Tag: Orange County Resorts

There comes a time in the lives of even the mightiest forces, when it’s not all about that relentless charge towards their destiny. This is a time to ease off, and reflect; to pull back and gather your strength about you, and not proclaim your majesty in full voice. This is the time when your […]

Tags: Kabini, Lifescapes, Orange County Resorts
Sambar Deer crossing, Kabini | Posted in Landscapes | 24 Comments »

Forget Cannes, Ibiza, Jamaica, Rio and other playgrounds of the sun worshipping jet set. Some of the world’s most beautiful bodies are to be found sunbathing in the hills and vales of Coorg. While the strips in the south of France and the Caribbean have their acolytes, discerning members of the animal bourgeois find their […]

Tags: Coorg, Indian wildlife, Lifescapes, Orange County Resorts
Baronet Butterfly, Coorg | Posted in Insects | 19 Comments »

One doesn’t know if it’s a sign of innate good cheer, or just a touch of genetic flirtatiousness, but there’s one denizen of the Kabini wetlands who always announces his arrival by whistling a happy tune. Not just a normal, workmanlike toot-toot, but a properly melodious three note composition, with the final note pitched high […]

Tags: Indian birds, Indian wildlife, Kabini, Kabini birds, Lifescapes, Orange County Resorts
Lesser Whistling Duck, Kabini | Posted in Birds | 35 Comments »

Long, long ago, in the days before PCs and video games, when TVs were tourist attractions at the homes of the connected, children in South India prospected for precious metals in their backyards. When you did strike gold, or any other likely gem, you tucked away the precious catch in miniature safe deposit lockers, which […]

Tags: Coorg, Indian wildlife, Lifescapes, Orange County Resorts
Jewel Bug, Coorg | Posted in Insects | 27 Comments »

So what’s in a name? After all, a turtle is a tortoise is a terrapin! But not if you were Australian. Down under, they only have tortoises, irrespective of where they’re from. In America, tortoises own the land and all aquatic tenants are called turtles. The British, finicky as ever, have the naming down to […]

Tags: Indian wildlife, Kabini, Lifescapes, Orange County Resorts
Indian Pond Terrapin, Kabini | Posted in Reptiles | 16 Comments »

If you’ve ever wandered off the urban jungle into the hinterland of India, chances are you’d have been assailed with sign boards and menus that shocked the palate and tickled the funny bone, albeit inadvertently. Pride of place probably goes to the all too common boards outside wayside eating joints with signs reading, ‘Tea and […]

Tags: Indian birds, Indian wildlife, Kabini, Kabini birds, Lifescapes, Orange County Resorts
Short-toed Snake Eagle, Kabini | Posted in Birds | 25 Comments »

A Damsel is not always a lady. For, even the males of this species are called Damselflies, though they don’t seem to mind too much (proof that metrosexuals have been around much longer than our fashionistas would have us believe). The females too are definitely not products of those Swiss finishing schools that insist on […]

Tags: Indian wildlife, Lifescapes, Orange County Resorts
Damselfly, Coorg | Posted in Insects | 24 Comments »

Legend has it that they are the remnants of Alexander’s army, who stayed on in India, when the conqueror marched back to Macedonia. The Puranas claim that the Kodavas are the children of the river goddess, Cauvery, whose waters irrigate the very soul of Coorg. Whatever their provenance, these hardy sentinels of the hills are […]

Tags: Coorg, Indian wildlife, Lifescapes, Orange County Resorts
Kodava Couple, Coorg | Posted in Culture | 15 Comments »

He may be the monarch of all he surveys, but this is one member of the avian royalty who’d much rather avoid the spotlight, thank you! No flashbulbs, no glitzy ‘coming out’ balls, and definitely no obliging those pesky jungle paparazzi, no matter how noble their intentions. If you want a glimpse, much less a […]

Tags: Coorg, Coorg birds, Indian birds, Indian wildlife, Lifescapes, Orange County Resorts
Black-naped Monarch, Coorg | Posted in Birds | 26 Comments »

There’s nothing undercover about this sting operation. It’s all above board, very public, and cruelly exposes the pretentions of dangerous denizens like Messrs. Bee, Wasp & Hornet, and the limitations of their supposedly invincible weaponry. The main theatre of operation is the lush expanse of Kabini, where the Blue-tailed Bee-eaters are the designated super sleuths […]

Tags: Indian birds, Indian wildlife, Kabini, Kabini birds, Lifescapes, Orange County Resorts
Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Kabini | Posted in Birds | 24 Comments »