Third Sunday Trail- 18th July 2010

This month's Third Sunday Trail will be on 18th July 2010.

Place : Kalkere Reserve Forest 

Meeting Time : 6.30 am

Meeting Point : Office of Dy.Conservator of Forest,Bannerghatta National Park,Koli Farm gate.( Wikimapia coordinates : 12°50'28"N   77°35'18"E)

Comfortable clothing,good walking shoes, a cap,snacks,water bottle,binocular ( if you have),camera ( if you like to shoot) and rain wear/umbrella is what one needs to join the trail. This outing is free and open to all ages who can walk the trail of around four to five hours. ( This trail is not recommended for children below 12 yrs as the patch may be slushy due to rains)

We recommend car-pooling between participants. While confirming participation please also indicate the contact details and the route you will be taking to reach Koli Farm Bus Stop, where you will alight in case of travelling by bus. If traveling in own car, please do indicate if any spare capacity is available. 


Kindly note that Kalkere Forest comes under Banneghatta National Park,hence a forest guard will accompany the group for the trail. Request everyone to be on time and late comers will not be allowed to enter the forest.

For bus/route details to reach Koli Farm Bus Stop, log on www.tellmyroute.com

Call Mahesh  at 9448384472 or Geetanjali at 9845383882 for confirmation.

Third Sunday Trail-20th June 2010

I missed it again...And feeling terribly sad that I was not around to attend this trail, when Karthik along with Ulhas was there.Their company is a huge learning experience for any one. I was told that everyone was awestruck looking at some of the macros that Karthik showed them.I am very sure it must have been an enriching experience to all the 30+ participants that day.


I am thankful to Anand again ( anand.srinivasa@gmail.com) for compiling the list which is as follows :


Common Tailorbird
Purple Sunbird
Coppersmith Barbet
White Cheeked Barbet (Call Heard)
White breasted Kingfisher
Red Wattled Lapwing
White browed Wagtail
Small Minivet
Rose ringed Parakeet
Paddyfield Pipit
Great Tit 


People are welcome to add to the list if something is missing here. And also look forward to the photo links of the of the outing.


Here is the blog about the outing by Ramesha JS (blr_ramesh@yahoo.com)  
http://rameshjs.wordpress.com/2010/06/22/birding-kalkere_bannerghatta-forest/ 

Group photo by Narayana Sharma

Third Sunday Trail-20th June 2010

Its time again to reconnect with nature, and enjoy the flora and fauna around Bannerghatta.

This month's Third Sunday Trail will be on 20th June 2010.

Place : Kalkere Plantation Area

Meeting Time : 7.00  AM

Meeting place : Kalkere Bus Stop


Coordinates: 12°50'7"N   77°35'21"E

Comfortable clothing,good walking shoes, a cap, water bottle,snacks,binocular ( if you have), camera ( if you like to shoot) and rain wear/umbrella is what you need to join the trail.This outing is free and open to all ages who can walk the trail of around four to five hours . 

We recommend car-pooling between participants. While confirming participation please also indicate your contact details and the route you will be taking to reach Harapanahalli. If traveling in your own car, please do indicate if any spare capacity is available. 

To know about bus/route details you can log in www.tellmyroute.com
Pl. call Mahesh at 9448384472  or Subir at 9731395620 to confirm

Third Sunday Trail-16th May 2010

Too much of unavoidable travel these days has resulted in my missing the Third Sunday Outings couple of times and this month I was away in Mumbai. It being Mahesh's wedding , it was obvious that he could not make it.And It was very nice and kind of Chandu to have agreed to lead the group and we are sincerely thankful to him.


Its nice to note that group spotted the Yellow Throated Bulbul which we had not listed so far around this area.


Of course we are also thankful to Swami Vishnumayanandaji for providing breakfast to the group and letting the group do the birding in their campus.


Here is the final list by Anand ( anand.srinivasa@gmail.com) and Chandu (cs.bandi@gmail.com)

Babbler, Scimitar

Babbler, (???)

Barbet, White-cheeked

Barbet, Coppersmith

Bee-eater, Little green

Bulbul, Red-vented

Bulbul, Red-whiskered

Bulbul, Yellow-throated

Buschat, Pied

Cormorant, Little

Coucal, Greater

Crow, Jungle

Cuckoo, Pied

Dove, Spotted
Drongo,Black

Egret, Cattle (breeding plumage)

Fly-catcher, Tickell's blue

Heron, Indian pond

Koel, Asian

Kite, Black

Lapwing, Red-wattled

Myna, Common

Prinia, Ashy

Pipit, ???

Robin, Indian

Robin, Oriental Magpie

Sparrow, House

Sunbird, Purple-rumped

Sunbird, Purple

Swallow, red-rumped

Waterhen, white-breasted (S)

White-eye Oriental

Hope we also get the photolinks to be uploaded here.

