Mamandur - Bungalow on the hill

One of my early sorties with MNS, in March 2006.

March 24th

After much agonising about should we/shouldn’t we, Sheila and I finally decided to take the car, with a driver, and set off for Mamandur on Friday afternoon, from Madras. We were joining a group of Madras Naturalist Society, MNS members on a birdwatching trip.

Greenhorns in the world of birding, we were very excited about this trip of ours.

Getting there

Mamandur is a small village, north of Renigunta, about 150 kms from Madras. Our driver Kalyansundaram was very familiar with the route, as it is the same one as the Tirupathi highway. So from Poonamalee, we went via Tiruvallur, Nagari and Putur, on a decent highway, winding though green paddy fields as well as miles of sunflower.

On reaching Renigunta, we had to take the Cudappah highway, a beautiful road, parallel to the railway line, and in 15kms, we had reached the village of Mamandur in Andhra Pradesh.

Stopping at the bus stand, to get directions to the forest bungalow, we came across a Getz with Mr Ramachandran and Gopal, also looking for directions. Taking the turn off to the east, our excitement mounted as we caught glimpses of the bungalow up on the hill. In a matter of minutes, all of a sudden we could hear bird call and the rustling of trees, and the din of the highway was muted and remote.

After a three and a half hour ride, we arrived at the quaint Mamandur bungalow. The bungalow forms part of the backdrop of Kenneth Anderson’s “Mamandur Man eater”, and to our very pleasant surprise, looked more or less the same. (Of course, in their efforts to maintain and upkeep the place, there were now ceramic tiles on the floors, and colour TVs with a DTH connection in all the three rooms!)

The bungalow faces south. To the east, is scrub forest, with fire lines, and further east a ridge that blocks out the horizon. To the immediate west is the Mamandur village, the highway and the railway line, and then the main forest of the S Venkatewara sanctuary.

Our first venture into the forest

Soon the SUV with the rest of the members trundled in, and after a round of introductions, room allocations and making arrangements for dinner, a jeep ride through the forest was suggested.

It was already sundown when we set off. Gopal volunteered to take the Getz, as we all would not have fitted into the SUV. So we set off for the western part of the SV protected sanctuary, crossing the railway line.

A wonderfully, dark and thrilling experience, but not an animal did we sight! A couple of nightjars thankfully posed for us, caught in the beam of a floodlight that the guide had brought along. A thick scrub forest, with large bamboo groves and red sanders, as we went in, the forest crowded around us, and the Getz found the going tough.

The night sky was amazing, with Orion resplendent, as also the Pleiades. Jayshankar brought back a Glowworm.

Back to the bungalow, dinner and jungle stories under the stars, the screech of Spotted Owlets in the trees, while some of the men set off for a jungle walk, with the guide.

March 25th

Woken up with thimblefuls of tea at 5-30, the morning air was cool, and the view of the forest below us was beautiful. The sun had not yet emerged over the ridge, and there was a misty haze over the forest, as bird call floated up to us.

As we set off west, we were introduced to White bellied Minivets, even before we reached the village. They were arguably one of the most common birds of Mamandur.

As we reached the village, the screeches of rose-ringed parakeets greeted us, and I was amazed to get a close glimpse of one of them sitting and fastidiously eating a fruit. She stared at me, and I was almost ready to hear her hurl insults at me (like one of the pirate parrots in a Tintin comic)! But she only took off after a screech of disapproval.

We crossed the Mamandur station and made our way into the forest - various sights and sounds – bear droppings, lion ant mounds, wild gooseberry….

I missed a lot of the birds that the "pros" saw, as I was not as quick. So I missed the red-collared dove, and the laughing dove and a barbet, and several others, whose calls were being identified fast and furious. As we walked through the underbrush, I could hear the birds and see them darting about, but I was not quick enough to spot them with my binoculars, and so get a better view.

