Monday 11 September 2017

Watching Birds in Coorg - At Meriyanda Nature Lodge, Coorg

Birdwatching at Meriyanda Nature Lodge Coorg, Western ghats birding
Watching Birds at Meriyanda Nature Lodge ~ Coorg


Coorg is home to an evergreen rainforest, the origin of a mighty river Kaveri, unending omnipresent coffee plantations and lush green thickets, which makes it an apt landscape for the birds to congregate and a haven for bird watchers and nature photographers across the globe.


This unique setting at our resort in Coorg offers landscape and philosophy that draws you closer to the avian wonders. The glass paneled wooden cottages offer many opportunities to spot birds which not only takes your breath away with their occasional sight but also with their rhythmic orchestrated sound that soothes your soul.

Birdwatching at Meriyanda Nature Lodge Coorg, Western ghats birding
Watching Birds at Meriyanda Nature Lodge ~ Coorg


Here is where the birds convene in the chorus. Whistling scarlet Minivets, Drumming black-rumped Flamebacks, highly arboreal Oriental White-eyes, Perched Malabar Trogon, Yellow-browed Bulbuls, Barbets and more, as Coorg is home to a quarter of all avian breeds in India and some of them being endemic species.

Our landscape spreads in about 40 acres of verdant forest and coffee plantation, with a natural river flowing within which gives you ample opportunities to spot Canary-flycatcher, the yellow oriole, the Malabar Barbet or even just a forest myna.

The mere climb into the woods is enough reason for delight. Roost of the nocturnal Ceylon Frogmouth at dawn and dusk may add to the experience, as you walk along the sentinel trees that has loomed over the plantations for over a century. Experience peace as the music of the birds drowns out all the sounds that ever plagued you. Join us as you take some time off the burdens of expectations and rejuvenate yourself.

Meriyanda Nature Lodge Coorg- Birdwatching

All you need is patience, stillness, mindfulness, early-rising and of course your binoculars, and our in-house guide will help you highlight the areas to spot birds.

So take the plunge to be an ornithologist even if you just turn out to be an amateur birdwatcher, at least you get to go some feet closer to these magical beings of nature and its ways. 

You can locate these beautiful species not only in our resort but also in and around Coorg. The hotspots include Talakaveri Wildlife Sanctuary, Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary and the Nagarhole National Park

So as Karnataka Tourism declares the year 2017 as the "Year of the wild" do take a vow to educate and sensitize yourself to the miracles and wonders of nature which our biodiversity hotspot offers you.

Birdwatching at Meriyanda Nature Lodge Coorg, Western ghats birding, birds in Coorg,
Watching Birds at Meriyanda Nature Lodge ~ Coorg


List of Birds to Watch in Coorg


Indian Scimitar-babblers have long down-curved yellow bills, used to work through the leaf litter in search of their food which is mainly insects and berries. The long curve yellow, scimitar-shaped bills give them their name It is found in peninsular India and is found in a range of forest habitats.

Scimitar babbler in Coorg, Meriyanda, Western Ghats,
Indian scimitar babbler
Indian_scimitar_babbler in Coorg
Indian scimitar babbler


The Scarlet Minivet is 20–22 cm (7.9–8.7 in) long with a strong dark beak and long wings. The male has black upperparts and head, and scarlet underparts, tail edges, rump and wing patches. The shape and colour of the wing patches and the shade or orange in the male vary across populations. The female is grey above, with yellow underparts (including the face), tail edges, rump and wing patches.
Female Scarlet Minivert in Coorg - Birding in Coorg
Female Scarlet Minivet

Male Scarlet Minivert - Coorg , Birdwatching at Resort in Coorg
Male Scarlet Minivet
Oriental White-Eyes

This species is 18–20 cm long; it lacks the two elongated central tail feathers possessed by most of its relatives. This bird is small (about 8–9 cm long) with yellowish olive upper parts, a white eye ring, yellow throat and vent. The belly is whitish grey but may have yellow in some subspecies. They are easily identified by the distinctive white eye-ring and overall yellowish upperparts.
Oriental white-eye - Coorg at a resort in Coorg
Oriental White-Eyes

Malabar Trogon

These birds are brightly coloured. The male has a slaty-black head and breast with a white border to the black bib separating it from the crimson on the underside. The back is olive-brown to chestnut. The wing coverts are black with fine white vermiculations.



