OVERVIEW
This report gives the latest details of the birding sites and where to find the endemics, how to get there, some choices of where to stay, plus details and contact information of the guides available. It also touches on how to find your way around Kerala in a most effective and relatively inexpensive way. The state of Kerala has a communist government and a 98% literacy rate so it is a pretty civilised part of India. It reflects the quieter, gentler side of the Indian personality and for that reason is an easier area of India to travel in.
The main aim of our three week trip to Kerala and the Western Ghats was double edged. The birder in the relationship wanted to see as many of the 21 endemics as she could. The non-birder wanted to go trekking, travel on a rice barge in the backwaters, visit a famous temple, ride the Nilgiri Hill Railway, stay in a Maharajah’s palace and generally enjoy the countryside and the people without having to stand in the forest EVERY day waiting for an LBJ to emerge. Compromise was the answer, but in the event it was not too difficult because we were determined to make it work. We are both intrepid and interested in India itself and happily the birder was able to control her vaguely obsessive behaviour in view of the fact that there were only about 20 species on the Kerala list that she had not seen before. We also agreed on ONE RULE, and this was very important: we would only go back twice for a target and if the bird was not seen on the second attempt, we would GIVE UP. Serious birders will understand how difficult this is, but it is a price that one has to pay for a successful combination holiday.
By the end of the trip, not only were we still on speaking terms, but we both agreed that combining birding and adventure was possible for us as a couple. In the event I had ticked off 18 of the 21 Southern Indian Endemics and managed to see 15 new species for my life list. The trip total was a respectable 176 species.
LOGISTICS
Weather, costs, references and acknowledgements are given at the end of the report.
The rate of exchange at the time of travelling was:
72 rupees = £1 720 rupees = £10 7200 rupees = £100)
ITINERARY
18th & 19th Jan – COCHIN (KOCHI) – Port of Arrival – Two nights staying at the Kapithan Inn, a five minute walk from the centre of the town and the harbour - (Rps 800 per night for a basic but lovely clean room with ensuite facilities, hot water and a fan. Run by Pushpa, a helpful and friendly Indian woman). www.kapithaninn.com
Cochin is an excellent starting point and Emirates fly there from Heathrow and Gatwick daily via Dubai. It’s a charming 400 year old ex- Portuguese colony with beautiful restored buildings, pleasant restaurants, trendy tourist cafes, ayurvedic salons and facilities for organising tours all over Kerala. Ancient Chinese fishing nets dangle hopefully over the harbour where Indian River Dolphins surface playfully. Gulls, terns and Brahminy Kites pass by overhead. We visited two old churches (Vasco de Gama was once buried in the St. Francis church), the old Cochin Colonial Club www.cochinclub.in , the Jewish quarter a few kilometres away and also the Mattancherry/Dutch Palace now a museum nearby there. We also experienced an ayurvedic massage, well worth the Rps1000. White-cheeked Barbet, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Loten’s Sunbird. On the morning of departure we had Pushpa organise a private taxi & driver (Rps895.00) to take us south.
20th 21st & 22nd Jan - ALLEPPEY (ALLAPPUZHA) – about 70Kms south of Cochin and one of the gateways to the backwaters – two nights staying at Keralite Homestay, (Rps800 per night) and one night on a Rice Barge - Alice Thomas and her husband, a charming Indian couple couldn’t have been more helpful and friendly. Their grand nephew jointly owns several rice barges and we used him to organise our rice barge tour. www.keralite_alleppey.com
Within hours of arriving, we had sorted out our all inclusive rice barge trip - Rps5500 - for a lovely barge with one comfortable sleeping cabin (fan only) and a viewing platform on the top deck. Day trips joining other tourists can also be organised for about Rps1100 if that is your choice. The rice barge trip was a bit touristy for us but it was worth doing nevertheless. The day after the rice barge trip we found our way across an ancient pedestrian bridge (from the east end of the north canal) near quite a nice home-stay called Cherukara Nest (Rps750 per night) www.cherukaranest.com and walked along the backwater canals for several hours, something not many tourists do, going by the reactions of the locals living along them. We found several areas of wet paddy-field once we were further away from the town. Lesser Whistling Duck, Black-rumped Flameback, Great Snipe, Black Eagle, Asian Openbill, Black-hooded & Black-naped Oriole, Purple-rumped Sunbird. On the third morning we had Alice organise a taxi and driver (Rps2000) to take us north via Ernakulum to Thattekad, about 150Kms away and about a three and a half hours drive.
23rd & 24th Jan – HORNBILL CAMP, THATTEKAD - Altitude 23M – (Thattekad is only about 70Kms from the international airport near Cochin so it can be accessed directly rather than detouring either to Cochin or to Alleppey if that is your choice). Hornbill Camp is an excellent but expensive resort with an all inclusive price of Rps4500 a night pp. www.thehornbillcamp.com. The spacious tents each connect to your own personal permanent en suite bathroom with hot water. Food is served buffet style in an open-sided building. The camp itself is on the opposite side of the Periyar River to the Salim Ali Sanctuary and it is therefore a 15 minute rickshaw ride to the entrance (Rps50). There is also perfectly adequate but cheaper accommodation adjacent to the entrance to the sanctuary (Rps800 for a basic room) and also food (ask a sanctuary guide). Canoes and bicycles are also included in the price at Hornbill and cycling along the local paths & tracks is an excellent way of accessing various ponds and interesting scrubby habitat in the area. A guided tour of the local Spice Garden is also included in the price. Jerdon’s Nightjar and Spotted Owlet were heard calling at night from the camp.
Unfortunately the bird guides I had emailed in advance were already employed (Eldhose www.eldhose.kv@gmail.com , Sathyan Meppayur – www.satyanmpr@gmail.com). I spoke to the manager of the camp who told us that yes, they were now almost permanently engaged to work for Kalypso Adventures and were definitely unavailable. However he phoned Rajiv, a local guide from the Sanctuary who met us at the entrance the following morning (Rps1000 for three hours). He wasn’t brilliant but he knew the endemics and where to find them and we had an excellent morning seeing everything apart from Malabar Pied Hornbill and Malabar Trogon (heard only). Streak-throated Woodpecker, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Vernal Hanging Parrot, a staked out Brown Hawk Owl and three Sri Lanka Frogmouth at close range, Indian Pitta, Rufous and White-bellied Treepie, Malabar Whistling Thrush, Orange-headed Ground Thrush, the local sub-species of Eurasian Blackbird, White-bellied Blue and Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Grey-headed, Ruby-throated and Yellow-browed Bulbuls, Dark-fronted Babbler and Purple Sunbird.
