Did the Geese head out to the Hadinaru Bar?

-
Ever wonder where the Wodeyars- the Royal Of Mysore originated ? Well,It is rumored to this quaint little village in Nanjangud district. But our intention to visit this place was because we were seeking out royals of a different kind ! Our trips to Nanjangud have been many but we have never passed by "sixteen" or as the locals call it Hadinaru. I wonder why it was called Hadinaru? But of all the number to have the name to be based on, nothing can beat sweet sixteen!

The royals we had come to pay our respect to was the migrant bird all the way from Central Asia.  These visitors party all winter in south Asia including at the water bar at Hadinaru. When you have had a long and a very high flight across Tibet, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and my favourite the Himalayas, you need a place like Hadinaru kere to unwind. Now for the meat  protein enthusiasts , I bet you did not know the Bar headed Geese are vegetarians!They feed on barley, rice and wheat and they have the energy to cross the mountains flying up to a height of 18,000-21,000 ft. All this by a mid-sized goose, which measures 71–76 cm (28–30 in) in total length and weighs 1.87–3.2 kg. Hence they should be unofficially crowned the royals of Hadinaru!

Now the Royals are not the only ones who party at the kere. But we had joined the party a little late in winter.January 1st 2016 though let us spot the geese at a distance, the rest of the residents and migrants were not so accomodating.  Some of the other birds pictured included Chestnut Headed Bee eater and cotton pygmy goose. A worthy royal entourage!

Ashy Prinia

Cotton Pygmy Goose 

Bar Headed Geese
Bar Headed Geese
Chestnut Headed Bee eater

Open billed Stork


January 2016
Hadinaru Karnataka

The Travel connection: Did you know that bar headed goose is called PattayTale Hebbatu -ಪಟ್ಟೆತಲೆ ಹೆಬ್ಬಾತು
Location: Hadinaru, Karnataka, India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Destination Aihole

-
Image
The cradle of Hindu temple architecture, Aihole or Aryapura was the destination to learn and experiment on the temple architecture. Under the patronage of early Chalukyan kings, the Chalukyan style of temple architecture was refined here between  the 5th and 8th century.  The preview of Aihole given to us by the guide at Pattadakal was enough to excite me about visiting the ancient school of architecture, You wonder if you have arrived at Aihole as the narrow lanes leads you into the chaos of a village life but the complex of ancient structures in various states of disintegration  make you think you have time traveled. The proximity of the timeworn stone monuments and the present day village dwellings raised a lot of questions. The encroachment of these temples was even more intriguing. Be it the cattle housed in these structures, smoke bellowing out or the colorful clothes drying on a line between intricate carved column, all of it just amazed me. When we arrived a...
Read more

Citadel Acropolis Of Athens

-
Image
Faded reminiscent of a lavish bygone era, Acropolis is a collection of multiple monuments. The current state is due to foreign occupation, pilfering of foreign archaeologist, inept renovations and of course nature's fury. Along with these factor,the indifferent visitor who do not respect the history have made it worse. Does this  remind you of multiple monuments across India. History repeats itself no matter the location. A short climb up the flat rock outcrop and one reaches the propylaea. It is the gateway to the cradle of history. Phidias was the lead architect. The first sight of Doric columns from a distance, the most easiest to sketch was underwhelmed by the crowds. But as we got closer to the gateway, the temple of Athena Nike with ionic columns and the scale of the Doric columns gave us the first preview of what can be expected inside the citadel of acropolis. Stairs Leading to western facade of Propylaea The reconstructed Temple of Athena Nike in tetr...
Read more

Destination Punakha Dzong

-
Image
If I had to choose my favorite structure, It would be the bridges without any hesitation. Bhutan renewed my fascination for bridges with their traditional cantilever bridge called the Bazam. Tintin's knowledge about architecture was limited. My questions on the location of  the toilets, kitchens inside the Dzong  or how the water supply/ drainage worked  and other queries must have driven him mad or made him think that the mountain air had made me go bonkers. So my hopes of understanding the bridge through Tintin was futile. Punakha Dzong is undoubtedly one of the most elegant structures in Bhutan.  To get to the main building , one has to cross Mo chhu through one of the most beautiful bridges I have come across so far. Most buildings in Bhutan are a replica of their ancient self. Due to natural calamities or fire, almost all the prominent sites in Bhutan have been rebuilt in the recent years. The Punakha bridge is no different. You can read more about i...
Read more