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lley a long time coming some trips take effort and then there are trips like muthyalamadavu the one that seemed determined to never happen ak ca and i had been circling this plan for what felt like ages every time we got close something stepped in work travel last minute chaos the previous attempt ended before it even began thanks to a perfectly timed flat tyre that felt less like bad luck and more like a running joke so when we finally did make it it felt like breaking a small jinx muthyalamadavu or pearl valley made sure we earned every bit of it slopes that tested the legs paths that forced us to slow down and foliage that turned photography into a patient game of hide and seek nothing came easy but as always the birds had the final say and they did not disappoint what started as a long delayed plan turned into one of those quietly satisfying outings where effort met reward not easy but absolutely worth it here s a photo tour as always we started early at 4 30 am when the light began to soften the horizon we pulled over unable to resist a quiet moment with the dawn at the pearl valley entrance a bonnet macaque balanced on the fence backlit by the morning sun enjoying a simple marie biscuit and turning it into a rather artistic moment the birding began with an oriental magpie robin a familiar face to start the day a quiet stretch of wildflowers softly lit by the morning we slowly made our way down the steps towards the waterfall a fellow birdwatcher mentioned that the real action lay beyond it at a gazebo on the way down a bonnet macaque peeked out from the tin roof quietly checking us out a white browed bulbul showed up briefly keeping to the tangle with no rains for months the waterfall had shrunk to a gentle trickle near the falls we spotted juvenile indian paradise flycatchers a male loten s sunbird in eclipse plumage with its extra long bill stayed on the move a white cheeked barbet paused at its nesting hole while a coppersmith barbet watched from the canopy beyond the falls we walked along the stream bed itself and every step took effort a restless bunch of indian white eyes kept us busy appearing and disappearing in seconds a crimson rose added a quiet splash of red to the trail we searched high and low for the white rumped shama ca got a glimpse i got a stiff neck as it perched high above us and no photo this tickell s blue flycatcher was my consolation a young indian paradise flycatcher holding its own in the shade a restless fantail kept flicking its tail open like a hand fan darting through the thickets and testing my patience a quick pause from an indian white eye though i knew it would be gone the very next second catching the black naped monarch was a bit of a tour de force the juvenile male asian paradise flycatcher was a fitting last frame so we turned back what followed was a careful walk over a scattered rocky path and a climb up the stairs powered mostly by hunger and the hope of water waiting at the end somewhere between the missed shots fleeting glimpses and a few satisfying frames the day had already done its job pearl valley had offered enough little gems to make us want to return do drop in a comment with your thoughts posted by shiju sugunan 9 comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest thursday april 09 2026 from courtyard to cascades last october a gentle nudge from my friend cr turned into one of those trips that quietly stay with you the plan was simple a relaxed birding getaway to mango mulch a lovely homestay run by her friends ashwini and sudhakar we timed our arrival perfectly for breakfast ashwini had kindly offered to cook for us before they headed out on their own vacation and that meal alone was worth the early start warm food easy conversation and that familiar excitement of what the day might bring the plan was to explore the eight acre property and see what birds turned up but sometimes birding has other ideas with our hosts getting ready to leave and the place in a bit of transition mode the birds seemed to have taken the day off too but mango mulch didn t leave us empty handed if not birds then butterflies and not just any but a fluttering gathering of blue tigers drifting lazily through the garden like they had nowhere else to be add to that the burst of flowers around the property and the morning found its own rhythm with the bird list still waiting to be written we decided to move on and try our luck elsewhere shivanasamudra was calling a short drive later the twin waterfalls gaganachukki and bharachukki took over the day the calm of the morning gave way to the thunder of water drifting mist and finally some bird activity to reward the patience here are some frames from that day a mix of blue wings bright blooms and roaring falls like always we started early for the 150 km drive and rolled into mango mulch just in time for breakfast the home itself was a highlight even before we stepped out with our cameras a traditional thotti mane built around a sunken central courtyard the thotti a stone lined tank sat quietly at the heart of the house surrounded by wooden pillars and open light filtering in from above light bounced gently off the red oxide floors giving the whole space a calm lived in warmth it felt like stepping into a different pace of time breakfast turned out to be a proper introduction to the place a plate of hand pressed delicate rice noodles served two ways on one side the savoury shavige bath lightly tempered with mustard seeds curry leaves green chillies coconut and peanuts comforting familiar very much in the chitranna zone on the other the softer sweeter version paired with kayi haalu fragrant coconut milk sweetened with jaggery and gently lifted with cardamom same base two moods both equally good we looked around the place a lily pond a ring of rain lilies around it and a lot of quiet and then colour patches of pink and white cosmos swaying lightly catching just enough light to make you stop zinnias in soft pinks layered and delicate a lone sunflower standing out bold and unapologetic the eight acre property had its share of interesting fruit trees ashwini pointed out a karonda sitting quietly among the leaves half blushing into ripeness and then finally some wings a small patch of plants turned into a gathering spot for blue tigers not one or two but a loose cluster drifting in and out settling just long enough before lifting again we bid our hosts goodbye as they