We had been told that the site for Wynaad Laughing Thrush at the end of the reserve was temporarily out of bounds due to elephants, so instead we engaged Rajiv again the following morning and this time he took us to several tracks, one along the edge of a reservoir fairly close to the entrance to the reserve and another which lead to a lake. Here we spent the morning looking for Red Spurfowl, getting several quick glimpses and finally one dashing across the track. Red Spurfowl, Grey Junglefowl, Jungle Owlet, Emerald Dove, Bronze-winged Jacana, Shikra, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Thick-billed Flowerpecker. At about 1pm at our request the manager organised a taxi with driver (Rps1400) to take us to Munnar.
25th & 26th Jan – MUNNAR - 1524M. It is 80Kms and a two hour drive from Thattekad to Munnar along a busy, fairly narrow road which gradually rises up through the mountains to the hill station of Munnar. We stayed at the Royal Retreat Hotel (Rps2000 per night) which is easy to find as it is conveniently situated on RHS of the road about a kilometre before the centre of town. www.royalretreathotel.co.in
Once there, we contacted Senthil Kumar (senthilmunnar@hotmail.com) who works for Kestrel Adventures (www.kestreladventures.com) and whom I had been emailing from the UK. He arrived soon after and we were able to arrange several days birding (Rps1300 a day) and also a three day trek into the mountains to climb the highest peak in Kerala (to search for Painted Bush Quail in amongst the tea bushes of the high tea plantations and Broad-tailed Grassbird in the upland grasslands). Senthil comes highly recommended, he was a charming man, a good birder and we really enjoyed the four days spent with him and his team.
The next morning we set off early with Senthil, towards the town, turning left just after the sports stadium on the road heading towards Manganang. We stopped after about three kilometres at a small area of shola (remnant forest) amongst a tea plantation. We headed up along a track in the early morning mist and almost immediately saw our first target species Grey-breasted Laughing Thrush. We also heard Nilgiri Blue Flycatcher and Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, no sign of Painted Bush Quail but the mist was thick until about 11am & everything was quiet.
In the afternoon, leaving the non-birder to visit Top Station, Senthil and I drove towards the Erivakulam NP stopping en route at the UP Government School where there was a small copse of shola. Here we had a good hours birding. Nilgiri Flycatcher & Nilgiri Wood Pigeon & the local sub-species of Eurasian Blackbird. We then headed up to the Erivakulam NP and although it was a busy public holiday we squeezed ourselves onto the tourist bus which drove us to the top. Almost immediately we saw our two target species plus excellent views of the critically endangered endemic antelope, the Nilgiri Tahr. Nilgiri Blue Robin (name changed from White-bellied Shortwing) and Nilgiri Pipit. Also Alpine Swift, Black Eagle and Pallid Harrier.
27th & 28th Jan – TREKKING UP TO MEESHA PILI MALAI - at 2,745M the tallest mountain in Kerala and camping out in tents – cost approx. Rps9000 for two nights and three days, inclusive of food, transport and guiding.
The next morning we drove back towards Thattekad for a half a kilometre and then turned left over the orange painted KSEB Bridge and headed up on the road leading to the Devashan Resort stopping at a swiftlet cave after about a half a kilometre. Our target bird was the shy Black & Orange Flycatcher which favours low growing scrubby forest with stands of bamboo, however there was no sign. We walked on and along the road to an area of mature trees on the RHS, allegedly good for Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Nilgiri Flycatcher and Nilgiri Blue Robin but were unsuccessful on all counts, a very frustrating morning. Senthil had told us that the grass had all been burnt above the Devashan Resort so we did not try for Broad-tailed Grassbird, but we learnt later that in fact the species was indeed seen there a few days later.
After checking out of the hotel, we set off in the jeep for the starting point of our three day, two night trek. We drove out on the road towards Mettapetty and on to a valley that Senthil called ‘Silent Valley’ via a tea plantation. Here after a quick snack in the local shop and leaving Senthil with the jeep, we headed up the mountain led by Senthil’s able assistant plus an obligatory Forest Ranger. It took us an hour and a half to reach the camping area which overlooked the entire valley and was a truly stunning viewpoint. There was also an outbuilding housing two toilets, a basic kitchen and accommodation for another forest ranger and his wife on the site. Senthil and the jeep had arrived in advance, a huge fire was lit and we dined in front of the flames. The tent and brand new sleeping bags were warm and we slept well made comfortable by two polystyrene mattresses.
Dawn was heralded by the call of a Malabar Whistling Thrush and we crawled out of our tent to a beautiful morning and an excellent view, plus a Black Eagle roosting in a nearby tree. Breakfast consisted of fresh fruit, omelettes, hot freshly cooked chapattis, toast and jam, washed down by tea, all absolutely delicious. We set off for a full day’s walk, firstly up an unmade rough road and then out onto a grassland path. Although we had several Nilgiri Pipits and a pair of displaying Oriental Skylarks there was no sign of the Broad-tailed Grassbird even though we ‘pished’ every hundred metres for several kilometres once we reached the grasslands. We made it to the top of Meesha Pili Malai by 1.30pm. Unfortunately the view down into Tamil Nadu was lost as the mist wafted up from the valley and we were not to see the magnificent scenery until the next day. We stopped for lunch and a rest once we reached some stunted undergrowth, then made our way through the thick undergrowth on narrow animal tracks and eventually to the edge of a tea plantation. The rest of the afternoon was spent zigzagging our way down through the plantation, all the while watching out for Painted Bush Quail, but again no luck. Tickell’s Leaf Warblers were singing magnificently from almost every tree shading the plantation.
