KERALA, SOUTHERN INDIA

the birds of India's beautiful southern hill country

The subcontinent of India is truly fascinating, and Kerala in particular has much to offer. It is probably the most beautiful state, and certainly the most affluent and literate. After much preparation we have now set up an opportunity to enjoy the exotic wildlife of this friendly, relaxed and colourful area in comfort.

The variety of forests in the Western Ghats are each home to their own special birds, many of which are endemic. There are also quite a number of species that can only be found in either this little south-west corner or the remote north-east - and Kerala is by far the easier place to visit. Mixed bird flocks in the forests are rich in colourful exotic species such as Rufous Treepie, Malabar Trogon, Black-naped Oriole, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Greater Flameback, Scarlet Minivet, Bronzed Drongo and Asian Paradise Flycatcher. We have located a couple of wonderful bird-filled sites, one with at least 15 nocturnal species including Ceylon Frogmouth and Jerdon's Nightjar. Other local specialities also include Little Spiderhunter, Grey-breasted Laughingthrush, Tickell's Warbler, Crested Goshawk, Black-and-orange Flycatcher and Indian Pitta.

It is not just the ancient forests that hold birds, they are everywhere so, along the way, we shall visit coastal marshes, stands of teak, flooded paddies and dry country too. For five nights we will stay within Periyar National Park with excellent birding on the doorstep.

There are mammals too: Indian Elephant, Indian Bison, Nilgiri Langur, Bonnet Macaque, Asian Wild Dog, Nilgiri Tahr, Flying Squirrels - around 17 species in all are possible here. Add the palm fringed waterways of the coast, the perfect climate of the hills, the masses of dazzling butterflies, the temples, the cuisine and the warming winter sunshine…

White-brested Kingfisher is a common Indian bird. Paul Willoughby.

ITINERARY

KOVALAM

Our hotel here, complete with swimming pool and multi-cuisine restaurant and close to the famous Kovalam beach, is the excellent Swagath Resort Hotel. It is ideal for our first two and last two nights, being within easy reach of the airport, yet close to some good birding areas.

Many of the commoner Indian birds abound, so we will scan the gardens for Indian Koel, Purple-rumped Sunbird and Shikra amongst others. Nearby paddyfields hold Zitting Cisticola, Yellow-billed Babbler, White-rumped Munia and the remarkable azure Indian Roller. Nearby is a working coastal marsh (they soak coconut husks here) where we will look for Yellow Bittern amongst the Western Reef Herons, Little Cormorants, Intermediate Egrets, Pacific Golden Plovers and beautiful Bronze-winged Jacanas.

The delicate Blue-tailed Bee-eater is common, hawking above the wintering waders, along with Palm Swifts and Indian Swiftlets. The local lakes and waterways have Striated Heron, White-breasted Kingfisher, Whiskered Terns and other water birds.

PERIYAR RESERVE

We then drive up into the Cardamom Hills, birding en route, to the Aranya Nivas Hotel. Situated within the wonderful hill reserve of Periyar, this will be our base for the next five nights. The sanctuary is part of Project Tiger but the big cats tend to stay inside the undisturbed core area where they are rebuilding their numbers. Tigers are seen in areas of public access, but only rarely, so we are able to walk quite freely when accompanied by a reserve guide.

We will concentrate our efforts in the mornings and evenings, perhaps with tea on the verandah in the afternoon. Bird diversity and numbers here are large, with Common Hawk-cuckoo often right on the doorstep. Crested Honey-buzzard and Crested Serpent Eagle are common residents, as is the exotic and local White-bellied Treepie. Green Warblers replace the Greenish Warblers of lower altitude, Yellow-browed Bulbuls, Malabar Grey Hornbills and Malabar Parakeets are drawn to the fruiting trees, whilst the remarkable calls of the Southern Hill Myna are a familiar sound of the forest. Scarlet and Small Minivets are like jewels, while Stork-billed and Lesser Pied Kingfishers hunt the lake. Guided jungle walks, mostly aimed at finding mammals, are also the way to see Forest Wagtails, Malabar Trogons and Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters.