Third Sunday Nature Trail - 16th May 2010

Hi !

Every third Sunday of the month, few nature lovers  from Bangalore meet up at a spot close to Bannerghatta National Park and go for a nature trail of around three hours to enjoy and create awareness about the rich flora and fauna here.The Third Sunday nature trail for the month of
May will be held on 16th May 2010 at the plantation area of the Ramakrishna Mission School ,Shivanahalli. Meeting point is Ramakrishna Mission School ,Shivanahalli at 6.30 am.

Trail route is Mission School to Plantation area and Bannerghatta Forest Patch behind the campus.

Comfortable clothing,Good walking shoes, a Cap, water bottle & snacks ,Binocular ( if you have), a camera ( if you like to shoot) ,rain gear for unexpected shower is what you need.Free and open to all ages who can walk this trail of around three hours .

How to reach Shivanahalli ? Take the Bannerghatta Road from the Bangalore City. Cross the Bannerghatta National Park - the road curves to the left at that place near the Bannerghatta Police Station. Proceed further towards Jigani Industrial township. Halfway, on the right handside you will see the Ramakrishna Mission, Shivanahalli hoarding. (You will also notice a Swamy Ayyappa temple hoarding). Take a right turn there and drive for about 10 kms. Do not take any side roads (rare and few) that you will come along . Travelling through the Bannerghatta National Park reserved forest, you will have to cross the Ragihalli village to come over to Shivanahalli. The Ramakrishna Mission is located at the entrance of the Shivanahalli village. 

You can confirm your participation by calling me at 9845383882.

See you all,

Geetanjali Dhar

Third Sunday Outing - Bird List- April 2010

The scorching heat of April, didnt deter around 22 nature lovers to meet up at Harapanahalli for the Third Sunday Trail around Jigani Lake. During the monsoon this lake literally overflows and  the bund covers Harapanni Halli. ,Koppa Village and Jigani. Now the water is drying up and stagnant mostly towards Jigani Village.Apart from the usual sightings , the new entrant to the list spotted during Third Sunday is the Ashy Crowned Sparrow Lark. I am thankful to Saandip Nandagudi who has compiled this list.Here it is :


1.       Paddyfield Pipit
2.       Indian Silverbill
3.       Little Cormorant
4.       Little Egret
5.       Grey Wagtail
6.       House Sparrow M+F
7.       Common Myna M+F
8.       House Crow M+F
9.       Pied Kingfisher
10.   Common Kingfisher
11.   White Throated Kingfisher
12.   Rufous Treepie
13.   Common Iora M+F
14.   Red Wattled Lapwing
15.   Yellow Wattled Lapwing
16.   Pheasant Tailed Jacana
17.   Red Rumped Swallow
18.   Barn Swallow
19.   Baya Weaver
20.   Purple Heron
21.   Pond Heron
22.   Darter
23.   Black Kite
24.   Scaly Breasted Munia
25.   Spotted Dove
26.   Ashy Crowned Sparrow Lark
27.   Plain Prinia
28.   Ashy Prinia
29.   Greater Coucal
30.   Rose Ringed Parakeet
31.   Cattle Egret
32.   Common Coot
33.   Purple Swamphen
34.   White Cheeked Barbet
35.   Coppersmith Barbet
36.   Asian Koel M+F
37.   Brahminy Kite
38.   White Browed Wagtail
39.   Spot Billed Ducks
40    Green Bee Eater
41    Black Drongo
And of course there was continuous call of the Francolin, which never showed up though.

Here is the link to view Saandip's photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/saandipng/sets/72157623764554213/

And here is the link to the photos taken by me
http://picasaweb.google.com/itnatureclub/ThirdSundayTrail18thApril2010#

Durai's photos can be see at
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055429&id=1539872191&l=43c6cd1320

Third Sunday Outing -18th April 2010

This month's Third Sunday Trail will be on 18th April  2010.

Place : Harapanahalli to Jigani Lake

Meeting Time : 6.30 AM

Meeting place : Harapanahalli Bus Stop

Google Map Coordinates : 12.791939, 77.623370

Comfortable clothing,good walking shoes, a cap, water bottle,binocular ( if you have), a camera ( if you like to shoot) and snacks is what you need to join the trail. Pl. also carry rain wear for the unexpected showers we may encounter.This outing is free and open to all ages who can walk the trail of around four to five hours . 

We recommend car-pooling between participants. While confirming participation please also indicate your contact details and the route you will be taking to reach Harapanahalli. If traveling in your own car, please do indicate if any spare capacity is available. 

Folks who would like to come and stay overnight pl. confirm earliest so that we can make adequate arrangements.

Call Geetanjali at 9845383882 or Mahesh at 9448384472 to confirm .

