Some things are best unplanned!
Sunday evening 4.45pm, we see bunch of forwards from an acquaintance of ours showing a couple of Great Indian Hornbills sighted in Dandeli region! A casual forward triggered some serious conversation - that is when junior pitched in! Monday is a holiday for school on account of Gokulashtami and he is game if we want to visit Dandeli and take our chances! In the hindsight, that was the best trigger in recent time that we decided to drive out without second thought. While the overnight stay packing is hardly a few minutes job, I connected with my trusted contact in Dandeli who assured to have us check-in at whatever time we arrive at his homestay. In addition to that, he also ensured that our naturalist friend is informed to guide us to the areas where the sightings were happening!
And thus, two of us - junior and I are on the car at 5.04pm, driving out of out home! While we were approaching Dandeli, Deccan Herald was getting ready to print this:
Can you imagine 14 distinct Great Indian Hornbills !?! And I am glad to report - we sighted 13 at one place!
An uneventful drive with some adventure and rains to accompany, we made it to Dandeli and checked into our homestay by 12.15am! The entire homestay was to us - thoughtfully the main gate was kept open so that in rains, I don't have to get down from car and open it myself. I loved such attention to details during my stay there - a well deserved few hours sleep and a sumptuous breakfast on Monday morning after our sightings were done.
While onward to homestay, we took the straight road from BLR to Dharwad and took a mud-road exit towards Haliyal. With rains pouring continuously and google choosing this diversion over others in order to save some bucks on toll,
we had some off road adventure too. The exit from Dharwad was extremely slushy, pot-hole filled and no other vehicle in that stretch for company. For a moment I was scared to take car there - but then I ignored the fear and embraced the adventure spirit, thanks to junior's encouragement! The roads between Dharwad - Haliyal - Dandeli was not bad at all. Less vehicles at the late night hour ensured our progress was swift on that stretch.
Right at 7am in the morning, we were greeted by our naturalist guide and the most memorable birding trip truly begun! The pictures in below posts will narrate the rest of the story!
The return was through a beautiful Dandeli - Haliyal - Kalaghatagi - Tadas - NH48 section! The lush green fields and dense forest cover made our drive memorable. The road condition between Kalaghatagi - Tadas is bad. Too many potholes and water-logging there. But then we are driving #TheRedSparkle, a SUV with AWD capability - you can complain about the electronics in M&M cars but can't ignore the DNA it carries. #TheRedSparkle has never disappointed us when it comes to taking roads less taken, or roads that are never taken in the same stride as we take our usual highways. Its such a mile-muncher!
While the rest of this thread makes up for what I want to share with you through photos to make this a photo-logue, the key details of trip are below:
Homestay we stayed in:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Hq6m88Em86ReLeVv7
The celebrated naturalist who guides us on all our visits to Dandeli:
https://www.deccanherald.com/india/k...andeli-2843229
The route we took for onward journey:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/rihEFD7xu8W8waf36
The return journey was through:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/rAptjLpYQ81XWyTr9
Learn more about Great Indian Hornbills here:
https://thinkwildlifefoundation.com/...reat-hornbill/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_hornbill https://testbook.com/ias-preparation...ndian-hornbill
The Great Indian Hornbills are also called as Flying Tigers when the naturalists talk about them. That's mainly because -
- They are huge!
- They have the distinct and bright shiny coloured features and cask
- Their calls are louder
- Most importantly, when they are in flight, it will remind you of their majestic nature, effortless glide! When they fly overhead, you can hear their wings flap!
These birds have unique behaviour and habitat that is fascinating for one to learn!
An adult Great Indian hornbill is so much bigger in the size, se the below video: the size of crow disturbing the hornbill's courtship session!
Now, let the picture do the rest of the talk!