Blackbucks at Maidenahalli

Maidanhalli has long been on my list of places to see around Bangalore. Despite a tiring Saturday, I set off on Sunday morning with a couple of friends.

Just as we got off NH4, we came across a pond on our left side. On our right side was a rocky landscape, with a pair of Egyptian Vultures sitting atop. What a way to start the day! We trekked up the rock in an unsuccessful pursuit to photograph them. On our way down, a large dark-grey/brown bird with a long tail disappeared into a nearby tree. We tried to get close but it flew and landed on a rock. This was my first sighting of a Sirkeer Malkoha around Bangalore. Also, it was of a greyish brown color, compared to the pale brown ones that I had seen in Kanha.

Along the way, we saw a Common Hawk Cuckoo on a wire next to the road. It was mobbed by bulbuls very soon and flew to the safety of a mango grove nearby. A pair of eagles were jousting in the air and attacking each other with their talons.

Maidanahalli itself was fascinating and a tad disappointing.

First, the fascinating part. The grasslands are truly a sight to see. Rolling on unevenly, the sway of the grass is a treat to watch. Add a herd of blackbucks and it is magical.



We saw herds of blackbucks ranging from 5 to 20 in numbers. They are very very shy and wouldn't let you anywhere close-by. The photograph above was shot from the forest department "pagoda" where we were resting after lunch. This lone male wandered close-by and allowed us a few shots before bounding away. Soon after, we also saw a hare bounding along the grasslands around the same place.

Birding was also awesome here. We saw a green bee-eater with a butterfly, taking its own sweet time to stun its prey and then swallow it in one gulp! Larks allowed us to get very close in the car and would then do a superb parachuting display and land close-by. We also saw a family of Yellow-wattled Lapwings with 2 juveniles. A huge number of lifers too - Southern Grey Shrike, Red-collared Dove and a flock of Grey Francolins - to make the day for me.



About the disappointing part, the sanctuary blends seamlessly into nearby villages. A 360 degree scan of the landscape never presents itself without agriculture in the backdrop. This causes a few issues, primarily grazing cattle and sheep in the sanctuary. A shepherd came up to us in the pagoda and started playing loud music on his mobile! What was saddening was that the blackbucks have to wait their turn while the sheep drink water from their water-hole. On our way back, we saw blackbucks venturing very close to farms in the villages around. A real pity!

How to get to Maidanahalli? - Maidanahalli is around 150km from Bangalore (a good 4-5hr drive). Drive to Tumkur. Beyond Tumkur, there is a diversion to Madhugiri (the locals would help you out with the exact road). Beyond Madhugiri, ask for directions to Jayamanagali forest or Maidanahalli.

A word of advice on planning a trip - Do a 2-day trip. Try to get Forest Dept permission to stay overnight at their forest bungalow. If you are successful, drive to Maidanahalli after lunch on Day 1. Check out the park and the wildlife till sunset. Spend the night there (you need to carry your own food). Do early morning birding and wildlife-watching. Have breakfast and start back to Bangalore.

Links:
List of Birds
Photographs

Kommaghatta Tank - Full of surprises

After an amazing trip to Ramanagara, we were all charged up to continue birding for the rest of the day. After an energy-boosting lunch, we headed off to Kommaghatta Tank.

When we got there, all we could see was a huge flock of Common Coots. Suddenly, one of us spotted a Pied Cuckoo on a wire. Very close to it, there was another one. They were flying around the shrubs in the plots meant for a residential layout. Red-vented Bulbuls and Ashy Prinias were mobbing them.



As we approached the reed beds, we were surprised with a lifer - Streaked Weavers. These shy birds were flying in and out of the reeds, hardly giving us an opportunity to watch them well and photograph them. Their nests on the reed beds are also so different from a Baya Weaver's nest.



Although the Red Avadavat eluded us, we got to see a huge flock of Black-headed Munias.

