En route to these various point besides the hundreds of Dragonflies - a few Shamas’, WTOH Ground Thrushes, Ioras and a lone handsome Black Naped Monarch Flycatcher gave us company. Further on we cut across to the Eastern edge crossing the scorching tracks of the Olympia (Matheran’s very own race course). As we were coming to an end to our lovely trip one very brave Shama decided to put up the most amazing bird show for us. He just kept singing (even slightly mimicking the coarse notes of a Brown headed barbet) and let us to within 12 feet of him. After almost 20 mins of seeing, hearing and clicking this charmer, our growling tummies guided us to a hotel.

After this sadly we had to start our return journey to the madness also know to us as ‘Mumbai’.


And here’s the complete bird list –

At Neral
Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax niger)
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
House Crow (Corvus splendens)
Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

At Matheran
Brown-headed Barbet (Megalaima zeylanica)
Nilgiri Wood Pigeon (Columba elphinstonii)
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Jungle Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos)
Scarlet Minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus)
Black-naped Monarch Flycatcher (Hypothymis azurea)
Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia)
White-throated Orange-headed Thrush (Zoothera citrina cyanotus)
Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula)
White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus)
Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus)
Dusky Crag Martin (Hirundo concolor)
Shikra (Accipiter badius) ???