Honavar packs coast, estuary, mangrove and Western Ghats forest into a few kilometres and the birdlife reflects it. From November to February the estuary and sandbars host migratory waders such as sandpipers, plovers and terns, while brahminy kites and white-bellied sea eagles patrol the river.
In the mangroves look for kingfishers (several species), herons and egrets. Inland around Karikanamma the forest holds hornbills, bulbuls, flycatchers and the Malabar whistling thrush.
Photos: Anagha devi (CC BY-SA 4.0), Charles J. Sharp (CC BY-SA 4.0), PJeganathan (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
Tips
- A boat at high tide gets you close to waders without disturbing them.
