A road less traveled

Long-legged beauties-Open billed stork and Black headed ibis PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

As 2019 draws to a close, it was time for a much awaited break. A break for us, is one, if only some tranquil woods and waters are in the itinerary. So in the wee hours of late Dec 2019, we hatched out of our urban abode and steered towards the first leg of our vacation, the waters of Kabini. Kabini Reservoir - not an unknown destination to many, certainly not to us too. But this time the agenda was not JLR, neither the route, a familiar NH. The journey was the agenda. Birding at sunrise, in the least visited villages and unnamed water bodies was the plan.

With the roads of Namma Bengaluru magically meditative, the predawn drive out of the city was smooth as butter. NH 275 was invariably the passage till Mysuru. The royal palace was a sight to behold when the sky was still dark! The day broke beautifully when we were driving through the Mananthavadi road in the vicinity of HDKote(Heggadadevanakote).

Glorious green fields under a blanket of mist PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

Picture postcard view of a plantain field hut PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

Sunrise and birdsong are perennial partners. Enjoying both in quietude is a blessing.

Laughing dove or the little brown dove foraging for breakfast PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

Soon, we realized we were not alone. A trail of Kabini river was to our company, flowing just parallel to the road. So every few meters ahead there were small water bodies hosting a variety of water birds and waders.

Purple swamp hen and Coots surrounded by water lilies PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

Solitary wader, a juvenile Black headed Ibis PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

A cormorant drying its waterlogged wings after a dive PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

Cormorants usually choose an open tree branch or a windblown rock to dry their wings PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

Open billed stork wading for fish as a young cormorant chooses to ignore its presence PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

Our prize click was a pair of bar headed geese in flight. We were pleasantly surprised to have spotted them. Bar headed geese are long distance migratory birds who choose to migrate to peninsular India all the way from Central Asia, during winter months. They are very high altitude flyers and can be seen flocking in sanctuaries of far southern India like the Koonthankulam bird sanctuary in Tamilnadu.

Bar headed geese in flight PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

Gradually wriggling through the scenic landscape, we researched the reservoir.

Kabini reservoir PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

Gulp of swallows on the line PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

The landscape offers a panoramic view of the narrow cape surrounded by Kabini on three sides.

The cape landscape

Vibrant hues of a temple tower at the reservoir cape PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

Splash of colors in a misty backdrop PC: Kalirajan Subramanian

Once the sun was fairly up, it was time for us to move on. We chose the spectacularly scenic and serene Chikkadevamma hills rural route. All along the route after the hills, a dusky brown carpet of harvested millet grains could be seen as the farmers were threshing them on the road side.