Our visit is in the dry season, when birds and mammals are drawn to the lake for water. The enormous Great Pied Hornbill and dainty Heart-spotted Woodpecker are both here. This is a great time, given a little luck, to see Brahminy Kites shadowing hunting packs of the rare Asian Wild Dog. Sambar, Indian Wild Boar and Malabar Giant Squirrel are all common and we stay here long enough to maximise our chances of seeing Asian Elephants, Indian Bison and Short-clawed Otters amongst others. Boat trips to the more remote, hidden parts of the flooded valley give us a chance to see the real wild India.

MUNNAR

It will not be easy to drag ourselves away from the magnificent Periyar, but our tour continues up to Munnar, home of the Nilgiri Tahr, one of the rarest antelopes in the world, which resembles its goat-like cousins of the Himalayas. We are especially interested in the changes of habitat here, and we will see Pacific Swallows over the tea plantations and look for Oriental White-eyes, Blyth's Reed Warblers, Ashy Wood-swallows and more amongst the cardamom and pepper groves.

At the nearby Eravikulam Wildlife Sanctuary we have an excellent chance of finding Black-and-orange Flycatcher, Nilgiri Flycatcher, Nilgiri Blackbird and Grey-breasted Laughingthrush. We found Tickell's Warbler to be common at one spot, and the localised, endemic Nilgiri Pipit to be confiding enough to make identification easy. After two nights at The Royal Retreat we will wend our way down to nearer the mouth of the Periyar River.

THETTAKAD

Thettakad Bird Sanctuary, or Salim Ali Valley as it is affectionately known, is a tremendous but as yet little visited place. It is alive with Golden, Black-headed and Black-naped Orioles. It was here that David Attenborough filmed the extraordinary nest of the Rufous Woodpecker, hollowed into the still-occupied nest of ferocious Cremastogaster tree ants. The Greater Racket-tailed Drongo and beautiful Orange-headed Ground Thrush are here in good numbers, as are Fairy Bluebirds, Crimson-backed Sunbirds and Indian Pittas.

The rare Black Baza is possible here - we saw three in two days on our last visit. Sri Lanka Frogmouth has been found to be common along with Great Eared Nightjar and Mottled Wood Owl (in all some 15 species of nocturnal bird have been recorded).

There is also a wonderful temple site nearby where, within a 50 acre plot, no trees have been touched for hundreds of years. After three nights here we will travel back along the coast to Kovalam, for the last couple of nights. Here we will take a boat trip of the famous backwaters and search for that one last elusive species before heading home. India is full of extraordinary scenes and events. During the course of our tour we should come across wonderful temples, amazing street life, ceremonial elephants, decorated cattle - all with a kind of memorable, colourful vivacity that is rarely seen anywhere else.

PACE Breakfast will be taken at about 7.30am most mornings, perhaps earlier sometimes, but later if the previous day has been tiring. We will take quite long lunch breaks if the day is hot. Being within the tropics it is dark by 7pm so early nights compensate for any early mornings when the bird activity is often at its highest. Basic fitness is all that is required. Full days will be spent in the field and short/medium length walks on the flat will be undertaken. There will be a little, gentle, uphill walking.

ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD Full-board accommodation is provided, with four nights in all at the Swagath Resort in Kovalam, five nights in Periyar at the Aranya Nivas Hotel, two nights at the Royal Retreat in Munnar and three nights at the Perumbaroor Hotel in Thettakad. All rooms are en suite. Packed lunches will be taken most days. We have taken care to arrange good accommodation in a comparatively poor country, and to ensure good quality, safe food for the whole trip.

PRICE INCLUDES ….. All birdwatching excursions with expert leader and local guides, full-board accommodation, soft drinks at meal times, guided walks by reserve staff, boat trips, local transport by mini-bus, return flights, and flight and airport taxes.

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED Cost of travel insurance, payable at the time of booking. Items of a personal nature, alcoholic drinks, laundry, tips, etc. Because there is so much to do and see in Kerala we will offer some opportunity for optional extras, for instance some people may want to join a half-day tour of the Spice Market near Periyar. This can be discussed at the time.

INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS We fly directly from London Gatwick to Trivandrum, using the charter services of a major carrier. The outbound flight departs mid-evening and the return flight arrives back late evening.

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