7th Dec 2010 Dandeli

Next morning the last day of the trip was for safari. It was good, not many sightings but some new sightings in terms of a common hawk-cuckoo right at the gate.



At a water body we saw a oriental honey buzzard.


Some distance ahead on the way to observation point we encountered a mixed hunting party consisting of black headed cuckooshrike, large woodshrike, minivets, pied flycatchershrike, startlings, etc.

Black headed cuckooshrike




Large Woodshrike




At the observation point down in the valley we were searching for the great pied hornbills.In the nearby bushes a purple sunbird, common iora, small minivets were seen and also a plain flower pecker.
Plain Flowerpecker


Common Iora


Small Minivet


On the way back just on the road a jackal was walking in front of the jeep.
Jackal




A little ahead on the right hand side water body shore we saw a family of wild boars.
This ended the safari and we came to our favorite restaurant for breakfast.
Today was poha and shira. As usual very very tasty.

While we were just starting the breakfast a few who were yet to join came in calling for us.
It was a pair of lorikeets sitting in the open at a very close distance. They gave us good views. Fantastic birds!!
Lorikeet (Vernal Hanging Parrot)
















Back to the camp we packed our luggage and dumped it into a single tent as we had to checkout.
We had time till around 5pm before we started our journey back.
So before lunch we decided to have a quick round till Bommanhalli intake (intake meaning backwaters).

On the way we stopped at the spot because as usaual we had encountered a mixed hunting party.
There was lot of comotion and a pair of drongos was driving away a shikra. More deeper we could see the yellow browed bulbuls and a paradise flycatcher white morph male.
Here we spotted the rufous woodpecker, greater flameback, large cuckooshrike, velvet fronted nuthatch, brown cheeked fulvetta, scarlet minivets,etc.

Asian Paradise Flycatcher


Velvet Fronted Nuthatch


At the intake we took group photos scanned the coast for birds. There were mainly the cormorants, egrets, river terns and thats it.
We turned back from here for a lunch at the camp.

There was some time before the lunch was ready. So we were sitting and discussing about different topics when someone spotted a large cuckoo shrike.
After that what started was a huge hunting party which was an ultimate closing session to our trip.
Following were the birds in this party and all not at a distance of more than 20feet: Scarlet minivet, chestnut tailed starlings, brown cheeked fulvetta, common woodshrike, black headed cuckooshrike, bronzed drongo, brown capped pygmy woodpecker, velvet fronted nuthatch, black naped monarch, verditer flycatcher, greater flameback, gold fronted chloropsis, black lored tit.

Golden-fronted Leafbird


Large Cuckooshrike




Brown capped pygmy woodpecker




Drongo Cuckoo (thanks Adesh for correcting ID)


Black lored Tit


Velvet Fronted Nuthatch


After lunch when we were stitting we saw an interesting bonnet macaque behavior. There were some onions kept in the open and the macaques were filling whole onions in their mouth and also carrying it away.

Mokey eating an Onion




We started back for Dharwad at around 4:30. On the way back encountered 10-15 crested tree swifts sitting on a wire.
Also some distance ahead near a water body there were a few wonderful surprises waiting. A maratha woodpecker was drumming away ona a bamboo branch for a long time. A lesser adjutant came and sat on a tree behind us, a green sandpiper on a water log in the water, a paradise flycatcher male and female and the best and the last surprise a forest wagtail spotted fantastically by Mandar.

Crested Treeswift










Lesser Adjutant Stork


Yellow-crowned Woodpecker


Forest Wagtail


A mindblowing end to a fantastic trip!!