I knew that Kumarakom is sanctuary specialized in water birds, such as Cormorants, Herons, etc. But I wanted to view mostly the birds of forest, perhaps because last two weeks I watched birds in open areas. I want the tropical forest. So I have that I want. Yes it's true, but I want the large number of birds inside the tropical forest. Today birds were a bit. I think I was the first visitor of the day. Staff told me about off season. Why off season? Three weeks ago in Thattekaad staff told me about start of season, it's really true, the season of birds activity in Thattekaad is December-February. But in Kumarakom main season is summer. So today I have the number and diversity of birds that I can to have in off season. I saw about two tens of species during 5 hours. Most numerous bird was the Indian Paradise Flycatcher which I view always near channels. Totally I view six Paradise Flycatchers, including one female and one male of white morph. The last one is so beauty, I never seen the white [...... read more ]

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When I arrived to Thrissur I immediately see the flock of Cormorants in the sky, directly in the city railway station. I thought – Wow, it's great! Perhaps, there is pond near station. But the next day I didn't attempt to find the pond near station but visited Vadakkechira Waterfront park which I found in the map of Kerala birding spots. I went to park in early morning and took some photos of birds from the outer side of border because park was closed. By the way, during the next two weeks park was closed all the time. But the flock of about 30 Lesser Whistling Ducks and about 50 Cattle Egrets always be good observed from the street. Almost every visit I saw here Little Cormorants and soared Oriental Darters. I thought: probably these Cormorants I saw near railway station. Of other birds which I saw here the pair fo White-browed Wagtails and Asian Brown Flycatcher have be noted. Due to short time birding in waterpark I attempted to watch birds in city attractions looking like parks. Firstly [...... read more ]

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Today is my last visit of paddy fields. Yesterday I was looking to map and thinking about main point of watching. My decision was the wet meadow, where I saw Red Munias, with the purpose to take photos of better than last visit quality. During the road I noticed some birds which confirmed the principle of inevitable second record of the once seen birds. Yesterday I saw Barbet, today Indian Golden Oriole. But today I noticed two very little birds sitting in wires, but they flew away as quickly so I couldn't neither to watch not to take photo. I should to expect these birds in future.Marsh is the good habitat. If you stay motionless and soundless, you can notice the movement of birds. Today I found Common Snipe and Pacific Golden Plover. When I understood that no more new movements, I go to the wet meadow, the main purpose of the day. In the meadow the grass is tall, almost man-height. Birds are more hearable than visible. Very rare birds are perching in top of grass, mostly inside of tussock. [...... read more ]

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Last visit I saw the fields without water. Today I was going to walk along the river and to reach this green fields. There is mist near river when I came here. In the mist I heard the unknown to me calls of birds in the top of trees. I thought I couldn't to find them and was going to continue my trip. But this moment the large Stork-billed Kingfisher perched to branch and joined to call of other birds. O my God! The Stork-billed Kingfishers call in mist! I took photos of Kingfisher perching near my, and later of two other birds. All of three birds were very calm, though usually they are quite shy. Day started very good. When I later got the village I see two more Stork-billed Kingfishers perched in wires. Five Stork-billed Kingfishers in one day! Near the village I some deepen to forest, and some time stayed motionless and soundless. After a short time birds began to occur. I saw Golden Orioles, Paradise Flycatcher, 2 Black-rumped Flamebacks (couple?), and 2 White-cheeked Barbets. Some [...... read more ]

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5-hours walking trip under the sun. I went about 15 km, and was so tired so fell asleep immediately after come back to lodge. During these 5 hours I saw literally thousands of birds. There are thousands of birds in the water-covered paddy fields. The diversity is also good, I saw more than 50 species of birds. If I saw 2000 or 3000 birds, it means 40-60 specimens of every species in average. Of course, really numbers of birds is uneven. By hundreds of each I saw Asian Openbill, Painted Stork, almost of Egrets, Black-headed Ibis, some Sandpipers, House Crow, Whiskered Tern, Cormorants, and probably Barn Swallow. In one of fields I saw the large flock of Asian Openbills. Whole flock is not fit to frame, so I took it by parts in 5 photos. I later counted in the central densest frame about 230 Opembills; in the rest 4 frames there are not less birds than in one central. So I think there were 500 Openbills at least in one flock. Painted Storks were more then 100 but they were not in one field, [...... read more ]

