Green Ogre Autumn Conclave Dandeli - Trip Report

Dandeli, post-monsoon, is a completely different forest. Quieter, darker, denser, and offering a whole new birding experience that left us unsatisfied

A misty morning welcomed us as we got down at the VRL bus stand at Dandeli and through the veil of vapor we could see three Malabar Pied Hornbills (Anthracoceros coronatus) flying towards the sylvan surroundings of the Dandeli Bus Stand. The portent was promising and looking forward to a lifer-rich three days we headed towards the Kulagi Nature Camp in the Dandeli-Anshi Wildlife Sanctuary. While the fog was still thick, reducing the visibility to less than 50 meters, we peered eagerly looking for some life outside. 

Giant Wood Spider on the way to Kavala Caves

On the way we spotted a Common Woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus) on an overhead power cable, though it took us a while to ID it through the mist. The black eye patch was evident, the beak and head seemed to concur, yet the colors didn’t seem to match. Jennifer mentioned that there is a race of Common Woodshrikes that is grey unlike the commonly seen brown variety. We moved on and spotted a Stork-billed Kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis), some munias on a powerline on the way, and arrived at Kulagi Nature Camp.

Malabar Pied Hornbill in flight

At the camp we spotted a pair of Asian Fairy Bluebirds (Irena puella) and marvelled at the busy sorties of the Crested Tree Swifts (Hemiprocne coronata) and Alpine Swifts (Apus melba). Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters (Merops leschenaulti) were busy with their aerial maneuvers and offered us quite a sight while we were chalking out the plan for the day. Sandy brought out his camera to take a picture of a Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, to the sad knowledge of a glitch. The Nikon D300 was not powering on and Sahastra offered his Nikon D700. Being a full frame camera, the D700 shrank the effective focal length of Sandy’s lenses by a factor of 1.5. Yet this was better than having nothing and we moved on to finalize the logistics for the next two days.

A Chestnut Headed Bee-eater

We found Dastagir, the guide who had accompanied us to the Nagzari waterfall trek the last time we were at Kulagi, and he was more than eager to join us again. It was, however, at the office at the camp that we faced our greatest challenge. As we had intended to go birding along the Kavala Caves trail the next day we spoke to the staff at the office who, though initially helpful, started putting up one caveat after another and our birding trip seemed in jeopardy as we were told that the safari vehicle would not start if the quorum of nine was not met. We were seven and human; had we been earthworms we could have tried the slice-and-regenerate approach to make up the numbers. Rather flustered, we walked towards the birding trail. 

It was already close to noon and we were not looking forward to much as we entered the birding trail, which at this time of the year was lush green compared to the dry brown we had found it to be in April. We spotted the Black-hooded Oriole (Oriolus xanthornus), Velvet-fronted Nuthatch (Sitta frontalis) and Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch (Sitta castanea). We spent some time observing the Black-rumped Flameback (Dinopium benghalense) and, as Jennifer explained, looking at the throat is an easy way to identify this bird -- it has a clear black throat.

A spider weaves a web of deceit

After a rather pedestrian lunch at one of the canteens (which we swore not to repeat), we came back to see an exhibition of live snakes as a part of the Wildlife Week. The friendly forester handled the Forsten’s Cat Snake (Boiga forsteni) -- so named for its prominent feline eyes. The mildly venomous snake, no threat to a full-grown human, presented me with my first experience with handling snakes, which I had been looking forward to for a long time. Arun stepped in and shared some of his knowledge on handling snakes – moving our palm along the snake’s underbelly gives the snake the feeling of being in motion, he said. We also saw and felt the Green Vine Snake (Ahaetulla nasuta) and the difference in the temperament of the two was stark. The Cat Snake was more active and mobile, while the Vine Snake, an ambush hunter, stayed mostly still.

Forsten's Cat Snake - Wildlife Week at Dandeli

Meanwhile, we settled the terms for our trek to Kavala Caves the next day. We birded near the camp for the evening as there was a huge cloud build-up and it started to rain. 

Look into the eye of the cat snake and thou shalt be turned to stone

Day 2 started early for us by and we were raring to go by 6 AM, but due to the mist and other operational procedures we started only by 6:45. 

