Bangalore by the afternoon and also visit the remote village Kokre Bellur for the nesting painted storks and spot-billed pelicans. By evening, drive to the airport to take the late evening flight to Kochi. On arrival to Kochi, check into the airport hotel.
 

Tour ends today in Kochi.