The female lacks the contrasting black and crimson and has only a slightly darker head and breast that shades into the olive brown on the back while the crimson of the underside of the male is replaced by ochre. In both sexes, the beak is bluish as is the skin around the eye. The iris is dark brown and the feet are pale bluish. The nostrils are covered by tufts of filoplumes. The feet are heterodactyl, a feature unique to the trogons, with the inner toe turned backwards

Male Malabar Trogon- Coorg, western Ghats, India, Asia
Male Malabar-Trogon

Female Malabar Trogon- Coorg, Western Ghats
Female Malabar-Trogon

This slim wagtail has a narrow white supercilium and a broken eye ring. The upperparts are grey and the yellow vent contrasting with whitish underparts makes it distinctive.. They forage singly or in pairs on meadows or on shallow water marshes. They also use rocks in the water and will often perch on trees.
Grey Wagtail- Coorg, Western Ghats, India, Asia
Grey Wagtail

Adult white-breasted waterhens have mainly dark grey upperparts and flanks, and a white face, neck and breast. The lower belly and under tail are cinnamon coloured. The body is flattened laterally to allow easier passage through the reeds or undergrowth. They have long toes, a short tail and a yellow bill and legs. Sexes are similar but females measure slightly smaller. Immature birds are much duller versions of the adults. The downy chicks are black, as with all rails
White breasted Waterhen- Coorg, Western Ghats, Asia, India
White-breasted Waterhen

The yellow-browed bulbul is mainly yellow on the underside and olive above with a distinct yellow brow. They are easily located by their loud calls but tend to skulk within foliage below the forest canopy. They are found in pairs or small groups and call loudly. They feed mainly on berries and insects. The breeding season is during the dry spell before the monsoons, mainly January to May. The nest is a cup built in a low fork covered with moss and cobwebs on the outside, giving the appearance of a large white-eye nest, and lined with fine root fibers

Yellow browed Bulbul- Coorg, Western Ghats, India, Asia
Yellow-browed Bulbul

Yellow browed bulbul  Meriyanda, Coorg
Yellow-browed Bulbul



White Cheeked Barbet is endemic to the forest areas of the Western Ghats and adjoining hills. Like many other barbets of Asia, these are green, sit still, and perch upright making them difficult to spot. During the breeding season which begins at the start of summer their calls become loud and constant especially in the mornings. The call, a monotonous Kot-roo ... Kotroo... starting with an explosive trrr is not easily differentiated from that of the brown-headed barbet. Like woodpeckers, the barbets perch on the trunk to hollow their nest. These barbets play an important role in forests as seed dispersal agents
White Cheeked Barbet, Coorg, Indian, Western ghats
White Cheeked Barbet

The black-rumped flameback is a large species at 26–29 cm in length. It has a typical woodpecker shape, and the golden yellow wing coverts are distinctive. The rump is black and not red as in the greater flameback. The underparts are white with dark chevron markings.
This species is normally seen in pairs or small parties and sometimes joins mixed-species foraging flocks. They forage from the ground to the canopy. They feed on insects mainly beetle larvae from under the bark, visit termite mounds and sometimes feed on nectar.  As they make hopping movements around branches, they often conceal themselves from potential predators. They adapt well in human-modified habitats making use of artificial constructions  fallen fruits and even food scraps.

Black Rumped Flamebacks- Coorg, Western Ghats, India, Asia
Black- Rumped Flamebacks

The Malabar grey hornbill (Ocyceros griseus) is a hornbill endemic to the Western Ghats and associated hills of southern India. They have a large beak but lack the Casque that is prominent in some other hornbill species. They are found mainly in dense forest and around rubber, arecanut or coffee plantations. They move around in small groups, feeding on figs and other forest fruits. Their loud cackling and laughing call makes them familiar to people living in the region.

