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.
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 |
Great shots.. Loved the croc..
ReplyDeleteThank you! We love the crocs too.... Its always good to spot one
DeleteThe 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.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Natalie!
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