Update

Gonna do a big update soon, prob over the weekend, internet is so slow in Munnar. Here's a taster -

Indian Scimitar Babbler

Rajamalai

Out to visit Rajamalai, but got there and it's closed - goat mating season no less !!! Carried on around about the area - 1 Malabar Whistling Thrush, 1 Dusky Crag Martin, 1 Blue Rock Thrush, 3 Nilgiri Flycatcher, 2 Black Bulbul, 2 White-bellied Blue Flycatcher, 1 Greater Flameback and 1 Rusty-tailed Flycatcher.

Blue Rock Thrush

Black Bulbul

Greater Flameback

Munner again

A quick visit to some likely spots around the town resulted in - 1 Black Eagle, 1 Buzzard, 1 Grey-breasted Laughingthrush, 3 Yellow-billed Babbler, 1 Indian Scimitar Babbler, 40 White-rumped Needletails and 10 Indian Swiftlets.

Waterfalls just outside Munner

Long-tailed Shrike

Grey-breasted Laughingthrush

Munnar

Arrived in Munnar late yesterday afternoon and did a few sholas this morning and a riverside park this afternoon - 3 Grey-breasted Laughingthrush, 1 Black-shouldered Kite, 1 Large Hawk-cuckoo, 1 Blue-capped Rock Thrush and loads of Indian Swiflets and White-backed Needletails.

Blue-capped Rock Thrush

Large Hawk-cuckoo

Stalag Top Slip

Arrived at Top Slip late afternoon to find there was nowhere to stay, after a bit of arguing there was somewhere to stay ! Late afternoon around the complex got 1 Oriental Honey Buzzard, 1 Black Eagle, 5 Alpine Swifts, 1 Great Hornbill, 1 Peregrine and 15 Nilgiri Langurs. In the evening Jerdon's Nightjar and Oriental Scops' Owl were calling. The following morning the shite hit the fan, we were told we had nowhere to stay, but they would show us Wynaad Laughingthrush for a price - 500 rupees each, and then get out of the park ! So we just left and ran for the border !

Nilgiri Langur

On the way out of Top Slip

If at First You Don't Succeed....

... then find your own. Doing the tourist bit this morning at the Botanical Gardens, walking around looking at various trees, water features etc, a few birds kicking about - Brown Flycatcher, a female Blue-capped Rock Thrush, 3 Nilgiri Flycatchers, 2 Olive-backed Pipits and an amazingly showy male Indian Blue Robin. If porn views of the Robin weren't enough, then on the way out of the gardens, a stunning Kashmir Flycatcher. That'll be a clean up on Ooty then ! Moving to Top Slip tomorrow for a few days, so I reckon internet access will be non existent.

Indian Blue Robin

Kashmir Flycatcher

Mad Bees

Cairnhill Crap

I am now convinced there are no Kashmir Flycatchers at Cairnhill, after several days of looking at various times of the day - nowt !!! On this mornings first light visit - 1 Nilgiri Scaly Thrush, 4 Nilgiri Flycatcher, 2 Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, 1 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel and 4 Malabar Giant Squirrel. And now I'm giving up on the site.

Nilgiri Scaly Thrush

Cairnhill

Back to Cairnhill forest again, in search of Kashmir Flycatcher - still no sign !!!! However, did score White-bellied Shortwing (nominate major) along with 7 Grey-headed Canary Flycatchers, 6 Nilgiri Flycatchers, 2 Black-and-orange Flycatchers, 14 Tickell's Leaf Warblers, a fly-over Short-toed Eagle, 7 Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, `1 Orange-headed Thrush, 1 Taiga Flycatcher, 2 Pacific Swallow, 6 Malabar Giant Squirrel and 1 Nilgiri Langur.

Nilgiri Flycatcher

Velvet-fronted Nuthatch

Black-and-orange Flycatcher

Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher

Dodabetta Two

Another day in the Dodabetta shola, but this time in the afternoon, with the sun on the hillside forest. I half expected it to be really quiet at that time of day, but no, if anything it was better than yesterday. Birds today -  1 White-bellied Flycatcher, 7 Nilgiri Flycatcher, 2 Nilgiri Laughingthrush, only 1 Tickell's Leaf Warbler, 1 fem Indian Blue Robin, 3 Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, 2 Nilgiri Scaly Thrush (inc 1 showing stupidly well - see below), only 1 Black-and-orange Flycatcher and around 40 Common Rosefinch. Also 6 Malabar Giant Squirrel.

