To get away from the busy city life, my wife and I decided to head to one of my favorite holiday locations, the jungle. Even with meticulous planning much before our planned holiday, we could not get any accommodations in Kabini, Nagarahole and K-Gudi due to summer break. We were skeptical and I wanted to call off the holiday or move it to another date. Just then my wife Pavithra, suggested that we visit a property called Gorukana at BR Hills. I was elated with the fact that BR hills housed the BRT wildlife sanctuary and instantly agreed to her suggestion.

The Biligiriranga Hills commonly called B R Hills, is a hill range situated in south-eastern Karnataka, around 254 kms from Bangalore. It is a protected reserve under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Being at the confluence of the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, the sanctuary is home to Eco-systems that are unique to both the mountain ranges. The site was declared a Tiger Reserve in December 2010.

The drive to BR Hills was a extremely enjoyable one, with picturesque green patches of land and blue skies. As we reached the foothills of sanctuary, we were stopped by some volunteers and an RFO. We were educated that this was a no plastic zone and we were required to follow the rules of the forest department. We were glad that we had conversation efforts being driven by means of this education. Post a 30 min drive, we reached Gorukana. The property was picturesque and had educated naturalists, who hailed from the local tribal hamlets. We were, however, disappointed to hear that due to the ongoing tribal festival, all safaris were suspended.

The Manager of the property, Vinod, promised that we could drive by the stretch of the road that led to the safari booking office. He explained to us that the region was known for native and migratory birds of several species including the Brown Fish Owl. As we began our quest for spotting some unique migratory and native birds, we were lucky to spot a shy and cautious Emerald Dove at the beginning of our journey. The wide variety of colors on her wingspan was quite a beautiful sight.

As we drove further we spotted a pair of Black-rumped Flamebacks also known as the Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker. This species of wood peckers have a characteristic rattling-whinnying call and an undulating flight. Just 200 meters away from this sighting, I spotted a tiny spot of yellow among the lush green leaves. What I spotted beyond my expectation, the Oriental white-eye with a catch. The beautiful bright yellow plumage of this tiny yet quick bird brought a wide smile as I went click-crazy. As I panned my camera a little towards the right, I noticed a whistling bird, which almost resembled a crow. Our friend Vinod, who has been studying birds all over BR Hills then told us that this bird was called the Malabar Whistling Thrush, one of the native birds of BR Hills. The blue plumage on the body complimented the black neck of this bird of melody, which whistles quite similar to a human whistle. Just when I wanted to take a break from the photography, we spotted a flock of Scarlet Minivets (Pericrocotus speciosus) perched alongside a Blue-bearded bee eater.

On our drives at the mornings and evenings over the next couple of days, we also spotted a Stripped-Neck Mongoose, a pair of Barking deer, a Wild boar, Hoopees, White-breasted Kingfishers and Crested-Serpent Eagles. The wide variety of fauna spotted during our drives were definitely a testimonial to the health of this forest.Vinod also explained to us that the efforts of the tribals, conservationists and the forest department has helped keep BR Hills a healthy Eco-system. This was certainly evident in the wide variety of birds that were spotted during our visit to BR Hills.

This lush green Eco-system at BR Hills can certainly be called as a birder's paradise, a gift from the lord, Biligiri Ranga.

- Prashanth Bharadwaj

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