Birdmanofcoorg — Local services in Karnataka

We didn’t come to Coorg to go birdwatching. In fact, we had no binoculars, no checklist of birds, and no clue what we were doing. But somewhere between dodging crowds and trying to find places that weren’t entirely overrun by “content creators,” we figured we’d try something different. A quick Google search led us to Mr. Ganesh – the Bird Man of Coorg (you can find him at birdmanofcoorg.com, which is how we got in touch). Best decision of the entire trip.

We met Mr. Ganesh early one morning in Madikeri and drove to a forest buffer zone nearby, arriving just as the sun started warming up the treetops. The bird activity at that hour? Incredible. But the real star of the show was Mr. Ganesh himself – a walking, talking bird encyclopedia with 25+ years of experience, a big smile, and the kind of childlike enthusiasm that makes you excited about every chirp in the canopy.

And when I say he can mimic bird calls – I mean he can really mimic bird calls. Not in a party trick sort of way, but in a “wait, was that the bird or him?” kind of way. At one point, I’m convinced even the racket-tailed drongo (which, we learned, can imitate 80+ bird calls itself) looked confused. His impressions weren’t just funny, they actually helped us spot a few more birds, so 10/10 would recommend bringing your own voiceover artist next time.

Over the next three hours, we spotted an impressive list of birds – some of which we’d heard of, most of which we hadn’t, all of which were beautiful. Off the top of my head:

White-cheeked barbet

Racket-tailed drongo (the mimic king)

Malabar trogon (the showstopper)

Asian green bee-eater

Flamebacks

Nightingales

Velvet-fronted nuthatch

Orange minivet … and several more I’ve already forgotten but Mr. Ganesh definitely hasn’t.

Since we didn’t plan for this in advance, we didn’t have our own binoculars – but Mr. Ganesh was kind enough to lend us a pair (we were two people, so that worked out perfectly). But word of advice: if you're a group, definitely bring your own. He also had a fantastic camera and got some great shots, so you won’t leave without memories even if you forget to blink through the binoculars.

More than just the sightings, it was the whole experience – slowing down, listening closely, appreciating the details – that made this so special. We’ve found ourselves stopping randomly near forests ever since, peering into the trees, wondering if that’s a drongo or just a noisy crow.

To be honest, if your idea of a vacation is to run through a list of overcrowded viewpoints, littered picnic spots, and endless selfies, then this isn’t the experience for you. But if you’re even mildly curious about birds, nature, or just looking for something more meaningful and peaceful to do in Coorg – this is it.

Spontaneous. Quiet. Insightful. Hilarious (thanks to those bird calls). And hands down the best part of...

We were visiting Coorg and decided to go bird watching without being pre planned. We got to know about Mr Ganesh through his website and booked a tour with him. We had informed that we were new to birdwatching and did not have binoculars. He arrived at the location well on time and was kind enough to lend his binoculars.

We had truly a great experience and learnt so much about species of birds and their calls. Mr Ganesh is a thorough professional end to end and knows deeply about the ecosystem in Coorg. His passion and commitment immediately comes through. One of the best things to do in Coorg whenever anyone is visiting and even if you are new to birdwatching, the birdman of coorg will make you feel right at home. Looking forward to our next...

Ganesh, we know him from his orange County days. What we like about him are, first passion for nature, especially, for birds. He loves seeing them so much that his enthusiasm transfers to us. He has unique knack of finding nests. Last time, we could take photographs of sunbird building nest. This time it was thick billed flowerpecker. Imagine a camouflaged nest within similar colored dried leaves about 50 m away of a tiny, 4-5 cm, brownish bird was located by him and shown to us. Loved it. He is also very customer oriented bringing home made coffee for us to enjoy within the forest. He takes and distributes to the tribal children and many know him well. All in all, if you want to have a wonderful✨😍 time birding in coorg, contact...