We arrived at our camp site at about 3.30pm and were greeted by Senthil and staff, brewing tea and preparing what looked like supper for a dozen people. While Rick walked down to investigate the tea factory in the distance I wandering around the nearby tea plantations looking for Painted Bush Quail for an hour or so before giving up and returning to the camp. Buckets of hot water arrived and we sluiced down behind our sleeping sheets hidden by the jeep. A short time later, the charming Indian Manager of the plantation and his wife arrived to introduce themselves and have a chat with the English guests (the campsite was on land owned by the plantation). They invited us to breakfast at their plantation house the following morning, but although it was an almost irresistible invitation we declined as we knew it was vital to get an early start. Supper was plentiful and delicious and again consumed in front of another huge camp fire.
29th Jan – BACK TO MUNNAR VIA BODHI GHAT - staying overnight at the Olive Brook Homestay (Rps2000 per night) – on the Devashan road - a very pleasant homestay with spacious rooms and friendly, helpful staff. www.olivebrookmunnar.com
Senthil surpassed himself this morning producing a magnificent six course breakfast – freshly squeezed fruit juice, home made fruit and cereal muesli, porridge, a carrot omelette (!) several fried eggs, toast, and a choice of coffee, cocoa or tea. While the men packed up the camp, we set off down hill again through the tea plantation ever hopeful of spotting a bush quail or two. We contoured downwards passing several sholas firstly seeing a Nilgiri Flycatcher and then finally a Black & Orange Flycatcher sitting dead still in a stand of bamboo - and then another more distant view of a female in a tree. Excellent!!!
Several hours later Senthil and assistants met us in the village at the bottom of the hill with a second jeep and leaving the packed up jeep to go back to Munnar we set off for Bodhi Ghat. We ate lunch in a local village restaurant. I also purchased a long-sleeved shirt to cover my now badly sunburnt arms. We reached Bodhi Ghat and drove down to the 6Kms/113 Madurai marker where there was a small shrine. We gradually worked our way down the road, birding en route. This was the site for Yellow-throated Bulbul and it was only about a half an hour before we found several, travelling in a flock with White-browed Bulbuls. We then drove down another six kilometres and stopped between markers which read 108/2 & 108/11. This was the site for Rufous Babbler, but by now it was late afternoon and everything had gone quiet. Although we did hear them calling once or twice we did not see any. Exhausted from a very strenuous three day’s trekking, we fell asleep in the jeep en route back to Munnar only waking up when we drove into the driveway of the Olive Brook Homestay.
30th Jan – The temple city of MADURAI in the state of Tamil Nadu – staying at the Royal Court Hotel (Rps2600) – a typical city hotel which was a convenient ten minute walk from the temple complex www.royalcourtindia.com
We had arranged with Senthil for a suitable car and a driver to pick us up and take us to Madurai. We would stay over there and then the next day take us on to Top Slip and the Ana Malai Tiger Reserve (Rps7.50 per kilometre = Rps4700) a long and arduous round trip journey of over 600 kilometres. We set off from Olive Brook, stopping to say goodbye to Senthil and colleagues who were breakfasting in a café in Munnar town. We then had a half an hour’s break just after the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in a second attempt at the Rufous Babbler, to no avail - probably because it was the middle of the day, but no choice there. The journey to Madurai took a total of 4 ½ hours. We finally arrived in the city and found the Royal Court Hotel easily. After negotiating the price down to an acceptable figure with the manager (he was wearing a shiny black shirt & a gold tie!!) we checked in. Unfortunately the huge and famous Sri Meenakshi Temple complex we had travelled so far to see just happened to be closed that day!! However it was opening at 5am the following morning so we used the rest of the day to walk around the outside taking photos of the huge towers which were completely covered with brightly painted life size figures of men and women & cows. We also wandered through the ‘Hall of 200 Tailors’, a section of the original temple complex that had been turned into a market where tailors sat at their ancient Singer sewing machines with huge ancient carved pillars towering over them. Amazing!! Finally though, the loud speakers on street corners blasting out incredibly loud music drove us back to our hotel for an early night.
31st Jan & 1st Feb – TOP SLIP and the ANA MALAI TIGER RESERVE – staying at Bison Lodge, a very basic ‘park headquarters’ accommodation block (Rps535 per night). This reserve is only about 30kms from Pollachi and is the alternative site for Wynaad Laughing Thrush.
The following morning we were up at 5am and made our way to the temple where worshipers had already gathered and were filing in through the gates. It was a working temple with people everywhere worshiping at various shrines. Debris and bits of old furniture etc were stored in murky corners looking untidy and dusty. All shrines were encrusted in years of worshiper’s candle grease. An elephant stood rocking back and forth in a daze of boredom blessing worshiper’s on the head with its trunk. A sacred cow covered in white chalk drawings stood passively as people touched it. A lone cricket sang from a dark crevice behind a pillar. It was incredibly atmospheric. We finally found one small section of ceiling that had not been recently painted over and were able to admire the beautiful ancient faded mural above us. Above the open central area, swiftlets and kites circled and a White-throated Kingfisher hunted for food in and around the almost dry central pond. Several Koel’s fought for supremacy in an ancient tree. All in all it was a stunning temple and we were pleased that we had made the long detour into Tamil Nadu to visit it.
Back at the hotel by 10am we called the driver to the front of the hotel and then immediately set off towards Top Slip as it was going to be a long drive. We finally arrived at the headquarters at about 3pm, dazed and tired from the journey.
We had tried to book our accommodation en route (as directed in the Lonely Planet guide) at the office on the road out of Pollachi - but being a Sunday it was closed. The Head Warden, a rotund rather bumptious man, sat in a grand new building reserved just for himself with his desk drawer haphazardly filled to brimming with the day’s takings. He was very cautious about granting us accommodation, but once Rick had turned on the charm, he finally allowed us one night in Bison Lodge, one of four old British-built cottages that sat close to the road a few hundred metres further on from the headquarters. We were able to negotiate another night the next day, but only once he had spoken to the people downtown. The rather sad old lodge contained a double and a single bedroom, a small central dining area with a table and two chairs, a porch and a bathroom attached at the back looking out onto our own private courtyard. The double room had a fluorescent light, a working overhead fan, the sheets were clean, the bathroom outside had a squat and a sit down lou, hot water, all windows were barred and the front door had a lock - what more could we ask for at £7.50 a night!! We opened the windows to air the rooms but closed them almost immediately to stop the Bonnet Macaques from climbing between the bars and stealing things - they were a pest for the duration of our stay.
