Tour Overview
Eldhose Bird Tours arranges Birding and Photography Trips across South India. If you’re a photography enthusiast keen to make the most of a vacation, this is the place you have to be. A trip here and you will surely go again. We welcome you, the photography-enthusiast, to travel with us on carefully designed photography tours across South-India. Come on board our wide range of photography tour offerings.
3 Nights/4 Days Bird Photography Tour
The Western Ghats are ranges of hills along the western edge of the Deccan plateau in peninsular India. The EBA ( Endemic Bird Area ) extends along the Ghats from just north of Maharashtra to the tip of the peninsula. Western-Ghats is home for many mouth watering endemic species along with much sought after range restricted Indian birds. Our 3 nights Western Ghats odyssey shall cover two most important birding areas in South India : Lower “Thattekkad “ ( Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary ) in Kerala and hill stations of Munnar. Thattekkad is most famously an endemism hotspot, and many species among its prime attractions are found only here or in the Western Ghats.
ITINERARY
- Day 1 – Arrive at Cochin airport and transfer to thattekkad
Morning arrival at Cochin International Airport (COK). We will drive out by a chartered vehicle to our first destination - Thattekkad. The journey can take up to 1 hour. Afternoon birding around resort garden for close range photography opportunities for resident and endemic bird species such as Malabar Parakeet, Lesser and Greater Golden back Woodpeckers, Jungle Mynas, Common and White breasted Kingfishers, Rufous tree pie, White cheeked Barbet and the Indian Pitta - within 5 meters of range .We enjoy full-day’s guided trekking in the Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary looking for the prime attractions of the Tour. This effort offers a high chance of producing the sight of a frogmouth. Later in the evening we go in search of owls and nightjars. Overnight stay at Eldhose Birding Lodge.
- Day 2- Full day in Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary
After our Morning coffee, we will set up our binoculars on the resort grounds and wait for the arrival of endemic Malabar Hornbills. After taking detailed observation of this endemic giant we will shift to the nearby selectively logged forest area to encounter Grey Jungle fowl and highly secretive Red Spurfowl. We will also encounter much sought after the Black-throated Munia from the same area and also look for endemic White cheeked Barbet, Lesser and Great Golden backs, Oriental Magpie Robin, Common Myna etc. After a hearty breakfast at the resort we will venture out for our first tropical forest birding adventure. Our key target for the morning will be the Ceylon Frogmouth. You will be surprised to see them so close. We will also search for colourful Malabar Trogon, Indian Roller , Emerald Dove, Green Imperial Pigeon, White-bellied Wood pecker , Black-hooded Oreol , Southern Hill Myna, Green fronted Leaf bird, Endemic Crimson-back Sunbird ,Loten’s Sunbird , Little Spider-hunter , White-bellied Treepie etc till lunch time .After Lunch , we will go to the bird bath which is located few miles away from the Resort . We will spend all the afternoon watching and photographing amazing parades of avian beauties flying in from the nearby forest. We will encounter and photograph Black-naped Monarch, Asian paradise Flycatcher, Flame-throated Bulbul, White browed Bulbul, Puff-throated Babbler, Blyth’s Starling , Blue Whistling Thrush , Verditer flycatcher , White-bellied Blue flycatcher, White bellied Treepie and many more. Dinner and overnight stay at the resort.
- Day 3- Munnar
We will have along day ahead of us today . We will set off to the mountain town of Munnar at 5.00 Am to reach our birding location at down. We will look for higher altitude species such as Nilgiri Wood Pigeon , Nilgiri flycatcher , endemic black and orange flycatcher , canary flycatcher , Indian black bird , oriental white-eye , Velvet -fronted Nuthatch , Painted Quail , Nilgiri pipit etc .We will start our decent by 6.00 pm to reach our resort on time dinner after a highly productive day of birding.Overnight stay at Eldhose Birding Lodge.
- Day 4- Morning Birding in Thattekkad and check out
After a last morning’s birding in Thattekad, we gather for a conclusive huddle and are transferred back to Cochin from where we depart for our abodes.