Third Sunday Outing - Bird List- March 2010

Never expected  52 birders from all over Bangalore to attend the Third Sunday Outing inspite of the scorching summer heat.It was also great pleasure to see Dr.Subbu join us for this trail.One gets to learn so much from his knowledge and which he loves to share with.The initial plan was to start the trail from the National Park Gate on the Bannerghatta - Kaggalipura Road and continue till the forest check  gate.After parking the cars near the village temple, we walked along the village road, and surprisingly were able to see many birds on this stretch. Though couple of participants felt that the place was dirty and was stinking, personally I felt that its also an eye opener that one need not go to the forest alone to enjoy fauna. There is a need to popularize the concept of urban wildlife.As per the suggestion of Jayaram Jahagirdar ,who knows the terrain pretty well, and Dr.Subbu's enthusiasm to go "off road", we decided to explore the Suvarnamukhi Pond area. The pond water is believed to have curative powers.Nearly two kms stretch from the road to the pond area was uphill . We opened our snack sacks mid way and continued our trail towards the pond. Notable sighting on this patch was spotting a pair of Rufous-tailed larks, giving a good photo opportunity for many of us, by posing nicely on the rocks.After a session of 'Garam garam bhajjis" we returned to the base via the Champakadhama Temple Hill.

Thanks to all the enthusiastic participants, it was again a good birding trail.Hope to see everyone's photo links soon.

Here are the list of birds spotted.

• Blyth's Reed Warbler
• Hoopoe
• Asian Koel
• Red Vented Bulbul
• Red Whiskered Bulbul
• Purple Sunbird
• Tickell's Flower Pecker
• Eurasian Golden Oriole
• White Cheeked Barbet
• Small Green Bee-eater
• White Browed Wagtail
• Ashy Prinia
• Plain Prinia
• House Sparrow
• Black Kite
• Red Wattled Lapwing
• Red Rumped Swallow
• Large-Billed Crow
• Oriental Honey Buzzard
• Common Kestrel
• Pond Heron
• Indian Robin
• Pied Bushchat
• Jungle Myna
• Common Myna
• White Throated Kingfisher
• White Headed Babbler
• Greater Coucal
• Common Tailorbird
• Jerdon's Bushlark
• Long Tailed Shrike
• Rose Ringed Parakeet
• Yellow Eyed Babbler
• Cattle Egret
• Laughing Dove
• Ashy Wood Swallow
• Lesser Whitethroat
• Great Tit
• Rufous Tailed Lark
• House Sparrow
• Black Drongo
• Ashy Drongo
• Purple Rumped Sunbird
• Grey Wagtail
• Spotted Dove
• Common Swallow
• Common Iora
• Brown Shrike
• Rosy Starlings
• House Crow
• White Browed Bulbul
• Little Cormorant
• Pond Heron

Third Sunday Nature Trail - 21st March 2010

Its time again to reconnect with nature, and enjoy the flora and fauna around Bannerghatta.

This month's Third Sunday Trail will be on 21st March 2010.

Place : Road connecting Bannerghatta Circle to Kaggalipura

Meeting Time : 6.30 AM

Meeting place : Bannerghatta Circle ( Opp.Police Station)

Google Map Coordinates : 12.813779, 77.581093

Comfortable clothing,good walking shoes, a cap, water bottle,binocular ( if you have), a camera ( if you like to shoot) and snacks is what you need to join the trail. This outing is free and open to all ages who can walk the trail of around four to five hours . 

We recommend car-pooling between participants. While confirming participation please also indicate your contact details and the route you will be taking to reach Bannerghatta Circle. If traveling in your own car, please do indicate if any spare capacity is available. 

Folks who would like to come and stay overnight pl. confirm earliest so that we can make adequate arrangements.

Call me at 9845383882 or Mahesh at 9448384472 to confirm .

Geetanjali

Posted via web from itnatureclub's posterous

GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD CENSUS - 2010

A three day Great Indian Bustard (GIB) census will be held on 2nd, 3rd and 4th of April 2010 at Sirguppa in Bellary District, Karnataka jointly by Sloth Bear Foundation of Bellary and SWAN of Hospet. They are looking for about 20 genuine volunteers who are willing to rough it out in the scorching heat of Bellary which may go up to 45 degrees celcius at times. The accomodation is very basic in a house at Sirguppa owned by Mr.Anand Kundargi, a naturalist or tents in the villages. 
The idea is to have a minimum of 4 groups who travel in a groups of 5 or 6 in a jeep with one local guide who has knowledge of the entire area and a GPS equipment. The entire GIB area which was covered so far will be divided into 4 areas, North, South, East and West and simultaneous survey will be carried out so that any possible overlap will be avoided. 
Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps), a majestic bird was declared extinct in Karnataka in the year 1998. Later it was rediscovered by naturalists Santosh Martin, president of Sloth Bear Foundation, and Abdul Samad, president of the Society for Wildlife and Nature (SWAN), Hospet after a search for 3 years and numerous expeditions.
Interested volunteers have to register on or before 31st march 2010 with complete personal details and prior experiences in wildlife census. Fee for the program is Rs.1000/- which includes simple food and accomodation. Volunteers have to reach in the evening at 5 pm on the 8th march for an orientation program at Mr. Anand Kundargi's residence in Sirguppa.

