Shootout At Ranganathittu

Destination: Balamuri falls, Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary
Squad: iJag, Megha and Myself
Departure: 06:30 IST, 20th July, Sunday
Distance: Approx 140 Kms
Directions: Bengaluru – Srirangapatnam – Balamuri Falls – Ranganathittu

After a busy work schedule and continued weekend traveling in Switzerland, the travel bug left me thirsty for more after my return to Bengaluru. So was my Nikon D80 and it was time for a shoot.

Megha was the immediate aspirant to jump onto a day trip plan. After a lot of shuttling thoughts between various folks, the plan was finalized and Jagdish (referred as iJag) hopped in with his jazzy Chevrolet Spark. iJag picked up Megha and they were at my place by around 06:30 IST to welcome me aboard the car. We were then ripping by the Mysore road until we stopped for refueling ourselves at Kamat Lok Ruchi; one of the hot spots for some south Indian delicacies.

A right deviation after Srirangapatnam leads to the Balmuri falls. “Balamuri” in Kannada means “right turn”. There is another water fall called the Yedamuri falls, “Yedamuri” in Kannada meaning “left turn”. Balamuri falls is not exactly a water fall, but a blockade for an irrigation dam; this in turn creating artificial water fall. We were lucky to reach the place early as the place got crowded with time and also the police escorted us out of the water fall due to rising water levels. After a refreshing shower and fun, we were off to Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary.

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary has a restaurant; which is a decent place for lunch. We had to wait quite a bit until the sanctuary started their post lunch boat rides costing Rs. 25 per person. The boat ride is very short but is very charming to the eyes of a bird watcher. We could spot tons of Nigerian migrants called White Ibis, Egrets, Herons and Strokes. Of course few elegantly swimming crocodiles were also spotted.

Loaded with lovely pictures and memories, we bid a farewell to Ranganathittu. The drive back on the Mysore road was pleasant and a little faster as our iJag tested the speed limitations of his car. “We arrived, shot and sped away!”