Wild dogs

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This morning was an early start for the safari. It was very misty to begin with as you can see on the photo. Slowly the mist began to clear. The was a good variety of bird life. This included jungle fowl on the ground, green parakeets, two different woodpeckers, a quick blue flash of a kingfisher and Indian roller bird with flashes of blue on its wings. These birds were just flying or hopping around as birdssod, but more interestingly we also saw an eagle which had just caught a small bird. It flew up into a tree with its prey. In a nearby tree there was a different kind of eagle. We saw lots of spotted deer, but none of the bigger sambar deer. Up in the trees there were jungle squirrels and langur monkeys. The early morning sun coming through the trees was highlighted the wide variety of trees. Our wildlife spotter was on the lookout for tigers. He heard something from the animal calls and took us back to the area where a small lake is visible in the distance. He spotted a tiger not far from the water. I caught a very brief glimpse with my binoculars, but it was a long way away and difficult to see. Much easier to see and more interesting to watch were the wild dogs. They were nearer and could be seen with the naked eye as well as through binoculars. Photographs were not possible because they were behind scrub. They had dark thick tails and reddish coats. The carcass of their deer kill was clearly visible and they were taking turns to eat. One of the pack was keeping watch for other predators.



We were hungry for our late breakfast and it was a late start for the drive to Coorg. Coorg is a coffee growing area. And it is also a tourist area popular with the workers from Bangalore. We first drove to the Eco lodge where we are staying. This isrun by a couple who have a small farm. The cottage had a large room and next door a small plunge swimming pool just about deep enough and big enough for one stroke. In the afternoon we made the short drive to The town in the area to. Visit the fort and a viewpoint called Raja's seat. We also stopped at a supermarket sellipopp local coffee and spices. This shop was jammed full with Indian tourists.

Our dinner was home cooked food from the farm, a vegetable curry, dhal and a chicken curry. Very good.

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