During my boat safari at Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, we ventured out into the Bay of Bengal for a short while before heading back into the mangroves. The waters were very choppy and it was quite a roller-coaster ride. As the boat braved the waves, we could see small fish leaping out of the water to escape the boat.

We came across a group of Western Reef Egrets (Egretta gularis). There were about 10-12 of them following our boat.

Western Reef Egrets (Egretta gularis) around our boat

Western Reef Egret (Egretta gularis) flying

Very soon, it became apparent that they were around for a purpose other than curiosity. They were, in fact, hunting the fish that the boat was “dislodging”. I’ve seen Gulls and Terns associate with fishing boats earlier, but this is the first time I’ve seen Western Reef Egrets engaging in this behaviour.

Western Reef Egrets (Egretta gularis) flying around and fishing

The random movement of the birds as well as the choppy waters made for a very challenging photography situation. After a while, the group left the boat and headed back towards the mangroves. However, very soon, another group came and joined us in their opportunistic pursuit.

They are masterful hunters on the wing and their strike ratio seemed to be very good. We could see them catching fish very often. In some cases, the other members of the group would give the successful bird a chase in a bid to steal the fish. Following is a sequence of images after an Egret successfully caught a fish.

Western Reef Egret (Egretta gularis) immediately after it caught the fish. It tries to balance itself in order to take off again.

Western Reef Egret (Egretta gularis) beating its wings vigorously to take off.

Western Reef Egret (Egretta gularis) finally able to take off

Photographing frenzy aside, it was interesting to see them engage in this behavior for about 10 minutes. They finally left us as we approached the mangroves.

Western Reef Egrets (Egretta gularis) flying away

Later on, we came across them hunting in the mangroves in typical Egret-style.

Western Reef Heron (Egretta gularis)

When I received an invitation to speak at the TEDx conference at Kakinada, I was secretly thrilled for another reason. I had been nurturing a desire to visit Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary near Kakinada for some time now. So I packed my bags and landed at Rajahmundry Airport a few days before the conference.

Rajahmundry airport is the smallest that I have ever encountered. The arrival terminal is a single room (really tiny) and the baggage was brought into the room. It was as if I were transported back in time. Outside, the temperature was close to 40 degrees Celcius (and this was just the first week of April). The journey from the airport to Kakinada is around 50km (or an hour’s drive on the really good roads). Either side of the road, lush green fields extend till as far as the eyes can see. This is the Rice Bowl of Andhra Pradesh.

The next morning, I headed out to Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary at dawn hoping to get some early morning light. It was a smooth half an hour drive (around 20km), followed by a couple of kilometres stretch over mud roads to get to the sanctuary. Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the largest mangrove forests in India (and the world). Spread over an area of more than 235 sq. km., these forests are home to around 65 species of mangrove plants. Around 125 species of birds have been recorded here, as has the nesting of Olive Ridley Turtles. Mammals like the endangered Fishing Cat, Smooth-coated Otter and Jackals are found here too. Reptiles in this sanctuary include the Estuarine Crocodile. We arrived at the facility at Chollangi by 6:30AM.

And disappointment was in store – the sanctuary gate was locked. It opens only at 9AM I decided to spend some time around the place nevertheless. An unsure Grey Mongoose appeared in front of us, taking two steps forward and one backward before deciding to cross the road. Warblers were abuzz with activity, though I couldn’t get a good view of them. White-breasted Waterhens were aplenty. With the sun gaining height and the sanctuary still locked, I decided to come back in the evening around sunset and try my luck.

And evening didn’t disappoint. As we started out on our short 1 hour boating session, a Black-capped Kingfisher made a quick dip into the water and came back to its perch. It was a treat to watch this colourful bird in the golden light of the evening.

Black-capped Kingfisher (Halcyon pileata) at Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary

Little Egrets were concentrating on the water and vegetation, probably looking for a good meal.

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) looking for supper

Painted Storks, Asian Openbills, Black-headed Ibises and Great Egrets were settling down to roost for the night.

Painted Storks (Mycteria leucocephala), Asian Openbills (Anastomus oscitans) and Black-headed Ibises (Threskiornis melanocephalus) settling down to roost

It was a blissful evening, and the world seemed to be at peace. The little that I had seen of the sanctuary enticed me into booking a longer boat ride into the mangroves the following day.