As we paid and said goodbye to our rather exhausted driver (who had still to get back to Munnar that night), a mini-bus load of Sunday tourists were just setting off for the elephant camp, so we jumped on for the ride. This took us further into the park and through some promising looking forest although most of the under-storey had been recently cleared to allow for animal grazing. We drove to the local tribal people’s camp, where about twelve working elephants were being fed, washed and watered by their mahoots and wandered amongst these beautiful gentle animals taking photos. On the return journey we saw an Indian Gaur standing in the forest, its white socks showing clearly in the fast diminishing light.
We had arranged with the warden for one of his ‘bird guides’ a tribal man called Bebe, to take us into the forest the next morning (Rps400 for the morning). We were somewhat dubious about his expertise but in fact it turned out that he knew most of the endemics and we had an excellent morning. The forest although heavily managed was really good for birds, in fact in my opinion better than the sanctuary at Thattekad, with more endemics seen more often. There are allegedly 27 tigers in the reserve and a single male had been sighted by the waterhole six days earlier, so the non-birder had the task of spotting one, which kept him alert at the back of the queue. Grey Junglefowl, Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Black-rumped Flameback, White-cheeked & Malabar/Crimson-fronted Barbets, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Malabar Parakeet, Nilgiri Woodpigeon, Rufous and White-bellied Treepie, Malabar Whistling Thrush, Yellow-browed Bulbul and Indian Scimitar Babbler.
2nd & 3rd Feb – OOTY (UDHAGAMANDALAM) 2,240M – staying at the YWCA – a lovely old British colonial building overlooking the race course, with a selection of rooms including spacious ground floor suites with a dressing room and an ensuite bathroom with hot water (Rps800 per night). Also a reasonable restaurant on the premises which served inexpensive food. www.ywcaindia.org/ywca.asp
Yesterday we had not seen the vaguely promised Wynaad Laughing Thrush so we engaged Bebe again for the following morning after instructing him to get advice from the other guides as to where to find our target bird. This time he walked us along the road in the dark for about three kilometres and as dawn was breaking we turned off at a stream and followed it up into the damp bamboo forest, the perfect habitat for the WLT. We startled a pair of Red Spurfowl who immediately flew off never to be seen again and later a Jungle Owlet perching over the stream. After about another hour or so we spotted a small mixed flock of babblers working their way through an area of bamboo & I caught glimpses of two birds, dark on top, pale throat, rufous underneath with no eyebrow stripe mostly hidden in the thick bamboo, but distinct enough all the same – WLT!!!!!!!. Unfortunately I made the mistake of alerting Bebe who, desperate to earn his money, rushed forward to ‘lead’ me to the birds. The birds immediately went to ground & although we managed to entice out several Dark-fronted Babblers, a Brown Fulvetta and two Indian Scimitar Babblers with ‘pishing’ noises, the Wynaad Laughing Thrushes were never seen again. So be it, the luck of the draw, and what will be will be, a pretty pathetic sighting!! What can I say - at the very least we know that they are still definitely present at Top Slip. Red Spurfowl, Jungle Owlet and a very unsatisfactory glimpse of Wynaad Laughing Thrush.
That afternoon we packed up and set off towards Ooty, firstly in the local bus down to Pollachi, where we transferred to another bus going to Coimbatore. Once there we took a rickshaw to a bank where we finally managed to get cash out of a machine with the help of one of the staff (we had had no luck elsewhere and didn’t want to chance losing our cards in a machine without a staff member present). We rickshawed back to the bus station and climbed onto yet another bus this time bound for Ooty. The bus journeys weren’t too bad and luckily we managed to sleep through the last section which was no doubt a harrowing ride up the steep narrow mountain road to Ooty. I do recall noises of hooting and much swerving as the bus negotiated its way past slow trucks and other buses. We were dropped off close to the YWCA and walked up the drive in the darkness, it had been another long day. The temperature was in keeping with the altitude and we slept in our clothes, organising another two blankets the next morning.
It was the non-birder’s turn to have some fun so we set off early for the train station and booked a trip down to Coonoor (Rps27 each, first class) on the famous old British built Nilgiri Hill Railway, a narrow gauge train that was once pulled by a steam engine. Unfortunately the steam engine was now defunct and a diesel engine pulled the train downhill instead. A label claiming that it used bio fuel was attached to the engine, nevertheless great palls of black smoke issued from the stack and almost asphyxiated us as we rode downhill. The journey back was more comfortable as we rode in the front carriage with the engine now at the back of the train. The signalman stood on the front of our carriage wrapped up in scarves and a heavy jacket and waved a green flag at every corner which summoned an acknowledging toot from the engine driver at the back. The rest of the day was taken up visiting the ‘snooty’ Ooty Club (we were turned away!), the lovely old colonial St. Stephen’s Church and the Botanical Gardens. Here in the back corner in the sunken garden we had incredible views of Kashmir Flycatcher and Black & Orange Flycatcher just before dusk.
4th & 5th Feb – REGENCY VILLA ) OOTY - the guest house of the Maharajah of Mysore – in the grounds of Fernhill’s Palace (www.fernhillspalace.com) (Rps2500 per night)
We were up early and grabbed a rickshaw to take us to Cairnhill Forest, but unfortunately we took the wrong turning and ended up on a very rough road. There was no primary forest to be seen anywhere, so we sent the rickshaw back and headed off on foot into some eucalyptus forest. We found a road and walked up this until eventually we came out at the railway track at the Lovedale Station. We knew from reading Gordon Allison’s bird report from 2007, that he had walked back from the Cairnhill Forest via the railway track so we thought we would follow it and no doubt we would eventually find the forest. It was a pleasant warm day and it was fun following the track past lots of interesting habitat. Suddenly I saw a bird with a telltale wagging motion and there was my second to last target species actually perched on the railway track in the sunshine – Spot-breasted Fantail. Eventually we came out at the entrance to Regency Villa and realised that the Cairnhill Forest was in fact around the following bend - just after where we had turned off in the rickshaw that morning - we’d missed it by 300 metres!!