Volunteers owning Jeeps or SUVs and are willing to use them in this project will be a welcome proposition. 

For more details contact:

Mr. Santosh Martin
President
Sloth Bear Foundation
No.7, Martin Road,
BELLARY-583101
Mobile : 9845269512

or 

Mr. Samad Kottur
President SWAN
Basaveshwar Badavane
Hospet.
Mobile:9448989263

Program Details:

Day 1 : Reach siruguppa in the evening at about 4.00 pm. You can either drive down or take a train/bus to Bellary and later travel to Siruguppa (40Kms) by bus or request the organizers to make travel arrangements .

Day2: Wake up call 4:30 am. Tea and off to the site from Siruguppa (approximately each site is about 20 kms from Siruguppa). Start the search program by max 7.00 am and go on till 10.30 am. Breakfast at site or at Mr. Anand Kundargi's place. Free till lunch at 1.00 pm and again free till 3.00pm. Reach the site again by 4.00 pm to continue the search till 7.00 pm. Back to the base. Compilation of data followed by dinner.

Day3: Wake up call 4:30 am. Tea and off to the site from Siruguppa (approximately each site is about 20 kms from Siruguppa). Start the search program by max 7.00 am and go on till 10.30 am. Breakfast at site or at Mr. Anand Kundargi's place. Free till lunch at 1.00 pm and again free till 3.00pm. Reach the site again by 4.00 pm to continue the search till 7.00 pm. Back to the base. Compilation of data. Dinner and disperse.

Posted via web from itnatureclub's posterous

GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD CENSUS - 2010

A three day Great Indian Bustard (GIB) census will be held on 2nd, 3rd and 4th of April 2010 at Sirguppa in Bellary District, Karnataka jointly by Sloth Bear Foundation of Bellary and SWAN of Hospet. They are looking for about 20 genuine volunteers who are willing to rough it out in the scorching heat of Bellary which may go up to 45 degrees celcius at times. The accomodation is very basic in a house at Sirguppa owned by Mr.Anand Kundargi, a naturalist or tents in the villages. 
The idea is to have a minimum of 4 groups who travel in a groups of 5 or 6 in a jeep with one local guide who has knowledge of the entire area and a GPS equipment. The entire GIB area which was covered so far will be divided into 4 areas, North, South, East and West and simultaneous survey will be carried out so that any possible overlap will be avoided. 
Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps), a majestic bird was declared extinct in Karnataka in the year 1998. Later it was rediscovered by naturalists Santosh Martin, president of Sloth Bear Foundation, and Abdul Samad, president of the Society for Wildlife and Nature (SWAN), Hospet after a search for 3 years and numerous expeditions.
Interested volunteers have to register on or before 31st march 2010 with complete personal details and prior experiences in wildlife census. Fee for the program is Rs.1000/- which includes simple food and accomodation. Volunteers have to reach in the evening at 5 pm on the 8th march for an orientation program at Mr. Anand Kundargi's residence in Sirguppa.

Volunteers owning Jeeps or SUVs and are willing to use them in this project will be a welcome proposition. 

For more details contact:

Mr. Santosh Martin
President
Sloth Bear Foundation
No.7, Martin Road,
BELLARY-583101
Mobile : 9845269512

or 

Mr. Samad Kottur
President SWAN
Basaveshwar Badavane
Hospet.
Mobile:9448989263

Program Details:

Day 1 : Reach siruguppa in the evening at about 4.00 pm. You can either drive down or take a train/bus to Bellary and later travel to Siruguppa (40Kms) by bus or request the organizers to make travel arrangements .

Day2: Wake up call 4:30 am. Tea and off to the site from Siruguppa (approximately each site is about 20 kms from Siruguppa). Start the search program by max 7.00 am and go on till 10.30 am. Breakfast at site or at Mr. Anand Kundargi's place. Free till lunch at 1.00 pm and again free till 3.00pm. Reach the site again by 4.00 pm to continue the search till 7.00 pm. Back to the base. Compilation of data followed by dinner.

Day3: Wake up call 4:30 am. Tea and off to the site from Siruguppa (approximately each site is about 20 kms from Siruguppa). Start the search program by max 7.00 am and go on till 10.30 am. Breakfast at site or at Mr. Anand Kundargi's place. Free till lunch at 1.00 pm and again free till 3.00pm. Reach the site again by 4.00 pm to continue the search till 7.00 pm. Back to the base. Compilation of data. Dinner and disperse.