The next morning, I headed to Ramannapalem, a hamlet some 10km after Chollangi.  A pair of Pied Kingfishers seemed to be on a feeding frenzy at the boating place. As we headed out into the mangroves, we started encountering Western Reef Herons and Whimbrels, along with the usual suspects from the previous evening. Being early summer, most of the winter migrants would’ve left for their breeding grounds.

Western Reef Heron (Egretta gularis) in the mangroves of Coringa

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

At one point in the mangroves, we came across many boats together with a lot of people. Apparently, they were nomads who live on the boats on the Godavari River. Fishing is their primary source of livelihood.

Nomads on the River Godavari

The lighthouse at Coringa is more than 2 centuries old. Today it stands in a dilapidated state, reminding us of the importance of this place in international maritime trade in the 18th and 19th centuries. We couldn’t get close to the lighthouse due to high tide. Read more about the interesting history of this lighthouse in this article.

Lighthouse at Coringa

Around the lighthouse (as you can see in the foreground of the above image) as well as at various clearings in the mangroves, there were very colorful plants that spread out like a carpet.

Colourful plants in the mangroves

Our final stop was at a deserted beach beyond the Lighthouse. This was one corner of Hope Island, which can also be seen from the Kakinada port. At first glimpse, the beach seemed very different from any other that I’ve seen.

First glimpse of the beach

Nowhere else have I seen tree stumps right next to the sea. And, nowhere else have I seen the impact of coastal forests illustrated so well. Apparently, this beach had taken the full brunt of a cyclonic storm (or was it the tsunami; everyone had a different version) sometime back, reducing the impact on the human habitation beyond the mangroves.  The sea seemed to have taken in a part of the beach during the storm, leaving behind a trail of destruction. The new “tree-line” started around 50m from the waves. A relatively new island formed around 200 years ago, Hope Island is a natural wave breaker and makes the waters of Kakinada port safe for ships anchoring there.

A broken stump against the green forest in the background

A few waders, including Ruddy Turnstones, Greater and Lesser Sand-plovers and a possible Grey Plover, were also running around on the beach. There were a few large gulls in the distance, including Pallas’ Gulls. It was close to 10AM by then, and the weather was sweltering despite being cloudy. We started our journey back to Ramannapalem through the mangroves. The birds had slowly started retreating into the shade. We came across this pair of Common Redshanks resting.

Common Redshanks (Tringa totanus) resting

As was this Striated Heron that was so beautifully camouflaged.

Striated Heron (Butorides striata) beautifully camouflaged amidst the mangoroves

Due to the cloudy weather, many birds were still active, like the Common Sandiper and the Herons.

Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

Western Reef Heron (Egretta gularis)

Mammals and reptiles eluded us through the trip. We saw Bonnet Macaques a couple of times on the boat ride (they too disappeared into the dense mangroves within a fraction of a second). At one time, the boatman got us excited about sighting a Fishing Cat but it proved to be a false alarm.

After more than 7 hours on the boat, it was time to get back to land and town. As I was alighting from the boat, a Yellow Bittern flew across and settled in the mangroves. An interesting boat ride into some amazing forests had come to an end.

Andaman Serpent Eagle (Spilornis elgini) – Juvenile

Photographed at Neil Island, South Andaman, Andaman and Nicobar, India

Pacific Reef Egret (Egretta sacra)

Photographed at Neil Island, South Andaman, Andaman and Nicobar, India

Pacific Reef Egret (Egretta sacra)

Photographed at Neil Island, South Andaman, Andaman and Nicobar, India

Pacific Reef Egret (Egretta sacra)

Photographed near Port Blair, South Andaman, Andaman and Nicobar, India

Pacific Reef Egret (Egretta sacra)

Photographed near Diglipur, North Andaman, Andaman and Nicobar, India

Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva)

Photographed at Sippyghat, South Andaman, Andaman and Nicobar, India

Oriental Scops Owl (Otus sunia modestus)

Photographed at Chidiya Tapu, South Andaman, Andaman and Nicobar, India

Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris davisonii)

Photographed at Havelock Island, South Andaman, Andaman and Nicobar, India