We had already visited the Regency Villa to check out whether we wished to stay there and had decided to move. We therefore rickshawed back to the YWCA, packed up and took another rickshaw back to the Villa and moved into one of the huge front rooms. The Lonely Planet guide book had warned us of unreliable plumbing and indeed we never did manage to get warm water out through the shower nozzle, only totally hot or totally cold water. However we had become so used to bucket baths that we merely resorted to this method again without turning a hair. It was a charming old guest-house albeit with a touch of faded glory, the furniture was shabby, mostly original British antiques and everything needed renovating and lots of work to return it to its former state, but nevertheless it was still a wonderful place to stay. The palace itself, which was about a five minute walk through the grounds allowed us access to the restaurant in the main building and we dined in true style surrounded by the beauty and the incredible atmosphere of the palace. Whilst there we asked the concierge to show us around the palace & he took us to see many of the rooms, with the exception of the Maharaja’s private suite. It was a truly fascinating tour with dozens of amazing rooms, paintings, carvings etc and by studying the hundreds of faded photos hanging on many of the walls we were able to catch a glimpse of how the Maharajas and their families lived in former times. The reigning maharajah is 63 years of age & visits the palace about once every three months.
That afternoon we set off down the shortcut from the villa to the Cairnhill Forest reaching the entrance arch in 15 minutes. Our target bird was Nilgiri Laughing Thrush. Just inside the reserve, we found a picture of a huge-eyed Leopard painted onto a large concrete block. Words underneath the painting read: ‘You are entering our territory. Respect our privacy’. Perhaps due to this warning the reserve was completely deserted, but it was also very quiet bird-wise. Nevertheless it was good to check it out so we would know the best path to take the next morning. The entrance road ran up a short distance to an open area and here we discovered an old above ground nature walkway and also the beginning of a beautiful old cobbled path. A plaque had been erected to say that a John Muir had been in charge of building the path in 1840. We followed this path as it zigzagged gently to the top of the mountain where it circled around a rusting tower and a small shrine. It was a peaceful spot. We had passed another cobbled path which veered off to the right half way up and we learned later that this joined a circular road around the lower section of the hill. An old full width cobbled road also went up from the circular road on the other side of the hill to the entrance of the reserve and joined the circular path at the top. That afternoon we hardly saw or heard a bird with the exception of one Black & Orange Flycatcher flushed from just above the path as we walked up. The paths were so unused that the pine needles were three inches deep obscuring the route in some places and it was obviously not a popular spot with the local people. We did not see any leopards - but perhaps one saw us!!
The following morning we reached the entrance to the Cairnhill Forest at 7.15am & within minutes, after only about 200 metres we had a pair of Nilgiri Laughing Thrushes, the last of our target birds. On reaching the old cobbled path we decided instead to walk around the mountain on the unmade road, mainly because it was already in the sunshine and anyway we wanted to investigate where it led. We had a few birds including several more pairs of Nilgiri Laughing Thrushes. At one point we flushed a Barking Deer off the road but only after it stood for some minutes watching us. Nilgiri Laughing Thrush. Eurasian Blackbird (Ssp.), Black and Orange Flycatcher, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Tickell’s Leaf Warbler, Greenish Warbler, Indian Scimitar Babbler. We heard later that Nilgiri Laughing Thrush is also very common in the tourist car park at a place called Doddabetta, a viewpoint near Ooty.
The rest of the day we rested or sat in the garden of Regency Villa in an effort to recover from a touch of ‘Ooty Tummy’ before travelling the next day. Feeling vaguely recovered by evening time we took a rickshaw downtown and spent our last evening dining on omelettes at one of the very basic ‘paratha’ cafes for the equivalent of £.40. We made a note to carry a couple of Imodium in the day pack the next day!!
6th & 7th Feb – The JOURNEY BACK TO COCHIN - staying at the Kapithan Inn – (Rps900 - a night for a slightly larger en-suite room with a balcony and a fan, at the back of the complex. Even larger rooms are also available for slightly more rupees).
We checked out of Regency Villa early and took a large rickshaw downtown to the bus terminus where we hopped on a local bus bound for Coimbatore. This ancient vehicle wound its way down the mountain in an alarming manner and from the angle of the bus at each corner we realised that the springs were shot. This did not deter the driver from swerving past trucks and other slower vehicles as he manoeuvred the bus around hairpin bends and several cars were forced to pass us on the wrong side of the road as we squeezed around several of the sharper ones. It was an experience that we would not want to repeat but nevertheless we arrived in Coimbatore physically unscathed albeit mentally exhausted. We had been advised to take an ‘express’ bus back to Cochin & there indeed was a bus sitting in the terminus, just about to leave. The conductor assured us with a sideways shaking of his head that, yes it was ‘express’ to Cochin. We climbed aboard and settled into our seats. Unfortunately not only did the bus play incredibly loud dated Bollywood movies all the way, but it stopped at all large towns to let people off and then waited until all seats were filled before it started up again. It also stopped to drop people off at random places and then pick other people up to fill their places. The journey was a haze of noise and stress and we didn’t arrive in Ernakulam (the business town adjacent to Cochin) until well after dark, eight hours later. We took a rickshaw to the passenger ferry terminus, sailed silently across the bay to Fort Cochin and after a quick omelette in a restaurant en route we walked on to the Kapithan Inn for a well earned sleep.
We spent our last day investigating the smarter hotels and restaurants in the town, stopping at the Brunton Boat Yard www.cghearth.com (5 star and about Rps10000 per night) for a coffee on their patio overlooking the bay, then checking out the Fort House Hotel www.hotelforthouse.com (4 star and about Rps5000 per night) also right on the harbour (Black-rumped Flameback in the courtyard). Our last evening was spent sitting by the pool at the rather lovely Old Harbour Hotel (4/5 star & about Rps7000 per night) www.oldharbourhotel.com and having almost our first beer for the trip. We ended the evening by going to the Kathikali Centre and although it was Sunday and there was no Indian Opera performance we sat and listened to some rather pleasant classical Indian music, a fitting finale to a wonderful holiday.
