The Travel Connection

Flying Malabar Squirrel Kabini as a winter wonderland was a stark contrast from the lush green paradise I had experienced earlier. Nothing better than foggy mornings and chilly late afternoons to get lost in nature and sight our four legged friends. The back drop of dry twigs and leaves of all colours make for good pictorial memories. And most of our friends obliged for our cameras. But It’s going to be tough summer for them as the water is scarce right in the month of January. Hope they are going to be alright! The elusive black panther remained elusive to our disappointment but we did get a  brief sighting of the Indian Leopard. And of course our other friends, the Indian gaur with its young ones, the flying Malabar squirrel putting up a show for us, the many water birds, all of it just made it another wonderful holiday in a green paradise. Indian leopard  little Egret Darter Asian Elephants Indian Gaur Mom and bab...

And it was yet again the time for our yearly pilgrimage to pray that we have a wonderful year travelling as much as we can. This time around we got greedy and decided to grab as much as possible. So whilst the majority of Bangalore crowd went bar hopping till wee hours, we woke up before sunrise on the first day of the year 2017 and went Kere Hopping!! Kere for the non kannadigas translates to lake. And the first stop over was the Linghambudhi Kere At Mysore. A temporary home to migrant birds, it was a sight every bird watcher dreams of. Make sure that you cover all the sides of the lakes including the bund road to sight as many birds as possible. Yellow wagtail Common Kingfisher Northern Shoveler Male and female Some of the birds we spotted included Yellow wagtail Indian Silver bill Clamorous Reed warbler Common iora Common Kingfisher Purple sunbird Black headed ibis Wood sandpiper. Black winged stilt barn swallow Rosy...

The birding trip on 1st of January has set a trend for this year. And here we were yet again on a short drive to the outskirts of Bangalore. The elaborate lists on Ebird made Hoskote lake a birder's paradise and we couldn't wait to get there. Though we were a tad late for the migratory birds, we headed out to the grasslands around the lake. After some misses, we hit upon a road that lead us close to the lake. A short walk and we were by the marshy water edge. Without the wellies, we could not venture further and all the water birds were mocking us from the bank on the other side. Without powerful binoculars or telephoto zoom, we could barely recognize the far way  birds. But to see the few up close and personal, made our day! Indian Silverbill Little Egret Painted Storks White cheeked Barbet Sandpiper January 2016 Hoskote Karnataka The Travel Connection: Indian Silverbill ...

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 ...

Bandipur till recently was the national park we traversed and enjoyed its elusive inhabitants along the road while driving towards Nilgiris. This time around on our way back from the blue mountains, we thought of a stop over at the Bandipur safari lodge. Enough has been written in here about my trips to national parks and sightings. So no more fauna but lets talk  about flora in Bandipur! The hunting grounds of Mysore Maharajas is to my surprise a white wonderland of wild flowers in month of December. Karnataka has its own version of meadow of flowers! Tropical dry deciduous, tropical moist deciduous, scrub forest and open grassy woodlands- in case one has forgotten what each means, I would suggest joining the 3 hour long safari organized by the jungle lodges. So the eastern part of the 874sq kms of forest land is covered with stunted trees,shrubs and grass patch lands making it the Moyar jungle of scrub. The central part kaniyanapura is dry deciduous , the...

The Majestic Elephant Nagarahole National Park has been a location of many fond memories from my teenage years. I was returning to this wonderful park after almost 20 years and was really excited about exploring it again. Though the elusive leopard did not honor us with his/her presence, the safaris were worth the time spent. The lush green park from the monsoons just made it a wonderland! The talented naturalist from Kabini river lodge led us through the maze of dirt roads and guided us to the sights of diverse wildlife. The perspective flip on the boat safari was the icing on the cake, an experience not to be missed. Kabini and Nagarahole - An unforgettable wildlife odyssey Crocodile A day on Kabini Vigilant Stripe necked Mongoose Spotted Deer in Green Wonderland   Indian Bison Gaur Indian Peafowl Cattle Egret Indian roller Osprey Painted Stork Crested serpent eagle  Sambar   Rhesus...