We were driving down post our visit to Old Magazine House Ganeshgudi and had the least of the expectations from Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. Our purpose was to take a night halt here before we continue our journey to Bangalore and then Hyderabad. The Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR) property was apt for this location. We even spotted 4 lifers and some amazing photo opp for landscapes and portraits too. JLR arranged one boat safari (into Bhadra Reservoir) and one jeep safari (into Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary) and both were equally rewarding.
Driving Direction: Hyderabad - Bangalore (night halt) - Ganeshgudi (2 nights halt) - Chikmaglur (night halt) - Bangalore (night halt) - Hyderabad
Total distance: 2300 km
Transport fuel cost: Petrol (approx Rs. 10,000) + highway toll (approx Rs. 2500)
Cost of Stay: 2 nights JLR Ganeshgudi (Rs. 11,000) for 2 people
1 night JLR Chikmaglur (Rs. 12,000) for 2 people
It is amazing to believe how life changes with time. Usually you won’t notice it unless you revisit your old memories and that was exactly the case when we visited Old Magazine House this time around. Last time I was carrying Canon 400 f/5.6 with Canon 70D body and Supriya was with a binocular, the earlier Kenko one, not even the current Swarovski one that we use now. This time however things were complete different, in a matter of 5 year we upgraded our equipment so drastically, it shows how deeply we are involved with birding. As somebody said that one should upgrade their gear when they start feeling disappointed with their existing one and I totally agree with that part. It is just so that maybe our level of disappointment with our existing gear happened way too soon. So, now Supriya is using Canon R5 body with Canon 800 mm prime, I’m using 7D Mark ii body with Canon 400 f/4 prime. Not to mention I already placed the order for Canon R5 body too which I’m expecting to receive in another week’s time. Hopefully sometime later this year, I might even switch to Canon 600 f/4 RF lens, but that is just a thought.
Anyway, so finally we reached Old Magazine House and struggling with elbow spaces on Saturday and Sunday. Once again realized that, the best time to go to Old Magazine House is from Tuesday to Thursday, no weekend trip from next time. The first day itself I heard the Red Spurfowl calling from the depth of the woods, I checked with Pundlik (veteran naturalist at Old Magazine House), he mentioned that the bird would never come out but on silent days might walk across the woods and can be seen by chance standing at the hide. I was not so optimistic considering the extent of the crowd on this weekend, but what happened on Sunday evening was totally beyond my expectation. Almost everyone checked out from the place by Sunday evening and only me and Supriya along with 3 other guests were at the hide. It was almost dark at 6-30 PM with all bird activity completely ended and I was standing at the edge of the hide watching at the woods when I noticed some movement inside the dense foliage. Initially I thought it was wild boar as that came a few hours earlier to, but all of a sudden I felt it was something like a bird. I just picked up my camera, reduced my shutter speed to 1/125 at 12800 ISO, I managed to click a couple of shots before the bird disappeared inside the woods. In my mind I was 99% certain, that I clicked the Red Spurfowl and I knew the photo will be a disaster at that dark conditions, but I still looked into my image review to see what I clicked. And there it was, my lifer number 790, captured in my camera. I cannot explain in words the joy it brings when I see a lifer, more so when it is a bird as rare as a Red Spurfowl.
Now imagine, the story still doesn’t end there. We even managed to click the Spot-bellied Eagle Owl and also the Common Goldenback, all 3 lifers which we got this time in Old magazine house were the rarest of the rare birds. As I keep saying sometimes, luck somehow finds it’s way into my camera in some way or the other. And this time it was just too generous.
Enjoy the video and pics below.
Malabar Trogon male
Rufous-bellied Eagle
Emerald Dove male
Emerald Dove female
Yellow-browed Bulbul
Tickell's Blue Flycatcher
Brown-cheeked Fulvetta
Indian Blue Robin female
Ashy Drongo
Oriental White-eye
Indian Yellow Tit male
Indian Yellow Tit female
Dark-fronted Babbler
Blue-capped Rock Thrush
White-bellied Blue Flycatcher male
White-bellied Blue Flycatcher female
Puff-throated Babbler
Asian Paradise Flycatcher male
Black-naped Monarch male
White-rumped Shama female
Oriental Magpie Robin female
Black Drongo
Jungle Owlet
Spot-bellied Eagle Owl (lifer)
Red Spurfowl (lifer)
Indian Giant Flying Squirrel (lifer)
Brown-headed Barbet
Jerdon's Leafbird female
Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker female
Red-breasted Flycatcher female
Malabar Hornbill female
Malabar Hornbill male
Malabar Hornbill male
Orange Minivet male
Orange Minivet female
Common Goldenbback (lifer)
Draco (Flying Lizard)
Malabar Giant Squirrel
Malabar Barbet
Glassy Tiger
Blue-caped Rock Thrush
Malabar Woodshrike
Malabar Barbet
Indian Golden Oriole male
Indian Golden Oriole female
Blyth's Starling male
Malabar Trogon male
White-bellied Blue Flycatcher male
Crimson-backed Sunbird male
Black-naped Monarch male
Common Sailor
Asian Brown Flycatcher
TRIP 1: November 2017
The most rewarding experience for any birder is to spot a lifer. Be it for a lifer or not, Old Magazine House surely tops the list for the entire birding community of India and abroad. Here are a few moments that I happen to encounter at the Jungle Lodges and Resort (JLR), Ganeshgudi and also at the Timber Depot, Dandeli during my 2 nights stay there. Not to mention, the drive per-se was a rewarding experience too through that mist-laden tarmac and the teak plantation of western ghats.
Driving Direction: Hyderabad - Bangalore (night halt) - Ganeshgudi (2 nights halt) - Chikmaglur (night halt) - Bangalore (night halt) - Hyderabad
Total distance: 2300 km
Transport fuel cost: Petrol (approx Rs. 10,000) + highway toll (approx Rs. 2500)
Cost of Stay: 2 nights JLR Ganeshgudi (Rs. 11,000) for 2 people
1 night JLR Chikmaglur (Rs. 12,000) for 2 people
Flame-throated Bulbul
Little Spiderhunter (lifer)
crimson-backed Sunbird male (lifer)
Crimson-backed Sunbird Female (lifer)
Rusty-tailed Flycatcher (lifer)
Malabar Barbet (lifer)
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater
Green Bee-eater
Vernal Hanging Parrot
Malabar Parakeet Male
Asian Paradise Flycatcher Male
Asian Paradise Flycatcher Female
Black-naped Monarch Female
Indian Blue Robin Male (lifer)
Oriental Magpie Robin male
Orange-headed Thrush Male
Orange-headed Thrush Female
Malabar Grey Hornbill Male
Blyth's Starling Male and Female
Black-throated Munia (lifer)
Malabar Giant Squirrel
Nilgiri Flowerpecker
Tickell's Blue Flycatcher Female
White-rumped Shama Male
White-rumped Shama Female
Red-whiskered Bulbul
Verditer Flycatcher
Brown Shrike
Little Swift (lifer)
Green Warbler
Old Magazine House, Ganeshgudi (Jungle Lodges and Resort)
After 2 days of birding in Old Magazine House, we planned to make a quick trip to Timber Depot, Dandeli. This was primarily to spot the Malabar Pied Hornbill and Great Hornbill. Although this wasn't the fruiting season for the Great Hornbill, we still managed to see many other wonderful species. Here are the pics below from our timber depot visit.