8th Feb – to the Cochin Airport and the flight back to the UK
The charming old Ambassador car belonging to the Kapithan Inn dutifully arrived at 6am and we drove off to the airport. There was no delay and the trip via Dubai was uneventful, arriving back at Gatwick in the evening. Train to Victoria station and home.
WEATHER
The weather on the coast & in the lowlands was warm, about an average of 28 degrees during the day, getting down to about 20 degrees in the evening. We did not need to pay extra for air-conditioning in any of the rooms, an overhead fan was perfectly adequate. On trek in the mountains, it was deceptively warm & sunny during the day & before we realised it we were badly sunburned. Once we arrived in Munnar & then went on to Top Slip & Ooty the temperatures dropped by about five degree for every 1000M in altitude. In Ooty it was really very cold at night dropping to about two degrees. There was no heating in any of the places we stayed. We did not experience any rain whatsoever.
COSTS
The total cost for the two of us for three weeks was a reasonable £2080 & that included the Emirates airfares via Dubai which were £420 per person. We took cash, KEPT IN OUR WASTE POUCHES AT ALL TIMES. We did not bother taking traveller’s cheques as they are expensive & are not readily changeable in India. Cash machines are not particularly user-friendly but we took our credit cards for use in up-market hotels & restaurants & also for when & if we ran out of cash. In fact we judged the cash very well, only resorting to our credit card in the last few days.
Air fares 840.00
Taxi to Gatwick airport 45.00
Cash (UK pounds) taken with us 860.00
UK Pounds changed into rupees at LGW 105.49
UK pounds spent at a cash machine in India 142.84
Credit card purchases 86.18
Total Cost of Holiday 2079.51
REFERENCES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (1999) Grimmett, R & Inskipp, C & T (Oxford University Press)
Book of Indian Animals (1971) Prater, S.H. (Bombay Natural History Society)
Map of South India (2009) Nelles
South India: the Western Ghats – A Week long Trip in late March (2007) White, S. (www.surfbirds.com )
Southern India – 11th – 22nd February 2007. Allison, G. W. (www.surfbirds.com )
Western Ghats & Andaman Islands – 20th December 2008 – 2nd January 2009 Mears, A. & Wardman, O.
SYSTEMATIC BIRD LIST
FC = Cochin BA = the Backwaters, Alleppey SAS = Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, Thattekad
T = Thattekad M = Munnar Trek = mountains around Munnar
BG = Bodhi Ghat M = Madurai TS = Top Slip
CF = Cairnhill Forest BGO = Botanical Gardens, Ooty
(PAINTED BUSH QUAIL) – ssp. P. e. erythrorhyncha – Ssp. Endemic W. & E. Ghats - although we spent many hours searching in the tea plantations, we did not see this species – apart from about 20 in a cage for sale by the roadside near TS!
1. RED SPURFOWL – ssp. G. s. stewarti – Ssp. endemic on the Kerala Coast - Three on a path near the SAS, also a glimpse at TS
2. Grey Junglefowl – a total of at least nine birds seen in most areas & heard almost everywhere
3. Indian Peafowl – a single at TS
4. Lesser Whistling Duck – A flock of 30+ over the backwaters at BA, six near the SAS & eight en route to M
5. Heart-spotted Woodpecker – a single at TS
6. Streak-throated Woodpecker – Several at T, several on the lower slopes whilst trekking, & another at BG
7. BLACK-RUMPED FLAMEBACK – ssp. D.b.punticolle – Ssp. resident in S. India - Common in the Thattekad area with up to five on one day, also common at TS & a single in FC
8. WHITE-CHEEKED BARBET – M. viridis - ENDEMIC W. Ghats - common & widespread, mostly heard but also seen almost every day in all areas
9. MALABAR BARBET – M. malabarica – (was ssp. of Crimson-fronted) - ENDEMIC W. Ghats - a single seen at TS
10. Coppersmith Barbet – heard & one seen in the Munnar area, also heard in FC
11. MALABAR GREY HORNBILL – O. griseus - ENDEMIC W. Ghats – at least eight on two days in & near the SAS, also three at TS
(MALABAR PIED HORNBILL) - A. coronatus - Endemic S. India & SL - present at SAS & TS but not seen this trip
12. Common Hoopoe – a single in a village at the end of our trek, also heard at Regency Villas
13. MALABAR TROGON - H. F. malabaricus – Ssp. Endemic S. India - heard at SAS & TS
14. Indian Roller – singles at BA, SAS & common on wires in Tamil Nadu
15. Dollarbird – singles at SAS & from a bus
16. Common Kingfisher – common at SAS, also a single en route to Madurai
17. Stork-billed Kingfisher – common at SAS, & the area around T
18. White-throated Kingfisher – the most common kingfisher, seen in all areas except Ooty
19. Pied Kingfisher – A pair & a single seen at SAS
20. Green Bee-eater – singles around T
21. Blue-tailed Bee-eater – Up to 30 in FC, also common at BA, & two juveniles at T
22. Chestnut-headed Bee-eater – A pair at T
23. Common Hawk Cuckoo – Heard & one seen at T, also heard at BG
24. Asian Koel – common in FC, T, SAS, BA & M
(BLUE-FACED MALKOHA) P. viridirostris – Endemic S. India & SL - present at SAS & TS but not seen by us
25. Greater Coucal – heard or seen in all areas
26. Vernal Hanging Parrot – eight in SAS, also a single at BG
27. Rose-ringed Parakeet - fairly common in FC, BA, M & TS
28. Plum-headed Parakeet – a pair at SAS on two days
29. MALABAR PARAKEET - P. columboides – ENDEMIC W. Ghats – common at TS, up to ten seen on one day
30. Alpine Swift – several at the Erivakulam NP
31. Asian Palm Swift – Up to ten whilst travelling from M to TS
32. Indian Swiftlet – the most common swift, seen in most areas, also up to 300 at a cave near M
33. Crested Treeswift – four at TS
34. Jungle Owlet – a pair seen at close range in the SAS, also heard & a single seen at TS