We took the jeep to get into the sanctuary and were to trek from a trailhead that began at  a watchtower near a water body. On the way to the watchtower we spotted a Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela) perched on a tree; the crest was visible as it turned its head right. After observing it for a while we drove on and, as we reached the trailhead, spotted a Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) in the pond. It lingered for a while and then took off and perched on a tree. The bird has white undertail coverts that form a runny pattern on its back. As the bird flew we could see that flies with its head retracted (unlike Painted Storks) and it was marked with black under the wing.

We observed Black-headed Munias (Lonchura malacca) and spotted a White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus) in a bamboo thicket. This was a male as it was jet black (the female is duller) and it had a chestnut belly and often twitched its tail like a robin. Its melodious call ends with a drop in pitch -- like a question. We observed them for some time and moved on. We spotted several spiders -- the two species we could identify were the Giant Wood Spider (Nephila maculata) and Black Wood Spider (Nephila kuhlii); there were also some species of Arigope spiders. Up in the canopy we saw Common Wood Shrikes, Velvet-Fronted Nuthatches and Bronzed Drongos.  

Closer to the Kavala caves Arun and Bijoy spotted the Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher (Culicicapa ceylonensis).  

Velvet-fronted Nuthatch

On our way back we saw the Heart-spotted Woodpecker (Hemicircus canente) and the Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker (Dendrocopos moluccensis), a rather small woodpecker with brown streaks along the underparts. On the drive back we spotted some chitals (Axis axis) -- a stag and two does -- near what appeared to be an artificial salt lick.

Asian Brown Flycatcher

After lunch we arranged for a vehicle to take us to the Bommanahalli backwaters where we were hoping to findwading birds. We were disappointed when we reached -- there was nothing except Grey Herons (Ardea cinerea), Great Egrets (Ardea alba), Little Cormorants (Phalacrocorax niger) and White-throated Kingfishers (Halcyon smyrnensis). There were a lot of frogs, though. We headed back to camp for birding. 

Back at the camp we headed back to the Bird Trail and spotted Black-lored Tits (Parus xanthogenys), Small Minivets (Pericrocotus cinnamomeus) and Bronzed Drongos (Dicrucus aeneus) but the highlight was a spotting by Bijoy -- a Banded Bay Cuckoo (Cacomantis sonneratii) being fed by a Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia). This was the first time I had observed brood-parasitic behaviour. We headed towards the Timber Trail where we saw a Green Vine Snake, which had some warts along its belly. It looked like rain and we cut short our walk and headed back to plan the next day. We were looking at good birding options and Sahastra suggested that our chances of finding birds 30 km away were the same as that of finding them next to our camp. This prophecy saved the next day for us as we headed out to the watchtower overlooking the Nagzari Valley.

Crested Serpent Eagle

On a dry tree near the check dam we found a mixed flock including Pompadour Green Pigeons (Treron pompadora), Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Bronzed Drongo, Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Common Woodshrike, Scarlet Minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus). At the watchtower we observed the Brown-headed Barbet (Megalaima zeylanica), Golden-fronted Leaf Bird (Chloropsis aurifrons),  Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike (Hemipus picatus), Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Plain Flowerpecker (Dicaeum concolor), Purple-rumped Sunbird (Nectarinia zeylonica) and Crimson-backed Sunbird (Nectarinia minima) from a close distance. The elevation of the overlook near the watchtower was just perfect for us to watch these birds at eye level. We then covered the Bird Trail from the opposite direction.

A Malabar Grey Hornbill

We checked out and headed towards the Timber Depot hoping to spot some hornbills. On the way we saw two jackals crossing the road. The Timber Depot was lush green and we did find two Malabar Grey Hornbills (Ocyceros griseus) calling, and we were told that there are more birds to be seen further up the road near a meadow. The locals mentioned that the hornbills would arrive in huge flocks around 6:30 PM and also suggested the possibility of finding flying squirrels and deer. That got our hopes up but a hike into the forest beside the meadow was disappointing. As we passed time in an excruciating wait, Jagadeesh brought our attention to a blind snake being consumed by ants; the snake’s predicament was pitiable and painful, though we watched in marvel at the coordinated attack of the ants. The formic venom took effect and the blind snake was soon subdued.

