Listen to birdcall
This is a great season to go birding. There’s a nip in the air in the mornings, and you need little incentive to get up and out of the house. P.R. Selvaraj of Coimbatore Nature Society says this is the month to go scouting for winter migrants.
“They’ll start flying in in great numbers from North India and Siberia. The rains have also been good. So, you’ll sight a lot of birds,” he says.
Look out for golden orioles, those sunshine yellow birds that streak across trees even in urban areas. They fly in all the way from Kashmir and the Himalayas. Barn swallows, which are as small as house sparrows, throng India by the millions, coming in from Siberia.
You can spot them chirping away on roadside electricity and telephone lines. If you head towards the wetlands, look out for varieties of sandpipers and ducks — pin-tailed ducks, Northern shovellers and the Garganey ducks.
Trek up the hills
September-October is what trekkers call the second season of the year, after the peak season between April and June.
“We rest during July and August, because the earth is teeming with leeches, and head out again in September,” says Ananda Irudayaraj, in-charge of Coimbatore Trekkers’ Club.
“Usually, the weather is nice and chill, ideal for trekking. In fact, this is called the ‘England season’ in the hills. There’s a mild drizzle, but the sun is still out. It’s magical,” he says.
If you want to trek close to home, check out Silent Valley, just a hour away. “You need prior permission, but it’s a trip worth making,” he says. The Kerala Government has a jeep and van to ferry visitors, which you can hire.
“Once inside, you go on a short three-km guided trek. It’s beautiful — the rain, the greenery, the waterfall…it’s the experience of a lifetime.”
The group is shortly planning a trek to Mannavanur, near Kodaikanal. The views here are said to compete with the best foreign locations.
For details, call 97868-40444.
Pedal away
Chakravarthy Birur and five of his friends are just back from an invigorating 107-km ride from Coimbatore to Siruvani and back. “The weather was spectacular. There was a gentle drizzle and the entire stretch was painted green. It was a treat to ride down that stretch,” he says.
Hobby cyclists look forward to September. For one, the pleasant weather does not tire them out. Two, it is a month when Nature is at her pristine best — the trees have been washed clean by the rains and leaves still bear remnants of early morning dew.
Chakra picks five of his favourite routes close by the city. Coimbatore-Siruvani, Coimbatore-Kovai Kuttralam, Coimbatore-Narasipuram, Coimbatore-Marudhamalai and Coimbatore-Anaikatti.
“The road to Narasipuram and Vaidehi Falls is something else. You sight rainbows quite often. The villagers cultivate onion and the air is heady with its scent. There’s the mountain in the distance and farmland in between. You return refreshed.”
