Yercaud.

An hours drive from Salem in Tamil Nadu, Yercaud is a beautiful and cosy hill town in the Shevaroy hills of the Eastern Ghats. The two main villages I visited here for wildlife were Kottachedu and Kovillur. Not very crowded and with dense vegetation on either side of well laid out roads, Yercaud appealed to me in a special way. Some of the nature loving locals have an active group here and was a pleasure to go out with some of them.

The Jerdons Leafbird, European Bee-eater, Brown Fish Owl, Jungle Owlet, Crested Hawk Eagle and Serpent Eagle, Common Iora, Banded Bay Cuckoo were some of the major finds here. Crested Tree Swift I could see from afar only and will perhaps go back one day for it! The natural surroundings and the various butterflies were clearly the other highlights of the visit!