A short break to Alwarthirunagiri, a temple town on the banks of Thamirabarani river was our next holiday destination. The drive from Vagaikulam to Alwarthirunagiri was picturesque, passing along the banks of Thamirabarani with green fields on both sides. We spotted many birds – drongo, indian roller, bee-eaters, egrets, herons, kingfishers, doves. We spotted the maximum number of indian rollers in any trips that we had done and it is always a beautiful sight to see the bird in flight. Though bird watching was not part of our itinerary, the next morning we left at 6AM to see some birds.
The folks in Anantya in the Village, the place we stayed, recommended us to visit Theri Kadu – a red sand dune. So we visited this place closer to noon, thankfully the weather was pleasant for us to spend some time here. It was really breathtaking to see red sand all around you with the flora and fauna.
From Thamirabarani, we started our journey towards Periyaar. We stayed in CGHEarth – Spice village in Thekkady. We spotted many species of birds in our morning and evening walks in the resort, the boat trips on the Periyaar lake and a jungle trek within the forest reserve.
We also spotted our usual suspects – egrets, herons, drongos, orioles, spotted doves, red vented bulbuls, house crows. In our boat ride and the trek, we spotted a herd of elephants, sambar deers, wild boars
We also had an Indian giant squirrel and a faimly of Niligiri Langurs who dropped in for breakfast one morning relishing the fruits in the property
