Bird watching at Laknavaram Forest
My quest for finding new birding locations in and around Hyderabad, led me to Laknawaram Forest and Eturnagaram Widlife Sanctuary. It was also a long drive that I had been waiting to do for a very long time.
When I first stepped out of my car in that location, I felt I landed on a paradise for birding. There weren’t any birds around in that afternoon but considering the location and its potential, I thought it might just be a matter of time when the birds start their activity from every corner. I was eagerly waiting for the next morning.
The location had everything that required for the birds to be there. There were hills and hillocks, there was a huge water body, the forest was dense enough surrounding that water body on the hills and the human population was minimal. All is all a perfect setting for the birds. I know how rewarding Narsapur is, every time I visit there. But that late afternoon and the next morning I was shocked to find that the place hardly has any birds. The effort of trekking in those jungle pathways with very low light was not at all commensurate with the birds I found.
Left the place in the morning disappointed, with a heavy heart thinking what was wrong with this location and why the birds didn’t choose to be there.
From there we made a visit to Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, thinking it might bring about something for my camera. Alas, it was a bigger disappointment. Sunday morning during the peak visiting hours the wildlife sanctuary office was locked and deserted. I was not sure how the government even promotes this location as a wildlife sanctuary. AP and Telengana need to learn seriously from other states on how to maintain their wildlife sanctuaries and how to promote it for tourism.
I still tried my best and entered the forest trek opposite the wildlife office. Trekked inside for about a kilometer but it was not worth. The forest was dense and very similar to what I saw in Dudhwa, but the birds were nowhere to be seen. It felt like it was some kind of jinxed where you find no life form whatsoever. It felt completely dead, gory and lifeless. Came back to Hyderabad with only the satisfaction that I was atleast able to identify the location and its birding potential.
Here are some of the pics that I clicked there.
My quest for finding new birding locations in and around Hyderabad, led me to Laknawaram Forest and Eturnagaram Widlife Sanctuary. It was also a long drive that I had been waiting to do for a very long time.
When I first stepped out of my car in that location, I felt I landed on a paradise for birding. There weren’t any birds around in that afternoon but considering the location and its potential, I thought it might just be a matter of time when the birds start their activity from every corner. I was eagerly waiting for the next morning.
The location had everything that required for the birds to be there. There were hills and hillocks, there was a huge water body, the forest was dense enough surrounding that water body on the hills and the human population was minimal. All is all a perfect setting for the birds. I know how rewarding Narsapur is, every time I visit there. But that late afternoon and the next morning I was shocked to find that the place hardly has any birds. The effort of trekking in those jungle pathways with very low light was not at all commensurate with the birds I found.
Left the place in the morning disappointed, with a heavy heart thinking what was wrong with this location and why the birds didn’t choose to be there.
From there we made a visit to Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, thinking it might bring about something for my camera. Alas, it was a bigger disappointment. Sunday morning during the peak visiting hours the wildlife sanctuary office was locked and deserted. I was not sure how the government even promotes this location as a wildlife sanctuary. AP and Telengana need to learn seriously from other states on how to maintain their wildlife sanctuaries and how to promote it for tourism.
I still tried my best and entered the forest trek opposite the wildlife office. Trekked inside for about a kilometer but it was not worth. The forest was dense and very similar to what I saw in Dudhwa, but the birds were nowhere to be seen. It felt like it was some kind of jinxed where you find no life form whatsoever. It felt completely dead, gory and lifeless. Came back to Hyderabad with only the satisfaction that I was atleast able to identify the location and its birding potential.
Here are some of the pics that I clicked there.
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| Small Minivet Male |
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| Small Minivet Male |
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| Tawny-bellied Babbler |
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| Tawny-bellied Babbler |
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| Common Woodshrike |
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| Common Woodshrike |
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| Purple Sunbird Female |
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| Jungle Babbler (orientali |
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| Asian Pied Starling (contra) |
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| Brahminy Starling |
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| Baya Weaver Male (burmanicu |
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| White-thro |
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| Spotted Dove (suratensi |
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| Common Tailorbird |
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| House Sparrow Male |
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| Shikra Female |
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| Laknavaram Lake and Haritha Resort |
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| Haritha Canteen |
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| Suspended Bridge |
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| Speed Boating |
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| Trek in Laknavaram Forest |
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| Laknavaram Forest |
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| Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary |
The photographs are really good.
ReplyDeleteLaknavaram lake "laknavaram lake"
Thanks Shiva.
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