My visit to Dr,Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary..at Thattekadu ..near Cochin.Kerala.
On the night of 16th Nov 2014..My birdie and wild life enthusiast friend from Chennai called me all of a sudden and told me to meet him with out fail at Thattekad Dr.Ssalim Ali Bird Sanctuary which is around 50 km from Cochin. So atonce I took a flight from Pune and landed at Cochin and proceeded to Thattekad by pre arranged taxi and reached Eldose Farm cum Rubber Plantation .I was just amazed and enthralled of the beautiful nature and mesmerising landscapes..lush greenary ,thick virgin forest..
so you can fit it easily into a Southern India birding trip as first or last site. To reach the more remote parts of the Thattekad Bird Sanctuary and the Idamalayar Power Plant it is necessary to have *own car. You can enter the Sanctuary only with guide. Our guides were K. V. Eldhose and his young assistant Sudeesh. Both of our guides knew the area very well, their help in orientation, getting permits and finding birds was essential. Eldhose is building a lodge, 3 huts are ready and he is planning to build 3 more. The lodge lies a bit further from the Bird Sanctuary, on the edge of a plantation. Thanks to the wise planning we can enjoy the sight of some common species like Stork-billed Kingfisher, Rufous Treepie, Jungle Owlet from the terrace. Due to Eldhose’s regular feeding the shy Red Spurfowl can be regularly seen on a grassy area behind the lodge. The roosting place of the Mottled Wood Owl can be reached easily on foot as it is very close to the lodge. Based on our personal experiences we can strongly recommend both the western style lodge and the excellent guiding of Eldhose. You can find Eldho on the Internet on the following homepage: http://www.birdinginsouthindia.com, or you can e-mail him on: eldhose.kv@gmail.com. Accommodation, food and other costs A hut in Eldho’s lodge for 2 people with full board cost 2800 Rs per day. Guiding fee was 1000 Rs for a day. Entrance fee into the Sanctuary was 100 Rs per entrance for 4 people (*arrenged by Eldho).
We had an excellent lunch with several Indian dishes then we went birding to a more remote area of the Bird Sanctuary, near Orullathanny. Previously we gave Eldho our wish list, so he quickly made a plan and started to realize it. We came across our first Flame-throated Bulbuls the moment we got out of the car. Started walking on a forest road and Eldho spotted the first Malabar Trogon, Rusty-tailed Flycatcher and Brown-breasted Flycatcher quickly. Eldho disappeared in the forest and soon we could observe a pair of Sri Lanka Frogmouth on roost. We ended the afternoon with great views of Malabar Barbet and White-bellied Woodpecker. While we enjoyed our dinner we all agreed that it was a very good start and were excited about the next morning.
Trip list The South Indian endemic species are written in bold, near-endemics in bold and italics. The species in brackets were only heard.
1. Red Spurfowl Galloperdix spadicea
2. Grey Junglefowl Gallus sonneratii
3. Lesser Whistling Duck Dendrocygna javanica
4. Malayan Night Heron Gorsachius melanolophus
5. Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii
6. Eastern Cattle Egret Bubulcus coromandus
7. Purple Heron Ardea purpurea
8. Eastern Great Egret Ardea modesta
9. Yellow-billed Egret Egretta intermedia
10. Little Egret Egretta garzetta
11. Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger
12. Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster
13. Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus
14. Crested Serpent Eagle Spilornis cheela
15. Crested Goshawk Accipiter trivirgatus
16. Common Buzzard Buteo buteo
17. Black Eagle Ictinaetus malayensis
18. Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus
19. Legge’s Hawk-Eagle Spizaetus kelaarti
20. White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus
21. Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus
22. Bronze-winged Jacana Metopidius indicus
23. River Tern Sterna aurantia
24. Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida
25. Feral Pigeon Columba livia f. domestica
26. Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis
27. Common Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica
28. Green Imperial Pigeon Ducula aenea
29. Mountain Imperial Pigeon Ducula badia
30. Vernal Hanging Parrot Loriculus vernalis
31. Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri
32. Plum-headed Parakeet Psittacula cyanocephala
33. Blue-winged Parakeet Psittacula columboides
34. Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis
35. Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopaceus
36. [Banded Bay Cuckoo Cacomantis sonneratii]
37. Fork-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo Surniculus dicruroides
38. Common Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx varius
39. Sri Lanka Bay Owl Phodilus assimilis
40. Indian Scops Owl Otus bakkamoena
41. Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl Bubo nipalensis
42. Mottled Wood Owl Strix ocellata
43. Jungle Owlet Glaucidium radiatum
44. Brown Hawk-Owl Ninox scutulata
45. Sri Lanka Frogmouth Batrachostomus moniliger
46. Great Eared Nightjar Eurostopodus macrotis
47. Jerdon's Nightjar Caprimulgus atripennis
48. Crested Treeswift Hemiprocne coronata
49. Indian Swiftlet Aerodramus unicolor
50. Brown-backed Needletail Hirundapus giganteus
51. Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis
52. Malabar Trogon Harpactes fasciatus
53. Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis
54. Stork-billed Kingfisher Pelargopsis capensis
55. White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis
56. Blue-eared Kingfisher Alcedo meninting
57. Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis
58. Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus
59. Chestnut-headed Bee-eater Merops leschenaulti
60. Malabar Grey Hornbill Ocyceros griseus
61. White-cheeked Barbet Megalaima viridis
62. Malabar Barbet Megalaima malabarica
63. Speckled Piculet Picumnus innominatus
64. Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker Dendrocopos nanus
65. White-bellied Woodpecker Dryocopus javensis
66. Streak-throated Woodpecker Picus xanthopygaeus
67. Lesser Goldenback Dinopium benghalense
68. Greater Goldenback Chrysocolaptes lucidus
69. Heart-spotted Woodpecker Hemicircus canente
70. Indian Pitta Pitta brachyura
71. Malabar Woodshrike Tephrodornis sylvicola
72. Ashy Woodswallow Artamus fuscus
73. Common Iora Aegithina tiphia
74. Black-headed Cuckooshrike Coracina melanoptera
75. Orange Minivet Pericrocotus flammeus
76. Indian Golden Oriole Oriolus kundoo
77. Black-hooded Oriole Oriolus xanthornus
78. Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus
79. Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus
80. Bronzed Drongo Dicrurus aeneus
81. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus paradiseus
82. Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea
83. Asian Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi
84. Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda
85. White-bellied Treepie Dendrocitta leucogastra
86. House Crow Corvus splendens
87. Indian Jungle Crow Corvus culminatus
88. Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
89. Dusky Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne concolor
90. Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica
91. Grey-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus priocephalus
92. Flame-throated Bulbul Pycnonotus gularis
93. Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus
94. Yellow-browed Bulbul Acritillas indica
95. Blyth's Reed Warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum
96. Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides
97. Large-billed Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus magnirostris
98. Puff-throated Babbler Pellorneum ruficeps
99. Indian Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus horsfieldii
100. Dark-fronted Babbler Rhopocichla atriceps
101. Rufous Babbler Turdoides subrufa
102. Jungle Babbler Turdoides striata
103. Wynaad Laughingthrush Garrulax delesserti
104. Brown-cheeked Fulvetta Alcippe poioicephala
105. Asian Fairy-bluebird Irena puella
106. Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Sitta frontalis
107. Southern Hill Myna Gracula indica
108. Jungle Myna Acridotheres fuscus
109. Common Myna Acridotheres tristis
110. Malabar Starling Sturnus blythii
111. Malabar Whistling Thrush Myophonus horsfieldii 112. Orange-headed Thrush Zoothera citrina
113. Indian Blackbird Turdus simillimus
114. Indian Blue Robin Luscinia brunnea
115. Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis
116. Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica
117. Brown-breasted Flycatcher Muscicapa muttui
118. Rusty-tailed Flycatcher Muscicapa ruficauda
119. White-bellied Blue Flycatcher Cyornis pallipes
120. Tickell's Blue Flycatcher Cyornis tickelliae
121. Blue-throated Blue Flycatcher Cyornis rubeculoides
122. Jerdon's Leafbird Chloropsis jerdoni
123. Golden-fronted Leafbird Chloropsis aurifrons
124. Nilgiri Flowerpecker Dicaeum concolor 125. Purple-rumped Sunbird Leptocoma zeylonica
