If I had to name one place near Bengaluru that I would gladly return to over and over again, it would undoubtedly be Jayamangali Blackbuck Reserve in Tumkur district. Located adjacent to the village of Maidenahalli, Jayamangali is a remarkable expanse of grassland that shelters an astonishing diversity of life. With our regular birding haunts fast vanishing under the guise of urban development and rising housing needs (yes, we all know that story), we are left with only a few options — the blackbuck reserve being one of them. Sadly, even this seems to be on the verge of disappearing, judging by our recent visits.

But let’s not start with the sad news — there’s already enough of that.

I first visited Maidenahalli (I prefer this name over Jayamangali) in 2012, when we were still fledglings in the birding arena. No sooner had we entered the blackbuck reserve than we were greeted by a fierce, unwavering stare. Not from a blackbuck, but from a bird that turned out to be the crown jewel of the grasslands – the famous Montague’s Harrier, a winter visitor to the region. And to think that we didn’t recognise it till we opened our bird guide!