Among water birds, Greater Cormorants and Oriental Darters were magnificent to watch. A Yellow Bittern made a brief appearance before disappearing into a tree. Just as we were leaving, a Common Kingfisher posed for us patiently. What an end to a great day of birding!

Where is Kommaghatta Tank? When driving towards Bangalore from Mysore, at Kengeri, there is a flyover under construction. At this point, there is a road that slopes upwards. Take that road and follow it till the first major junction. Take a left here and drive straight. You'll cross the NICE road atop a flyover. Kommaghatta Tank is just beyond the flyover on the right-hand side.

Links:
List of birds
Photographs

Soaring Vultures of Ramanagara - Trip report - 20 Jun, 2009

Saturday morning saw us drive to Ramanagara - the land of gigantic rocks, Sholay and, of course, vultures.

The first sighting of the Long-billed Vultures (Gyps Indicus) roosting high on the rocks was amazing. They look like small rocks from the ground. Also known as the Indian Vultures, they were previously clubbed together with the Slender-billed Vultures of NE India as a single species. They are among the worst hit by diclofenac. We spotted 7 of them on the rocks.

Since it was early morning, we decided to check out the Long-billed Pipit on the plains around the rocks. As is becoming common with most of my nature-watching visits, I startled a quail soon after we got there. An Indian Bushlark was singing and doing its parachuting display. A group of Scaly-breasted Munias were busy around a small tree. The number of butterflies fluttering around was sheer magic.

We spotted the Long-billed Pipit sitting majestically on the stump of a palm tree. It's a rare pipit (there is only 1 photo on INW).

We then decided to trek up to the top of the hill to view the vultures as they took off. As we approached the car, the Egyptian Vultures on the opposite rock had taken off and were doing their morning recce flights. We drove up to the base of the Ramadevara Hill and climbed the stairs. Midway, we took a diversion and trekked up the rock. As we climbed higher, the landscapes got more and more beautiful. By then, the vultures had taken off and it was a sight to see them soaring with their huge wings. They were flying back to their roost and taking off again. It was awesome.

I stopped a little way before the summit. The rest of the group got some interesting views and a pair of Long-billed Pipits as well.

This was insect kingdom. I've never seen such a wide assortment of butterflies, hoppers, bugs and spiders (even a green one!). A lot of them were totally new to me.



We trekked back to the steps and walked up to the temple in search of the Yellow-throated Bulbul. We heard them a few of times and saw fleeting glances. One of the tourists there alerted us of a tortoise. We discovered an Indian Pond Terrapin, possibly lost or looking for a nesting site, very close to the temple. I guess it would've wandered from the pool around the temple.

We finally saw the Yellow-throated Bulbul at the base of the stairs. An adult was feeding a spider to its young one. A little more butterfly-watching and we were off.

A fantastic trip and so many lifers too - Long-billed Vultures, Long-billed Pipit and Yellow-throated Bulbul, not to mention the butterflies.

Post-lunch, we proceeded to Kommaghatta Tank.

Links:
List of Birds
Photographs

Nature-watching at Ragihalli and Turahalli - May 30 and 31

Saturday morning saw me driving towards Ragihalli. Our first stop was a ground around a kilometer after getting off the Bannerghatta-Jigani road. Just as we turned into the ground, we saw 3 female Indian Peafowls! This was my first sighting of our National Bird in Bangalore. They quickly disappeared into the undergrowth, giving me enough time to get a couple of record shots. We could hear their calls for more than hour after that.

We greeted the resident Yellow-wattled Lapwings with a few photographs and took a walk around the ground. We saw a small brown bird running in the grass ahead. A few record shots showed that it was a Barred Buttonquail (huge lifer for me)! It walked around for a minute before disappearing into a shrub. As we walked closer, we startled and were startled by a hare! This has been my second hare sighting in 3 weeks near Bangalore.

