Masinagudi via Ranganthittu

The original plan was to head out to Valparai for the year end trip, but a last minute change got us heading out to Masinagudi for an extended family reunion. While the rest of the folks were coming in from Tamil Nadu, I drove down from Bangalore with a quick pit stop at Ranganthittu. Its been a while since I went there and the first surprise was the increased entry fee of 500 for cameras with lenses of over 200mm. The boating also has multiple options now with different costs. Being a Saturday morning, it was crowded, but the pelicans fishing were the highlight of the little trip.
 

A flight delay brought the rest of the folks late, but we still managed the evening safari in Bandipur. The driver told us a tiger was spotted sometime back and we just missed it. Seems to happen quite often there and I feel its just a nice marketing gimmick. Safaris outside of JLR are also much shorter with one and a half hour to a maximum of 2 hours through the forest office. The next 2 safaris were within the Masinagudi range on the buffer zone. A few good birding sessions but not much of mammal spotting. The ranges have their differences, but the jeeps and their seats are very uncomfortable and have a closed top. The rides are not too expensive but there is very little to see.

The area around the resort though falls right next to forest and had a quite a bit of bird activity. A fruiting tree and a flower garden right outside my room had multiple leaf birds, cuckoos, white bellied drongos, sunbirds and white browed bulbuls taking bites throughout the day. A nearby grassland had a few hares, yellow wattled lapwings, langurs and raptors around. Somebody at another resort at the edge of the jungle had even seen a leopard the previous day.

The final set of safaris at Mudumalai were more comfortable, and a little tip got us out for a longer trip. The morning safari also had a spectacular view of a waterfall. The evening safari had the usual elephants, mongoose and gaurs but the main highlight was the leopard. I had to head out early next day, but the drive through Bandipur on the way back was like another safari.

The Bandipur Mudumalai corridor

Another extended weekend trip that did not start well. Had to go down to Theppekad in Mudumalai to start the trip and was under the impression that all buses from Bangalore to Ooty would go the same route. Unfortunately boarded the one bus that did not go that way. The route via Coimbatore side to Ooty and then Theppekad was scenic no doubt but was at least 4 hours longer. The Mahindra club hotel was comfortably surrounded by lots of bamboo with a few Tickel's blue flycatchers and malabar giant squirrels constantly moving around in the perimeter of the lodges. The government guest houses at Theppekad on the Mudumalai side was less comfortable but situated deep within the forest.
 

Being an elephant corridor, venturing out after dark is quite dangerous but the mornings on the riverside are nice. Spotted deer and a variety of birds are active throughout the mornings. Although safaris in Mudumalai and Bandipur are the primary attractions, there is a lot of sighting even on the roads. We spotted wild dogs and a couple of sloth bears on the roadside. The elephant camp near the guest house in Theppekad has feeding sessions twice a day and a small museum of sorts. Vibhuti malai nearby has a 360 view of the entire area and a few nearby places allow for quite a bit of birding as well. The spots on this trip included white bellied minivets, streak throated woodpeckers, otters, crested larks, jungle bushquails and a spot bellied eagle owl among others