Thomas Job and his friend Sushil Nahar, who was coming on a birding trail for the first time, picked me up, and off we went, to Valley School.

Several of us walked down the trail together:

Even at the height of summer, birding is an enjoyable actitivy in the early morning!

The path led through this beautiful BANYAN TREE: Here's the tree from a distance: Another banyan tree which we usually go past: A peaceful scene of cattle grazing under its shade: The GULMOHAR is in full bloom everywhere: Falling around on the plants, the petals look so beautiful: I loved the sight of this OLEANDER everywhere: In the ruined Art Village, I found this pottery figure, representing Ganesha on one side and Nandi on the other: The birds included: CATTLE EGRET: BLACK-RUMPED FLAMEBACK: INDIAN PITTA (we saw three of them!) WHITE-RUMPED SHAMA (which the mobile phone of one birder had turned to Shame) There were butterflies, too, like this COMMON CERULEAN: We enjoyed the morning, and the brefus at Udupi Banashree, very much indeed! click here for my FB album. The bird list: Babbler, Jungle Babbler,Tawny-bellied Babbler, Puff-throated Babbler, Yellow-billed Barbet, Coppersmith Barbet,White-cheeked Bee-eater, Small Green Bulbul, Red-vented Bulbul, Red-whiskered Bushchat, Pied Coucal, Southern Crow, House Crow, Jungle Cuckooshrike, Black-headed Egret, Little Flameback, Black-rumped Flowerpecker, Pale-billed Flycatcher, Asian Paradise (heard) Flycatcher, Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, White-throated Fantail Francolin, Grey (heard) Heron, Indian Pond Honey-buzzard, Oriental Junglefowl, Grey (heard) Kingfisher, White-throated Kite, Black Kite, Brahminy Koel, Asian Lapwing, Red-wattled Leafbird, Jerdon's Malkoha, Blue-faced Malkoha, Sirkeer Minivet, Small Myna, Common Myna, Jungle Parakeet, Rose-ringed Peafowl, Indian (heard) Pigeon, Blue Rock Pitta, Indian Prinia, Ashy Prinia, Grey-breasted Robin, Indian Robin, Oriental Magpie Shama, White-rumped Shikra Sunbird, Purple-rumped Swallow,Red-rumped Swift, Little Tailorbird, Common Tit, Great (Cinerous) White-eye, Oriental Don't you agree, this is a dream list, especially for the first week of May?