Malabar Grey Hornbill- Coorg, Western Ghats, India, Asia
Malabar Grey Hornbill

Malabar Grey Hornbill - Coorg, Western Ghats, India, Asia
Malabar Grey Hornbill



The grey-headed canary-flycatcher sometimes known as the grey-headed flycatcher (Culicicapa ceylonensis) is a species of small flycatcher-like bird found in tropical areas and western Ghats.  It has a square crest, a grey hood and yellow underparts. They are found mainly in forested habitats where they often join other birds in mixed-species foraging flocks
Grey Headed Canary Flycatcher - Coorg, India, Asia, Western Ghats
Grey-Headed Canary-Flycatcher

Grey Headed Canary Flycatcher - Coorg, India, Asia, Western Ghats
Grey-Headed Canary-Flycatcher

Other birds in Coorg
Grey Wagtail
Large Billed Crow
Barn Swallow
The Black-Crested Bulbul
Whitecheeked Barbet
Coppersmith Barbet
Hill Myna Or Forest Myna.
Blue-Cappedrock Thrush
Crimson-Fronted Barbet (Malabar Barbet)
Pompadour Green Pigeon
Asian Brown Flycatcher
White-Bellied Woodpecker
Greater Coucal Or Crow Pheasant
Brahminy Kite
Scaly-Breasted Munia
Black Kite
Spotted Dove
Laughing Dove
Purple Sun Bird
Ceylon Frogmouth
Asian Paradise Flycatcher
Pale-Billed Flowerpecker
House Sparrow
Red-Whiskered Bulbul
Malabar Whistling Thrush
Long-Tailed Shrike
Asian Fairy Bluebird
Common Flameback(Common Goldenback
Rose-Ringed Parakeet
Blue-Winged Parakeet
Greater Racket-Tailed Drongo
Purple-Rumped Sunbird
Canary Flycatcher
Ashy Drongo
Chestnut-Headed Bee-Eater
Oriental White-Eye
Scarlet Minivet
Black Bulbul
The Yellow Oriole
Golden-Fronted Leafbird
The Malabar Barbet
Malabar Trogon
Vernal Hanging Parrot
Little Grebe
Black-Winged Stilt
Little Ringed Plover
The Red-Naped Ibis
White-Eyed Buzzard
Jungle Babbler's
Spot-Bellied Eagle-Owl
The Rufous Treepie
Yellow-Wattled Lapwing
Red-Wattled Lapwing
 

Come enjoy the birding season in Coorg at Meriyanda Nature Lodge- Coorg- http://www.meriyanda.com/

Friday 7 October 2016

Find Your Calm at the most amazing resort in Coorg


Meriyanda Nature Lodge- Coorg

Find Your Calm - Meriyanda, Coorg

Here is an opportunity to spend a holiday amidst the sounds of birds, smells of the forest, fresh food, and pure air. In a time when quietude is the highest luxury, our resort in Coorg offers purer kind of peace in nature’s gentle rhythms.


Unlimited Peace- Meriyanda, Coorg

A boutique resort in Coorg's hauntingly beautiful wilderness, exquisitely perched on a mountaintop, naturally protected by the River Hathi below. With charming cottages set in a gorgeous coffee estate, Meriyanda is a perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. The moment you reach the resort, peace, and tranquillity of the place eases your stress. The estate is straight out of a picture postcard, complete with a river and a hanging bridge. If you love nature and enjoy the serenity and look forward to sharing some special moments with your loved ones and family, then Meriyanda is the place to be!
Get your "Me" time - Meriyanda, Coorg
The architecturally superior wooden luxury cottages, stilted and perched high above the ground, find a unique way to blend with nature. With individual wide decks that overlook Coorg’s evocative landscape, and large glass panels that bring the green valley, its towering trees and the coffee plantation inside your room as natural wall paper. The luxury and privacy of these cottages and the enchanting chorus of forest birds outside make this a splendid and refined haven for family getaways, honeymooners, nature lovers and anyone seeking an escape from the ordinary.