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Two days ago I asked one of the farmers what I can reach if go by the dirt road between fields. In his answer the reference was made to the name of one point, this name was used to show me the importance of this road. OK, today I am going to explore the habitat in the sides of this road. But after first 500 meters I turned from this road to the little forest around the village. In the edges of this wood island I saw some little birds such as Warblers (may be Blyth's Reed and one of Leaf Warblers), Indian Golden Orioles, Purple-rumped Sunbirds, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Yellow-billed Babblers, Rufous Treepie. Inside the dense tall bush something happened. All the birds were crying and moving inside. Perhaps someone was destroying the nest of one of birds. May be the snake, or one of large birds. May be snake was hunting to chicks, but large and aggressive Babblers also was doing something when other are busy. From the opposite side the forest bordered by the tall grass wet meadow. I thought [...... read more ]

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When I booked the lodge in Thrissur I especially selected the lodges close to the paddy fields, because most of birding spots near Thrissur are related to fields. Unfortunately now am staying not in booked lodge which is happens to be a fake. But in last 6th days I visited Kole wetlands in Puzhakkal three times using mostly bus as transportation mode. I separate whole territory to three main landscapes: paddy fields, river and channel with large trees in banks, and forest near village. Main landscape is of course fields. Now is seeding season (if I understand right), in some of fields there are working tractors and a lot of Egrets, mostly Little and Cattle Egrets, but I saw the Intermediate ones too. The Storks are feeding in watering blocks too. Once I observed the flock of more than 200 Asian Openbills was flushed by somebody. Also I regularly observed the couple of Wooly-necked Storks. The blocks with the low water or mud are the places of feeding to Waders and Wagtails. Wood Sandpipers [...... read more ]

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Only in second day I realized I first time in ocean. The tide in the morning, the ebb in the evening. In the morning birding I observed mostly Egrets and Herons which were feeding on the floating seaweed or in the fishnets. Totally there were more than one hundred Egrets in the coast and nearby. I saw Great Egrets, Intermediate Egrets, Western Reef-Egrets (my lifer), Little Egrets, Indian Pond Herons, and flying flocks of Cattle Egrets. Due to Reef-Egret are my lifer, a lot of time I took photos of them. I tried to make photos of all morphs of this Egret, but I didn't see birds of white morph. There are a bit of sandy spots in the coast, probably therefore I saw only three waders of one only species, the Common Sandpiper. One of Sandpiper was feeding on he floating leaves, another one between the stones. Of the birds in outside the water I photographed all excluding the Chestnut-tailed Starling, which behavior differs from behavior of other Starlings. Birds of this species are quite a [...... read more ]

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First half of the day I was in the way from Sreemoolangaram to Fort-Kochin. During the way I two or three time noticed to advertising of Bird Sanctuaries, one of which was directly in Ernakulam, close to the point of my staying to next three days. Of course when I put my baggage in the room I immediately go to the Sanctuary in Ernakulam. I expected to view a lot of birds directly in the city, but there are only very short path for visitors inside the sanctuary. Most of territory of park are invisible to birdwatchers. So I watched only common birds I saw previously. The most significant observations of the day not related the birds or only the birds. Firstly, I saw the Dolphins! When I moved from Fort-Kochin to Fort-Vypeen by the boat I noticed the jumping Dolphin, all other passengers of boat nothing viewed. What a nice day! I didn't expect it, but I saw Dolphin! Secondly, there are about two hundreds of sleeping Flying Foxes in the sanctuary. One of giant tree is covered by this large [...... read more ]

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My main target of today's trip is Heart-spotted Woodpecker. I want to take better photos than I made last visit. Woodpecker (and Black-naped Oriole too) was not full body on photo, but only parts of it. But I photographed Oriole next day, so I need to find only Woodpecker. Therefore I immediately turned to the island where I met it previously. But the first my bird was the male of Grey Jungle-Fowl, very nice and calm bird. I heard later its sound many time, this sound don't similar to the domestic cock sound, but I sure that was Fowl sound when I heard it. I waited and looked for Woodpecker some times but unsuccessfully. So I didn't make good photos of Woodpecker, but also added the Orange-headed Thrush to the list of bad-photographed birds.Then I go to the mountain part of Sanctuary. There is silence all the road, if you go by the broad main trail. Therefore I had to turn to secondary trails especially in case when this trails bordered by the dense little trees or bushes. Firstly I found [...... read more ]

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