SOUTHERN INDIA FEBRUARY 16–MARCH 7, 2020 A shy and songful endemic, the White-bellied Sholakili © Max Breckenridge LEADER: MAX BRECKENRIDGE LIST COMPILED BY: MAX BRECKENRIDGE VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM SOUTHERN INDIA February 16–March 7, 2020 By Max Breckenridge Southern India is truly a delight. The local people are friendly and vibrant, the food is diverse and delicious, and, most important, the wildlife is remarkable and conspicuous! Our wonderful and easy- going group assembled in the central-southern metropolis of Bangalore (Bengaluru). After settling in, it was soon time to head south, bidding the abundant Black Kites of Bangalore’s skyline farewell. After the modern hustle and bustle of the big city, we made a refreshing visit to the traditional village of Kokkare Bellur, about halfway between Bangalore and Mysore (Mysuru). The drawcards for this quaint town, which has remained largely unchanged for hundreds of years, are the plentiful Painted Storks and Spot- billed Pelicans that nest in large trees dotted between the small houses. Before arriving in the princely city of Mysore, we enjoyed a stroll around Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace & Museum with its exquisite wood carvings and facades, as well as an extensive collection of artwork and weaponry. The peculiar Great Thick-knee from Ranganathittu Sanctuary near Mysore © M Breckenridge. The next morning we loaded into a rowboat for an intimate visit to the bustling waterbird rookery at Ranganathittu, north of Mysore, on the Cauvery River. Close looks were had at a variety of egrets, more storks and pelicans, plus Indian Cormorants, Eurasian Spoonbills, several pairs of the strange-looking Great Thick-knee, Streak-throated Swallows nesting, a striking Stork-billed Kingfisher, and several Mugger Crocodiles lounging. Bamboo along the river also held singing Tickell’s Blue-Flycatcher, Indian Gray Hornbill, a flock of White-rumped Munias, Oriental Magpie-Robin, and our first White-browed Wagtail. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Southern India, 2020 We arrived in time for lunch at our comfortable lodging on the outskirts of the expansive Nagarhole National Park. That afternoon we enjoyed our first of six jeep safaris within the national park. It was to be an immersive experience over the following three days, with new surprises on each of our excursions into this park teeming with wildlife. We visited two different ‘zones’ when driving through the park. Our first drive was to ‘B zone’ in forest dominated by mature teak along the northern shoreline of the Kabini River. Here, Black-footed Gray Langurs, Chital (Spotted Deer), and Sambar enjoyed the fresh grass beside the river, and we found the adjoining forest teeming with birds. Some of the species we soon became familiar with included the stately Indian Peafowl, intricate Gray Junglefowl, Yellow-footed Green-Pigeon, incessant Common Hawk-Cuckoos, confiding Eurasian Hoopoe, Indian Roller, gorgeous Plum-headed Parakeet, Black-rumped Flamebacks and Streak-throated Woodpeckers, White-bellied and Greater Racket-tailed drongos, Cinereous Tit, boisterous flocks of Jungle Babblers, Red-vented and Red-whiskered bulbuls, and several species of starlings. A rugged male Leopard that tolerated our close company for several minutes one morning in Nagarhole © M Breckenridge. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 3 Southern India, 2020 We were starstruck by this stunning Tigress and her three cubs drinking and resting for over an hour in Nagarhole © M Breckenridge. Our time in Nagarhole was highlighted by several special encounters with some of the forest’s most notable residents. Our first morning drive in the park involved a remarkable Leopard sighting. We spotted an animal in the distance disappearing into the forest, but some quick tapping on my shoulder from Martha soon alerted us to a big male Leopard lounging in the grass right next to us! After soaking up this gorgeous cat, which most people rarely see so close and not up a tree, we trundled along and soon found a playful pair of Dholes. These wild dogs are distinctive and seem very fox-like in appearance. The two we found frolicked next to our jeep without a care until we had our fill. We had decent views of a single adult Tiger the next morning at some distance and with many other jeeps around, but our final morning safari proved to be the most memorable. After driving slowly around the entrance to ‘A zone,’ a couple of alarm calls attracted our attention, and we raced over to a nearby dam that a Tiger was known to visit. We found nothing at the dam, so we drove a little further along and found a pair of lovely Hoopoes to admire. Driving back the same way, we all let out a gasp as we turned our heads right to peer over at the same dam—this time there was a Tiger. Without a word we settled in with the engine off and began soaking in this encounter. Soon two cubs, then a third, joined their mother at the water’s edge. It was an experience that will stay with us all forever, made all the more special by the fact that we were the only jeep present! We switched things up a bit during our time at Nagarhole by embarking on a morning and afternoon boat trip along the Kabini River. We encountered a variety of wading birds, as well as great looks at Gray- headed Fish-Eagle, elegant River Terns, several Asian Elephants with a calf, gorgeous Blue-tailed and Chestnut-headed bee-eaters bathing, a scattered flock of Small Pratincoles, and two families of Smooth- coated Otters. