Dandeli – The Birding Pilgrimage

January 18, 2020

It was yet again time for team “The Nemophilist” and its Green tribe to do the annual birding pilgrimage of Dandeli. Dandeli for birders is such a place that one cannot have enough of it even if you have been there multiple times. The reason behind this wow factor is the fact that every time Dandeli manages to produce something special for birders.

This year again Dandeli managed to hold its reputation. If last year the show stealer was a White Bellied Woodpecker, this year it was Crimson backed Sun birds and a tree that were the cynosure of attraction.

We located a tree full of ripened figs, it was a tree of Ficus mysorensis. The rest of the it was just standing beneath the tree and just waiting and watching the flocks of birds come and go to accepts the gifts of the tree and give it a return gift by spreading the tree to the far and away corners and cores of the woods of Dandeli

In this process of observing the birds coming and going from the tree, we also became witness to the holy arrival of the Pollinator in-chief, the Great Hornbill in its all glory. It announced it arrival by making huge sound of wings displacing the air.

On a single tree we could see Southern Hill Myna, Malabar Barbet, Pampoudour Green Pigeon, Imperial Green Pigeon, Yellow footed green pigeon. Asian fairy blue bird, Heart spotted woodpecker, Copper smith Barbet, Oriental pied hornbill, Malabar Grey Hornbill.

There were times when we could see 20 plus hornbills sitting on nearby trees and arriving one by one to get there share of the feed.

It is due to such scenes Dandeli keeps its hypnosis going for the birders

 

 

Birds in Dandeli
Crimson Backed Sunbird – Front on

 

Birds in Dandeli
Crimson Backed Sunbird

 

Birds in Dandeli
The Toss- Malabar Pied Hornbill
Birds in Dandeli
Brown Fish Owl

 

Birds in Dandeli
Rarity – Southern Hill Myna

 

Birds in Dandeli
Yellow Browed Bulbul

 

Birds in Dandeli
Vernal Hanging Parrot

 

Birds in Dandeli
Hum Panchi Ek Daal ke

Here is the Full Bird Checklist of Dandeli Birds 

1                Ashy Drongo

2              Ashy Woodswallow

3              Asian Fairy-bluebird

4              Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike

5              Black-headed Cuckooshrike

6              Black-hooded Oriole

7              Blue-capped Rock-Thrush

8              Bronzed Drongo

9              Brown-capped Woodpecker

10           Brown-capped/Gray-capped Woodpecker

11           Brown-cheeked Fulvetta

12           Chestnut-headed Bee-eater

13           Chestnut-tailed Starling

14           Common Woodshrike

15           Coppersmith Barbet

16           Crested Serpent-Eagle

17           Crimson-backed Sunbird

18           Dark-fronted Babbler

19           Golden-fronted Leafbird

20           Gray Junglefowl

21           Gray Wagtail

22           Great Hornbill

23           Greater Racket-tailed Drongo

24           Green Imperial-Pigeon

25           Heart-spotted Woodpecker

26           Indian Paradise-Flycatcher

27           Indian Peafowl

28           Indian White-eye

29           Indian Yellow Tit

30           Lesser Yellownape

31           Little Spiderhunter

32           Malabar Barbet

33           Malabar Gray Hornbill

34           Malabar Pied-Hornbill

35           Malabar Starling

36           Malabar Woodshrike

37           Nilgiri Flowerpecker

38           Pale-billed Flowerpecker

39           Plum-headed Parakeet

40           Red-whiskered Bulbul

41           Small Minivet

42           Southern Hill Myna

43           Spotted Dove

44           Velvet-fronted Nuthatch

45           Vernal Hanging-Parrot

46           White-cheeked Barbet

47           White-rumped Munia

48           White-throated Kingfisher

49           Yellow-browed Bulbul

50           Yellow-footed Green-Pigeon

51           Ashy Drongo

52           Chestnut-tailed Starling

53           Green Bee-eater

54           Indian Roller

55           Jerdon’s Leafbird

56           Orange Minivet

57           Plum-headed Parakeet

58           Rose-ringed Parakeet

59           Taiga Flycatcher

60           Velvet-fronted Nuthatch

61           White-rumped Shama

62           Yellow-browed Bulbul

63           Flame throated Bulbul

64           Wire tailed Swallow

65           Red Rumped Swallow

66           Chestnut shouldered petronia

67           Brown Fish Owl

68           Purple Rumped Sunbird

69           Tickel’s Blue Flycatcher

70           Brahminy Kite

71           Black Shouldered Kite

72           Cattle Egret

73           Oriental Honey Buzzard

74           Pampadour Green Pigeon

75           Common Kingfisher

                Mammals

1              Pair of Indian Jackal

2              Sambhar Deer

3              Indian Giant Flying Squirrel

4              Malabar Giant Squirrel

Insects

1              Giant Wood spider

2              Tarantula

 

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