We started early morning at 7am.
One the way we encountered a grey jungle fowl on the road and decided to stop a little.
There we encountered a mixed hunting party, infact 2 mixed hunting parties and so our group also got split :-)
A few us we seeing a mixed hunting party containing the chestnut tailed startlings, racket tailed drongo, ashy drongo, scarlet minivet, white eye and a very good sighting of barwinged flycatcher shrike.
Barwinged flycatcher shrike
Once the mixed hunting party moved own we saw the malabar parakeet sitting far away on a tree top.
Malabar parakeet
We reached ganeshgudi a little late and there was no activity of hornbills. Just a brahiny kite sitting in the sun and it also flew away soon. Adesh spotted a malabar grey hornbill sitting closing to the road going up along the right bank of the river and we decided to move there.
We got down at that spot and
the grey hornbill was sitting still for a long time.
We observed it through the spotting scope and also had a lot of shots taken.
Malabar Grey Hornbill
On a tree opposite to the hornbill there were chloropsis and chestnut tailed startling. From here we decided to walk ahead on the same road.
First we spotted a purple sunbird pair. A little ahead we got a flock of hill maynas come and sit on the top of a bare tree. The light was not very good and they were too high for photography but very enjoyable to watch.
Hill Mayna
Before heading towards the breakfast we decided to a small jungle trail which ended in an abondoned mine.
At the start of the trail itself we encountered a pair of heart spotted woodpecker and a bloack lored tit. There were also some brown cheeked fulvetta and yellow browed bulbul.
At the mine we could see barn swallows, chestnut headed beeeater, paradise flycatcher white morph male, white browed wagtail. On the way back in the undergrowth there were black napped monarch, barwinged flycatcher shrike, white rumped shama, brown cheeked fulvetta. A pair of malabar pied hornbills came and sat on a tree on the top giving good views.
Chestnut headed beeeater
White rumped Munia
Just on the road outside the trail Adesh heard the crimson fronted barbet. Some meters ahead we spotted 3 of them.
Crimson Fronted barbet
Had set dosa breakfast at the hotel just at the crossroads before kulgi very late almost 11am.
Near this place we saw wonderful Ashy wood swallows red rumped swallows perched on the bamboo.
Ashy woodswallow
Red rumped swallow
Brahminy kite in flight
Brahminy Kite
Purple Sunbird displaying its yellow tufts
There were also purple sunbird displaying, gold fronted leaf bird, brahminy kite.
Walked back to the camp and on the way spotted a crimson breasted barbet.
After lunch we started towards a nearby waterbody to see some waterbirds.
Outside the camp there was a surprise waiting for us. Bang opposite the gate on a tree a malabar giant squirell was happily munching away.
It was sitting right in the open and was not at all distirubed with the n number of binoculars, cameras and a spotting scope pointing at it :-)
On the way we stopped to have look at a mixed hunting party near a timber depot very near to the camp.
Here as usaual (by now) we spotted the common woodshrike, velvet frontted nuthatch and even a vernal hanging parrot, first time on the trip.
At the lake the grey headed fishing eagle flew from our side to the other side. The other water birds spotted were the pheasant tailed and bronze winged jacanas, cotton pygmy goose, lesser whistling teals, grey heron, common darter, white throated and small blue kingfisher.
On the way back we decided to do the timber depot to see the roosting sites but invain.
Anyway after we reached the camp after a cup of tea we were welcomed by the grey nightjar sitting on the tree at the center of the camp.
We tried to do some photography in the torch light and then decided to leave it alone.
Todays night trail was going to be a longer one and there was anxiety to see the night species.
As soon as we went to the water body we heard and saw the flying squirells and got some really good views through binoculars as well as cameras.
We got some good views even on our way back after an hour or so. Again today we could hear the frogmouth and the scops owl but no sightings of them.
We we had an interested sighting of a bigger a mamal on the ground which mostly was a civet cat.
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