Meanwhile, one of our best songsters’ - the White Rumped Shama – sang on an almost continuous background score, offering numerous glimpses to every one.

Further on in the forest en route ‘Our point’ we spotted a few more birds - White Throated Orange Headed Ground Thrush (highly vocal at this time of the year), Common Ioras, a pair of Scarlet Minivets and a fleeting view of an Eurasian Blackbird. But our prized catch awaited us on our way back to the hotel - the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon - a species endemic to the Western Ghats, offered very good views to all of us and as he flew around high up in the dense canopy he also revealed the location of a very silent and still partner. I have been told that this is a very significant sighting - as this these fellows could be either part of a local (Matheran) population or a few local migrants from some other forest of Western Ghats. (Experts any comments on this)