We reached a clearing in the forest just as I started to despair. My luck changed! There on a tree trunk, with the sun catching their golden backs was a pair of Greater Flamebacks. Though I had seen these birds earlier, in Madras, it was quite something else spotting them in the forest. They pecked their way up and down the tree trunk, and their backs shimmered in the sun. Others pointed out a Blue-winged leafbird and a Black-hooded oriole, both so spectacularly colourful that I was gasping in wonder. A Black Drongo flew by and perched on a tree.

The best was still to come. We were shushed to silence by the members ahead. There was a flash of rust as a bird flashed by. Paradise flycatcher was the whispered identification. It had vanished. After a few more yards in silence, we saw it again! There it sat on a low branch with its brown, long tail hanging down – the Asian Paradise Flycatcher, a rufous male.

Then, a male breeding Common Iora was spotted high in the trees. A black-and-white Oriental Magpie Robin was very busy in the branches. Jungle Mynas and Indian Robins were spied, as also an Ashy Wood Swallow.

Our guide led us to a small rivulet with water streaming down a rock. During the rains, the whole rock face would support a gushing fall, but right now, it was down to a stream, and a pool of water, with fishes in it. The pool is used by forest workers and visitors for fresh water, and to rest a while.

We made our way back by a different fireline, further north. By now the sun was beating down and we were all hot and tired. The way back brought some spectacular views of the forest from above. We returned to the bungalow for a hearty breakfast, a most welcome bath and lazing in the verandah, with everyone taking short snoozes. Behind the dining pergola, on the trees surrounding the bungalow, I saw a small green bird, with a long slightly curved beak – a green bee eater.

The afternoon was spent in the eastern pergola, where idle talk was interrupted by the call of birds, sudden brilliant blue in the sky and then the only bird of prey I saw on our trip.
The brilliant blue was accompanied by a spectacular roll and a raucous cry – the Indian roller bird. The male bird has quite an elaborate courtship performance that includes a roll and somersault in flight! We even saw the tree in which the pair had made their nest.

For a fleeting moment a bird of prey circled above – was it a kite?

Evening came, and we headed out to the forests again, taking the vehicle up to the start of the forest, and then tramping through, with the hope of seeing some deer. I guess there were too many of us, and just the sound of our feet on the leafy forest floor was enough to scare anything away.

Out in the west, we saw some forest fires raging, possibly man-made by villagers, and several MNS members went and stamped out quite a few. We sat on a rocky outcrop in a clearing, waiting for dusk. As the sun set, a nightjar circled overhead, calling in anxiety. Were we sitting close to its nest?

As the stars appeared, our guide began the walk back. An alarm call went out through the forest, and there was excitement that maybe we would see some wildlife. I was quite nervous – with every sound being amplified, and rustling leaves all around! We caught the eyes of deer in the spotlight that the guide carried, but little else.

But the nightwalk is an experience in itself. As a city dweller, I realised how far removed from natural survival skills I was. I can cross a crowded city street, navigate unknown areas, and take safety precautions in the city, but out here in the forest, I was most ill equipped. If I was lost, would I survive the night?? Rather dramatic thoughts, which I felt sheepish about once we left the forest, and were on the highway!

March 26th

While a jeepload of members headed out for a jungle drive, four of us decided to explore the smaller eastern forest, just below the lodge. It was a lovely morning walk. Dew dripped from bamboo groves, and the sun came through in shafts of light, cobwebs glistened and anthills stood tall. I wished we could muffle the crunch of our footsteps, and mute the electronic sounds of our cameras, to enjoy the quiet. Suddenly up ahead a group of five deer darted across the fireline, and vanished in the blink of an eye.

I marvelled at all the flowering trees, wildflowers; The guide pointed out leopard droppings on the forest floor. We reached a river bed, which was now a rivulet. In the monsoon of 2005, the water had obviously overflowed the banks, as we could see a watermark high up on the neighbouring trees. The rounded river stones were in an amazing variety of colours.

We wandered back after a couple of hours. Then began our preparations to return back to Madras. A most satisfying three days!