Bond with your family with riverside picnics, bonfires, barbecues, board games or just bask in the sun, gazing at the hills, watching birds on the forest walks, sauntering in the shade of the woods, luxuriating at the spa,  it might just make the bond grow even richer and the calm grow still deeper

Surreal view from your private balconies- Meriyanda, Coorg

Just outside your cottage specially designed trails let you get even closer to the sounds and smell of Coorg, so immerse and let country side take care of the rest. We offer a choice of activities and things to do at the resort to make your visit special.

Meriyanda is conceived as an eco-resort and designed to harmoniously blend in with its surroundings, preserving the natural beauty of the region, committed towards sustaining the diversity of the Coorg's natural and cultural environment.  We at Meriyanda accommodate and entertain guests in a way that is minimally intrusive to the environment. Trees were cut down at least, and cottages built around them on stilts which connects us with flora, fauna and trees in our “Nature Deficit disorder” lives.

King's Villa - Meriyanda, Coorg
So come dip your feet in the river, kindle your soul and enjoy the accelerating feeling of being in the midst of a biodiversity hot spot. 


May peace be with you - Meriyanda, Coorg


Wednesday 16 March 2016

Honeymoon at the most romantic resort in Coorg

A Romantic getaway in the Woods

Discover the magic of togetherness, may it be a wedding day in sight or your special anniversary. Romance in the woods amidst the magical nature to express your love for each other at this romantic resort in Coorg

Resort in Coorg, honeymoon at the resort in coorg, romantic resort
Your happy ending begins here

With tastefully appointed wooden cottages set within 40 acres of coffee plantation, a murmuring stream, and stunning mountain backdrop, this resort in Coorg has the perfect setting to celebrate the beginning of your endless journey of love. Discover the magic of togetherness as you savor the freshest of flavors in the privacy of your cottage or at a candle-lit table by the side of a stream. Explore the beauty of companionship at a picnic by the river

Resort in Coorg, honeymoon at the resort in coorg, romantic resort
Beautiful wooden cottages for your fairy tale romance

Enter the folds of nature, and enjoy a secluded time with just each other. Give your bond a new meaning with the songs of birds, the company of a stream, magical forest trails and breath-taking sunsets, while creating memories that last a lifetime


Resort in Coorg, honeymoon at the resort in coorg, romantic resort
Eat, Pray & Love at Meriyanda -Coorg
The wooded honeymoon in Valley view cottages and Planter’s cottages -Spend your special days in a cottage built on stilts along a cobbled lane through the woods, creating intimate privacy in a fairy tale forest. Each cottage features a spacious bedroom a stylish stone-and-wood bathroom and deck overlooking the lush green valley shared by the partridges, the quails, and the jungle fowls.


The Queen’s honeymoon in Queen’s Villa – Relish the togetherness within an enchanting villa with gracious living spaces, enjoying magical views of distant Kote Betta mountain. The villa features a king-size bedroom, a dressing room, black stone and wood bathroom, and a spacious living room that leads to a balcony overlooking the lush green valley and the mountain beyond. 

Come over, lie back, cuddle up to that special person and be inspired by the true romantic artist, mother nature


Monday 7 March 2016

Coffee Blossoms at Coorg





Coffee Flowers, Resort in Coorg, Coffee blossoms
Coffee Blossoms Spread at Meriyanda, Coorg


Come February, the coffee harvest month in Coorg, where every soul around is connected to this annual ritual of coffee picking. And then the plantations go barren of the beans and Coorg looks like a large sleeping giant, woken up only by the mild and beautiful summer shower and hey presto! the burst of the white Lilly like coffee flowers which carpets the landscape and then suddenly it's spring time in Coorg

Coffee flowers at a resort in Coorg, at Meriyanda Coorg, Coffee blossoms in Coorg

Coffee blossoms come every year, stays only over a week and then metamorphose to Coffee beans thereafter, these magical flowers carpets entire Coorg like snowfall and smells like jasmine or Lilly. You don't really need to get closer to them to nose the perfumed flowers, there is sweet scented aroma all around and all the time and then you are transported into a mystical daydream

Coffee flowers at a resort in Coorg, at Meriyanda Coorg, Coffee blossoms in Coorg
The sweet smelling carpet of Coffee Flowers
As though so many miracles of nature were not enough, this wonder unfolds to demystify our coffee. Just by knowing the cycle of foods and beverages we consume from seed to plate, fills you with sheer joie de vivre.