Some species get to monkey around and no one can complain

It was dark and we left the Timber Yard in sober spirits. The omen of spotting the Pied Hornbills on our arrival apparently had no bearing on the bird life we were going to spot during the trip. After some struggle to find a reasonable dining place in Dandeli we boarded the bus to Bangalore.

Triplist:

1. Grey Junglefowl (Gallus sonneratii)
2. Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus)
3. Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus)
4. Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax niger)
5. Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
6. Great Egret (Ardea alba)
7. Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii)
8. Oriental Honey Buzzard (Pernis ptilorhyncus)
9. Indian Black Eagle (Ictinaetus malayanus)
10. Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus)
11. Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela)
12. Red Wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus)
13. Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis)
14. Pompadour Green Pigeon (Treron pompadora)
15. Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica)
16. Banded Bay Cuckoo (Cacomantis sonneratii)
17. Common Hawk-Cuckoo (Hierococcyx varius)
18. Asian Drongo-Cuckoo (Surniculus lugubris)
19. Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus)
20. Blue Faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus viridirostris)
21. Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis)
22. Alpine Swift (Apus melba)
23. Crested Tree Swift (Hemiprocne coronata)
24. Stork Billed Kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis)
25. White-Throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)
26. Chestnut Headed Bee-Eater (Merops leschenaulti)
27. Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis)
28. Malabar Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros griseus)
29. Malabar Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros coronatus)
30. White-cheeked Barbet (Megalaima viridis)
31. Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala)
32. Brown Headed Barbet (Megalaima zeylanica)
33. Brown Capped Pygmy Woodpecker (Dendrocopos moluccensis)
34. Lesser Yellownape (Picus chlorolophus)
35. Rufous Woodpecker (Celeus brachyurus)
36. Black Rumped Flameback (Dinopium benghalense)
37. Greater Flameback (Chrysocolaptes lucidus)
38. Heart Spotted Woodpecker (Hemicircus canente)
39. Common Woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus)
40. Large Cuckoo-shrike (Coracina macei)
41. Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach)
42. Ashy Woodswallow (Artamus fuscus)
43. Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia)
44. Small Minivet (Pericrocotus cinnamomeus)
45. Scarlet Minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus)
46. Bar Winged Flycatcher Shrike (Hemipus picatus)
47. Black Hooded Oriole (Oriolus xanthornus)
48. White Bellied Drongo (Dicrurus caerulenscens) 
49. Bronzed Drongo (Dicrucus aeneus)  
50. Greater Racket Tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paraiseus)
51. Asian Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa dauurica)
52. Grey Headed Canary Flycatcher (Culicicapa ceylonensis)
53. Black Lored Tit (Parus xanthogenys)
54. Chestnut Bellied Nuthatch (Sitta castanea)
55. Velvet Fronted Nuthatch (Sitta frontalis)
56. Red Whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus)
57. Yellow Browed Bulbul (Iole indica)
58. Brown Cheeked Fulvetta (Alcippe poioicephala)
59. Asian Fairy Bluebird (Irena puella)
60. Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis)
61. White Rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus)
62. Orange Headed Thrush (Zoothera citrina)
63. Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus)
64. Chestnut Tailed Starling (Sturnia malabarica blythii)
65. Indian Myna (Acridotheres tristis)
66. Golden Fronted Leafbird (Copsychus saularis
67. Plain Flowerpecker (Dicaeum concolor)
68. Thick-billed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum agile)
69. Purple Rumped Sunbird (Nectarinia zeylonica)
70. Crimson Backed Sunbird (Nectarinia minima)
71. Scaly Breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata)
72. Black Headed Munia (Lonchura malacca)
73. White-browed Wagtail (Motacilla maderaspatensis)
74. Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
75. Tickell's Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis tickelliae)
76. Black-naped Monarch (Hypothymis azurea)
77. Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri)
78. Malabar Parakeet (Psittacula columboides)
79. Plum-headed Parakeet (Psittacula cyanocephala)
80. Vernal Hanging Parrot (Loriculus vernalis)

Text: Anand Yegnaswami
Photos: Sandeep Somasekharan


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All's not well in the bat-cave

If we as a people so revere nature, why do we go to so much trouble to disfigure it?

