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The Vaishnodevi Experience 2023

My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
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A Boat Ride on the Kaveri at Ranganathittu

We first visited the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary in May2014, when Samhith and I spent a week at Mysore. We visited the sanctuary again this year, at the special request of Samhith, for his birthday! It is amazing how the sanctuary, and the river, never cease to surprise us, with the profusion and variety of avian life. This has been my only birding trip this year, so here are some photos from the boat ride on the Kaveri at Ranganathittu…

Grey Heron

Painted Stork


Group of Painted Storks

Open Billed Stork

Oriental White Ibis

Oriental White Ibis, in their nest

Black - Crowned Night Heron

Cattle Egrets in breeding plumage

Egret


Snake Bird or Darter

Spot Billed Pelicans

Spot Billed Pelicans

While birds were certainly the highlight of the boat ride, there was more to see in the river.... such as these crocodiles!

Crocodile





The visit to Ranganathittu was our first halt during our Summer Trip of 2016. Read more about that trip in the coming days....

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Location: Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Srirangapatna, Karnataka 571438, India

Comments

  1. Harish ShettyDecember 20, 2016 at 11:28 AM

    Great shots.. Loved the croc..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarMarch 17, 2017 at 5:40 PM

      Thank you! We love the crocs too.... Its always good to spot one

      Delete
  2. NatalieGDecember 21, 2016 at 8:47 AM

    The Ibis and Storks are so other-worldly with their dramatic heads and beaks! Many of them looked like they posed just for your pics! :) When you mentioned it was your only recent birding trip it made me realize how much I've missed your photos of all the beautiful birds you encounter. Thanks for the great wildlife pics and I'm looking forward to your upcoming posts about your Summer Trip.

    ReplyDelete

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