headed out for their vacation and set off towards shivanasamudra on the way we pulled over for a bit a lone hill rising gently beside the highway framed by scattered clouds and that wide open sky nothing dramatic just one of those views that makes you stop without overthinking it and then the sound the falls don t arrive quietly water everywhere spilling over rock loud and relentless sheets splitting and rejoining carving their way down through green gaganachukki and bharachukki each with their own character but equally relentless i checked a ficus tree for birds looked promising and then finally a black naped oriole next to show up was a red vented bulbul busy with breakfast and then a male common iora restless bright never quite staying still for long the birds took their time that day but between butterflies flowers food and the falls it never really felt like we were waiting hope you enjoyed the post would love to hear your thoughts posted by shiju sugunan 35 comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest older posts home subscribe to posts atom donate to cranium bolts please donate today and help us make a difference for birds and nature translate followers crossed million pageviews 10 recent stories content in n var a n content t else if summary in n var a n summary t else var a var k g if a a replace k 1 post_summary if a length 1 posts_date _ _ w parseint g 10 v f 1 1 readmorelink 1 _ _ _ read more 1 1 showcommentslink 1 _ 1 comments l l 1 comment 0 comments l l no comments l l _ l 1 document write _ document write document write document write recent posts widget your browser does not support javascript links mosaic monday featured post a staycation during rainy season it has been raining and the family wanted an outing so we planned a staycation in a hotel just 30 minutes drive from home we hoped to just join me on my facebook page about shiju sugunan cranium bolts is the personal photo blog of shiju sugunan he resides in bangalore and loves photography cranium bolts mostly contains photos of subjects that pique his interest when he s not stalking his feathered friends he can be found reading taking pictures writing and desperately seeking unfamiliarity he would like to apologize for referring to himself in the third person sometimes he likes to be pretentious as a joke but he is true to his roots view my complete profile tweets tweets by shijuvenate popular posts unraveling the stories behind hoysaleswara sculptures picking up where we left off in the previous blog post let me now unveil more from the captivating array of sculptures discovered duri nine colours and a second chance there are some places that keep pulling you back no matter how many times you have been there hoskote is one of those for me and so bangalore to kannur road trip after weeks of anticipation our family finally set out from bangalore toward the coastal town of kannur it turned out to be one of o a memorable trip to ooty and coonoor with the kids safely shipped off to their grandparents place my wife and i decided to make a road trip to the idyllic hill statio blue tailed stories by the kaveri early february gave us the bar headed geese at hadinaru but we weren t done yet cr and i took a quick detour to a nearby blue tailed rain lilies welcome the monsoon my terrace garden is bursting with rain lilies the wonderful monsoon season has caused a riot of colors rain lilies bloom from courtyard to cascades last october a gentle nudge from my friend cr turned into one of those trips that quietly stay with you the plan was simple a relaxe bird watching at valley school i couldn t go on a sunday bird watching trip in the past month due to travel and other pressing engagements last week few birdwatche weekend trip to bannerghatta national park last saturday we drove to bannerghatta national park here s a photo tour the overcast conditions made the walk to the butter mesmerizing sculptures of halebidu during the second leg of our road trip we had the opportunity to visit the hoysaleswara hindu temple a magnificent structure dedicated recent comments else if document write d length document write d document write else document write d d substring 0 o_rc var w d lastindexof d d substring 0 w document write d document write popular posts unraveling the stories behind hoysaleswara sculptures picking up where we left off in the previous blog post let me now unveil more from the captivating array of sculptures discovered duri galli cricket galli cricket or street cricket is a stripped down version of the sport of cricket it is usually played in narrow by lanes streets p my first trip to kannamangala lake i explored kannamangala lake for the first time last week this lake is just about 10 miles from home i got some nice sightings but i holy cows of bangalore cattle are venerated within the hindu religion of india according to vedic scriptures they are to be treated with the same respect a tales from the treetops last sunday i set out for muthanallur lake under a blanket of thick clouds the kind of morning when the light is low the air is hea exploring muthanallur lake after a brief hiatus due to a pesky viral fever i m back in the blogosphere i made a recent trip to the other side of muthanallu morning walk at gkvk campus bangalore city has many green spaces gkvk campus with 1200 acres of greenery is one such place last sunday wife and i went for our morn a day at kailasagiri they say family road trips are all about bonding but nothing bonds you faster than holding your breath on a narrow dirt road with a dr a memorable trip to ooty and coonoor with the kids safely shipped off to their grandparents place my wife and i decided to make a road trip to the idyllic hill statio the red avadavat hunt it had been ages since i last visited the bund side of muthanallur lake the initial plan was a relaxed exploration birdwatching for t slide1 visitors feedjit live blog stats followers blog archive 2026 15 april 3 pearl valley a long time coming from courtyard to cascades blue tailed stories by the kaveri march 4 february 4 january 4 2025 41 december 4 november 4 october 4 september 4 august 3 july 5 june 1 may 3 april 3 march 3 february 3 january 4 2024 40 december 3 november 4 october 3 september 4 august 3 july 4 june 3 may 3 april 4 march 2 february 3 january 4 2023 40 december 3 november 4 october 4 september 4 august 3 july 4 june 3 may 2 april 2 march 3 february 4 january 4 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