HighwayRanger
Well-Known Member
The title may be a little off the target.
We have been to Kodaikanal twice before... once in 2001 and in 2010. So after five years we thought of another visit. As we were planning our stay and places to visit we slowly changed our plan and decided to stay in a place a little far from Kodai. It was a resort near Perumal Malai called Elephant Valley Eco Farm. It was supposed to be a nature resort in a valley surrounded by mountains. Their property was really huge.
We did some search on the net for birding spots in Kodaikanal and could not find any good result apart from the general view that Barijam lake area was a good bet. But the hassles of getting the permit to visit on our last trip put us off. And for birds, the only new bird we could see on the net was the Bar-winged flycatcher (Bar-winged flycatcher shrike)
Our initial plan was to stay there and make a day trip to Kodai. But after seeing that place we decided to spend some time there and some nearby non tourist areas.
So on the 24th of September, we started our journey. We had our breakfast at A2B Thoppur and lunch at Thalappakatti, Batlagundu. We started our climb and after passing the Rat tail Falls, spotted our first bird. And it was a new bird for us.
Blue-bearded Bee-eater...
This large bee-eater has a large sickle shaped bill and the square ended tail lacks the "wires" that are typical of smaller bee-eaters. The bird is grass green with a turquoise forehead, face and chin. The feathers of the throat are elongated giving it a bearded appearance when they are fluffed out. The belly is yellowish to olive with streaks of green or blue. The peninsular Indian populations are said to be paler green than the northeast Indian populations. Although males and females appear similar, the blue throat feathers of the male show higher ultraviolet reflectivity than those of the female. [wikipedia]
[to be cont.]
We have been to Kodaikanal twice before... once in 2001 and in 2010. So after five years we thought of another visit. As we were planning our stay and places to visit we slowly changed our plan and decided to stay in a place a little far from Kodai. It was a resort near Perumal Malai called Elephant Valley Eco Farm. It was supposed to be a nature resort in a valley surrounded by mountains. Their property was really huge.
We did some search on the net for birding spots in Kodaikanal and could not find any good result apart from the general view that Barijam lake area was a good bet. But the hassles of getting the permit to visit on our last trip put us off. And for birds, the only new bird we could see on the net was the Bar-winged flycatcher (Bar-winged flycatcher shrike)
Our initial plan was to stay there and make a day trip to Kodai. But after seeing that place we decided to spend some time there and some nearby non tourist areas.
So on the 24th of September, we started our journey. We had our breakfast at A2B Thoppur and lunch at Thalappakatti, Batlagundu. We started our climb and after passing the Rat tail Falls, spotted our first bird. And it was a new bird for us.
Blue-bearded Bee-eater...
This large bee-eater has a large sickle shaped bill and the square ended tail lacks the "wires" that are typical of smaller bee-eaters. The bird is grass green with a turquoise forehead, face and chin. The feathers of the throat are elongated giving it a bearded appearance when they are fluffed out. The belly is yellowish to olive with streaks of green or blue. The peninsular Indian populations are said to be paler green than the northeast Indian populations. Although males and females appear similar, the blue throat feathers of the male show higher ultraviolet reflectivity than those of the female. [wikipedia]
[to be cont.]
