Ganeshgudi - The Bird Watcher's Paradise

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Wishing all the readers a Very Happy New Year 2015.

Ganeshgudi , the name itself brings excitement in the heart of birder's. For normal people, Ganeshgudi is just a temple. But, for bird photographers Ganeshgudi is a temple of birds.

A scenic destination blessed with breath taking natural beauty, Ganeshgudi is located in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka and lies in lush green forest ranges of the Western Ghats on the banks of River Kali. It is blessed with rich flora and fauna and is well known for its adventure sports and eco-tourism.

It is a perfect place to admire the natural beauty and panoramic views of the destination. Ganeshgudi is amidst mesmerizing sceneries and serene spots. Sri Mallikarjuna Temple, Dandelappa Temple, Anshi National Park, Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, Supa Dam and Kulgi Nature Camp are the famous tourist destinations of this region. An exciting tour to Ganeshgudi assures a rewarding and memorable experience for all wildlife enthusiasts, nature lovers and bird lovers. 

Our Journey : 

During last November, we decided to go to Ganeshgudi. Eventually, Mr. Vishwanath booked the accommodation at Old Magazine House, which is fondly called as OMH.

We started our journey from Shimoga on 28th Nov, 2014.

The team :

L to R : Dr Parameshwar , Mr. Vishwanath , Mr. Satish , myself :)

Enroute, we stopped at a place near Davangere which is famous for "Mandakki". This is a local delicacy which is very famous through out the state. 

We reached Ganeshgudi by lunch time and headed towards Old Magazine House for lunch. We could see that many photographers with their bazookas had already occupied most of the places.

"Seeing the huge number of photographers, I feel a day would soon come where a photographer has to reserve his place by paying extra money to photograph birds at OMH " :)

Old Magazine House :

A name that is chanted by most of the bird photographers / nature lovers very often is Old Magazine House.

The Old Magazine House Forest Camp, a Unit Of Jungle Lodges And Resorts Ltd is located at Ganeshgudi, 25km from Dandeli on Londa to Dandeli Road. This is the main base for rafting guests. You will meet the rafting crew here. The camp is situated  in a very thick pocket of evergreen forest and offers a thrilling jungle experience. The Old Magazine House is approximately 1,800 feet above sea level and blessed with an excellent climate round the year.

This resort is famous for Nature lovers and Bird watchers. 

Even trekking along the beaten path through the jungles is quite enjoyable.

Here, food of various types are available for the tourists to cherish and enjoy their time with friends and family members.

On return to the Old Magazine Resort Dandeli after a day full of enjoyable activities, the comforts are very inviting.

People are enthralled by the prospect of staying in the resorts which are quite exotic and comfortable.

The adventurous adults can take a trip to the river Kali where kayaking, canoeing, and river rafting can be done.

There are many cottages like Log huts as well as a dormitory.

Twin huts

You can choose to stay in the rustic "ethnic huts", built in the local style and elevated with split level interiors, or in the "dormitory" which is ideal for the budget traveler. 

The camp has a simple rooftop restaurant where you can enjoy the excellent food on offer whilst gazing at a great night sky. Take a trek on the "sunset trail" for breathtaking views of the Supa lake to the west. Alternatively you can just laze under a tree.

If not, just watch the beautiful endemic birds that fly around the camp and forget yourself in the midst of Nature.

 Trees shot with a different perspective 

Flora and Fauna

The camp is surrounded by some of the finest moist deciduous forests. These forests support a fine assortment of wildlife. Though sighting of large mammals is infrequent, the occasional Sambar, Wild Dog, Malabar Giant Squirrel, and the Flying Squirrel are seen. However, the lack of mammal sighting is more than compensated by the plethora of birds that are seen here. Even while being in the camp one can see endemics like the Malabar Grey Hornbill and the Malabar Pied Hornbill let alone the flycatchers, orioles, babblers and the Shama. Besides these, the Flying Lizard or the Draco is also frequently seen in these forests. For those interested in lesser fauna, there is plenty of interesting things around to see and learn.