The view from Kavala Caves, Dandeli

Is there a legit word ending in “phobia” for the fear of being ripped off? Whatever it is, it was on our minds when we set out early in the morning from Dandeli's Kulgi Nature Camp for a safari. Safaris are always dubious deals – at the outset you are force-fed the disclaimer that every sighting banks on “good luck”, which is thereafter effectively neutralised by the grunting and gnashing diesel vehicle that ferries you around the forest.

Our destination that morning was Kavala Caves, 25 km inside the forest and accessible only by a 2 km walk from a waterhole where the jeep track ends. Part of that walk also descends into a valley from where you can see and hear the roaring rapids of the dark and beautiful Kali river.

The Kali is a gorgeous, gushing torrent of darkness

Birders can be exasperatingly enthusiastic morning persons and our poor “guide” hadn't bargained for that when he fixed our itinerary the night before. Well before the appointed hour we roused his recumbent self with hollers and heavy knocking. To the end that he very evidently forgot to brush, and every time he turned to us to proffer guidance we shrank back, nearly asphyxiated.

When we left, the camp was still in darkness and pale veins of dawn light were draining the ink from the sky. In the murky forest we passed the odd shadowy elephant and several feral buffaloes that played tricks with our eager eyes. As the day brightened we saw spotted deer, jungle fowl, peacocks and a solitary barking deer.  


Our walk to the caves took longer than usual, much to our impatient (and perhaps hungry) guide's chagrin. En route, we stopped to chase butterflies, admire a displaying Black-naped Monarch and an Elliot's Forest Lizard. Our first sighting of Malabar Pied Hornbills occurred on this walk. There were enough sunbirds, ioras and swifts en route to delay us further. Then we argued over a Shaheen Falcon's identity, some of us contending that it might have been a Black Baza. Morning light and its myriad tricks! 

In the mouth of the cave, which has effectively been transformed into a shrine

Winding steps led us down to the cave. As we approached it, a familiar haunting reek of disused attics assailed us -- the rank odour of bat droppings. These were limestone caves and the interiors should have been white or, at least, whitish in appearance. But then again, caves with stalagmites and stalactites have long awakened religiosity in kindred souls and, true enough, the stalagmites here are worshipped as Shivalingams. 

Stalactites darkened with soot

The interiors of a limestone cave are usually white or whitish, unlike these darkened by oil and smoke from offerings

On Mahashivaratri, which falls every year in February or March, thousands of pilgrims are allowed into the national park. And they bring along votive offerings in incense sticks, oil for lamps, cotton wicks, coconuts, bananas, flowers, earthen lamps, milk in sachets and packed refreshments to nourish them on their pilgrimage. And how did I know all of this? Just by looking around. 

The inside of the shrine houses a stalactite that is worshipped as a Shivalingam, and our guide quickly got down to business and was perhaps slighted when we did not join in

Our guide was also possessed of sudden devotion inside the cave and he lit the incense sticks that he had brought along. Later, when I brought up the matter with him, he seemed offended that I should place the welfare of sundry forest creatures over the appeasement of the Almighty. If only our forest staff could be trained to differentiate among simple priorities.

We traversed parts of the cave on bended knee, and sometimes all fours

The task of cleaning up after religious rituals is left to the Lord who, having other things on His agenda, never gets round to it. Over the years, garbage has accumulated in and around the caves. Carrying it all back to Dandeli is an idea that has never occurred to those responsible for the park's maintenance, and the caves' distance from the nearest camp doesn't help its cause.

Pligrims have dumped leftover grain under a tree outside the caves

Once inside the caves, parts of which we traversed crawling on all fours, we were aghast to observe that the interiors were blackened with soot. The smooth limestone structures were discoloured from so many years of touching. It was also hot and humid and we started to feel slightly claustrophobic.