Coffee flowers at a resort in Coorg, at Meriyanda Coorg, Coffee blossoms in Coorg
Blossom to soothe your senses at Meriyanda Nature Lodge, Coorg
Come enjoy this season of mystical coffee blossom at Meriyanda Coorg spread across 40 acres of coffee estate and fill your cups of contentment.

Wednesday 26 December 2012

The Joy of receiving a postcard


I received many e-cards last week for my birthday, many more text messages, and inbox-clogging emails…

….And I also received a postcard from my aunt, who lives in this beautiful town, peacefully enjoying the most luxurious life – breathing unpolluted air, and eating the vegetables picked from her own garden.  She loves to send postcards – with her loving few lines.  When I saw that, I could sense the thoughtfulness and her sincerity in carefully penned words of love.  It is a precious gift, I felt sweetly peaceful touching something that was touched by her just a few days ago.  It was not sent in a hurry or sent electronically.  It has that personal touch that you could never feel when you receive an e-card, text or email!  I felt royally special!

When I travel, I try to send postcards to friends and family whenever I can, instead of speedy emails, and instant texting.  It takes time, but it travels through time and land to reach the recipient and carries this beautiful charm with it.  Call me old school but I don’t want to miss an opportunity to sprinkle a smile with a dash of surprise on the face of the recipients.

Send a postcard from Resort in Coorg, Meriyanda Resort Coorg
Postcards at Meriyanda Coorg

Hear ye, hear ye. It is not 1970, It is 2012. Gadgets rule the world and control the way people communicate!  You could throw in your FAQs!  “Where is the time to go search for a postcard with the picture I want to send?  Where are the shops that sell postcards these days?  “Why would I want to do something old fashioned?”

Blend the past and present! Bring in the best of both worlds. With the PC you have, any picture from your digital camera, cell phone, can be made into a postcard.  You sure must have digitalized every precious memory… all those clicked and treasured magical moments from your vacation, pictured expressions of people, frozen moods of nature, captured rare action in a sporting event or an adventurous attempt….are potential candidates to become a postcard.   Make your own, buy what you like, use what is available…doesnot matter.  All you need to do is, do it with your heart.  When it is received it sure will reveal the embedded thoughtfulness of the person it came from.



How to experience the joy of receiving a postcard?  Start by sending one!  Let someone get that Midas touch and let the fun begin.

There are plenty of websites that could offer step-by-step guidelines to print your own postcards. For example 
http://www.ehow.com/how_7343806_make-own-postcards-word.html

And recently I read an article that was interesting; Facebook lets you send real photos as postcards. 
http://mashable.com/2012/08/09/facebook-postcards/#comment-18270977