We drove to Ragihalli. The lake is almost dry now. A pair of Red-wattled Lapwings were crying out loud. I tried walking towards one of them when I was mobbed (almost) by its partner! It came flying straight towards me (I've always had lapwings fly away from me!) and turned away around 10 meters from me. I quickly left the area as I had no intention of disturbing them. There were a couple of pipits around. I didn't see the Large Grey Babblers that I had seen only the week before.

Sadly, the light was really bad (overcast skies) and couldn't get good shots. The list of birds from Ragihalli is here.

We were at Turahalli mini-forest on Sunday morning. The moment we got out of the car, we saw what would be the sight of the day for me (pardon me, but I am a hard-core raptor lover :)). A Changeable Hawk Eagle was perched on a tree close-by and was being mobbed by crows. We watched it for quite some time after which it flew away.

Turahalli is really beautiful. We trekked up 2 small hillocks and the sights we were treated to were amazing. All of us were impressed by huge copper-colored millipedes, which moved like miniature tanks over all obstacles in their way. We saw many agamid lizards basking in the sun. And the butterflies were lovely.



But what added most to the beauty of the place (in my opinion) were the flowers everywhere. From small grasses to eye-level flowering plants, they were everywhere at their colorful best.



The biggest regret though is not able to see the nightjar that was (possibly) roosting on the ground. I was less than a foot away when it flew away. We tried following it but its camoflage was too good for us.

As for the birding, the list is here.

"Kuch dikha kya?" aka Kanha - Tiger, Shows and Traffic Woes...

Kanha is visited primarily for one of its denizens - the Bengal Tiger (Panthera Tigris Tigris). The royalty, taking a walk in the meadows, is truly an experience to behold!



We spotted tigers on 5 of 8 safaris. It was fantastic, especially because I hadn't seen one before. For once, I was thankful to be in the safari jeep than off it :)

Prey is aplenty here. From the tiger's fave food - sambar - to chital to barasigha, the buffet is varied too. One of the groups from the workshop actually saw a tiger attempt a hunt!

We would've, too, if it was not closing time for the park. Read the story by clicking the photograph below.



THE HUMAN EFFECT
The eagerness to see a tiger translates into extensive human interference in the visitor zone at Kanha. Each day, more than 100 safari vehicles make 2 trips into the park. This literally causes traffic jams in the forest, sometimes accidents too.

There is a code when a jeep meets another on the safari - "Kuch dikha kya?" (Did you see anything?"). Of course, the "kuch" refers to the tiger. The obsession with the tiger is really amusing. According to our safari driver, some groups turn back 10 minutes into the safari if they see one close to the park entrance.

Another unique thing here is a Tiger Show. Every morning, a group of mahouts on their elephants head out into the forest. When a tiger is spotted, the elephants surround it, subdue it and force it to stay put. Wireless messages are sent out to the park ticket counters. Tourists can buy special tickets and be "treated" to a tiger sighting on elephant-back.

I went to 2 of the Tiger shows. One of the tigers was peaceful as he had just eaten (the spotted deer remains were carefully hidden under the grass close by) and was relaxing in a water hole. The other one seemed to be forced out of its water hole to a corner and was on alert. As a photographer, both gave me terrible shots due to the angle (looking down from elephant-back). As a nature-lover, I didn't like it because it was just not natural. The agitated/scared look of the tiger was moving.

As a pragmatist, I think its good in a way. People get to see what they want, increasing the park revenue. This in turn, hopefully, boosts the maintenance of our remaining forest cover and conservation. Tormenting a tiger to ensure the remaining survive might not be a bad idea.

PARTING THOUGHTS
The tiger has been feared, revered, admired and hunted for a very long time. The last, sadly, overtook the first three over the 19th and 20th centuries. Combined with population explosion of another mammal (overselves), it has endangered this huge cat. Tomorrow, we might be left with tales to hear and photographs to see of this "king of the jungle".

We may be proud to be Indians. But, we need to translate that pride into action if our descendants are to continue the "Kuch dikha kya?" tradition and still refer to our National Animal.