It was the Monsoon month and we were in the Western Ghats. The downpour could more often be seen than the sunshine. I am born and brought up in the Western Ghats area and it is always a pleasure to spend my time there, especially in the rainy season.
Anoop and I started birding not very long ago. To increase our bird checklist, we thought of paying a visit to one of the bird sanctuaries of Shimoga, Gudavi. There was another solid reason for us to execute this plan. Our birding pal Dr. Krishna MB had visited us from Bengaluru. He is an enthusiastic birder who has years of experience in birdwatching. It was not his first time in Western Ghats area, but visit to the Western Ghats for a nature lover is always rewarding.
In early August, the rains were intermittent and we managed to spot quite a good number of birds at our backyard. Sometimes, we did bird watching with an umbrella in one hand and the binocular on the other. I had even seen birds sheltering under big leaves to protect from rain. This story can be another good blogpost!
For more birding stories : http://Backyard Birds of Western Ghats Part 1- Bulbuls
Gudavi Bird Sanctuary : One of the best bird sanctuaries of karnataka

On the day we planned to go to Gudavi, we had an early start. Gudavi bird sanctuary is located in Soraba Taluk of Shimoga District. From the Soraba town center, it is around 16km drive to reach the bird sanctuary. Gudavi Bird Sanctuary (Kannada: ಗುಡವಿ ಪಕ್ಷಿಧಾಮ) is considered as one of the 5 best sanctuaries of Karnataka, with a count of 217 bird species all over the year. The small Gudavi Lake, which usually get swollen in rainy season and the trees around is a good habitat for birds and hence attracts many throughout the year.
On the way :
On our way from Thirthahalli to Sagara, we spotted few common birds such as Racket-tailed Drongo, Red Whiskered Bulbul, Spotted Dove etc., First pit stop was a lake on the way which was filled with the water birds. There were Bronze-winged Jacanas, Purple Moorhen, Common Coot, Pond Heron, Lesser Whistling Duck, White-throated Kingfisher and few Egrets. Just beside the lake a farmer was ploughing the land, ignoring the rain. A plastic sheet which he used to protect from rain, failed to serve its purpose.
Back-water area :

Further we stopped at a reservoir’s back-water area, which turned out to be one of the best stops of the day. There were Red-rumped Swallows and Green Bee-eaters perched on the electric wire. Loud shrill of Magpie-Robin distracted us as if it was complaining for not being noticed. Krishna then spotted a Cotton Teal which was flying from one tree trunk to the other in search of a nesting place. It was my first encounter with a water bird nesting high above the ground. Two Lesser Goldenback woodpeckers were chasing one another, passed just behind us. Then, up in the sky there were majestic Lesser Adjutant Storks. Six individuals circling around made their way slightly downwards before moving away from our sight. That was a lifer for all of us, including our expert Krishna.

There was a small reservoir few kms away from this spot. Even though it was very calm and not very promising area for birding, this time we just got down to savour the serenity. There was a huge area filled with water on one side and just on the edge a small temple had been built. Monsoon had used its magic wand to colour everything Green. Before leaving we took some pictures to treasure the moment. A Black Kite, Little Cormorant and Purple-rumped Sunbird were added to our list here.
AT Gudavi bird sanctuary :

After having a short lunch stop at Shiralakoppa, reached Gudavi in the afternoon. We paid the entrance fee of Rs 25 per person and entered the sanctuary. Just near the entrance there was a mixed hunting flock with Bronzed Drongos and Rufous Treepies leading the group. A pair of Scarlet Minivet, Gold-fronted Chloropsis, Yellow-cheeked Tit and a Chestnut-headed Bee-eater also showed up. I spotted a handsome little Woodpecker just on a dry branch up on a tree.It turned out to be a Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, a lifer for me.

Spotting the water birds:
It started to drizzle slightly, and we then walked on the paved path which would go around the lake. The loud noise from the breeding grounds was reaching our ears even before our eyes noticing the birds. There were few bird towers and we climbed the first one that came on our way. Oh! It was a sight to behold. It appeared as if all the trees are in full bloom. On every tree there were white feathery flowers. Black-headed Ibises, Asian Openbill Storks, Eurasian Spoonbills, Greater Egrets, Little Cormorants, Purple Herons, Darters, Black-crowned Night Herons etc., were all sharing the same space. Some were carrying the twigs to their nests and many were guarding the eggs. Few already had nestlings to look after.





Further very close to the walking path, every small bush was boasting a bunch of 50-60 Black headed Ibis nests. We sat on a stone bench and observed the birds. How hard it for them would be to find a place to lay their eggs. Those who were on the edges must be facing a difficult time.


It took around 3 hours for us to complete a circle around the lake. There was a small visitor center where we could pen down our thoughts about our visit. Krishna had some suggestions for them and also appreciated the way it has been kept and managed. Finally with few lifers and lot of good memories we drove towards our home.
Some more clicks from the trip






For more birding stories : https://theflyingroller.com/travel-blogs/backyard-birds-woodpeckers/
Bird list of the day (Including the birds spotted on the way), Date :04-August-2018
- Ashy Prinia
- Ashy Woodswallow
- Asian Openbill Stork
- Baya Weaver
- Black Kite
- Black-crowned Night Heron
- Black-headed Ibis
- Black-naped Monarch Flycatcher
- Black-shouldered Kite
- Blue-faced Malkoha
- Brahminy Kite
- Bronzed Drongo
- Bronze-winged Jacana
- Brown-capped Pygmy woodpecker
- Chestnut-headed Bee-eater
- Common Coot
- Common Moorhen
- Common Tailorbird
- Cotton Teal
- Darter
- Eurasian Spoonbill
- Gold-fronted Chloropsis
- Great Cormorant
- Greater Coucal
- Great Egret
- Green Bee-eater
- House Crow
- Indian Cormorant
- Indian Grey Hornbill
- Indian Peafowl
- Indian Yellow Tit
- Jungle Babbler
- Jungle Crow
- Jungle Myna
- Lesser Adjutant Stork
- Lesser Goldenback Woodpecker
- Lesser Whistling Duck
- Little Cormorant
- Little Egret
- Long-tailed Shrike
- Median Egret
- Nilgiri Flowerpecker
- Oriental Magpie-robin
- Pied Bushchat
- Pond Heron
- Purple Heron
- Purple Moorhen
- Purple-rumped Sunbird
- Racket-tailed Drongo
- Red-rumped Swallow
- Red-vented Bulbul
- Red-wattled Lapwing
- Red-whiskered Bulbul
- Rose-ringed Parakeet
- Rufous Treepie
- Scarlet Minivet
- Singing Bushlark
- Spot-billed Duck
- Spotted Dove
- White-browed Wagtail
- White-cheeked Barbet
- White-throated Kingfisher
PS : Thanks to Dr. Krishna MB for joining us and making this trip wonderful. Also Thanks to Deepa Mohan for helping me to ID the butterfly and the lizard 🙂
You are just awesome!! Indeed a very nice blog 🙂
Thank you very much dear for stopping by and for the comment as well 🙂