We spent the early morning birding around Logan's Lodge hoping to see the Painted Bush Quail that often put in an appearance to feed on rice put out for them by the catering staff. Frustratingly we heard them but failed to see them. We then tried a Broome-covered slope for the Bush-Quail but only succeeded in finding some Monkey Gods! So we drove to Cairnhill Forest, hearing on the way, that the Painted Bush-Quail had shown-up at the Lodge c.15 minutes after we'd departed! It was nice to be walking some forest trails in the coolness of the early morning at Cairnhill and some rides that took us deeper into the mainly plantation woodland where we saw several Nilgiri Blue Robins and Tickell's Leaf-Warblers. We then concentrated along a trail that cut across a dark ravine of a shola that held a pair of Black-and-Orange Flycatchers and a Nilgiri Black-chinned Laughingthrush. Jijo lead the way and had brief views of a Nilgiri White's Thrush creeping alongside the stream. Our excitement levels rose, but an hour later we'd failed to find any further trace of it. Jijo decided to walk along the stream on the opposite side of the trail. We'd remained on the trail, when we noticed a bird fly into view from the direction in which Jijo had disappeared, and on peering into the gloom, there was a Nilgiri White's Thrush - brilliant! Unbeknown to Jijo, he'd inadvertently flushed the Thrush and we'd had the good fortune that it had flown in our direction! Euphoric in our success we continued, and on climbing out of the ravine, we heard a Tytler's Leaf-Warbler calling among a mixed-species flock. After a few false starts looking through the Phylloscs, that included a Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler, the Tytler's Leaf-Warbler eventually gave itself up. It was my 100th new species of the trip - rather fitting being named after Robert Tytler who had originally discovered some of the Andaman endemics. Our walk out was enlivened by seeing a grumpy troop of Nilgiri Langurs and then having to dodge a herd of Gaur sometimes known as Indian Bison! We returned to the Lodge to be greeted by 'mobile phone images' of the Painted Bush-Quail! The weather had deteriorated to being gloomy and foggy but we walked to another nearby Broome-covered hillside and eventually saw a covey of 4 male Painted Bush-Quail shortly before dusk.
Black-winged Kite 1
Steppe Buzzard 1
PAINTED BUSH-QUAIL 4 males
Common Hoopoe 1
Olive-backed Pipit 1
Red-vented Bulbul 6
Red-whiskered Bulbul 6
Long-tailed Shrike 2
White-spotted Fantail 1
Indian Blackbird 1
NILGIRI WHITE'S THRUSH 1
Nilgiri Blue Robin 3
Pied Bushchat 4
Black-and-Orange Flycatcher 3
Nilgiri Black-chinned Laughingthrush 1
Jungle Babbler 6
Blyth's Reed Warbler 2
Tickell's Leaf-Warbler 8
TYTLER'S LEAF-WARBLER 1
Greenish Warbler 6
Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler 1
Great Tit 8
Oriental White-eye 10
Common Rosefinch 2
House Sparrow 6
Jungle Myna 6
House Crow 6
Logan's Lodge, Ooty
Male Indian Blackbird at Logan's Lodge, Ooty
Monkey Gods at Ooty
Cairnhill Forest, Ooty
Tickell's Leaf-Warbler at Cairnhill Forest, Ooty
Nilgiri Blue-Robin at Cairnhill Forest, Ooty
Formerly treated as a Shortwing a 2017 study concluded that the two south India Blue-Robins were better treated as the sole members of a new genus.
the rather foreboding entrance to the ravine at Cairnhill Forest
a tract of native shola forest surrounded by plantations
Female Black-and-Orange Flycatcher at Cairnhill Forest. Ooty
Nilgiri White's Thrush at Cairnhill Forest, Ooty
Tytler's Leaf-Warbler at Cairnhill Forest, Ooty
Birdlife consider this species Near-Threatened being a scarce and poorly-known species that has a moderately small population which is suspected to be declining as a result of habitat loss and degradation on both the breeding and wintering grounds.
Birdlife consider this species Near-Threatened being a scarce and poorly-known species that has a moderately small population which is suspected to be declining as a result of habitat loss and degradation on both the breeding and wintering grounds.
Steppe Buzzard at Cairnhill Forest, Ooty
Rasmussen (2005) states the racial group vulpinus is very close genetically to nominate B.b. buteo and is considered to hybridise regularly with the latter, although it is usually distinctive in appearance, and might also be vocally distinct.
Rasmussen (2005) states the racial group vulpinus is very close genetically to nominate B.b. buteo and is considered to hybridise regularly with the latter, although it is usually distinctive in appearance, and might also be vocally distinct.
Nilgiri Langur at Cairnhill Forest, Ooty
Gaur at Cairnhill Forest, Ooty
Tea plantation near Logan's Lodge, Ooty
Male Pied Bushchat near Logan's Lodge, Ooty
White-spotted Fantail near Logan's Lodge, Ooty
Blyth's Reed Warbler near Logan's Lodge, Ooty
Greenish Warbler near Logan's Lodge, Ooty
Male Painted Bush-Quail near Logan's Lodge, Ooty
A Hawk-Moth joined us for dinner at Logan's Lodge
