3 Nights @ the Honey-Valley home stay - Part 3 - Dec 2015

Continued from the previous blog post : 3 Nights @ the Honey-Valley home stay - Part 2

25 - 28 Dec, 2015

It's been more than a month now. The photographs and painting from there works like a switch; just a glance and I would be taken back to the place.

Day 3 was a resting day. Woke up late, had no plans of doing anything. Hogged on the breakfast, sat around the dining area reading some books, she wanted to complete the pending sketch and I went ahead with the camera to see if I can get any better frames.  It was our last day at the home stay, I had already started feeling the need to extend this 3 day holiday. The pleasure of doing nothing was so overwhelming. Most of the guests had already started leaving the home stay and many were packing for the evening departure. We had planned to ride back on Monday morning, so we still had 1 night to stay around.

The morning scene at the estate

Late in the evening we checked with Mr.Suresh if we can have a camp-fire somewhere around and he directed us to a spot about 500mtrs far from the home stay. I suppose that is the camping site for those who would like to stay in the tent. This place had much better view than the home stay over the coffee plantation. I quickly gathered the dry firewood and made a pile. I still remember my first camp-fire during the Bandaje trek about 3 years back, the nearest village was 15KM from our camp site.

Another portrait of a Sunbird

The camp-fire was on, the darkness was slowly creeping over the sky, the stars started popping up here and there, the mist started setting over the place, the birds silenced themselves, the frogs and the crickets had started there symphony and just 2 of us together against the warmth of the fire. It is a feeling to cherish long.

With few good photographs, a lot of bird sightings, many  record shots and couple of sketches/paintings, we felt our trip was accomplished. We promised ourselves that we would come back to this place very often.

8AM, Monday morning and we were back on our way to Mangalore. But I still had one place to visit, Sri Krishna Bhavana, which I had found out from another blog. A small eat and get out place for the tastiest breakfast. You can ask for idli-sambar or sambar-idli, vada-sambar or sambar-vada (if you get what I am trying to say ;) )and pongal, chow-chow bath, bisi-bele-bath, poori, coffee and tea. The owner is blunt and he would probably scream at you if you use the mobile phone while inside the hotel, he is busy but a friendly elder person. Trust me, it is the best pocket-friendly breakfast. If you are in Coorg, do check this place, it is at a walk-able distance from the bus stand.

Sri Krishna Bhavana - Madikeri

Some of the birds I got to see around the estate. Couple of them were my first sighting. Bird List - Few of the Kannada names are from kanaja.in

1	Black Eagle	ಕಪ್ಪು ಹದ್ದು
2	Oriental white eye	ಬೆಳ್ಗಣ್ಣ
3	Hill Myna	ಕಾಮಳ್ಳಿ
4	Purple Rumped Sunbird	ಖಗರತ್ನ
5	Purple Sunbird	ನೇರಳೆ ಸೂರಕ್ಕಿ
6	Scarlet Minivet	ಚಿತ್ರಪಕ್ಷಿ
7	Golden Fronted Leafbird	ಎಲೆಹಕ್ಕಿ
8	Velvet fronted Nuthatch	ಮಕ್ಮಲ್ನೆತ್ತಿಯ ಮರಗುಬ್ಬಿ
9	Coppersmith Barbet	ಕಂಚುಕುಟಿಗ
10	Grey Headed Canary Flycatcher	ಬೂದುತಲೆ ನೊಣಹಿಡುಕ
11	Heart Spotted Woodpecker	ಚುಕ್ಕೆ ಮರಕುಟಿಗ
12	Lesser Flameback Woodpecker	ಹೊಂಬೆನ್ನಿನ ಮರಕುಟಿಗ
13	Grey Wagtail	ಬೂದು ಸಿಪಿಲೆ
14	Yellow Wagtail	ಹಳದಿ ಸಿಪಿಲೆ
15	Black Drongo	ಕರಿ ಕಾಜಾಣ
16	Ashy Belied Drongo	ಬೂದು ಕಾಜಾಣ
18	Bronzed Drongo	ಕಂಚು ಕಾಜಾಣ
19	Greater Tailed Drongo	ಭೀಮರಾಜ
20	Yellow Browed Bulbul	ಹಳದಿಹುಬ್ಬಿನ ಪಿಕಳಾರ
21	Emerald Dove	ಹರಳು ಚೋರೆ
22	Vernal Hanging parrot	ಚಿಟ್ಟುಗಿಳಿ
23	Blue Winged Parakeet	ಮಲೆಗಿಳಿ
24	Asian Paradise Flycatcher	ರಾಜಹಕ್ಕಿ
25	Black-lored Yellow Tit	ಹಳದಿಕೆನ್ನೆಯ ಚೇಕಡಿ
Prinias, coucals, warblers and other common birds

Until our next travel story, bye :)

Photos - https://photos.app.goo.gl/23rmWxje76YGdz4m6