Nilgiri Flycatcher - Eravikulam National Park
Nilgiri Flycatcher - Eravikulam National Park
Female Nilgiri Flycatcher - Eravikulam National Park
Tea Plantations and Mountains - Eravikulam National Park
View from top of Eravikulam National Park
View from top of Eravikulam National Park
Nilgiri Tahr - Eravikulam National Park
Tickell's Leaf-warbler - Eravikulam National Park
Tickell's Leaf-warbler - Eravikulam National Park
Palani Laughing-thrush - Eravikulam National Park
Nilgiri Pipit - Eravikulam National Park
Nilgiri Pipit - Eravikulam National Park
Nilgiri Pipit habitat - Eravikulam National Park
White-bellied Blue Robin - Eravikulam National Park
White-bellied Blue Robin - Eravikulam National Park
Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher - Eravikulam National Park
Palani Laughingthrush - Eravikulam National Park
Ian doing selfie with Nilgiri Tahr
Nilgiri Tahr
The descent back to the bus station produced further fantastic views
Indian Blue Robin - Near to Munnar
Nilgiri Woodpigeon - Near to Munnar
Square-tailed Bulbul - Near to Munnar
Black-lored Tit - Near to Munnar
Black-lored Tit - Near to Munnar
Scarlet Minivet of subspecies flammeus, a potential future split as Orange Minivet - Near to Munnar
After lunch we drove through the streets of Munnar and climbed a single lane track through tea plantations and past lodges to the Deshaden Mountain Resort. The road was narrow but with heavy traffic and took far longer than the distance would have suggested. We then birded the track that extends north-west of the resort. This was a pleasure to bird and we saw neither car nor a single person. Passing through forest and scrub, we saw Red Scrubfowl, Nilgiri Woodpigeon, Indian Scimitar-babbler, Tytler's Leaf-warbler, Malabar Whistling-thrush, Black-and-Orange Flycatcher, Rufous Treepie, Crimson-backed Sunbird and Yellow-browed Bulbul. We reached the end of the track and then climbed to the nearby summit at 1700m. Walking through the waist high grassland we hoped for Broad-tailed Grassbird but as the species is not breeding at this time it is very difficult to see. Predictably, we failed to see the Grassbird but recorded many Alpine Swift moving north overhead, Black-shouldered Kite, Peregrine and Black Eagle. The descent through the grassland was fairly tough, Jejo was aware of a short cut but this had not be used for some time and hence we off-roaded through shoulder high grass and tall scrub, it was hard and hot work. Once back to the track we slowly birded down track back to car as darkness fell, it had been a great days birding and cold beer was very welcome at the end of the day.
Tytler's Leaf-warbler - Deshaden Mountain Resort
Crimson-backed Sunbird - Deshaden Mountain Resort
Yellow-browed Bulbul - Deshaden Mountain Resort
Nilgiri Woodpigeon - Deshaden Mountain Resort
Black Eagle and Alpine Swift - Deshaden Mountain Resort
View from above Deshaden Mountain Resort with the resort in the foreground
Plateau above Deshaden Mountain Resort
Me on the plateau above Deshaden Mountain Resort with Broad-tailed Grassbird habitat in abundance but no sign of the bird
View from plateau above Deshaden Mountain Resort
Tea plantation from plateau above Deshaden Mountain Resort
I think this is Indian Skink Eutropis carinata - Above Deshaden Mountain Resort
View from - Above Deshaden Mountain Resort
Indian Giant Squirrel - Above Deshaden Mountain Resort
Three-striped Palm Squirrel - Above Deshaden Mountain Resort
Indian Scimitar-babbler
Greater Racquet-tailed Drongo - Above Deshaden Mountain Resort
Every morning at the Tea County Hotel in Munnar we awoke to the mournful song of Malabar Whistling-thrush and I couldn't resist getting a recording. However, even at 06:30 music can still be heard in the background ruining the peace of this beautiful location. The sound of the bird reminds me a bit of the Clangers.
Here is the distinctive 'chee-wee' call of a Greenish Warbler recorded this evening just above the Deshaden Mountain Resort. The recording has two calls while the sonogram shows a single one of these calls. The pitch of the call ranges from around 3.8kHz to 7.8kHz with two distinct notes both falling in pitch the first starting at around 7.8kHz the second at around 7.10kHz.
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 11 – Drive from Munnar to Periyar Tiger Reserve.
- Day 12 – Periyar Tiger Reserve.
- Day 13 – Drive from Kumily to Thattekkad.
- Day 14 – Thattekkad area.
- Day 15 – Thattekkad area then travel to Chennai.
- Day 16 - International flight.