Pilgrims have left behind litter of every description

As we emerged from another part of the cave towards the light, we disturbed several roosting bats, which flitted in and out uttering tiny shrieks -- perhaps the only human-audible sounds in their ultrasonic repertoire. None of us were bat experts, and we couldn't determine the species. The bat had large ears, a longish, slightly upturned snout and a dark brown stripe on the sides of the throat. I managed a decent photograph, which might help us identify it.

Bats inside the cave

We returned from the caves struck by their beauty but appalled at how they had been ritually defiled. This experience was in stark contrast to one I enjoyed at Mercer Cavern, a limestone cave in California, which I had visited in 2001. While those caves had no bats, they were nearly pristine, illuminated thoughtfully in white and beige and pink, with only one calcite structure reserved for visitors to touch and feel. Unfortunately, even if we get round to addressing our problems, we will always have too much of religion to deal with.


Text and photos by Beej
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Encounter: Bicoloured Frog

It's tiny and blends in completely with the leaf litter but once you spot it, the Bicoloured Frog is unmistakable

The southwest monsoon has just set in and the entire forest is dripping wet. The dimly lit floor is an abstract mosaic of rust, maroon, brown, beige, green and black – leaves in all stages of decomposition, slowly turning into soggy mulch. An occasional vein of green moss on a tree buttress glows iridescent under a rare shaft of sunlight. Fungi sprout everywhere feasting on death and decay. Every tentative footstep encounters leeches – tiny cold-blooded filaments swaying in the stagnant and humid air, relentlessly in the hunt for the iota of warmth that our feet radiate, setting them off on a determined somersaulting advance. Rotting twigs and branches give way at the slightest footfall and the soft murmur of rain on the dense closed canopy is a permanent hum in a forest which is otherwise silent, at least until nightfall provides the cue to lovesick frogs and crickets.

We are on the lookout for the Hump-nosed Pit Viper but instead we sight the Bicoloured Frog. It, too, is wet and soaked, motionless until it notices us with its large, round, red eyes, which are well adapted to sight in the semi-darkness of the rainforest. 


True to its name, the predominant impression of the Bicoloured Frog (Clinotarsus curtipes), is the neat division of the colouration of the upper and the lower halves of its body. The upper half (which has been described as grey or brown) is cream-coloured, tinged with yellow resulting in a very light shade of brown that matches the surrounding leaf litter. The lower half of the body is glistening black with no banding on the limbs. Seen in dimmer light the glistening back gives the impression of deep beige. 


The nostrils are very close to the mouth and the tympanum, present on the black half of the body and hence not very easily seen, is as large as the eye. The size is approximately 7 cm and the snout is pointed. The backs of all the four or five frogs that we encountered bore randomly distributed black spots, providing excellent camouflage in the leaf litter. The spotting on the back may or may not be present on individual frogs though all the frogs that we encountered had them.

While we photographed the frog – almost lying on the ground for an eye-level view (an act of extreme gallantry considering the omnipresent, ever-flipping thirsty-for-blood leeches) the frog was moderately alarmed and tried to move away, on one occasion walking up using its limbs, but was not unduly shy, never taking more than one hop. Clinotarsus curtipes seemed to be fairly common but none happened to be in breeding colors yet.

The IUCN status is Near Threatened, primarily on account of habitat loss. Clinotarsus curtipes is a terrestrial leaf-litter frog but has webbed toes and enters the water only during the breeding season. It adapts well and is found in different forest types -- evergreen, semi-evergreen and deciduous. In the breeding season the frog acquires a ruddy disposition with the black receding out from the sides and the underside becoming very dark, almost black. The vocal sac is internal. As in a lot of frog species the female is larger than the male. J C Daniel notes that the dispersal of young frogs is very orderly and almost battalion-like. 

The spots, like the stripes of the tiger, can be distinctive and are used to identify individual frogs during density surveys. The spots are also a good aid to locate the frog since an uncannily well synchronised set of polka dots hopping on the forest floor give away an otherwise excellent camouflage.

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Text and photographs by Sahastrarashmi 
Photograph of the breeding male by L Shyamal (Wikipedia Commons)