A view to remember / Photo (C) V. Santharam
Due to the cloudy weather and unseasonal rains, the New Year morning kept me indoors.
The next morning it was bright and sunny and we were able to go out on our usual morning birdwatching rambles in the valley.
As we climbed the hill adjacent to the campus, a beautiful view greeted us in the valley below. The sunlight filtered through the thin veil of mist which clung on to the tops of trees.
The grass below our feet was wet with dew. The air was crisp and cool. The trees and bushes around was filled with birdcalls of a plethora of species that included the Peafowl which gave out their loud calls from across the hills. An uncommon winter visitor from the Himalaya, the Verditer Flycatcher showed up on the top of a tree.
Yellow-throated Bulbul, Rishi Valley/Photo (C) V. Santharam
We were also blessed with a darshan of the uncommon Yellow-throated Bulbul, an endemic bird found only in the drier parts of southern India. Two birds perched on the bare branches of this tree for over a couple of minutes affording excellent views.
Our new year had indeed begun well.
— Santharam
January 10, 2022
For those interested, you can check out the list of birds seen here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S99900151