Posted via web from itnatureclub's posterous

Third Sunday Outing -21st Feb 2010 - Bird List

Neelasandra Kere turned out to be a great place for birding for the group which took part in the Third Sunday Outing...White Eyed buzzard and Spot Billed Pelican spotting is good news as none of us had seen them earlier during the last one hand half years of Third Sunday outings.

Here is the list as compiled by Chandru (cs.bandi@gmail.com) & Mahesh Chand ( mahesh81chand@yahoo.com)

1. White Cheeked Barbet
2. White Throated Kingfisher
3. Green Bee-eater
4. Asian Koel
5. Rose Ringed Parakeets
6. Spotted Owlet
7. Rock Pegion
8. Common Coot
9. Red Wattled Lapwing
10. Black Kite
11. Little Cormorant
12. Cattle Egret
13. Intermediate Egret
14. Little Egret
15. Grey Heron
16. House Sparrow
17. Eurasian Golden Oriole
18. Black Drongo
19. Indian Robin
20. Pied Bushchat
21. Common Myna
22. Barn Swallows
23. Wire Tailed Swallow
24. Red Vented Bulbul
25. Plain Prinia
26. Ashy Prinia
27. Blyth's Reed Warbler
28. White Browed Wagtail
29. White Browed Bulbul
30. White Eyed Buzzard
31. Purple Sunbird
32. Purple Rumped Sunbird
33. Brown Shrike
34. Brahminy Kite
35. Black Shouldered Kite
36. Greater Coucal
37. Rufous Treepie
38. Greater Cormorant
39. Little Grebe
40. House Crow
41. Red Whiskered Bulbul
42. Yellow Billed Babbler
43. Oriental Magpie Robin
44. River Tern
45. Common Iora
46. Great Tit
47. Spot Billed Pelican
48. Flowerpecker
49. Common Hawk Cuckoo
50. Oriental White Eye
51. Sandpiper (?)
52. Darter
53. Jungle Crow
54. Spotted Dove
55. Lark (?)
56. Common Tailorbird
57. Indian Pond Heron
58. Scaly Breasted Munia
59. Indian Robin

Here is the link to the photos taken by Mahesh Chand during the trail.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81mahesh/

Photos taken by Soumyajit Nandy
Brown Shrike
http://www.flickr.com/photos/snandy_81/4384498769/
White Eyed Buzzard
http://www.flickr.com/photos/snandy_81/4385259220/in/photostream/
Plain Prinia
http://www.flickr.com/photos/snandy_81/4385258552/in/photostream/

Here is the link to the photos taken by Saandip Nandagudi
(saandipng@gmail.com )


http://www.flickr.com/photos/saandipng/sets/72157623484577366/

Third Sunday Outing -21st Feb 2010

This month's  Third Sunday Nature Trail will be held on 21st February 2010. 

Place : Neelasandra Kere surrounding Neelasandra/ Ramasandra/ Koppa village.

Comfortable clothing,good walking shoes, a cap, water bottle,light snacks,binocular ( if you have), a camera ( if you like to shoot) is what you need. This trail is open to all ages who can walk for around three to four hours. 

Meeting place : Near Koppa Gate 

Time : 6.30 am

How to reach the meeting point ? On reaching Bannerghatta Police Station junction take left and come on Jigani Anekal Road. After about 5 kms from this junction you will see a couple of prominent granite yards on your left side. One of them is Metro Stones and next to it is Pearl Stones.We shall meet in front of Pearl Stones.

Google Map Coordinates : 12.797803, 77.612770

People who like to travel by bus can take any bus going towards Jigani, Bukkasagara, Anekal ,Haragadde, Mahatlingapura  via Bannerghatta Road .Get down at Koppa Gate bus stop and walk backwards for around 150 meters.

Confirm by calling Geetanjali at 9845383882 or Mahesh at 9448384472.

Moolehole Tiger - Spotting the tiger while on foot

Three days of trekking inside the forests of Bandipur in the Moolehole range, as part of the tiger estimate was a great experience. During the first two days of our stay and trekking inside the forest we saw n number of  scats , pug marks etc.We would hold our breath and wait behind the bushes when we used to hear any alarm calls by the langurs and the barking deers.But nothing can match the excitement of sighting a tiger when you are on foot !

On our last day of the count on 27th Jan 2010, the day began as usual. The early morning honking by the trucks and cars waiting for the forest gates to be opened, woke both me and Geeta Prasanna up by around 5.30 am. After our morning chores, bed tea and biscuits we set out for the herbivore estimate on the Hebbala trail.It was a two kms trail, around 9 kms away from the IB, where we were put up.This estimate was being repated for the second time.We began around 6.45 am and finished our task by around 8.00 am. We saw bisons ,elephants and spotted deers during the count.

