Birding trip to Gubbala Mangamma Talli Temple and Parnasala 26th to 28th May 2017
Hyderabad Birding Pals always searches for new locations in Telangana so as to organize bird walks there in future. For this purpose a visit was planned to Gubbala Mangamma Talli Temple and Parnasala. The temple is located in a dense forest about 350 km from Hyderabad in Khammam district, Telangana. It is on the fringes of Papikonda National Park in Andhra Pradesh. The forest is semi evergreen- deciduous, known for bamboo and rosewood. Parnasala is a temple near Bhadrachalam with Godavari river flowing close to it. We were four of us: Naresh Vadrevu, Phani Krishna Raavi, Gopalkrishna Iyer and Me.
We started from Hyderabad at 8 pm on 26th May taking the Vijaywada exit of ORR towards Suryapet. Stopped for dinner at 7 food court and headed to Khammam. Strong wind and rainfall had brought down many trees, blocking the road and resulting in slow traffic. We turned around and took the bypass road towards Yellandu and Kothagudem. After we reached Palwancha, google maps showed us the way to Gubbala Mangamma Talli Temple. On the way saw a Golden Jackal and many house shrews and field mice zipped passed the jungle road. Near a settlement a Barn Owl was seen perched on a tree. As you go close to the temple, you can take a shortcut from the forest camp. Its a mud road through the forest and only go by this road when there is no rain and no traffic of tourists. We started birding at 5:30 am when we were 4 km away from temple, heard many calls of Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Indian Cuckoo, Common Tailorbird and Jungle Owlet. At this time light was starting to come and was drizzling. We stopped further ahead to hear many calls of Indian Cuckoo and White throated Kingfisher, saw Paradise flycatcher, Asian Palm-Swift, Pond Herons, Red whiskered and Red vented Bulbuls. As we moved towards the dried stream, heavy rain started which lasted till 6:15 am. Then we got down the car and started exploring the amazing forest around us.
Indian Cuckoo calls were everywhere, also Greater Racket-tailed Drongos were frequently calling and flying from tree to tree. Scarlet minivet, Golden fronted Leafbird, Greater racket-tailed Drongo, Indian Nuthatch, Black naped Monarch and Heart spotted Woodpecker were in a hunting flock. At a location at least six Jungle Owlet were there calling. While following an Indian Pitta we saw a Streaked Throated Woodpecker on a bare tree. Three Yellow footed Green Pigeons were sitting still, drenched on a tree top. It drizzled periodically, mostly when the cameras were out. When ever we spotted a bird and went ahead to photograph, it started to pour. We did not complain as already we had good sightings and also hoped to see nice activity in the afternoon. Till 11:00 we were back in the car for a nap, I went to have a snack and see some birds on the way. Got Pale billed Flowerpecker, Black-naped Monarch and Black-hooded Oriole. After having lunch on prasad laddus and chips (this was only available in shops) we proceeded for further birding.
At 02:00 pm we split in group of two, Naresh and Me were to explore the front portion of the temple and Phani and Gopal bhaiya went deeper in the forest. The forest patch from temple to the dried stream had good activity. In an area Greater racket-tailed Drongo were quiet active, we went to check the spot as drongos are often accompanied by other species. It turned out to be true, near a peepal tree we stood and watched. A pair of Black-hooded Oriole were in courtship. A family of Malabar Trogon flew around the area, going from perch to perch. It had a pair and a sub adult male. A Rufous Woodpecker was close by. Many Purple-rumped Sunbird, Oriental White-eyes, Coppersmith Barbets, Brown-headed Barbet and Golden-fronted Leafbird foraged on the peepal tree. As we stood under the tree, a large bird flew around some trees and disappeared behind them. It was an Owl for sure, looking at its flight and position in the canopy. We both decided to search for it, and soon we spotted a Brown Fish-Owl hurriedly moving on a branch and fly to a dense patch. It was a wonderful sight to see it curiously glance at us and turn around to make a move. After this a group of birds were seen on the same peepal tree, they were Black-crested Bulbul. We came back to the mud road and walked ahead to the spot where we saw many Jungle Owlets in the morning. Along with the Owlets, Rufous Treepies and Crested Goshawk was seen. Our rest of the time was spent watching and photographing Malabar Trogons. The other group saw many Indian Pittas, photographed a Crested Goshawk, saw a group of Plum Headed Parakeets and others. At 05:15 pm we all meet and headed back in the car. As we crossed the stream, a pair of Hair-crested Drongo flew in the trees close to road. We got down to follow them to take an id shot only to return to car as it started to drizzle. After this we started our journey to Bhadrachalam.
We rested for the night in a lodge and next day went to Parnasala, a temple town 35 km from Bhadrachalam. Scanning the banks of Godavari river, we could see some Asian Openbills , a Painted Stork and Little Cormorants in shallow water. We decided to take a boat to go to the other bank of the river as it had water puddles and rocks with a trees lining the bank of the river. As we were waiting for the boat to start, Little Tern, Black-bellied Tern and River Tern were seen scanning the water for fish. It was a quick ride to the other bank. As soon as we got down, a River Lapwing was seen picking food from the algae and waste on the ground. Again, me and Naresh went in one direction and Phani and Gapal bhaiya went in the other. As we walked along the bank we could see Black winged Stilts calling and coming down towards their constantly moving chicks. A Pied Kingfisher startled us by diving close to us. It flew along looking for fish. Soon we again saw the River Lapwing this time giving alarm calls and monitoring our every move. It was amazing to see it try to hide from our sight by tucking low on the ground and staying still. It did so, many times, sometimes flying behind a nearby rock. Another one was close by, similarly calling and trying to hide. This was probably a breeding pair and their nest was close by. We maintained distance and did not walk around the area, so that they’ll be least disturbed. Naresh got beautiful eye-level shots of this bird which I’ve added below. Little Ringed Plovers and Small Pratincole were also close by. Meanwhile, Phani and Gopal bhaiya saw some hundred Streak-throated Swallows, Greater Painted-Snipe, Red Avadavat, Indian Silverbill, River Lapwings, Blue-tailed Bee-eater and others.
We returned to Hyderabad with lots of good sightings and hoping to visit again in future.
Few things to consider before visiting the temple,
- To visit, prior permission is needed from the DFOs of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh forest departments
- Carry food, there are very few options and shops are open only in peak hours.
- Never go on Thursdays and Sundays, this is when thousands of people flood the area coming in buses and lorries. We were told some 600 goats are sacrificed on these days
- Always keep company, there is a fear of wild animals and troublesome people
- When in the forest, do not in any case wear camo clothes
- There is no mobile network near the temple
Complete checklists
At Gubbala Mangamma Talli Temple, 27th May 2017
At Parnasala, 28th May 2017
Here are the links to ebird checklists,