35. Spotted Owlet – heard at Hornbill Camp, T
36. Brown Hawk Owl – four seen in the SAS
37. SRI LANKAN FROGMOUTH – B. moniliger – Endemic W. Ghats & SL - a single & a pair seen at SAS
38. Jerdon’s Nightjar – heard at Hornbill Camp
39. Rock Pigeon – Common in & near towns
40. NILGIRI WOOD PIGEON C elphinstonii – ENDEMIC W. Ghats - a single at the UP school in M, also heard at BG & TS
41. Spotted Dove – singles on three days at BA, SAS, M, TS & O
42. Emerald Dove – two at T & a single at TS
43. Pompadour Green Pigeon – a single at SAS
44. White-breasted Waterhen – singles & pairs in FC, BA, SAS, T & on trek
45. Purple Swamphen – up to 15 in a muddy area in BA
46. Common Moorhen – a single en route to TS from M
47. Common Coot – a pair at T & three in the BTO
48. Green Sandpiper – singles at T, Eravikulam NP near M & TS
49. Great Snipe – seven in a muddy area at BA
50. Black-winged Stilt – a single in a muddy area at BA
51. Wood Sandpiper – Several at BA on two days
52. Common Sandpiper – several in FC, & also at BA on two days
53. Temminck’s Stint – several in a muddy field in BA
54. Bronze-winged Jacana – two juveniles in ponds around T
55. Pacific Golden Plover – up to 50 in a muddy area in BA
56. Little-ringed Plover – up to 15 in a muddy area in BA
57. Red-wattled Lapwing – pairs & singles in T & M
58. Yellow-legged Gull – several large gulls in the distance at FC were probably this species
59. River Tern – several seen each day along the Periyar River at Hornbill Camp, T
60. Whiskered Tern – several dozen distant terns in the FC harbour were almost certainly this species
61. Black Baza – heard in the SAS
62. Black-shouldered Kite – a single bird in a roadside tree en route to TS from M
63. Black Kite – fairly common in all areas
64. Brahminy Kite – fairly common on the coast, FC & BA & a single at M
65. Crested Serpent Eagle – singles on eight occasions at T, M, BG & TS
66. Short-toed Eagle – a single at SAS
67. Black Eagle – singles at BA, M, & on three days on trek
68. Pallid Harrier – a single juvenile at the Erivakulam NP
69. Shikra – singles at BA, T & a pair at BG
70. Oriental Honey Buzzard – a pair at the Hornbill Camp, singles at T, two on trek & singles on two days at TS
71. Indian Tawny Eagle – a single bird high overhead at O was probably this species
72. Common Kestrel – pairs & singles on five days at M, on trek, TS & CH
73. Little Grebe – a pair at M & a single en route to TS
74. Darter – up to three on four days in BA, T & the Hornbill Camp.
75. Little Cormorant – very common in BA with at least 500 seen on one day. Also common around T
76. Indian Cormorant – seen in small numbers in the BA, also at T
77. Little Egret – common in the BA, also in small numbers around T. Flocks also seen in fields en route from M & TS
78. Great Egret – small numbers seen with the Little Egrets in the same areas.
79. Intermediate Egret – a single at BA, also one at M
80. Cattle Egret – common & widespread, seen in fields in most areas with up to 100 in several places
81. Indian Pond Heron – common & widespread, seen on most days in small numbers
82. Black-crowned Night Heron – a single bird in a wet area in the BA
83. Grey Heron – a single in the BA
84. Purple Heron – singles on four days in the BA & T
85. Asian Openbill – a single bird over a field in the BA
86. Indian Pitta – a single in the SAS was the only sighting
87. Asian Fairy Bluebird – up to five in the SAS
88. Golden-fronted Leafbird – several on two days in the SAS, also a pair at BG & up to six on two days at TS
89. Brown Shrike – up to two on six days at BA, T, M & TS
90. Long-tailed Shrike – singles & pairs on eight occasions at M, BG & O
91. Rufous Treepie – fairly common at BA, SAS, T & TS
92. WHITE-BELLIED TREEPIE – D. leucogastra - ENDEMIC W. Ghats - three at SAS & three & four on two days at TS
93. House Crow – common & widespread everywhere
94. Large-billed Crow – in small numbers in all areas, certainly not as prolific as House Crow
95. Ashy Wood Swallow – Ten at AB, & up to six on three days at T & M
96. Eurasian Golden Oriole – singles at T & M
97. Black-naped Oriole – a single at SAS & up to five at T on two days
98. Black-hooded Oriole – four at BA, single & a pair at T & a single at TS
99. Black-headed Cuckoo Shrike – a single at TS
100. Small Minivet – three at M, two pairs on lower slopes whilst trekking & two pairs at TS
101. Scarlet Minivet – a pair at T, a single whilst trekking & a single at TS
102. Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike – single at TS & another at O
103. SPOT-BREASTED FANTAIL - R. albogularis - ENDEMIC S & C. India - (now split from White-throated) - a single in the BTO & a single on the railway line at O
104. Black Drongo – Fairly common at BA, pairs at SAS on two days, several on trek, very common on wires en route from M & TS, several at O
105. Bronzed Drongo – a single at T, up to four on two days at TS
106. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo – Common at SAS & TS
107. Black-naped Monarch – single at SAS
108. Asian Paradise Flycatcher – Up to three on two days at SAS & singles on two days at TS
109. Common Iora – singles at SAS on two days, three at BG & singles at TS on three occasions
110. Large Woodshrike – a single at SAS & another at TS
111. MALABAR WHISTLING THRUSH - M. horsfieldii – Ssp. Endemic C & W India – Relatively common, heard & seen at M, SAS, M, M, BG, TS & O
112. Orange Ground Thrush – up to three at SAS
113. EURASIAN BLACKBIRD – ssp. nigropileus – Ssp. resident hills of Peninsular India - up to two on several days at T, M, BG & O
114. Asian Brown Flycatcher – a single at M
115. KASHMIR FLYCATCHER – F. subrubra - Winters in W. Ghats & SL - – a single in the BGO the only sighting
