Maidenahalli–A great winter wildlife getaway from Bangalore

There are a lot of wildlife getaways from Bangalore, but most of them need the entire weekend, require bookings in advance and nearly always dent a big hole in your wallet. There is one place, which doesn’t fall into any of the above categories, but offers great quality and beauty.


That place is Maidenahalli and it is home to the Jayamangali Blackbuck Reserve. It is situated at about 160kms or 3 and a half hours from Bangalore. If you are a visiting tourist, you can base yourself at any of the large range of hotels in Bangalore that cater to a wide range of budgets from budget accommodation to five star hotels.


So, if you are a bird watcher, a wildlife enthusiast, a nature photographer, a simple tourist or a picnicking family, Maidenhalli has enough in it to keep you spell bound for the entire day. It’s blackbucks are the center of everyone’s attraction. During the winter mornings, you can either see the males sparring at each other or if lucky might get to see the mating ritual.


Apart from the blackbucks, one can see a whole bunch of terrerstrial birds that include harriers, sandgrouses, bush larks and more. In fact, the grassland and the shrubland of Jayamangali ensures you can see a wide variety of birds if you are patient and sometimes really close to them.


The best part about Maidenahalli is the cheap entrance fees and the flexibility to explore the park’s tracks in your own vehicle and at your own pace. During noon time, you can rest in the shade next to the forest office and soak in the views from this high view point.


Apart from the wildlife extravaganza, you can also explore the Madhugiri fort and its colorful markets that are situated nearby. This place can be easily accessed from Bangalore and your Bangalore hotel should you be able to arrange a good day trip for you.

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Wildlife Photography: Blackbuck Series from Maidenahalli

Jayamangali Blackbuck reserve situated about 150 kms from Bangalore is a great place to photograph blackbucks. The early mornings and late evenings are ideal as that is when the blackbucks graze the open grasslands and/or indulge in some horn-locking extravaganza.

 
The soft golden yellow light of the early morning and the late evening hours provide the best light to photograph these rare breed of antelopes. And during the afternoons, one can see these blackbucks resting in the shade, which doesn’t offer much activity due to the heat and also compromises on the lighting.

 
While shooting these blackbucks, refrain from making any sound and stay at least 40 feet away from them for an undisturbed photography session. The above and below images are part of a wildlife series of the Jayamangali Blackbucks shot at Maidenahalli. In this a blackbuck couple is walking these open grasslands when they notice my presence to check out the intruder. Then, after staring enough, they bolt and disappear from my range.

 
 

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Tomatoes can really be very sweet!!

I distinctly remember savouring sweet tomatoes while I was vegetable shopping with my mum a couple of decades back. It has been a while since I tasted such tomatoes anywhere. The ones we get at the market are more tangy than sweet and one cannot enjoy tomatoes like a mango. I think it is the new generation of fertilizers and pesticides that take away the true taste of this fruit/vegetable.



But, I again got an opportunity to taste real sweet tomatoes when I dropped by an organic Tomato farm situated next to the Jayamangali Blackbuck Reserve at Maidenahalli. In fact, I was on a wildlife safari, but lost my way and ended up here at the farm. While I was checking out the tomatoes here, the tomato growers invited me and my friends to taste their farm’s produce. As I dug in to the warm and sweet tomato, my childhood memories flooded back and I asked for a couple more to relish this taste for a longer while. Only the lord knows when the next such opportunity will come by…unless we start growing more of such organic products.

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Indian Bush Lark at Maidenahalli

The Indian Bush Lark is a species of bushlark that is commonly found at the Jayamangali Blackbuck reserve in Maidenahalli. The tweets and cheeps of this bird can be regularly heard in the evening hours at Maidenahalli and that is what makes you take notice of this well camouflaged bird that sits on dry bush tops.

 
The Indian Busk Lark is also known as Red-winged Bushlark (Mirafra erythroptera). It’s song flight during the mating season is supposed to be an amazing spectacle. I hope to see it when I return to this forest in the monsoons.

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Chestnut Bellied Sandgrouse from Maidenahalli

Sandgrouses are very pretty and well decorated birds and are typically found in hot and arid terrain, which are typically open grasslands and thorny bushes. The Jayamangali Blackbuck Reserve at Maidenahalli mirrors some of the sandgrouse habitat and the sandgrouses are seen quite often here.

 
Though, the painted sandgrouse is the more exotic bird, it was my first ever sighting of the chestnut bellied sandgrouse and hence I was very elated. I saw these birds, primarily females, 3 different times during my entire day trip.

 
I nearly missed my first sighting of these birds when 2 females were sitting at the edge of the jeep track. They were so well camouflaged, but I guess a small movement gave them away. The intricate patterns on their feathers make them look nearly as exotic as the painted sandgrouse. 

 
These birds are known to be vegetarians in nature and are known to be travel quite a distance to satisfy their thirst. The chestnut-bellied sandgrouse is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.

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Jayamangali Blackbuck Reserve at Maidenahalli–A Fantastic Wildlife Zone close to Bangalore

Bangalore is one of the few large cities in India that has a lot of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks situated close by. A drove of wildlife zones (Kabini National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and many more) can be seen if you travel a little bit over 200 kms west or south West of Bangalore. And in and around Bangalore, there are many lakes that offer great avenues for bird watching. And if you travel 150 kms north-north west of Bangalore, you come across the Jayamangali Black Reserve at Maidenahalli, a pristine forest ecosystem bordering the rocky hills of Andhra Pradesh.

 
The Jayamangali Blackbuck Reserve has the 2nd largest contiguous population of Blackbuck in Karnataka. Ranibennur Blackbuck sanctuary is one with the highest blackbuck population in Karnataka.