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 4 Southern India, 2020 The lodge grounds also provided good birding with several midday strolls finding the scarce Malabar Pied Hornbill, a roosting Mottled Wood-Owl, Forest Wagtail, Thick-billed Flowerpecker, a shrieking colony of Indian Flying Foxes, and a beautiful pair of White-naped Woodpeckers right behind our accommodation. An impressive Gray-headed Fish-Eagle (L) on the Kabini River and a Brahminy Starling (R) in Nagarhole © M Breckenridge. During our time in the park, we recorded well over 100 species of birds. Some of the scarcer species we encountered included Red Spurfowl, Green Imperial-Pigeon, Blue-faced Malkoha, Barred Buttonquail giving uninterrupted views, confiding Changeable Hawk-Eagle, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, a magnificent White-bellied Woodpecker, Bronzed Drongo, a family of Rufous Babblers, multiple Indian Nuthatches, and Olive-backed Pipit. The open woodland and scrub of Masinagudi situated in the rain shadow of the towering Nilgiri Hills soon beckoned. We had a terrific first afternoon outing with our excellent local guide Raj Kumar. Target birds quickly tumbled like Malabar Parakeet, Malabar Lark, Jerdon’s Bushlark, and Yellow-billed Babbler, while bonus birds such as Indian and White-rumped vultures overhead were also picked up. The star of the afternoon was undoubtedly the pair of rare and unobtrusive White-bellied Minivets that allowed uncharacteristically good views as they fed on the ground and low bushes in front of us. We had several equally successful outings with Raj the following day, exploring a wide variety of habitats in the vicinity of Bokkapuram. We started with unbelievable looks at a Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl near her nest, followed them up with the very desirable Nilgiri Thrush feeding in a bamboo grove, and finished the day off with a covey of Jungle Bush-Quail and a lovely session with a cracking Indian Pitta. It had been a day to remember, with numerous other new birds coming thick and fast! Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 5 Southern India, 2020 Queen of the night – this imposing Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl (above) guarding her fluffy chick at Masinagudi was an unexpected highlight of the trip. One of three Nilgiri specialties – the Nilgiri Sholakili (below) from Doddabetta Peak © M Breckenridge. From Masinagudi, it was time to head uphill to the British colonial outpost of Ooty with our guide Syam. Winding our way up the switchbacks, we just missed a Tiger dashing across the road in front of a car full of excitable locals. Raptors were out in force today with good views of Tawny, Booted, and Black eagles, as well as our first Eurasian Kestrel and a pair of stratospheric Peregrine Falcons. Unfortunately, the calling Painted Bush-Quails would not break cover, so we had to settle for a showy Tickell’s Leaf Warbler and some bold Pied Bushchats. We settled into our stunning and historic lodgings at The Savoy and somehow made it through a six-course lunch before our afternoon outing in search of three key endemics at Doddabetta Peak. We soon struck gold up on the mountainside when a remnant patch of shola forest surrendered its most wanted denizen—the Nilgiri Sholakili. Up on the peak itself we were treated to ridiculous views of several key species that have become habituated and used to the high foot traffic here. Indian Blackbirds scuttled around the carpark, and we soon spotted a hefty Nilgiri Wood-Pigeon. A muddy slope behind one of the pop-up food stalls attracted our last target for the afternoon in the form of several Nilgiri Laughingthrushes. Two new flycatchers also materialized—Nilgiri and the stunning Black-and-orange, before a second Nilgiri Sholakili put on a show. It had been yet another very successful day! Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 6 Southern India, 2020 Two of the stars from Ooty: Nilgiri Sholakili (L) and a friendly Nilgiri Wood-Pigeon (R) at Doddabetta Peak © M Breckenridge. A pleasant day was spent exploring Ooty and its surroundings. We began with the Botanical Gardens where we had great looks at a stunning Indian Blue Robin and a couple of Tytler’s Leaf Warblers showing off.