The Real Trekker Trail in Kerala

• Imagine the entire region of Malabar.
• Imagine the breadth and width of 6 districts: Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, Kasargod.
• Imagine doing it on foot. 
• Imagine going through forests so thick with canopy that you will ache to see a slice of sky.
• Imagine trekking like this for 4000 km.  
• Imagine doing it for one full year - from November 2010 to mid-October 2011.
• Imagine doing this all to spot birds.

Take a bow C. Sasikumar, Chief Investigator and the four research associates, C.K. Vishnudas, S. Raju, P.A. Vinayan and V.A. Shebin.

• ·         The wing span they uncovered: 73.27% of all bird species recorded in Kerala.

• ·         They recorded 341 species of birds. Please note – species. Now imagine how many birds!

• ·         They did what no one else could before. Recording Density estimates of bird species like:

   Indian Blue Robin

   White-throated Ground Thrush

   Spotted Babbler

• ·         The highest density bird species recorded:

    Yellow-browed Bulbul

    Small Sunbird

    White-cheeked Barbet

    Red-whiskered Bulbul

    Black-headed Babbler

    Oriental White-eye

• ·         Rare birds spotted – It means just 1 sighting

                Jerdon’s Bush Lark

                Indian Grey Hornbill

                Sirkeer Malkoha

                Syke’s Warbler