126. Little Spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra
127. Black-throated Munia Lonchura kelaarti
128. [Forest Wagtail Dendronanthus indicus]
129. Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea
130. White-browed Wagtail Motacilla madaraspatensis
131. Paddyfield Pipit Anthus ru
so you can fit it easily into a Southern India birding trip as first or last site. To reach the more remote parts of the Thattekad Bird Sanctuary and the Idamalayar Power Plant it is necessary to have *own car. You can enter the Sanctuary only with guide. Our guides were K. V. Eldhose and his young assistant Sudeesh. Both of our guides knew the area very well, their help in orientation, getting permits and finding birds was essential. Eldhose is building a lodge, 3 huts are ready and he is planning to build 3 more. The lodge lies a bit further from the Bird Sanctuary, on the edge of a plantation. Thanks to the wise planning we can enjoy the sight of some common species like Stork-billed Kingfisher, Rufous Treepie, Jungle Owlet from the terrace. Due to Eldhose’s regular feeding the shy Red Spurfowl can be regularly seen on a grassy area behind the lodge. The roosting place of the Mottled Wood Owl can be reached easily on foot as it is very close to the lodge. Based on our personal experiences we can strongly recommend both the western style lodge and the excellent guiding of Eldhose. You can find Eldho on the Internet on the following homepage: http://www.birdinginsouthindia.com, or you can e-mail him on: eldhose.kv@gmail.com. Accommodation, food and other costs A hut in Eldho’s lodge for 2 people with full board cost 2800 Rs per day. Guiding fee was 1000 Rs for a day. Entrance fee into the Sanctuary was 100 Rs per entrance for 4 people (*arrenged by Eldho).
We had an excellent lunch with several Indian dishes then we went birding to a more remote area of the Bird Sanctuary, near Orullathanny. Previously we gave Eldho our wish list, so he quickly made a plan and started to realize it. We came across our first Flame-throated Bulbuls the moment we got out of the car. Started walking on a forest road and Eldho spotted the first Malabar Trogon, Rusty-tailed Flycatcher and Brown-breasted Flycatcher quickly. Eldho disappeared in the forest and soon we could observe a pair of Sri Lanka Frogmouth on roost. We ended the afternoon with great views of Malabar Barbet and White-bellied Woodpecker. While we enjoyed our dinner we all agreed that it was a very good start and were excited about the next morning.
Trip list The South Indian endemic species are written in bold, near-endemics in bold and italics. The species in brackets were only heard.
1. Red Spurfowl Galloperdix spadicea
2. Grey Junglefowl Gallus sonneratii
3. Lesser Whistling Duck Dendrocygna javanica
4. Malayan Night Heron Gorsachius melanolophus
5. Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii
6. Eastern Cattle Egret Bubulcus coromandus
7. Purple Heron Ardea purpurea
8. Eastern Great Egret Ardea modesta
9. Yellow-billed Egret Egretta intermedia
10. Little Egret Egretta garzetta
11. Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger
12. Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster
13. Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus
14. Crested Serpent Eagle Spilornis cheela
15. Crested Goshawk Accipiter trivirgatus
16. Common Buzzard Buteo buteo
17. Black Eagle Ictinaetus malayensis
18. Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus
19. Legge’s Hawk-Eagle Spizaetus kelaarti
20. White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus
21. Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus
22. Bronze-winged Jacana Metopidius indicus
23. River Tern Sterna aurantia
24. Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida
25. Feral Pigeon Columba livia f. domestica
26. Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis
27. Common Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica
28. Green Imperial Pigeon Ducula aenea
29. Mountain Imperial Pigeon Ducula badia
30. Vernal Hanging Parrot Loriculus vernalis
31. Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri
32. Plum-headed Parakeet Psittacula cyanocephala
33. Blue-winged Parakeet Psittacula columboides
34. Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis
35. Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopaceus
36. [Banded Bay Cuckoo Cacomantis sonneratii]
37. Fork-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo Surniculus dicruroides
38. Common Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx varius
39. Sri Lanka Bay Owl Phodilus assimilis
40. Indian Scops Owl Otus bakkamoena
41. Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl Bubo nipalensis
42. Mottled Wood Owl Strix ocellata
43. Jungle Owlet Glaucidium radiatum
44. Brown Hawk-Owl Ninox scutulata
45. Sri Lanka Frogmouth Batrachostomus moniliger
46. Great Eared Nightjar Eurostopodus macrotis
47. Jerdon's Nightjar Caprimulgus atripennis
48. Crested Treeswift Hemiprocne coronata
49. Indian Swiftlet Aerodramus unicolor
50. Brown-backed Needletail Hirundapus giganteus
51. Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis
52. Malabar Trogon Harpactes fasciatus
53. Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis
54. Stork-billed Kingfisher Pelargopsis capensis
55. White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis
56. Blue-eared Kingfisher Alcedo meninting
57. Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis
58. Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus
59. Chestnut-headed Bee-eater Merops leschenaulti
60. Malabar Grey Hornbill Ocyceros griseus
61. White-cheeked Barbet Megalaima viridis
62. Malabar Barbet Megalaima malabarica
63. Speckled Piculet Picumnus innominatus
64. Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker Dendrocopos nanus
65. White-bellied Woodpecker Dryocopus javensis
66. Streak-throated Woodpecker Picus xanthopygaeus
67. Lesser Goldenback Dinopium benghalense
68. Greater Goldenback Chrysocolaptes lucidus
69. Heart-spotted Woodpecker Hemicircus canente
70. Indian Pitta Pitta brachyura
71. Malabar Woodshrike Tephrodornis sylvicola
72. Ashy Woodswallow Artamus fuscus
73. Common Iora Aegithina tiphia
74. Black-headed Cuckooshrike Coracina melanoptera
75. Orange Minivet Pericrocotus flammeus
76. Indian Golden Oriole Oriolus kundoo
77. Black-hooded Oriole Oriolus xanthornus
78. Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus
79. Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus
80. Bronzed Drongo Dicrurus aeneus
81. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus paradiseus
82. Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea
83. Asian Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi
84. Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda
85. White-bellied Treepie Dendrocitta leucogastra
86. House Crow Corvus splendens
87. Indian Jungle Crow Corvus culminatus
88. Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
89. Dusky Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne concolor
90. Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica
91. Grey-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus priocephalus
92. Flame-throated Bulbul Pycnonotus gularis
93. Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus
94. Yellow-browed Bulbul Acritillas indica
95. Blyth's Reed Warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum
96. Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides
97. Large-billed Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus magnirostris
98. Puff-throated Babbler Pellorneum ruficeps
99. Indian Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus horsfieldii
100. Dark-fronted Babbler Rhopocichla atriceps
101. Rufous Babbler Turdoides subrufa
102. Jungle Babbler Turdoides striata
103. Wynaad Laughingthrush Garrulax delesserti
104. Brown-cheeked Fulvetta Alcippe poioicephala
105. Asian Fairy-bluebird Irena puella
106. Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Sitta frontalis
107. Southern Hill Myna Gracula indica
108. Jungle Myna Acridotheres fuscus
109. Common Myna Acridotheres tristis
110. Malabar Starling Sturnus blythii
111. Malabar Whistling Thrush Myophonus horsfieldii 112. Orange-headed Thrush Zoothera citrina
113. Indian Blackbird Turdus simillimus
114. Indian Blue Robin Luscinia brunnea
115. Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis
116. Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica
117. Brown-breasted Flycatcher Muscicapa muttui
118. Rusty-tailed Flycatcher Muscicapa ruficauda
119. White-bellied Blue Flycatcher Cyornis pallipes
120. Tickell's Blue Flycatcher Cyornis tickelliae
121. Blue-throated Blue Flycatcher Cyornis rubeculoides
122. Jerdon's Leafbird Chloropsis jerdoni
123. Golden-fronted Leafbird Chloropsis aurifrons
124. Nilgiri Flowerpecker Dicaeum concolor 125. Purple-rumped Sunbird Leptocoma zeylonica
126. Little Spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra
127. Black-throated Munia Lonchura kelaarti
128. [Forest Wagtail Dendronanthus indicus]
129. Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea
130. White-browed Wagtail Motacilla madaraspatensis
131. Paddyfield Pipit Anthus ru
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