 
This forest reserve is primarily made up of open grasslands and bushes, which allows a wide range of wildlife to thrive here. The mammals that are commonly seen here are the Blackbuck, Indian Grey Mongoose, Indian Fox and the Black Naped Hare. There are other mammals like the leopard, wolf, Jungle Cat and Civet that are spotted rarely.

 
This forest is also a great place for bird watching with some rare species like the Montagu’s Harrier, the Indian Courser, the Painted Sandgrouse and the Great Indian Bustard seen here. Apart from these, the Jayamangali Blackbuck reserve is home to 125 species of avifauna that includes ground birds, shrikes, larks and raptors.

 
It was my first trip to Maidenahalli when I went there on a day trip last Saturday. I had heard a lot of great experiences about this place from fellow wildlife and bird photographers. And I finally got a chance to visit this rich ecosystem.

 
After breakfast at a small shack after Madhugiri, our group reached Maidenahalli at about 10 AM. We went straight to the watch tower to inspect the terrain. This is where, we met the forest guard and completed all the formalities. While we we talking to the forest guard, we noticed a large herd of blackbucks grazing close by and thus spent the next 30 minutes photographing this large herd of blackbucks.

 
Shortly after, all of us hit one of the forest trails and went on a hour long trek where we spotted a black naped hare, a lot of drongos, shrikes and bee eaters. As it got warmer, tiredness set in the group and hence we retraced our steps back to the watch tower and took our car for a safari inside the forest. Though it was quite bright, we still ended up seeing some wildlife.

 
This was followed by a simple lunch at Kodigenahalli (about 8 kms away) and an afternoon siesta at the watch tower. At about 4:30 pm, all of us took our respective vehicles and headed into the different jungle trails. The evening safari was better than the mid morning one due to a multitude of reasons. One, the golden yellow slant rays of the sun made the open grasslands look like a gold mine and second, the dropping temperatures proved a relief to both us humans and the wildlife.

 
As we weaved our way through the multiple trails, we saw lots of blackbucks, a couple of male Montagu’s Harriers, many Chestnut bellied Sandgrouse, Little green bee-eaters, Southern Grey Shrikes, Drongos, Black Shouldered Kites, Tawny Eagle, Indian Bushlark, Sykes’s lark and some more.

 
The wildlife safari in the evening was richer. I guess we would have had a similar experience if we had reached the reserve by 7 in the morning. In fact, that is what is heavily recommended. Either, you drop in by 7AM or stay overnight at the forest camp to ensure you get to see this ecosystem in both the early morning and the late evening hours.

 
During morning hours, one can see the rutting blackbucks lock horns. While, in the evening, you can see the ground birds like the Harriers getting ready to roost.

 
Overall, it was a great day trip for me and I wish to return to this forest soon. And this time, I plan to camp overnight here and spend more quality time here coz this place deserves much more time than just a day.

 
How to get to Maidenahalli from Bangalore?
A total of 148 kms from Bangalore. From Bangalore, take the Tumkur road. At Dabarpet (after exit toll booth and before Tumkur), go below flyover and take right towards Madhugiri. At Madhugiri circle, take right towards Hindupur. At about 3 kms from the circle, you will see a ‘Jayamangali Blackbuck Reserve’ board. At this board, take left. Further ahead, you will see another board. Take left here too. Keep going straight even though a right turn is available. From here, the tar road changes into a mud track. Keep going till you see the forest gate. Enter the forest gate and park near the watch tower.

 
Permissions for Forest Entry
Day-trips do not require any permissions from the forest department. Though, a fee of Rs 100 per camera is charged by the forest department. For night stays or multiple day visits, one has to take permission from the DFO at Tumkur.

 
Accommodation Options in the forest
There is an Inspection Bungalow with 8 rooms near the watch tower. Each room costs Rs 800 per night and comes with the services of a cook if food rations are provided. As an alternative, one can pitch their own tents near the watch tower. The forest department charges Rs 300 for each tent. Bookings for both these can be done at the DFO office in Tumkur. If a city stay is preferred, one can stay near the Madhugiri bus stand, about 25 kilometres away.

 
Food Options
It is recommended that you carry enough food and water on you while planning a trip to this forest. If you are fine with basic food, both Madhugiri and Kodigenahalli have some hotels where reasonable food is available. And if you wish to stay overnight, do pack in some food rations.

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Wildlife Photography: A Blackbuck Moment

Last Saturday, I was at the Jayamangali Blackbuck Reserve at Maidenahalli in Karnataka, India and was on a wildlife safari all day. It was late in the evening when the temperatures got bearable that a lot of blackbucks came out to graze.



It was around that time that a Maruti Swift car and its inmates kept circling a blackbuck couple with the intention of getting a closer shot. But, these guys were breaking the rules by deviating from the jungle trails. It was at one such moment that I got this frame with the male blackbuck staring in the background and the car in the foreground. I seriously wonder when us folks will start following rules in the jungle.

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Montagu’s Harrier at Maidenahalli

It had been a while since I saw the harriers in India and hence I was very pleased when I spotted a couple of male Montagu’s Harrier at the Jayamangali Blackbuck reserve in Maidenahalli, Karnataka, India.

 
I could not spot any during the entire day, but as the sun’s shadows got longer, the Montagu’s Harriers came to the ground to roost and that is where I saw them. Their bright yellow eyes is what gives them away even from a distance.

 
They looked stunning and I was happy to have seen a very rare bird species and that too not far away from Bangalore. The last I had seen them was at the Velavadar Blackbuck National Park in Gujarat, which mirrors the bushy and grassy terrain of Jayamangali Blackbuck Reserve.

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