Saturday 3 November 2012

A destination becomes the beginning…

An untouched landscape, a bold testament to the relentless efforts of nature in displaying its best form to impress humans, the spectrum of colors boasting the hidden fresh treasures spread wherever your eyes rest – it is a challenge to resist the prowess of nature at the hills of Coorg 
Every time I come here, I marvel at the richness of pure nature, a declaration and confirmation that says, “let me be, untouched by the humans, let me show the wonders I could perform”.  All that the Western Ghats trying to protect is the profound beauty of Mother Nature’s gift. 
Landcape of Coorg, Sunset,
Various hues of Coorg
I have driven many times through the hills- to Meriyanda; the roads never looked the same. The roads, though paved and inviting the tires to explore, it is still intimidating with more secrets to unfold at every turn, every up and every down.  Like a kid about to explore a treasure toy chest, my heart always races with excitement to find new colors, new birds, hear new sounds nature could compose, watch nature’s  raw kaleidoscope performance without inhibition – to be unbound by the civilization.
I always stop countless times to capture the picturesque views, until my camera’s battery loses its juice. – Always never enough!  It is an adventure.  Once it was to capture all the different shades of the sunset, racing against the time before the sun kisses good night. Next time it was to capture the traces of the recent drizzle on leaves, and flower petals before the daylight jealously rush into night.  The desire to stop and stare after every turns on the road, as it unfolds with a new view,  gripped by the sudden urgency not to lose that surprise; a feeling you would understand when you are on the same roads I traveled.
Roads of Leading to Resort in Coorg, Meriyanda, Mist in Coorg
Mysterious Robes of Coorg
The nights are even more mesmerizing. When the daylight is gone and the moon half hidden by the possessive clouds, royally adorned by countless stars - the sight is more beautiful than you have ever seen in the night sky. Bliss is all I can say to be amidst the sights of nature and the sounds of wildlife at Coorg.  This is where my heart created the dream for Meriyanda. To share what I cherished, enjoyed and amazed…to share the nature as it is.
I could capture glimpses of the treasure abundantly filled around Meriyanda, and share them with you on our website, or blogs.  But, I could never capture the fragrance of nature, the vibrant and intoxicating smell of the jungle, blend of a coffee plantation, the oranges,  etc.  I could capture the magnificent array of trees, but I could never capture the breeze and the fresh natural air that rules the space here.   I could capture the stunning water fall, river and branches of trees almost touching the water, but I could never capture the exhilarating feeling of touching the river water with hands and feet … that kindles your soul and makes you come alive.
Accepting my failure in accomplishing to bring you the wonders of Coorg, I invite you to visit Meriyanda to complete the task undone.  Make Meriyanda your next vacation destination.  I am sure it would be the one destination for a new beginning...
From the moment you arrive at Meriyanda, an unforgettable vacation experience begins.
Meriyanda nature lodge- Coorg

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Tuesday 23 October 2012

What would nature do?



Feel Calm & Cloistered


Good question? Why there is a rush to live in big cities and why there is a rush to go far away from it all when it is time to go on vacation? Duality is the beauty of life. 
We are pulled by the extreme demands of inner peace and outer hoopla. What would nature do?
The answer is relative, different for me, different for you, to find what is your answer, try connecting back to nature.
Look around you, everyone is busy with their cell phones, laptops, tablets, unfiltered emotional verbiage through IMs and Texting, instant email reply that didn’t give much chance to revise, re-evaluate the content,  abbreviations for everything, fast, quick, rush, speed…race against time? Or race against our own peaceful self?
Is there a “stop” button or “pause” button for this adrenal high-speed chase called life?  There is still sun, moon, rain, drizzle, mist, fog, birds visiting our life even while living in big cities. 
But do we have time to pause and smell the fresh air?
To look up and receive that first drop of rain on the face?  
To admire the sun’s rays weaving through the leaves of the branches and leaves of trees in the sidewalk?
River Cauvery in Coorg, Resort in Coorg, Meriyanda Nature Lodge
River Hattihole- Gurgling stream of Cauvery at Meriyanda Nature Lodge
What are we doing to nature? Ignoring it? 
We are forgetting that we are part of that nature; we depend on the ecosystems for our survival. Nature provides us clean water, food, medicines and more. Everything in the natural world is connected; all the living and non-living things need to work together.
But these systems are extremely fragile and we know that once they are gone, there are no replacements.  Not all the modern innovations and technologies in this world could manufacture the hills, mountains, valleys, oceans, rivers, and waterfalls.  Something to be created this magnificently needs supreme inspiration. What was God’s inspiration!? We humans should at the least have enough inspiration to cherish them, celebrate them and preserve them!
Meriyanda Nature Lodge is a beautiful result of such an inspiration!  Creating a resort inside nature’s envelope without disturbing the peacefully beautiful landscape is not an easy task.  Man-made Meriyanda Nature Lodge blends with its surroundings as if it is the extension of nature around and reflects the soul of its owner. 
Spend a weekend, or a week to find what nature could do to you!  Touch the water that is not running through the metal pipe, brush against the leaves that are not synthetic, inhale the fresh air that is not polluted with automobile exhaust and dust, listen to the sound of nature instead of the restless horns, and accelerators, watch the cloud’s gentle pass, and fog’s caress over the hills, let the feet feel the earth without the high heel shoes/boots, have direct one-on-one contact with nature.


 Let Nature be a part of you!



Meriyanda Coorg, A resort in Coorg Logo






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