Our gunman and forest watcher Bommanna had a suggestion for the two ladies desperate for the tiger sighting. Why not go to a waterhole and wait there? Well, we never said No to any such suggestions earlier also, so we three of us decided to goto the same waterhole which we had visited on our first day of the trail. We were not to utter a single word as instructed by Bommanna.. He wanted us to sit quitely and pray that some big cat will appear there to quench its thirst. Rs.500 is what Geeta decided to offer to a deity if she gets to see the tiger..:-).We selected a vantage point close to the Bund. I sat behind a tree on a lower elevation..Geeta sat on a higher ground around three feet away from me and Bommanna around six feet away from us on a fallen tree trunk. 

Waiting waiting and waiting...except for the consistent calls of the White-bellied drongos and Mynhas nothing much was happening. I was feeling hungry and so was Geeta. We decided to open our tuck box and munched biscuits and chocolates...Suddenly there was strong smell of urine in the air..we both looked at each other....but there was no sign of anything... We heard a langur call in the distance...Little later I had a  fleeting glimpse of a raptor and was feeling bad that I could not bring my Kodak Z980 as its battery was totally discharged ( There was no electricity in the IB). My aim n shoot basic Casio was there with me. Just to kill time I took it out and was looking through its viewfinder..I saw some movement on the other side of the bund ...and whispered "Spotted Deer"....

Geeta looked through her binocular and whispered aloud- "Hey ,its tiger"...I was numb...My god !...And yes..it was a tiger...I saw it coming out of the bush into the open..it looked down into the water and jumped in....Oops!!!!....I could not see him now... he was in straight line from where I was sitting but as I was on a lower ground, I was not able to see him...At that moment we both realized that Bommanna was looking somewhere else...I tried to wave at him to see the tiger...Geeta whispered to him" huli huli..." ..He too got excited...at the same time ,on the right side of the bund ,he saw another animal straying in.. ..whereas I could see the tiger getting up and looking sideways... both Geeta and Bommanna could see the other animal stepping towards the bund area...Bommanna whispered .."Henn Huli( female tiger)...take the photo"...Geeta looked through her bino and said .."No its a leopard"...Wow! That's a double bonus!!.....I slowly stood up...and saw that the tiger was on alert!!..His tail was upright and he was looking at the direction of the leopard..

But the leopard on realizing that the tiger was already there just ran away from the spot. ..Hence, I missed taking any pics of the leopard.The tiger to make sure that no one was around in his territory, slowly started moving towards the direction where he saw leopard straying in..

He stood for a while and was looking around....

then paced around for a while...

Going further down to make sure the territory belongs to him!

and when he was sure that no one was around he again came towards the bund....sipped a bit of water ....

Suddenly he turned around and started coming towards our end of the bund..Oh god!...I was scared to death..what if he sees us? Edge of the bund was just about 20 mtrs away from where we were standing!! ...I slowly bent down and took my backpack which was lying on the ground in case we were to run (?)! and lost many precious moments of taking some good shots..Geeta tried to reassure that nothing will happen.. my constant thought during those few mins was that ,what if he sees us?...and what will happen then.?

The tiger was slowly stepping towards our end of the bund....came till the edge of the bund...He stood still .....And then he saw me taking the pictures through the tree branch!!..He stood there and stared at me.....I was frozen......  I didn't move but realized later that I could have taken few more pictures had I kept on pressing the shutter button...

I was actually shit scared at that moment..he looked back towards the grassland and again turned his head to look at me ...now I remembered to press the shutter!!...and suddenly his tail went upright but he jumped away from us into grassland...

And on our return to the base, we three sort of became the stars of the day!!!

Geeta Prasanna ,Bommanna and Geetanjali

http://www.flickr.com/photos/itnatureclub/sets/72157623175430189/

Third Sunday Outing -17th January 2010

It was still very dark when we left our home to Shivanahalli for the Third Sunday Trail..and by the time we reached the Bannerghatta Sheet Rock, the sky was beautiful to look at with the Sun just about to rise.

Swami Vishnumayanandji was kind enough to serve tea to all the participants. Initially the plan was to explore the plantation area of the Ashram but Swamiji suggested to take Timmaraya along and explore Ragi Betta.Couple of the participants arrived late and few were left behind. Few wanted to go back early and few after a small trail felt it was enough as going deep inside the forest meant returning to the ashram only by 1.00 pm. So in the end 14 of us decided to explore the Bettada Kere instead of Ragi Betta.

There were the regular birds we see during our trails here.This trail was good for light trekkers than for birding. And yes, if one is able to reach the place early in the morning then it is an excellent place to watch the raptors.And also a good place to get a glimpse of the wild elephants and bears.It was nice to have the regular birder Krishna from the JLRNTP group joining us for this trail and who could id many birds for us. Yet there is some confusion about the id of the raptors. With the request that all who have taken pictures, pl. upload  them , I am listing out the birds spotted yesterday. Also if I have missed something pl. add that to the list.

