It’s not often when my better half visits her family and I am in B-Mode, Well I was one of the few lucky fellows for ,once in a blue moon would be an understatement. The plan had already struck me often but time was not my best friend. Ranganthittu Bird sanctuary had attracted me often, I had moved to Hyderabad from Bangalore and driving 600+130 kms one way was bit of overkill for just 12 species of birds. But B-Mode it was and you don’t question B-Mode.
Little info about Ranganthittu , Its located about 130 kms from Bangalore and is at right side of the Mysore road while coming from Bangalore. It’s comprised of 6 small islands and is located on the banks of river Kauveri. Its around 15 kms from Mysore . Google map link :
https://www.google.co.in/maps/place/...93e2bc43?hl=en
The journey started at 11pm 22nd Jan 2016, Reached BTM layout at 6:20am. The road conditions as usual are excellent. Saw few new humps after Ananthpur. Humps are huge with decent incline and decent but at few spots they are small, waiting for you in the darkness in groups of three. Be careful of those. Most of them have white or yellow markings with road signs before them. But with time we all know how the colors fade away.
I was expecting heavy fog early in the morning “unfortunately” there was none. Picked up an ex-colleague and good friend from Bangalore. Took the NICE road to Mysore road junction. Touched Mysore road around 9am. Mysore road is famous for its humps and traffic. It was a Saturday morning and the road was flooded with vehicles heading for Mysore and beyond. After crossing Mandya the traffic density reduced a bit. Finally made it to Brindavan Park at around 12pm. From the entrance itself I got a feeling that I won’t get to see too many migratory birds. It’s a tourist’s destination now a days and the noise was enough to scare away the more timid species.
Folks from forest department at the bird sanctuary started eyeing the two of us while we entered the park. One of the guys came to us and asked if it was a 500mm lens. The engravings on the lens were clearly saying 600mm. I was not in the mood to mess with them after a ~750km drive. Rs 500 extra if the lens is 500mm or above. I mentioned this short incident for people reading this to take a note and then act accordingly. The next part was the boat. I had been to Ranganthittu often when I was in Bangalore and I was aware of the types of boat that were available. I requested for a private open hood boat for an hour. Charge was Rs 1000. It was a Saturday and there was a major rush on the river. People shouting at 10-12 crocks that were sun bathing, shouting at the birds, clapping hard to scare away the smaller ones. The boatmen were equally frustrated, our guy said if this continues this would just be park to boat no birds. Unfortunately this year they recorded just 53 species of migratory birds which was 87 last year. It was utter chaos. I had invested enough time and Punto would be struck with remorse if I didn’t get some good shots. Keeping all the distractions aside I took a deep breath and started clicking. Here are some sample shots from below.
There are few rocks protruding from the unclear water beneath, visibility was hardly one meter and our boat got stuck and hit hard more than once.
Spoonbilled's diet consists of aquatic insects, mollusks, newts, crustaceans, worms, leeches, tadpoles and small fish. While in action of a catch, is a marvelous sight which I clearly missed as you see below.
The crocks were busy in their siesta, few of them crossed the boat from underneath. I just hoped they were well fed.
Its the nesting season for most birds and disturbing them should not be ones intention. However tourists were least bothered. I believe before the boat ride a quick 10 minutes session was necessary, informing people about the birds and why and how not to disturb them. Also how not to mess around with the crocks. They are huge and they mean business.
Taking them casually would be the last mistake.
This particular River tern was nesting and its partner flew to it few times carrying small twigs and coming back over and over again .
This species breeds from March to May in colonies in less accessible areas such as sandbanks in rivers. It nests in a ground scrape, often on bare rock or sand, and lays three greenish-grey to buff eggs, which are blotched and streaked with brown.
It was a sight so wonderful.
Painted storks were like the boss of that area along with some pelicans that ruled the upper banks of the river. I was happy not to see any territorial fight.
Few of the stone dwellers.
Pied kingfisher in all its glory.
The boat ride was nearing its end and we entered the Pelican region. Activity was strong and I could easily spot over 50 big ones.Spot-billed pelican or grey pelican, due to habitat loss and human disturbance, the spot-billed pelican's numbers have declined and many populations in Southeast Asia are now extinct.
The return journey started on 24th Jan, I started at 11:50pm and reached home at 6:40am. I missed on taking a video of the less devastating gentle reminders on the highway while going. A tribute to the person who had designed these gentle reminders to slow down. The humps that are gentler on the suspensions.