I think we were all totally agreed that the NTP meet at the

K.Gudi resort

of

Jungle Lodges and Resorts

was really excellent in terms of bird sighting.In fact, we just did not have to go beyond the Gol Ghar to see a variety of birds!

However, our safaris yielded a good number of birds too….

Most striking was this fantastic owl, that I have never see before, just look at the mesmerizing eyes of the

SPOT-BELLIED EAGLE OWL

I've not often seen the BLUE-TAILED BEE-EATER but here it is, with a RED-RUMPED SWALLOW swooping up to say hello to it! here it is, by itself on the wire: On the drive back home, we saw the beautiful BLACK IBIS the birds landed on this un id fruit tree.... And several WHITE STORKS sailed past and landed in a field rather too far for me to go to! Though it's rather out-of-focus, I did get this passing shot of the COMMON HAWK-CUCKOO and this graceful PURPLE HERON We saw this RED-WATTLED LAPWING with some kind of insect in its mouth, we're not sure what: There were PLUM-HEADED PARAKEETS as plentiful as the usual Rose-Ringed ones: (these...can you see two in the pic?....are females, and not Slaty-Headed Parakeets!) I loved the tiny beauty of this BLUE-CAPPED ROCK THRUSH in that huge mass of tree-trunks! Equally tiny is this LOTEN'S SUNBIRD The more drab colours of the ASIAN BROWN FLYCATCHER were still attractive: So, too, the stunning beauty of the SCARLET MINIVETS Another owl that we saw (a guaranteed sighting on the BR Hills safari, usually!) was this BROWN FISH OWL This time it was doing a great job of looking like a dead branch on the tree! Let's not forget the large number of CRESTED SERPENT EAGLES we saw each day.... At several places, these CRESTED TREE SWIFTS settled on the topmost branches, what beauties they are! But for the most part, all we had to do was wander around near the Gol Ghar, and just look at some of the birds within 30 feet of the place! There were several RACKET-TAILED DRONGOS whisking themselves and their "musical note" tails around! The extremely beautiful and whimsically named ASIAN FAIRY BLUEBIRD gave us a few moments of pleasure! On the tree-trunks, the CHESTNUT-BELLIED NUTHATCH hopped along, seeking insects, and making it extremely difficult to photograph! I got this LESSER YELLOW-NAPED WOODPECKER rat-tatting away: Here's a video of it, making a new home in a tree quite close to the parking area...completely unconcerned about humans! I also got the GREATER FLAMEBACK WOODPECKER pretty close by: The picture this GREAT TIT made, with the spiral of branch and twig going in to meet the bird, was very pretty! Another lifer for me on the SILK-COTTON tree, was this SPANGLED DRONGO that came to feed on the flowers' nectar: The RUFOUS TREEPIE of course, came and went: I couldn't take a good shot of this WHITE-BELLIED DRONGO but thou shalt not sneer at documentation shots! This PURPLE-RUMPED SUNBIRD was in eclipse plumage (that is, fresh plumage growing out): the GOLDEN-FRONTED LEAFBIRD was another beauty that was right overhead(this one's the female, doing all the hard work, as usual!) Of course, the K.Gudi camp decided to say bye to the NTP meet in its own inimitable way...as we were gathering for the group photo, this spectacular ASIAN PARADISE FLYCATCHER decided to flash and quiver its long-tailed self all over the mango tree, and had us exclaiming in delight! here it is, in flight:

Nothing like a Paradise Flycatcher’s eye appeal to finish off the birdwatching at K.Gudi!