A place called "Honey Valley".

 "Coorg, the scotland of India was once a favourite holiday destination for the western people during the British rule in India. Many maharajahs spent most of their time in Coorg in summer to experience the beauty of nature. It is also one of the main tourist destinations of India.

"We have read many things about Coorg, especially about their rich culture, tradition and of course their love towards the nation." As they say, there is atleast one soldier or a farmer in every Kodava family. They are brave and fearless fighters. 

In the past few years, Coorg have been exploited a lot in many ways. Massive destruction of green patches and conversion of agricultural lands into commercial lands led to a great trauma. The flood outbreak in Coorg was an eye opener to the greedy society who is behind money. It proved that no place on earth is safe if we go against the rules of the nature. 

Yer, there are a few places in Coorg which is still preserved naturally. This ethnic Kodavan family is deeply concerned about the global climatic change and have been contributing towards preserving their heritage without spoiling it. 

"Honey Valley, Coorg". A popular homestay on top of a hill is surrounded by lush green forests and coffee plantations. Situated on the back drop of misty hills and ever running fresh water stream, this place can be called as a bio diversity hotspot because of its richness in flora and fauna.

Honey Valley, homestay on top of a hill.

Coffee plantations.

A short 4wd drive or a small trek from Kabbinakad will take us to the homestay where it feels like the clouds are emerging out of the trees. A beautiful view of the forests will paint your eyes green. The songs of the birds and a roaring stream will soothe your ears. Your lungs expand with fresh air.

Evergreen forests covered in clouds.

This was one lesser known place that I got to know from a person who was into birding. People from different organizations visit this place to study about frogs and reptiles because of the ideal habitat. Many new species of frogs have been discovered here.

Tadpole of a malabar gliding frog.

A Malabar Gliding frog resting on a leaf. 

The best part of visiting such places is that you would not limit to your area of interests. Although am mostly interested in birding it did not stop me to venture into the macro world found here. It was amazing..!

A cat snake, non venomous snake that feeds mainly on rats and lizards.  

Such pleasant surprises are pretty common in Honey Valley. 

A fly.

The natural stream within the homestay campus forms a waterfall called "Chingara". It is one of the main attractions for the guests. This is also the place to spot the infamous dancing frogs of the western ghats.

Dull image of a bush frog which is commonly seen in Honey Valley. 

As a guest you have plenty of activities to do. You can either trek to the top of the ridge and experience serenity or you can walk till the falls for a quick natural shower or as the homestay website suggests "the pleasure of doing nothing", so just relax and breathe fresh air.

I had to choice to explore the avi-fauna. Most of the birding happened on the"Perch"--a balcony overlooking the giant trees where bird activity mostly occurs. So, I perched on the perch to enjoy the best of birding.

Brown Breasted Fly catcher on the way to the ridge.

Malabar Parakeets.

A distant shot of a Juv Crested Serpent Eagle.

Chestnut Headed Bee eater.

White Bellied Tree Pie--known for it's loud crackling call. This guy chased away the bluebirds and its counterpart Rufous Treepie to secure a spot in a nearby tree to collect the nesting material.

I saw many beautiful birds that are endemic to the western ghats. Yellow browed bulbuls, flame throated bulbuls, orange minivets, asian fairy bluebirds, gray hornbills, southern hill myna, crimson backed sunbirds, so on and so forth. There were other woodland birds like the paradise flycatchers, magpie robins, blue tailed bee eaters, verditer flycather, thrushes etc.

Asian Fairy Bluebird.

Nilgiri Flycatcher.

In every birding trip there has to be a closing spectacle, otherwise the trip feels incomplete. This time it was the Little Spiderhunter plunging into a banana flower for food, and it was indeed a beautiful closing spectacle to witness..!

1: Little Spiderhunter on a banana tree, surveying for any predator.

2: The bird carefully removes the outer layer of the flower.

3: The bird then explores the flower.

4: The bird opens the flower inside in search of ants or other insects.

5: Needle like beak helps the bird to get inside the smallest opening of the flower to suck out food. 

Indrella Ampulla-- a type of snail found in the forests of the western ghats. 

Honeyvalley is a homestay with a difference. It is so vast that one would require a month to explore the whole place.

Silver clouds with occasional rains, crystal stream water, plenty of birds, slithering reptiles, lot of leaches and many new species of frogs makes this place a true haven for a wildlife enthusiast. It is also a trekkers paradise since the mighty Tadiandamol peak is nearby.

Plan a trip to the hills of Honey valley when you are in Coorg..!

Place: Honey Valley, Yavakapady, Coorg. ()
Nearest town: Kakkabe.
Date of visit: Dec 2019
Ebird list: https://ebird.org/india/checklist/S61993658
                 https://ebird.org/india/checklist/S61945730