19th Nov I was out birding in the Valley School with my usual birding buddies. I was visiting after a gap of more than a year. The trip brought a gush of pleasant memories. It is one of my favourite spots in Bangalore; fantastic habitat as well as great birds. I found the whole place lush green from the good rains and all the waterways full and alive. An extremely rejuvenating trip for me.

If you are a birder The Valley School is not to be missed. In fact it is considered a prime spot for people of varied interests; nature lovers, birders, bird photography, macro photography, butterflies, plants etc. The destination has a reputation for throwing up surprises (pleasant ones!). In my numerous trips there I have had several unexpected birds popping up.

Technically the area that one birds (or for any other interests) at usually is not within The Valley School itself.  Rather it is the area adjacent to it. This has free access to anyone. All that one needs to do is sign in the visitor’s register at the boom gate besides the school’s main entrance and head on. The main birding area has vast open spaces with several very old trees (some say over a 100 years!) and a well wooded expanse; a good mix of habitats. You can bird inside the school campus as well. However you need to arrange prior permission from the administrator. You will not be missing much if at all anything even if you don’t go into the school campus.

I have personally sighted over 100 bird species across my visits to The Valley School. Below are of some photos taken during the visits:

As I said there is more than birds to be found there. Below are some pictures of other interesting creatures that I have encountered in my visits:

Black-headed Cuckooshrike
Black-headed Cuckooshrike
Blue-bearded Bee-eater-2
Blue-bearded Bee-eater
Cattle Egret
Cattle Egret
Cinerous Tit-2
Cinerous Tit
Common Iora
Common Iora
Common Woodshrike
Common Woodshrike
Eurasian Cuckoo
Eurasian Cuckoo
GSE
Greater Spotted Eagle
Indian Grey Hornbill
Indian Gray Hornbill
Indian PItta 1
Indian Pitta
Pale-billed Flowerpecker
Pale-billed Flowerpecker
Peacock
Indian Peafowl
Shikra
Shikra
Spangled Drongo
Spangled Drongo
TIckell's Leaf Warbler
Tickell’s Leaf Warbler
Verditer Flycatcher
Verditer Flycatcher
White-naped Flameback
White-naped Woodpecker
White-spotted Fantail 1
White-spotted Fantail
Yellow-billed Babbler 1
Yellow-billed Babbler
Yellow-eyed Babbler
Yellow-eyed Babbler
Sirkeer Malkoha
Sikeer Malkoha
Tawny Bellied Babbler
Tawny-bellied Babbler
White-rumped Shama
White-rumped Shama

You can get to see a good number of species of butterflies and moths. Here are photos of some of the butterflies taken there:

It is not just creatures that The Valley School has on offer. Below are a few photos of the scenery on offer:

None of the above photos can match what it has to offer. You just have to go there with an open mind.

Virtual Tour

Here is a short video that I put together to give you a whirlwind virtual tour of the place.

Hopefully it has given you the motivation to plan a visit.

Precautions

If  you are unfamiliar with the forest area of The Valley School do NOT go in alone. It is very easy to lose your way especially if you go exploring into the bamboo parts. Always go with along with a person who is very familiar with the trails and the area.

Mobile network coverage is also poor and non-existent in some of the parts. Inform your family or friends before venturing in.

There are some mosquitoes. It might be good to have a mosquito repellent applied.

Watch where you are walking. Since it is well covered in vegetation and also wooded many trails do tend to get active spider webs. This is how nature intended it to be. We are the visitor here. Therefore walk carefully to not go through the spider webs and have a run-in with one of them sitting across these webs. Having a Giant Wood Spider on your face is not something that I atleast fancy. It will also save a lot of repair work for the poor spider.