“A bird does not sing
because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” — Maya Angelou
 |
| The temple and the wires that bind it ... |
Leave the temple behind
and slowly one comes into the forest, a short walk in this thick jungle and one
reaches the pools at the Bhima River. The forest is dense, calm and soothing,
home to many birds and the huge shekru, (Indian Giant Squirrel). |
| The dense jungle leading to the pools on the Bhima River |
I had been to
Bhimashankar in April 2017 and again in February 2019, and it had changed in
the space of these two years, (don’t all places?), Both times I had stayed at
the Blue Mormon Holiday Resort, named for the massed butterflies that swarm
here once a year prior to migration.  |
| A pair of butterflies ... |
The resort is about 10 km from
Bhimashankar Temple but there are many trails and a water-body here and I went on
most of them on my two trips here. |
| Murhe village, it was all I could do to make it appear rustic... |
Villages Murhe,
Kondhwal and others are in and around the resort, these make for pleasant
walks.  |
| There are many trails near near the resort... |
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| Sunbirds abound on these trails... |
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| In various morphs. |
The people were photogenic and so apart from birds I took pics of the
villages and the locals. They stay still and are obliging enough to move into the correct light…
 |
| The locals are very obliging |
 |
| Time stands still for this herder lady, she was in no hurry to go anywhere |
Gupt Bhimashanker is where the pools are and so is the birding. I just
sat behind a rock and waited, almost as if on cue, the birds come to drink and
bathe.  |
| Common Rosefinch come to bathe... |
Since I was concealed and didn’t move the birds came quite close, I sat
there for about an hour and a half each time.  |
| Paradise Flycatcher in white.... |
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| Paradise Flycatcher in brown |
The light is not all that good early in the
morning, and the contrast between light and shade later in the day make for
challenging conditions in photography, but then excuses, excuses…. I could make out the difference in my own
images from 2017 to 2019. |
| A Common Emerald Dove too came to the pools |
There are many little temples in the forest and this one caught my eye... |
| Sakshai Ganesh Mandir in the forest. |
In the forest on the
way back I saw the Shekru, it makes a lot of noise, the call is loud,
and I could not help but notice it. |
| Shekru on the tree tops |
Busy as ever, the Shekru is always
feeding, or seeming to, but at tree-top level, the animal was again challenging
to photograph, particularly with the lens I had then (will the excuses never
cease?).A night trail showed
many bats (of which kind I do not know), there was tree nearby that served as a
roost and after dusk they were busy.
 |
| On the track an Indian Red Scorpion |
There was an Indian Red Scorpion in the middle of the road, maybe
soaking up the cool-th or heat? The Indian Red Scorpion has very potent venom,
life-threatening some say.
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| A huge spider too |
Both my trips there
have been wonderful and I strongly recommend going there for a brief sojourn. |
| The sun sets on two gorgeous trips |
I cannot resist quoting this passage from P.G. Wodehouse in his book, Aunts Aren't Gentlemen“I had forgotten you
were a bird-watcher till you reminded me just now. … It isn’t a thing I would
care to do myself. Not,” I hastened to add, “that I’ve anything against
bird-watching. Must be most interesting, besides keeping you … “out in the open
air”.
“What’s the procedure?”
I went on. “I suppose you lurk in a bush till a bird comes along, and then you
out with the glasses and watch it.”
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