Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary: A Gem in the Bird Watching World

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Three guys staring at me from across the road.

Nothing that unusual, but there was a certain intensity about it.

I had just arrived at the Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary and strolled around a small lake to the main road. The place was blissfully lacking people, except for the three staring at me.

I dealt with it the usual way. “Hello!”

That’s always an invitation for further interaction.

They immediately crossed the street. One said, “Selfie?”

Oh gawd, how can I refuse. Such a clever request, and so thoughtfully presented!

Something was different about this selfie, though. One man held a small box in his hand as they took several photos.

“What’s that?”

“Ayurvedic face cream.”

So I was going to be in their advertising for the face cream and soap they were selling? I could see the caption on the photo: “Her face used to be like ours. Then she used the magical Ayurvedic face cream. Does wonders for lightening the skin.”

I got a selfie with them, too, but without the box. I’m not selling Ayurvedic face cream.

One of the highlights of my stay in this quiet place was early morning birding in the other side of the 25 square kilometer sanctuary with Vinod Narayanan, bird guide extraordinaire.

He was quite patient with my slowness in seeing birds. I missed a few—the sunbirds were small and fast, too much for me.

His story about elephants was unbelievable.

In the very spot where we stood, on a rock slope overlooking a forested stream, Vinod and his Swiss guests had witnessed a fight between two tuskers, one much smaller than the other. The guest filmed the whole thing from a safe distance, using a video camera typically used in that time, about 15 years ago.

Then Vinod realized they were fighting for a reason.

“There’s a female close by. They’re fighting over her.”

Sure enough, he said, after the smaller, younger elephant won the fight, the female emerged from the trees. But the male was too small to mount her.

Here’s where the story gets really incredible.

The male put his front feet on a convenient upslope rock. The two front feet did not get him into position, so he put a rear foot on top, placed his front legs on the female from behind, and was in position to do the deed.

By then Vinod and the guest had moved to get a better view. The sun was behind them, they were above and at a safe distance, and they could see everything, he said. Everything. His camera was rolling, and they watched the entire mating act, from start to finish. They filmed the fight and its climax with the two elephant lovers for perhaps 1 1/2 hours.

Vinod showed me the very rock used by the young male.

“He must have been a virgin,” I mused. “And the female told him to use the rock.” She must have been quite pleased she had attracted an admirer much younger than she.

As if the spirit of animal lovers was still wafting about, Vinod pointed to a pair of parakeets in the top of a leafless tree. With my binoculars I noticed they seemed quite amorous.

“They’re mating,” whispered Vinod into my ear. He may not have wanted the three young photographers nearby to hear. For some reason. Maybe he thought they were too innocent to see such a thing.

And sure enough, the male mounted the female for about a half a minute. They didn’t fly afterwards, he just kept “kissing” his amour. Hoping for another go. She allowed him to nuzzle her beak for a while, then flew off with her boyfriend in pursuit.

What a show. That particular parakeet is not common, said Vinod, and they usually hide in the branches so you can’t see them. There they were, demonstrating their love for all—us and a few enthusiastic bird photographers.

I felt very fortunate after witnessing such an event and told Vinod I could go back and be happy. As we walked downhill through some trees we heard a grumble, a cross between a moo and a bellow. Elephants. They were close. Vinod and I kept talking about how we needed to be careful. We even caught a whiff of their acrid scent, saw fresh poop.

A scuffle behind us. I gasped and my stomach dropped.

I turned to see a man carrying a plastic jug for filling in the stream nearby.

“We’ll let him go first,” said Vinod. Human bait for the elephants.

Vinod knows firsthand about elephant behavior. He started bird watching when he was five, gave up a very good job in Delhi (his parents thought he was mentally ill and made him talk to a psychiatrist) to pursue his passion of guiding birders. He also led wildlife watching tours all over south India for years. When a guest used a flash to photograph a male elephant near their vehicle, the elephant charged. Vinod managed to shove the guest back in the car in time, but the elephant sent him tumbling down a hillside with an injured hip. After six months recovering in the hospital, he returned to guiding, but he needs regular Ayurvedic massage to manage the remaining hip problems.

I’m thankful he’s here now, hosting guests with his lovely wife Seeny in the Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary, infecting all with his enthusiasm for wildlife of the area..

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Photos

Malabar giant squirrel
A resident of the forest

great color combo
On the malabar giant squirrel

Ayurvedic cream salesmen get the selfie
Terry is now a part of their advertising campaign

Comments

[RENanDREW]

Creepy staring or curious staring?
For most of the time, I just couldn't tell the difference between these two kinds of stares in India :/ And I'd be flattered if they thought my skin was good enough to sell face cream :) Love those Malabar giant squirrels.

[Traveling Terry]

Stares
I have to assume that where ever I go in India, someone is staring at me, and it’s mostly out of curiosity. I quickly disarm them by smiling and saying something. Sometimes I can see relief washing over them. As for the face cream, I think that was wishful thinking on my part that they were using me as a testimonial. Thanks for commenting.