The rain finally stopped and the clouds were slowly rising from the valley below. Fresh cold air and the sound of the Cicada dominated the ambiance. Walking towards the destination the occasional sound and sight of the stream flowing and the waterfall would revive the senses.
The jeep trail changed to an overgrown trail as we continued walking uphill. The morning sun rays could be seen dancing in-between clouds far off as we walked through it. A wet monsoon climate meant that the leeches were abundant. Even though the liking for these bloodsuckers is not on my books I did have the curiosity to find out how many types there were. Could see two to three different species with sizes varying from .5cm to 3cm.
A flock of Black-headed Munia could be seen foraging around a freshly tilled small patch of land on the side of a hill. A Grey-breasted Prinia flew on top of a tree branch as the Munia flew further up in search of food. This was my first time seeing a Grey-breasted Prinia so documenting it was important even though it was a bit far from my location.
The visibility was at its minimum as we scanned the trees to see if any birds were around. The cloud cover below slowly rose and the trees just turned into a silhouette. On top of one of those trees, I could spot an eagle perching. The trail slowly leveled out as we continued scanning the area for birds. The overgrown trail was hard to read and as we were walking a female Black Francolin suddenly flew away merely 3 meters from our location. A pleasant surprise to know that this species was also present in the location but also a bummer that we couldn’t spot and document it.
Turning a corner the view cleared out and we could spot a Long-tailed Shrike and further in the distance a mixture of songs from different birds hopping from one tree to the other. Sitting on the edge of the road overlooking the tree line below we started observing the birds. Oriental White-eyed, Great Tit, and Warblers could be seen along with a Verditer Flycatcher that perched on a branch as the sun rays slowly made their way through the clouds. A White-throated Fantail started hopping from one branch to the other showcasing its spread-out fan-shaped tail.
This was the first time I had done the upper part of the trail and it did showcase a lot of species which I was not expecting. Indian Golden Oriole was also spotted resting on a tree while walking the trail. Leaving the leech-infested trail we followed the road back to the place where started. The weather wasn’t conducive to documenting the species but I will be coming back when the weather is clearer.
Birds:
Oriental Turtle Dove, Spotted Dove, Blue-capped Rock Thrush, Verditer Flycatcher, Indian Golden Oriole, Black-headed Munia, Grey-breasted Prinia, Black Francolin, Oriental White-eyed, Great Tit, White-throated Kingfisher, etc.
Insects:
Spiny orb-weaver Spider, Yellow Costor Butterfly, Honey bees, Neon Cuckoo Bees, Bumble Bees, Assassin Bug, etc.
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