Just an hour into the self-guided Salim Ali Nature Trail at the Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary, you feel the sunburn from the scorching heat. The foliage on the footpath is thick and green, the Periyar lake stands still as the sun pierces through the windless sky. Only the cacophony of the wild mynas, orioles, and the occasionally-passing tourist keeps you company. You even wish you had paid more attention to how quickly you finished two litres of water. And yet, if you are an avid birder, it is impossible not to smile as you realise what Dr Salim Ali, the Birdman of India, meant when he called the Thattekkad region “the richest bird habitat in peninsular India, comparable only with the eastern Himalayas.”
Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary is a haven for birds. “You should have come in November or started early today. It does get a bit too hot these days,” says a smiling Sudha Chandran a.k.a Sudhamma, the famous guide at the sanctuary. For over two decades she has seen tourists and birders struggle with the heat.
. Situated in Ernakulam district, about 12 kilometres from Kothamangalam, Thattekkad is one of India’s most popular bird sanctuaries. One of the unique aspects of this 25 sq. km region is how even during the offset of the monsoon, there is no shortage of regional birds — more than 200 species in number, and the flow of visitors.
