Nandi Hills and its sought after Birdlife

Nandi Hills and its sought after Birdlife. Krishna MB. 26 March 2014.

Nandi hills stands out as a clear and distinct entity from the surrounding tableland landscape and this is striking when one looks at it from the air. For the birdwatcher or the wildlife photography enthusiast, Nandi hills provides a good representation of both wet and dry forest birds in an essentially dry table land. It is no wonder that the place is so popular with the people from Bangalore.

The birdlife of the wet and dry parts of peninsular India are quite distinct from one another, especially so if one considers the land birds. The forests and woodlands are are quite distinct too. Though there could be other areas like Bannerghatta where wet zone birds could occur in a predominantly dry zone landscape, none are accessible without hassles like Nandi hills. With its enhanced elevation, it provides a good scenery, a cool climate and a change from the hustle and bustle of Bangalore.

Nandi hills, as old photographs and art illustrations show, was originally clothed in scrubby vegetation like the surrounding landscape. It was perhaps around Lord Cubbon's time or thereafter that the structure and the composition of the vegetation changed drastically by intentional planting. Today we have a central valley here which is thickly wooded and harbours the much sought after wet zone bird species that birdwatchers and bird photographers so often seek.

Even for a keen birdwatching enthusiast, Nandi Hills provides  for a variety. The birds of the scrubby vegetation, the boulders and rocks around Nandi are much like what one would get around the landscape of Bangalore (or at least used to!). The Redwhiskered Bulbul and the Redvented Bulbul, both with bright red in their plumage, and the much more shy Whitebrowed Bulbul are small fruit eaters, that by their pleasant calls (especially the first two) add a very welcome cheer to the area they chose to be in. In the same group is the Yellow Browed Bulbul, a bird particularly restricted to the rock outcrops and the hills of the dry part of the peninsula.

Up in the air, we have a variety too. One of the fastest flying birds in the world, the Alpine Swift, and its close relative the desi House Swift occurs in Nandi. These are masters of the air, feeding on small airborne insects that get carried about by the wind. See these birds flying once, and you would never forget the speed of their flight! Another contender for the position of the fastest flying bird in the world is the Peregrine Falcon, which has a close relative here called the Shahin Falcon. Its dives are said to be spectacular!

On the canopies of trees, some of them quite tall at Nandi, one sees a variety of birds. There are fruit eating ones like the Small Green Barbet, the Coppersmith Barbet, the Golden Oriole, and the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon found in the canopy. These birds tend to congregate where fleshy fruits and the figs are found in abundance. A fig tree at Nandi should never be passed off without being given a good check.

Among the insect eating bird at Nandi, there are many with different lifestyles. There are birds which catch insects in the air, making frequent sallies from their perches on trees. The drongos are a characteristic example, and the Grey Drongo found at Nandi is a treat to watch. Down below in the air space under the canopy, it is a veritable bonanza for the birdwatcher! This is the space used by the flycatchers. The beautiful Paradise Flycatcher with a black head and an all white body in the older male, is spectacular. It has a very long ribbon like tail which draws a lot of ‘aahs’ from the photographer who has snapped it and a lot of ‘wow’s from the photographers who have not, when they look at others’ pictures! The deep blue and orange Tickell’s Flycatcher is not only a very beautiful bird, but is also a fine songster. The pale blue Verditer Flycatcher is unmistakable for its habit of moving on and not returning to the perch it took off from after a sally. The bright yellow Greyheaded Flycatcher has got an equally bright yellow gape… the part one sees when the mouth is opened. Catch it singing and not only can you see this bright coloration but also hear its melodious voice and calls. The large eyed Brown Flycatcher or the Redbreasted Flycatcher are found still lower down in sometimes at the level of shrubs in Nandi Hills.

The birds which feed on the insects amidst the leaf litter, are another speciality of Nandi. Hopping on the ground, the lower branches and twigs of the deep dark interior of the undergrowth, one can come across the thrushes. The thrushes are myna sized ground feeding birds which quietly fly into a tree and sit quietly, till the coast is clear for them to fly down to resume their feeding again! The male Blueheaded Rock Thrush is spectacular. It has got a black head, blue upperparts and orange underparts with two large white spots near the wing. This makes it look as if two large eyes are staring out at you from the gloaming dark, if you spy it from the back. The Orangebellied Ground Thrush is unmistakable, while the Pied Ground Thrush and the stream side preferring Whistling Thrush are rarer and a little more challenging to spot. The Magpie Robin is a fine songster, changing the tune it sings every morning. Maybe it conceives new tunes at night when it rests, but nevertheless it is a new tune you have every morning! The Blue Robin is another beauty worth looking out for at Nandi.

Overall, like many people feel, Nandi can never be disappointing to those who love our birdlife! Go there, observe from a good distance which does not alert or disturb the birds and you are all done!

//26 March 2014//

Not formally edited.

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E&OE,
KRISHNA MB.
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