Published on Mar, 2025

absolutely fantastic trip! went out early in the morning to a lake outside of chennai and walked around with out tour guide for ~2,5h. he was very friendly and knowledgeable, answering all our questions. we were a group of mixed birding-levels but all had fun. bee-eaters, kingfishers, storks, herons and a variety of smaller birds were great to spot. booked the extra cab option and our driver was reliable and nice. definitely recommend this option as far-away places can be a burden to get to/away from. 10/10 would do again

Published on Feb, 2025

I was able to book Subbu on short notice the day before I flew over to India for a last minute work trip. (But certainly avoid last minute because he is working through an agency so there is coordination/confirmation lead times). After working through some logistics via WhatsApp we met at a nearby pick-up downtown spot and he directed my driver to a local spot on “the great salt lake” as Google calls it south of the city with better air, less noise, and more birds! We saw so many great birds - bee-eaters(green & blue), king fishers(blue, pied, white-throated), lapwing, Indian spotted duck, open bill stork, pond heron, hoopoe, crow (jungle, common), ring eyed plover, sand piper, jacana, munias, barn swallows, ibis, avocet (downtown marsh), bush chat, spotted dove, clamorous reed warbler, ashy prinia, yellow billed babbler, drongo. Subbu has a passion for acoustics and works for eBird, capturing many of the recordings you might hear on the Merlin app. Great morning out!

Published on Jul, 2024

Excellent morning birding in Chennai. Mr Subramaniam Sankar is a knowledgeable birder and passionate conservationist.

Published on Apr, 2024

We had a great days birding with Subbu who is a very knowledgeable and personable birder. Subbu phoned the night before the trip to check if we had binoculars etc and what types of birds we wanted to see so tailored the day to meet our requirements. He brought his spotting scope so we were able to get some great close views of the more distant birds. I also asked if we could go out early before it became too hot and he duly obliged, arranging for a taxi to collect us from the hotel before the temperature hit 30 degrees. I’m a fairly experienced UK birder but this was my first time out and about in Chennai and it didn’t disappoint as we clocked up over 70 species in a few hours including spotted eagle, 3 kingfisher species, 3 bittern species, bee eater, roller, golden oriole, fulvous whistling ducks and spotted owlets. Subbu also has a very keen ear and was constantly identifying calls for us. I would thoroughly recommend a birding trip and will definitely go again when the opportunity presents itself.

Published on Apr, 2024

"I must say, this was truly one of the best experiences of my life. I had never been birdwatching before. When they mentioned that we would be accompanied by an expert, we were hopeful for a great experience. It happened to be my wife's birthday, and she thoroughly enjoyed it. Amidst the chaos of the city, they took us to a beautiful spot, guiding us through some exquisite birds. Just by observing them, a sense of calmness washed over our minds. The experience was further elevated when we began to listen to the sounds of those birds. A special thanks to Mr. Subramanian Shankar and the Key Terns for providing us with this amazing experience!"