If you talk about bird watching combined with a trek in the serenity of the nature, Ananthagiri Hills will be one in the top of the list. If you talk about a weekend getaway from Hyderabad, Ananthagiri Hills surely is worth the option. If you talk about a long drive on a day trip somewhere near Hyderabad, Ananthagiri Hills Vikarabad will definitely not disappoint you. However, there is only one catch - choose the perfect season based on the purpose of your visit.
For weekend getaways, long drives and any other leisure visit, best season to go will be during and after the monsoons.
For birding, it depends on the location you visit. Ananthagiri Hills has multiple bird watching points and trekking spots. This season is best for the spot near Kotpally Reservoir. All other spots and treks are too dense and make it extremely hard to spot and click.
This was our first visit there and none of us was aware about the terrain and the location. Hence we couldn't click many. However now we know where to see, at what time and in which season. At the end of the day with a trek of around 4 hours we somehow managed to click some birds.
(For me personally it was a strange feeling. Now I know the feeling when a batsman scores 199 in test and is waiting for that 1 more run to get to his double century. Before this trip I was at 197 with 2 new species added to my list, now standing at 199. I really wished that I got my 200 today alas will have to wait for some more time.)
The beautiful Yellow Crowned Woodpecker (don't get fooled by the bright red nape, that's how it is)
Yellow-crowned Woodpecker Male
Green Bee-eater
Laughing Dove
Long-tailed Shrike juv
Plum-headed Parakeet Male
Plum-headed Parakeet Female
Rose-ringed Parakeet Male
White-bellied Drongo
Yellow-billed Babbler
White-browed Fantail
Plain Prinia
Our Group
TRIP 2: 18-Oct-2014
This was not a birding trip
per-se and more of a picnic outing. However once a birder, how can you
not wander your eyes to see that one elusive species. And there I was,
successfully spotted 2 lifers and also was happy to spot the Grey
Francolin near Hyderabad.
Distance: 100 km one way upto Kotpally reservoir.
Black-winged Kite
Grey Francolin
Rock Bush Quail
Birding Trip 3: December 2017
Brown Fish Owl
White-bellied Drongo
Great Tit
White-browed Wagtail
Little Stint
Lesser Goldenback
White-browed Bulbul
Chestnut-shouldered Petronia
Green Warbler
Kotpally Kayaking
TRIP 4: JULY 2018
Yellow-crowned Woodpecker
White-bellied Drongo
Asian Paradise Flycatcher
Red-rumped Swallow
Pied Cuckoo
Serpent Eagle
Asian Koel Female
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Coppersmith Barbet
TRIP 5: AUGUST 2019
White-naped Woodpecker female
Tawny-bellied Babbler
Rufous Treepie juv
Asian Koel male juv
Common Iora male
Tickell's Blue Flycatcher
Wild Boar
Yellow-footed Green Pigeon
Asian Brown Flycatcher
Indian Grey Hornbill
TRIP 6: SEPTEMBER 2020
Primarily a driving experience combined with some birding of course.
Distance: 140 + 140 KM (Click here for Google Maps)
Birds Spotted: 50+ (22 New Species for me - taking me to 196 species overall)
After so many years in Hyderabad, finally discovered a weekend trip which is definitely worth revisiting. Bidar is highly under-rated when it comes to bird watching and photography. People visiting here are so contented with Blackbuck sighting, Boating, Kayaking, Coracal Ride, Historical Monuments, Forts, etc. that Birding takes a back seat. Tourists hardly spend any time exploring the area for possible bird sighting probably because of lack of interest in this topic.
However, for me, the sole purpose of this visit was to spot as many bird species as possible. By the graciousness of the rain gods, a little bit of effort from my end and at last some wonderful luck on my part, I was able to spot and click more than 50 different species of birds (with 22 species which I have never clicked before)
I always feel that luck just seems to find its way into my camera. This trip was no surprise either. It felt as if whichever direction I turn my head - there's a different bird perching on the branches. Enjoy the pics below, I really want to visit this place once again and this time probably will stay for more than 1 day.
Coppersmith Barbet
Baya Weaver Male
Baya Weaver Male
Streaked Weaver
Long-tailed Shrike
Indian Courser
Small Minivet Female
White-browed Bulbul
Black-headed Cuckooshrike
Asian Brown Flycatcher
Lesser Whistling Duck
Spot-billed Duck
Rufous-tailed Lark
Indian Bushlark
Sykes's Lark
Singing Bushlark
Indian Silverbill
Scaly-breasted Munia
Black-headed Munia
Brahminy Starling juv
Oriental White-eye
Laughing Dive
Yellow-wattled Lapwing
Red-wattled Lapwing
Yellow-billed Babbler
Purple-rumped Sunbird Male
Purple Sunbird eclipse
Gull-billed Tern
Pied Bushchat
Eurasian Spoonbill
Common Babbler
Plain Prinia
Grey-breasted Prinia
Wooly-necked Stork
Green Sandpiper
Grey Heron
Common Myna
Great Egret
Glossy Ibis
Pied Kingfisher
Rufous Treepie
Greater short-toed Lark
Blackbuck
Fox
Langur
The Resort
TRIP 2: 19-August-2018
Common Iora Female
Common Iora Male
Common Iora Male
Long-tailed Shrike Juvenile
Blackbuck Female
Blackbuck Female
Indian Courser Juvenile
Indian Courser
Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse Female
Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse Male
Eurasian Collared Dove
Ashy Prinia
Plum-headed Parakeet Male
Shikra Juvenile
Indian Silverbill
Indian Peacock
Plain Prinia
Red-rumped Swallow
TRIP 3: 29-DECEMBER-2019
This was again another quick trip to Bidar with some friends and their family. Somehow this has now become the go-to vacation spot for all Hyderabadis. Included with a cool long drive from Hyderabad, who wouldn't want to spend the weekend and relax in such a beautiful place.
The following are the wildlife pictures that we clicked followed by the driving summary.
Montagu's Harrier male
Pallid Harrier Female
Red-vented Bulbul
Montagu's Harrier Male
White-browed Bulbul
Coppersmith Barbet
Brahminy Starling
Blackbuck
Blackbuck
Blackbuck
Blackbuck
Blackbuck
Langur
Hume's Whitethroat
Common Rosefinch male
Common Rosefinch female
Blue Rock Thrush (lifer)
Blackbuck female and juv
Tawny coster
The following stats were downloaded from "MY AUDI" app . The data below is correct except the km/l figures. The km/l figure which is indicated below is what the the car display shows. Now we all know that the actual number is much less than that. I prefer to calculate the km/l only through one method and that is tank-fill to tank-fill. It provides a more realistic number always. So, for the below trip the tank-fill to tank-fill was around 13 km/l. Now that is anyway very impressive, considering the car was Audi A4 Petrol.