Brown headed Barbet (?) ( In flight)
Coppersmith Barber (Call)
Indian Roller
White Breasted Kingfisher
Common Kingfiisher
Green Bee eater
Asian Koel
Blue Faced Malkoha
Rose Ringed Parakeets
Asian Palm Swifts
Rock Pigeon
Laughing Dove
Red Wattled Lapwing
Cattle Egret
Long Tailed Shrike
Rufous Treepie
House Crows
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Small Minivets
Black Drongo
Common Iora
Oriental Magpie Robin
Indian Robin
Pied Bushchat
Common Mynas
Great Tit
Red Vented Bulbul
Plain Prinia
Common Tailorbird
Jungle Babblers
Purple Rumped Sunbird
Flowerpecker( ?)
House Sparrows
White Browed Wagtail
Paddyfield Pipit
Indian Silverbills
Red Avadavat
Black Kites
Steppe Eagle
Marsh Harrier
Short Toed Snake Eagle
Black Shouldered Kite

Will post the list of raptors ones they are id.d from the photographs  uploaded by everyone.

Here is the link to the pics taken by me.

http://picasaweb.google.com/itnatureclub/ThirdSundayTrail17thJan2010#

By the time we returned back to the Ashram, all of us were starving and would have grabbed at anything that was offered. Swamiji was kind enough to sponsor a very tasty lunch to all the hungry birders!

Here is the link to the pictures taken by Neville Lobo.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nevillel/4281430000/

This link is to the pictures taken by Mahesh Chand
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81mahesh/

Third Sunday Outing -17th January 2010

Hi !

Every third Sunday of the month, few nature lovers from Bangalore meet up at a spot close to Bannerghatta National Park and go for a nature trail of around three hours to enjoy and create awareness about the rich flora and fauna here.The Third Sunday nature trail for the month of January will be held on 17th January 2010. Meeting point is Ramakrishna Mission School ,Shivanahalli at 6.00 am.

Trail route is Mission School to Bannerghatta Forest Patch behind the campus.

Comfortable clothing,Good walking shoes, a Cap, water bottle & snacks ,Binocular ( if you have), a camera ( if you like to shoot) is what you need.Free and open to all ages who can walk this trail of around three hours .

How to reach Shivanahalli ? Take the Bannerghatta Road from the Bangalore City. Cross the Bannerghatta National Park - the road curves to the left at that place near the Bannerghatta Police Station. Proceed further towards Jigani Industrial township. Halfway, on the right handside you will see the Ramakrishna Mission, Shivanahalli hoarding. (You will also notice a Swamy Ayyappa temple hoarding). Take a right turn there and drive for about 10 kms. Do not take any side roads (rare and few) that you will come along . Travelling through the Bannerghatta National Park reserved forest, you will have to cross the Ragihalli village to come over to Shivanahalli. The Ramakrishna Mission is located at the entrance of the Shivanahalli village. 

You can confirm with any of us at the following no.s

Geetanjali Dhar ( 9902913882)
Mahesh Chand (9448384472)

See you all,

Geetanjali Dhar

Third Sunday Outing - December 20th , 2009

Hi!

Its time again to reconnect with nature, and enjoy the flora and fauna around Bannerghatta.

This month's Third Sunday trail will be on 20th of December 2009.

Place :  Ragihalli Village Tank

Time : 6.00 AM

Meeting place : Govt Primary School, Ragihalli

Google Map Coordinates : 12.739328, 77.574592

Group Leader : Mahesh Chand


Comfortable clothing,good walking shoes, cap, water bottle,binocular ( if you have), a camera ( if you like to shoot)  is what you need to join the trail. This outing is free and open to all ages who can walk the trail of around four to five hours . 

We recommend car-pooling between participants. While confirming participation please also indicate your contact details and the route you will be taking to reach Ragihalli. If traveling in your own car, please do indicate if any spare capacity is available. 


Call Mahesh @ 9448384472 to confirm .


Happy birding,

Geetanjali

Third Sunday Outing - November 2009

Heavy winds and the light drizzle didn't deter around 30 birders to meet up in the morning of 15th November for a trail around the Anekal Lake which is around 48 kms from the city center.Four groups scattered around in different parts of the lake. Apart from the usual birds, it was interesting to see few migrants too.

This trail is also dedicated to Dr.Salim Ali, whose birthday was on 12th November.

Here is the list of birds spotted by our group: Geetanjali Dhar, Aditi,Vikranth & their Child,Sainath Vellal, Kiran Kumar and Joy.

