Looking for the Sri Lankan Frogmouth

At a loose end in Cochin one day we decided to take the long drive north to the bird sanctuary at Thattekad. Although not large, the sanctuary was the first in India and contains a rich diversity of the birds which once populated all of the Western Ghats and its plains.
Arriving at mid day in the heat, we were greeted with the usual mixture of astonishment and a polite shrug. We had our passport details noted at the gate, and wandered in to the dispiriting little zoo while we waited for our guide. Sukhdeep was young and passionate about birds. First he took us to his house in the park, small and basic, he was hoping that it would be a homestay for bird watchers one day. Several of these  are situated inside the walls and make it possible for serious birders to take advantage of the best hours for seeing the active birds, dawn and dusk. He warned us that we would see nothing worth seeing, but we assured him that a walk through the sanctuary would satisfy us.
Some canoeists on the lake shouted that there were hornbills nearby, but we didn't see any, only a pile of rubbish round "Hornbill Camp," a concrete tower let out to tourists. We couldn't see any indication of bathrooms or a kitchen area, but they may have been hidden underneath.

Sukhdeep was anxious that I could manage to cross the bridge on the circular walk as there was a gap of at least one metre to be negotiated. Failure would have meant retracing our steps and a longer trek, so I assured him that "Mama" was fit and agile and gingerly crossed the ruined, wooden bridge by means of one of the side struts, not thinking about crocodiles or whatever else might be lurking in the muddy water below.
That excitement over, he took us to see the Sri Lankan Frogmouth. This rare, owl-like bird sleeps during the day, so we crept up on its thicket as silently as we could, taking off our brightly coloured hats. The photograph does not do it justice.


There were a pair of birds and neither of them so much as blinked. If you want to know what one looks like, go to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_Frogmouth

Our story was repeated often by clients we sent to Thattekat, recommending Sukhdeep as a guide. Every one told us that they had seen a pair of these somnolent birds in exactly the same location. We began to suspect that they were stuffed and nailed to the perch.