Today would see us complete the longest journey of our trip, the seven hour drive from Ooty to the town of Munnar. We had arranged our driver, Shankar, the previous evening with help from Daniel and so at 07:00 we were ready to go. Our day peaked very early when we encountered a massive bull Gaur walking down the middle of the road. We jumped out and were able to get incredibly close, although not too close as he slowly wandered off. A little later we found another group of six Gaur feeding in a tea plantation as well.
After six hours, including a short breakfast, we arrived at the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary. Here we wanted to make a roadside stop and search for the localised Yellow-throated Bulbul. It being the middle of the day I was not particularly optimistic about our chances. However we persevered with playback, pursuing every Bulbul that we could and after an hour at 13:30 I found a pair. Quickly, I ran to get the others only to discover they had also simultaneously found a pair, these building a nest. Thrilled to have wrapped up our target, we could complete our journey without feeling like we had left anything behind.
We did have a few other birds in the area whilst we searched for the Bulbul. It was nice to catch up with White-browed Bulbul here, since we had missed it the previous day when we searched. We also had a fantastic bull Elephant drinking at a lake at the beginning of the protected area, and a discreet group of Tufted Grey Langurs sheltering from the midday sun.
After Chinnar we continued towards Munnar. Before the town we stopped off at the Eravikulam National Park Ticket Office to look for White-bellied Bush Robin, but were told it was not possible to even enter the car park. Fortunately we could explore the woodland across the street, which was small but had a few birds in it. There was a Niltava Flycatcher male, and my first Brown-breasted Flycatcher as well as a very showy Indian Giant Squirrel.
In one of the densest bushes we could find there was a song that sounded very similar to the bush robin but try as we might, the bird would just not come out of the bushes. We persevered however and by climbing down the bank and into the river I was able to spot the bird, confirming it to be our target species. Not long after this, the bird decided to discard its secrecy and sit out in the open singing, offering fantastic views. Strangely one of its feet didn’t have any toes…
Wrapping up the day we sorted out some accommodation near to the following days birding site and then settled in to relax for the evening. Our accommodation was fantastic, with a beautiful view down to lowland India and a few birds in the garden, including a new species for me with Dark-faced Munia.
Despite the long drive, it was a very enjoyable day, with some excellent highlights.
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary: Grey Junglefowl, Spotted Dove, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Coppersmith Barbet, White-cheeked Barbet, Vernal Hanging Parrot, Small Minivet, Common Woodshrike, Common Iora, White-bellied Drongo, Cinereous Tit, Ashy Prinia, Dusky Crag Martin, Yellow-browed Bulbul, White-browed Bulbul, Yellow-throated Bulbul, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Red-vented Bulbul, Jungle Myna, Indian Robin, Purple-rumped Sunbird,
Eravikulam National Park Ticket Office: Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher, Indian White-eye, Brown-breasted Flycatcher, White-bellied Blue Robin, Nilgiri Flycatcher, Grey Wagtail,
Green Leaf Holidays: Ashy Woodswallow, Dusky Crag Martin, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Red-vented Bulbul, Indian White-eye, Black-throated Munia, House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail,
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