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Cauvery Fishing Camp, Doddamakkali - 12 / 13 June
2004
My Visit to Doddamakkali camp was decided on the day I visited the Bheemeshwari Fishing camp. Jungle Lodges and Resorts
have three camps along the Cauvery river basin. Doddamakkali ,
Bheemeshwari and Galibore. Doddamakkali was supposed to be more scenic
than Galibore and Bheemeshwari. Since the distance from Bangalore was
not much (130 Km) I had decided to visit Doddamakkali in the coming
weeks.
The timing was just perfect. A few of my friends wanted to
getaway from Bangalore and asked me if we could go out somewhere.
Doddamakkali was the first thing which struck to my mind. So, on the
morning of June 12th, we left Bangalore in two cars (9 of us) and
reached Doddamakkali camp at around 12 Noon. The last few kilometers
drive, into the forest was amazing. It was a steep drive into the
valley, and that too on unmetalled road. We were not sure if our cars
would climb back up. We were greeted by the manager who
offered some cool drinks at the camp. To my surprise, I met
Pushparaju, who was my guide at Bheemeshwari and had helped me to
track the Lesser Fish Eagle. On seeing me, he took me to the banks and
showed me the Lesser Fish Eagle, which was perched onto the edge of the
tree over looking the Cauvery. Without even checking into the tents, I
grabbed my camera and hopped onto the coracle along with Pushpa and
rowed down to the other bank. It was least bothered with our present. I
took some shots and we came back to the camp.
After we checked into the tents and went around exploring the camp, it
started to rain. This was expected. We were well aware of the fact that
monsoons have arrived and it may rain through our our stay. The
greenery all around the camp and valley was a beautiful site. After
lunch, I took my camera and trekked up the hill which was behind my
tent. I found a perfect hide among the bushes and trees and set up my
tripod there. I could hear the chirping and whistling of the birds
around me. But was difficult to shoot because of the thick canopy.
There were lots of White Bellied Drongs around. Barbets, Rose
ringed Parakeets, Iora, Sunbirds, Babblers, Black Hooded
Oriole were a few of the birds which I saw. Common Woodshrike was the
only one I could capture here. Though not much photography could be
done, the experience, being there in the wild amongst the birds, which
I like the most , was amazing. By evening I came back to the camp and
took some rest in the tent. It again poured down during late evening.
Doddamakkali does not have electric supply, nor do they have any
gensets. The ambiance was just perfect, like B.R.Hills, my favorite
places among the JLR camps. We lazed around after dinner around the
Gholgar (where food is served).
The next morning, the weather was cool and luckily no rains. Pushpa
could not come with us as he had sprained his back. So, another guide
was arranged. While we were waiting for others to join us for the trek,
we saw a lot of raptors on top of the cliff. We could see the Brahminy
kites, Black Kites, Shikra and a couple of more raptors which could not
be id'ed. Pushpa was so enthusiastic about the birds, that he forget
about his back ache and started to lead us to the top of the cliff. It
was a steep climb to the top of the valley. We sat behind some
bushes and watched the Shikra mob the two raptors one after the
other. One of them was the Short Toed Snake Eagle and the other
looked like the Black Eagle. I managed to take some shots of the STSE.
Later, we explored the near by hills and valley before proceeding back
to the camp. On the way, I found some reptiles and butterflies to
shoot. We made it in time to the came for breakfast. Later we packed
and left the camp. It was quite challenging to climb the hill on the
unmetalled road. I had to be in 1st gear all the time so as not to loose
power. On top of that, the loose gravel added to the problem. If I
accelerated too much, the wheels would start spinning. But my Matiz did
well along with a bit of my driving skills, and we managed to climb to
the top. Overall, it was a pleasant trip and a nice change for all of
us, away from the busy and mechanical life in Bangalore.
Here's what I captured during the trip:
- Lesser Fish Eagle
- Short Toed Snake Eagle 1
- Short Toed Snake Eagle 2
- Common Woodshrike
- Purple Sunbird - Eclipse Male
- Coppersmith Barbet
- Rock Agama - Breeding Male
- Common Garden Lizard 1
- Common Garden Lizard 2
- Plain Tiger
- Tawny Coster 1
- Tawny Coster 2
- Common Leopard
- Moth
- Dragon Fly
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