The Avifauna of Sirsi. 

Birds & Wildlife

It was in June 2016, that I visited Sirsi in Uttara Kannada, for a week.  It was a vacation with my siblings and their spouses. We stayed at a beautiful Jungle resort, on the outskirts of Sirsi, bang in the middle of a tropical evergreen forest.  Our arrival early in the morning, from Kumta Railway Station, probably added to the charm of the place! We were welcomed with the melodious songs of the Asian Koel, Hill Myna, Common Iora, Bulbul, and so many other birds,  I was blessed to see many species of birds for the first time ("lifers" in bird watchers' parlance)! Add to that the beautifully laid out cottages, trees, and gazebos in the resort...It seemed a truly magical place! A bird watchers' paradise!!

Almost all of us have heard the story of "Alibaba and forty thieves" of the Arabian night's fame. When he utters the magic words; (passwords in today's context), "Open Sesame" in English or "khul-ja-sim-sim" in Hindi, the entrance of the cave belonging to the thieves open and reveal their stash of treasure! This place seemed like tha fabled Alibaba's cave to me, and the treasure for me meant all these lovely birds.  

There were so many species of birds, which I saw for the first time – the small green Indian hanging-parrots (Vernal Hanging Parrots) need a special mention here. They have a voracious appetite for the tender flowers of the coconut and they just seem to be eating non-stop, so much so, that it was difficult to photograph their red beaks!

The Lesser Goldenback Woodpeckers were busy with their pecking of the barks of the coconut trees, literally destroying a few of those.  

It was also the first time, that I saw the Ashy Woodswallow.  They always seemed to be in groups of at least, three to four, sitting cheek-to-cheek!  It was difficult to get the photograph of one alone.  

Then there was the brightly coloured Scarlet Minivet and the Green Jerdon's Leafbird (Jerdon's chloropsis), which I saw so fleetingly that I could take only one picture of each!

Jerdon's Chloropsis OR Jerdon's Leafbird

                                                  Scarlet Minivet

The Lesser Hill-Mynas, Ioras, Oriental Magpie-Robin, White-Cheeked Bulbuls, Rosy Starlings, and Racket-Tailed Drongo, adding their sweet unique songs to the orchestra, created an ambiance unique to the place.

Hill Myna

Racket-tailed Drongo

A pair of Malabar grey Hornbills made a special appearance in the fading light of dusk, after a surprise monsoon shower.  My attention was drawn to them by their unique raucous cackling sound, even before I could see them.  I have attached a video, (which is not the best quality) , nevertheless, you can hear their typical cackling!

Malabar Grey Hornbill

Then, there were these tiny Black-headed munias, busy building their nests....as all the species of munias always seem to be!

Black-headed Munia

I was fortunate to see a Malabar Giant Squirrel, during our explorations of the jungles. These are endemic to the forests of western and eastern ghats and Satpura range of hills in Madhya Pradesh, India.

I could hear peacocks in the jungle surrounding the resort.  I tried to track them, finally being rewarded with a glimpse on my last day there! 

On our way back after the peacock sighting, along the jungle trails, I came across a small pond with lots of trees surrounding it.  This was where I saw a  huge Crested-Serpent Eagle, in all its magnificent glory.  

But the icing on the cake was yet to come!  On my last walk in the resort, just before our departure, I saw a thin, dry sort of lizard on the trunk of the coconut tree. It was perfectly camouflaged.  I noticed its presence..... only because of a bright yellow paddle-like thing, which seemed to be coming up and down from the underside of its throat…and then the lizard seemed to disappear!  

I could manage a picture or two and a short video.  After returning home I learned from the internet, that it was a flying lizard named Draco (not of the Malfoy variety).  Yellow appendage-like the organ is known as Gular, and it is used to attract a mate! I could have kicked myself if it were physically possible, for being unable to observe it in flight, due to my ignorance.

Now you know…why this place near Sirsi was nothing less than  “Alibaba’s treasure Trove” for me!

Aditi Deshpande, June 2017