116. BLACK AND ORANGE FLYCATCHER - F. nigrorufa - ENDEMIC W. Ghats - two in an area of shola on trek, a single at the BGO, a single at the botanical gardens, O & the CF & two the next day there
117. NILGIRI FLYCATCHER - E. albicaudata - ENDEMIC W. Ghats – five at the UP school, M & Erivikulam NP, two in M, one on trek & another at O
118. WHITE-BELLIED BLUE FLYCATCHER – C. pallipes – ENDEMIC W. Ghats – a single at SAS
119. Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher – a single ad SAS
120. Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher – seen & also heard each day in M, BG & at the CF
121. Oriental Magpie Robin – fairly common, up to ten seen almost every day in all areas
122. NILGIRI BLUE ROBIN (was WHITE-BELLIED SHORTWING) – Myomelia major - ENDEMIC W. Ghats – several seen at M, also a male at CF
123. Pied Bushchat – common in more open areas with up to twenty seen on one day when travelling on the Ooty train
124. Chestnut-tailed Starling – up to twenty at BA, also a single at SAS & two at TS
125. MALABAR/WHITE-HEADED STARLING – ssp. S. M. blithii – Ssp. Resident in hills of S. India - a single bird at TS
126. Common Myna – common & widespread at FC, BA, SAS, T, M & TS
127. Jungle Myna – common at M & O
128. Lesser Hill Myna – several at SAS, heard BG & up to six on two days at TS
129. Velvet-fronted Nuthatch – a single at M, also up to threat TS on two days & a single at CF
130. Great Tit – singles at T, also at TS & two at O
131. Black-lored Tit – a single at M
132. Dusky Crag Martin – several at BG & en route to TS from M
133. Eurasian Crag Martin – several at BG
134. Barn Swallow – up to ten at FC, several at BA on two days, two at M, & at O
135. Red-rumped Swallow – eight at T
136. GREY-HEADED BULBUL – P. priocephalus - ENDEMIC SW India - three at SAS
137. RUBY-THROATED BULBUL – P. gularis - ENDEMIC SW India - recently split from Black-crested. A single at SAS & another at TS
138. Red-whiskered Bulbul – common & widespread seen almost everywhere
139. Red-vented Bulbul – not as common as Red-whiskered, but seen in small numbers in FC, BA, SAS, T, BG & O
140. YELLOW-THROATED BULBUL - P. xantholaemus - ENDEMIC W. Ghats– three seen at BG with a flock of White-browed Bulbuls
141. White-browed Bulbul – several as above
142. Yellow-browed bulbul – two at SAS, also three at TS
143. Black Bulbul – ssp. H. ganeesa – several flocks at M, BG & TS on six days
144. Plain Prinia – several at BA, singles on trek on three days
145. Yellow-bellied Prinia – a pair on two days at BA
146. Ashy Prinia – up to four at BA, also five along the railway line at O
147. Oriental White Eye – common at M, on trek, & at O
(BROAD-TAILED GRASSBIRD) – S. platyura – ENDEMIC SW India - although we went to a lot of effort to see one on trek, we were not rewarded. We heard later that one had been seen in the grass above the Devashan Resort at M
148. Booted Warbler – ssp. rama – several at M, several at TS & a single along the railway track at O were probably this ssp.
149. Blyth’s Reed Warbler – a single at BA, several on three days at M, several at O
150. Common Tailorbird – several at BA, singles at T, BG & O
151. Tickell’s Leaf Warbler – several at M, very common in the tree in the tea plantations near M, also several at O
152. Greenish Warbler – fairly common, several at SAS, T, M, BG, TS & O
153. Large-billed Leaf Warbler – several seen trek, also one at BG
154. NILGIRI LAUGHING THRUSH – G. cachinans – ENDEMIC W. Ghats – two pairs at CF
155. GREY-BREASTED LAUGHING THRUSH G. j. jerdoni - ENDEMIC W. Ghats – common in & around M, up to ten seen on four days
156. WYNAAD LAUGHING THRUSH - G. delesserti – ENDEMIC W. Ghats– a quick glimpse of two birds at TS was the only sighting
157. Indian Scimitar Babbler – pairs at M, two days, also singles at TS on two days & a pair at CF
158. Dark-fronted Babbler – a single at SAS, also a pair at TS
(RUFOUS BABBLER) - T. s. subrufus – ENDEMIC SW India – heard at BG but not seen, probably because the first visit was late in the afternoon. The second was in the middle of the day when all was quiet
159. Jungle Babbler – common in small flocks at T, M, BG & TS
160. Brown-cheeked Fulvetta – at least four in a mixed flock at TS
161. Oriental Skylark – a pair seen displaying on trek
162. Thick-billed Flowerpecker – two birds at T the only sighting
163. Purple-rumped Sunbird – several in FC, up to four at BA & three at TS
(CRIMSON-BACKED SUNBIRD) – N. minima - ENDEMIC W. Ghats– not seen on this trip
164. Purple Sunbird – fairly common in T, M, BG & O
165. Loten’s Sunbird - a pair in FC, also in BA & up to three at Hornbill Camp
166. House Sparrow – common in most towns
167. White-browed Wagtail – two at BA & T & singles at M, on trek & BG
168. Yellow Wagtail – up to eight at BA on two days
169. Grey Wagtail – fairly common, several seen each day at M, on trek, BG, TS, & O
170. White Wagtail – up to four in the open fields at BA & a single at M
171. Paddyfield Pipit – several on the grass at TS on two days
172. NILGIRI PIPIT - A. nilgiriensis - ENDEMIC SW India - two at the Eravikulam NP, also one on trek
173. Baya Weaver – a flock of up to ten seen on two days at BA
174. White-rumped Munia – a flock of around 15 at T
175. BLACK-THROATED MUNIA - L. k. jerdoni - Endemic S. India & SL - a pair at TS
176. Common Rosefinch – a flock of up to ten seen in the tea plantations at M
SYSTEMATIC MAMMAL LIST
Malabar Giant Squirrel – SAS, TS
Three-striped Palm Squirrel – SAS
Dusky Squirrel – Erivakulam NP, on trek, TS
DUSKY STRIPED SQUIRREL – M
NILGIRI TAHR – Erivakulam NP
Bonnet Macaque – TS, O
NILGIRI LANGUR – TS
Grey Langur - TS
Barking Deer – M, CF
Samar Deer - TS
Indian Gaur – TS