Chestnut-tailed Starling of subspecies blythii, sometimes split as Malabar Starling but HBW Alive consider the song, plumage and genetic differences too small to justify the split - Thattekad
Fork-tailed Drongo-cuckoo, this species is a brood parasite on a range of species including Babblers and Ioras. In the north of its range it is nomadic but in south-west India it is resident - Thattekad
Fork-tailed Drongo-cuckoo - Thattekad
This spectacular vine like plant was common along the forest edge - Thattekad
Green Warbler - Thattekad
Common Lascar Pantoporia hordonia - Thattekad
Malabar Woodshrike - Thattekad
Banded Bay Cuckoo, the host species are Common Iora and Scarlet Minivet - Thattekad
A skulking young male Grey Junglefowl - Thattekad
Male Crimson-backed Sunbird - Thattekad
Female Malabar Parakeet - Thattekad
Dark-fronted Babbler of the nominate subspecies which is endemic to the Western Ghats - Thattekad
Small Minivet of the subspecies malabaricus - Thattekad
Changeable Hawk-eagle of the nominate subspecies cirrhatus, sometimes split as Crested Hawk-eagle - Thattekad
A spectacular bee probably of the genus Xylocopa - Thattekad
The beautiful forests at Thattekad
Three on a bike
The forest and track we birded this morning produced one of the most enjoyable sessions of the trip
We birded this quiet track all morning
The birding bus
Loten's Sunbird (female) - Thattekad
Loten's Sunbird (male) - Thattekad
Cattle Egret of subspecies coromandus, sometimes split as Eastern Cattle Egret - Thattekad
The superb Grey Junglefowl - Thattekad
Indian Scops-owl, obligingly came to our chalets as we drank beer and completed the log - Hornbill Camp, Thattekad
I made a lot of recordings today most of which have been uploaded to the Internet Bird Collection. The downloads that can be generated are great as they produce a fairly good sonogram with the recording embedded and if clicked on one can listen to the recording or be directed to the IBC website where a larger version and details of the recording can be viewed.
This is a recording of the Mountain (Legge's Hawk-eagle) from first thing in the morning. This I believe to be the territorial call.
This is a recording of two Crested Serpent-eagle that were heard but not seen as they soared over the forest canopy.
The rattling tacking of a Dark-fronted Babbler reacting to a small amount of playback. The bird was in a bamboo thicket and moved into the canopy.
A Blyth's Reed-warbler with tacking calls and harsh alarm calls, the tacking calls are distinctive but the alarm calls are fairly similar to Common Reed-warbler.
Calls of a loose flock of around 20 Crested Treeswift as they flew above a woodland clearing at dusk.
Call of Mottled Wood-owl at dusk.
Duetting Mottled Wood-owl described in HBW Alive as the main breeding-season vocalisation and described as quavering 'chuhuawaarrrr' which seems fairly accurate to my ear. In this recording there are two calls and I believe the hoot is the female while the 'chuhuawaarrrr' is the male. Below shows the ''chuhuawaarrrr” (first note with harmonic) followed by the hoot.
This is the remarkable bouncing ball song of Jerdon's Nightjar, the enlargement of one of the calls shows the unusual waveform of one of the calls.
Links to Other Days of the Trip (Click to View)
- Day 1 – International flight from London Heathrow.
- Day 2 – Landed Chennai then flight to Port Blair. Birding on Andaman Islands PM.
- Day 3 – Andaman Islands.
- Day 4 – Andaman Islands.
- Day 5 – Andaman Islands.
- Day 6 – Travel day from Port Blair (Andaman Islands) to Ooty (Western Ghats).
- Day 7 – Birding Ooty then on to Mudumalai.
- Day 8 – Birding Mudumalai then drive back to Ooty.
- Day 9 – Birding Ooty and then drive to Munnar.
- Day 10 – Birding Munnar area.
- Day 11 – Drive from Munnar to Periyar Tiger Reserve.
- Day 12 – Periyar Tiger Reserve.
- Day 13 – Drive from Kumily to Thattekkad.
- Day 15 – Thattekkad area then travel to Chennai.
- Day 16 - International flight.