Indian Blue Robin

Nilgiri Flycatcher

Nulgiri Laughingthrush

Nilgiri Scaly Thrush

White-bellied Flycatcher

Dodabetta

Up in the hills 10 km to the east of Ooty lies Doddabetta peak, with a path winding down the hills, through good shola, back to Ooty. Somehow I managed to find the right path through the forest and came out by a tuk-tuk rank. Pretty decent birding all the way down with 25 Common Rosefinch, 2 Grey-headed Canary Flycatchers, 6 Black-and-orange Flycatchers, 1 Shikra, 2 Tickell's Leaf Warblers and tons of Oriental White-eyes.

Black and orange Flycatchers

Cairnhill Forest

Around and about in Cairnhill Forest on the outskirts of Ooty, a proper smart bit of Shola with 2 Nilgiri Flycatchers, 3 Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, 20 Tickell's Leaf Warblers, 6 Common Rosefinch, 1 Nilgiri Scaly Thrush, 2 Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, 1 Black and Orange Flycatcher, 1 Velvet-fronted Nuthatch and 15 Nilgiri Langur, but sadly no Kasmir Flycatcher

Nilgiri Flycatchers

Nilgiri Scaly Thrush

Sighur Ghat

Moving on from Masinagudi to Ooty via the Sighur Ghat road, could have been really good birding, but the road was incredibly busy and stops were few, did manage to get Black Eagle, Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Large Hawk-cuckoo as well as the usual indian fare.

Pied Bushchat

Red-whiskered Bulbuls

Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker

Back on the Grid

Just spent the last 4 days at Masinagudi, without t'internet, so here's a rather big summary of the past 4 days.
20/2/12
Left Bangalore early morning and stopped off at a town called Ramanagara, not on any published birding trip reports, but the site of a silk processing area, and so thick with Black and Brahiminy Kites (about 200 of each !).

Black Kite

Brahiminy Kite

A quick walk around to the river at Masinagudi in the evening, and quite a selection of stuff - 1 Greater Spotted Eagle, 1 Buzzard, 9 Woolly-necked Storks, 2 Pied Kingfisher, 1 White-browed Bulbul, 4 Crested Tree-swifts, 6 Palm Swift, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 3 Pintail Snipe and 20 Chittal.

Chittal

Purple Sunbird

Greater Spotted Eagle

White-browed Bulbul.

21/2/12 Masinagudi
Another walk along the river and this time - 1 Thick-billed Warbler, several Malabar Parakeets, 3 Yellow-eyed Babbler, 2 Indian Scimitar Babbler, 2 Rufous-bellied Nuthatch, 1 Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, several White-bellied Drongo and a Grey Mongoose.

White-bellied Drongo

22/2/12 Masinagudi
All day in the forest today, and at last a fruiting fig tree, birds everywhere. Summary of the day - 1 Oriental Honey Buzzard, 2 Chestnut-shouldered Petronia, 24 Malabar Parakeet, 20 Crested Tree-swifts, 30 Indian Swiftlets, 1 Rufous-bellied Nuthatch, 2 Indian Scimitar Babbler, 2 Blue-faced Malkoha, 1 Taiga Flycatcher, 6 Malabar Grey Hornbill, 1 Great Hornbill, 1 Grey Junglefowl, 1 Red Spurfowl, 1 Orange-headed Thrush, 1 Lesser Yellownape, 1 Orange-breasted Green Pigeon. Mammals seen were 1 Indian Grey Mongoose, 4 Malabar Giant Squirrel and 20+ Guar.

Blue-faced Malkoha

Malabar Grey Hornbill

Malabar Giant Squirrel

Orange-headed Thrush

22/2/12 Masinagudi
Just the morning in the forest today - but scored the mega ! 2 White-bellied Woodpeckers. Other stuff included - 3 Black-rumped Flameback, 3 Oriental Honey Buzzard, 1 Lesser Yellownape, 1 Streak-throated Woodpecker, 1 Blue-face Malkoha, 1 Orange-headed Thrush, 2 Malabar Grey Hornbill and a Black-naped Monach.

White-bellied Woodpecker

Streak-throated Woodpecker

White-browed Fantail

Malabar Whistling Thrush

Bonnet Macaque

Malabar Grey Hornbill

Hanuman Langur