Your hosts lay no claim to being expert ornithologists, but we do know where the birds are. There are many wonderful birding sites all around, starting right here at the Hermitage. Travel short distances away to open grasslands, scrub forest and water bodies for more birds. Just trekking along jungle trails will throw open a world full of bird song.

What do we have that is so special? The State of Karnataka has some of the best birding sites in the whole of India, and if you are interested in doing some serious birding, the state has different habitats that you can choose from. Except for watching migrants and breeding waterfowls there is no sort of season for birding in Karnataka, there are birds all the year round. The Hermitage is at a vantage point. Because of our location we have the opportunity of sighting many species common to both the Western Ghats and the Eastern plains.

Drive short distances away from the Hermitage and you will find opportunities to watch water birds. There is the Ghattaprabha Bird Sanctuary best during the monsoon and just after. During the winter months mainly from November to February, water bodies such as village tanks, lakes and dams near us are host to a number of migratory birds.

And finally, unlike Goa, the weather at the Hermitage is never hot and humid, which makes birding all the more enjoyable and satisfying.