Bird photography in and around OMH

Dark fronted Babbler and Brown cheeked Fulvetta

Yellow browed Bulbul

Blyth's reed warbler

Blyth's reed warbler

 Blackbird

 Indian Yellow Tit

 White bellied blue flycatcher

  White bellied blue flycatcher

  White bellied blue flycatcher

 Dark fronted Babbler

 Flame throated bulbul

  Flame throated bulbul

 Rusty tailed flycatcher

 Grey Wagtail

 

 Brown cheeked fulvetta

  Brown cheeked fulvetta

 Orange headed ground thrush

  Brown cheeked fulvetta

 White bellied blue flycatcher - female

Brown cheeked fulvetta and Oriental White eye

 Magpie robin

 

 Black Naped Monarch 

 Asian Paradise flycatcher

 Grey fronted green pigeon

 Puff throated Babbler

 Orange minivet

  Orange minivet

 White rumped Shama

  White rumped Shama

  White rumped Shama

White rumped Shama

 Little spider-hunter

  Little spider-hunter

 White bellied blue flycatcher female

 Tickell's blue flycatcher

 Blue capped rock thrush

 Malabar trogon

  Malabar trogon

 Oriental white eye and brown cheeked fulvetta

 Oriental white eye

Yellow browed bulbul

Photographers in action :)

The hornbill trio : 

1.  Malabar Grey hornbill :

The Malabar grey hornbill (Ocyceros griseus) is a hornbill endemic to the Western Ghats and associated hills of southern India. They have a large beak but lack the casque that is prominent in some other hornbill species. They are found mainly in dense forest and around rubber, arecanut or coffee plantations. They move around in small groups, feeding on figs and other forest fruits. Their loud cackling and laughing call makes them familiar to people living in the region.

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Bucerotiformes

Family: Bucerotidae

Genus: Ocyceros

Species: O. griseus

Binomial name

Ocyceros griseus

2. Malabar Pied Hornbill

The Malabar pied hornbill (Anthracoceros coronatus), also known as lesser pied hornbill, is a bird in the hornbill family, a family of tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World. The Malabar pied hornbill is a common resident breeder in tropical and subtropical Asia from India east to Borneo. Its habitat is evergreen and moist deciduous forests, often near human settlements

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Bucerotiformes

Family: Bucerotidae

Genus: Anthracoceros

Species: A. coronatus

Binomial name

Anthracoceros coronatus

3. Great Indian Hornbill

The great hornbill (Buceros bicornis) also known as the great Indian hornbill or great pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. It is found in South and Southeast Asia. Its impressive size and colour have made it important in many tribal cultures and rituals. The great hornbill is long-lived, living for nearly 50 years in captivity. It is predominantly frugivorous, but is an opportunist and will prey on small mammals, reptiles and birds.

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Bucerotiformes

Family: Bucerotidae

Subfamily: Bucerotinae

Genus: Buceros

Species: B. bicornis

Binomial name

Buceros bicornis

Landscapes :

After spending close to 2 days in Ganeshgudi, we returned to Shimoga on 30th November, 2014

All these below images were shot near Shimoga while returning.

 Green Bee Eater during sunset

 Children's play

Farm

Sunset

This marked the end of our lovely trip to the Abode of Birds. 

Equipments used :

Nikon D7100
Nikon 80-400mm VR-II
Nikon 300mm F/4
Nikon 18-105mm VR
Tokina 11-16mm F/2.8

Important information :

1. Activities :

White-water rafting ( not included in the package) 

Bird-watching 

Coracle ride 

Trekking 

2. Distance :

Bangalore - 500Km 

Dandeli - 25Km 

Hubli - 95Km 

Belgaum - 72Km 

Goa - 115Km 

3. Tariff

                        Foreigner       Indian

Ethnic Cottage 4,000.00       2,000.00

Dormitory 2,500.00      1,300.00

* Tariffs are per person per night on twin-sharing basis.

* Transfers to & from resorts are not included in the tariff.

* Tariff for children between 5 & 12 years is 50% of the tariff.

* Camping, Jungle/Boat safari at extra cost.

* Tariff may be changed without prior notice.

* Peak season supplement applicable. 

Tariff Includes

Stay, Lunch, Dinner & Breakfast, Evening snacks , Guided Trekking, Forest Entry Fees, & Taxes. 

Contact no : 083832 - 56301

4. Route : 

Bangalore - Davangere - Ranibennur - Hubli - Dandeli - Ganeshgudi

5. For more info about Dandeli and Kulgi Nature camp, see the following link :

Dandeli Anshi tiger reserve _ http://www.arjunhaarith.blogspot.in

Thank you and a Happy Birding :)