I watched the Real Marigold Hotel episode 2 with low expectations, which it rose to meet. Poor Bill Oddie a lifelong bird watcher and wildlife expert was driven off into the Western Ghats to watch birds. I hope he saw more than were shown on the film: a kingfisher and a coulcoul.
Watching birds is one of the great pleasures of a lazy hour in the sun. From the jetty of the Ayurveda centre shown on the film I have seen bee eaters, several types of kingfisher, coulcouls, whiskered terns, herons, egrets, three sorts of cormorant, ducks and the inevitable crows, and a dolphin, which I am assured is not a bird..
Half an hour at breakfast in he mountains yielded bulbuls, babblers, magpie robins, flower-peckers, parakeets, shrike and many others I could't identify. A short walk bagged me a hornbill. Check out the endemic species here.
https://www.flickr.com/groups/1204640@N25/pool/
All of this is, of course, in detail in my book.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Looking-Muziris-Through-History-South-ebook/dp/B00KVIL8DO
for which this is a shameless puff. On my last visit things had changed a lot. There were far fewer birds, probably fallen victim to the great economic miracle of India with its development and pollution. I am sure poor Bill Oddie could have managed more than a kingfisher and a coulcoul, though.
Watching birds is one of the great pleasures of a lazy hour in the sun. From the jetty of the Ayurveda centre shown on the film I have seen bee eaters, several types of kingfisher, coulcouls, whiskered terns, herons, egrets, three sorts of cormorant, ducks and the inevitable crows, and a dolphin, which I am assured is not a bird..
Half an hour at breakfast in he mountains yielded bulbuls, babblers, magpie robins, flower-peckers, parakeets, shrike and many others I could't identify. A short walk bagged me a hornbill. Check out the endemic species here.
https://www.flickr.com/groups/1204640@N25/pool/
All of this is, of course, in detail in my book.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Looking-Muziris-Through-History-South-ebook/dp/B00KVIL8DO
for which this is a shameless puff. On my last visit things had changed a lot. There were far fewer birds, probably fallen victim to the great economic miracle of India with its development and pollution. I am sure poor Bill Oddie could have managed more than a kingfisher and a coulcoul, though.
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