Spot Billed Duck
White Cheeked Barbet
Indian Roller
White Throated Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher
Green Bee eater
Asian Koel
Rose Ringed Parakeets
Spotted Owlet
Rock Pegion
Common Coot
Purple Swamphen
Common Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Pheasant Tailed Jacana
Red Wattled Lapwing
Black Kite
Little Grebe
Little Cormorant
Cattle Egret
Indian Pond Heron
Black Headed Munia
Grey Heron
Yellow Bittern
House Sparrows
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Black Drongo
Indian Robin
Pied Bushchat
Common Myna
Barn Swallows
Wire Tailed Swallows
Red vented bulbuls
Plane Prinia
Ashy Prinia
Blyth's Reed Warbler
White Browed Wagtail
Scaly Breasted Munia
Stint?
Gargany?

Request others to fill in the bird names if they are missing here.

Photo link by Rajesh ( rb.rajesh@gmail.com)
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/rb.rajesh/AnekalLakeThirdSundayOuting2009_11_15

Flickr link to the pictures taken by Mahesh Chand ( mahesh81chand@yahoo.com)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81mahesh/

Here is the link to the beautiful shot of the Barn Swallows taken by Sainath Vellal (svellal@gmail.com)
http://sainath.livejournal.com/131211.html

November 15th ,2009 - Third Sunday Outing

Friends,

Its time again to reconnect with nature, and enjoy the flora and fauna beyond Bannerghatta.

This month's Third Sunday trail will be on 15th of November 2009

Place : Anekal Lake

Time : 6.00 AM

Meeting place :At the end of the lake near the signboard of Nisarga Restaurant.(That is if you are coming via Jigani Anekal Road)

Google Map Coordinates : 12.715430, 77.683747

Group Leader : Mahesh Chand

Resource Person : Volunteers needed!

Comfortable clothing,Good walking shoes, a Cap, water bottle,Binocular ( if you have), a camera ( if you like to shoot) and rain gear is what you need to join the trail. This outing is free and open to all ages who can walk the trail of around four to five hours .

We recommend car-pooling between participants. While confirming participation please also indicate your contact details and the route you will be taking to reach Anekal. If traveling in your own car, please do indicate if any spare capacity is available.

Folks who would like to come and stay overnight pl. confirm earliest so that we can make adequate arrangements.

Call 9845383882 or 9902913882 to confirm or email me at itnatureclub@yahoo.com

Devrabetta to Ancheti

On Sunday 8th November myself ,Subir Mahesh and my four years old daughter Avantika decided to brave the rain ,and head off to Devrabetta which is a small rocky outcrop on the southern edge of the Bannerghatta forest. We left Nisarga layout at around around 7 am. But by the time we reached the base of the hillock, it started raining heavy. We were mulling over, either returning back home, or exploring Ancheti. After a hot cup of tea on the way to Thalli, we decided to go ahead with the Ancheti Plan in spite of the rain, just to enjoy a good ride.The road from Thalli to Ancheti is in excellent shape, its really a joy ride. We stopped whenever a bit of light came out and were rewarded with some good sightings.

Sightings were good all along the road passing through the forest patch,while at Ancheti, though the lake was quite full, there were not many birds.

There were also many birds we could not identify. Mahesh has few pictures taken of those birds, so will post it here when he uploads them so that members here can id them.

All in all a it was a great Sunday well spent.

Here is the list birds :

1 White Throated Kingfisher
2 Marsh Harrier
3 Common Crow
4 Common Myna
5 Asian Palm Swift
6 Yellow Billed Babbler
7 Grey Jungle Fowl ( Call)
8 White Headed Babbler
9 Rock Pegion
10 Common Kestrel
11  Greater Coucal
12 Brahminy Kite
13 Common Iora
14 Blue Rock Thrush
15 Little Cormorant
16 Bay Backed Shrike
17 Rufous Treepie
18 Red Wattled Lapwing
19 Oriental Magpie Robin
20 Green Bee Eater
21 Red Rumped Swallow
22 Red Rumped Bulbul
23 Black Kite
24 Ashy Prinia
25 Rose Ringed Parakeet
26 Indian Roller
27 Tailor Bird
28 Pond Heron
29 Little Grebe
30 Painted Stork
31 Intermediate Egret
32 Red Whiskered Bulbul
33 Pallid Harrier
34 Common Kestrel
35 Eurasian Sparrow Hawk
36 Spotted Dove
37 Common Coot
38 Jungle Crow
39 Golden Fronted Leafbird
40 Black Drongo
41 Indian Robin
42 Pied Bush Chat
43 Brahminy Starling
44 Purple Sunbird
45 Purple Rumped Sunbird
46 Loten's Sunbird 
47 Jerdon's Bush Lark

Also spotted a bird which looked like Loten's Sun Bird but had big white patches on the chest and underbelly.

Here is the link for the pictures taken by me.


http://picasaweb.google.co.in/itnatureclub/DevrabettaToAncheti#


And here are the beautiful pictures taken by Mahesh ( mahesh81chand@yahoo.com)


http://www.flickr.com/photos/81mahesh/