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Reviews

• Outstanding afternoon of birding in Chennai, India

  605nedg,Mar 13, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  I had a wonderful full afternoon of birding with guide “Subbu” in mid-March 2026. I’d had trouble making transit arrangements and only at the last minute was able to seek out a birding tour in Chennai. Fortunately, my desire for an outing was able to be accommodated. Due to the tight timeline, Subbu and I chatted while in transport to identify any specific interests I had. He knew the perfect spot to go. We spotted many new (life) birds for me and Subbu’s keen eyes and superior hearing added to species detected, and also to locating the birds in their habitat. Birding India actually was a secondary activity for me and I brought only small glass (8x28). Consequently, I greatly appreciated Subbu’s superb quality spotting scope which he ably positioned for me to get the best view of the birds. Subbu knew all the birds we saw. One bird that I saw but had not gotten color details correct in the lighting was a mystery unknown… for a short while. A bit later we got a better look with corrected colors/ pattern and that allowed Subbu to easily name the species. Subbu was courteous, knowledgeable, and always worked for me to get the best look and identify the birds. Besides discussions about birds, we had delightful conversations on a wide range of topics. The outing far exceeded my expectations and I would highly recommend Subbu for this activity to anyone who has an interest in Indian birds!!! Thank you for making my experience so memorable, Subbu😊🙏

• An Excellent Birding Experience

  880rameshv,Jan 26, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  I booked a birding walk through Tripadvisor for myself and my 8-year-old son, and I cannot recommend our host, Subbu, highly enough. Subbu called before the day of the trip to ask what kind of experience we were looking for. I requested a trip tailored specifically for my son, and Subbu delivered spectacularly. My son had a never-ending stream of questions, and Subbu answered every single one with patience and expertise. Subbhu took care of the Admission fee. Subbu took us to three distinct locations, including the Pallikaranai Marshland Park and a unique elevated viewpoint that offered a stunning perspective of the marshland. Some of the memorable birds we spotted were the Indian Pond Heron, Red-wattled Lapwing, Blue-tailed Bee-eaters, Yellow-billed Babblers (cousins to the famous "7 sisters"), Black Drongo (Rettai Vaal Kuruvi), and Asian Koel. Our entire birding experience lasted around 4 hours. We would recommend birding trips with Subbu without any reservations!

• Wonderful experience!

  745et,Jan 21, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  So many birds! Such a knowledgeable guide! We enjoyed seeing all the water birds and learning about their habitat. A wonderful experience.

• Amazing Bird Photography Session in Chennai

  miorii2023,Jan 14, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  When I contacted KeyTerns to book my birding session in Chennai, it was only a day before the event. Despite it being such a last-minute request, the team kindly and professionally took care of my needs - from their swift responses to the convenient Wise payment process, everything was smooth. My guide, Mr. Subramaniam Sankar, is a great birder himself and selected a photography-friendly birding site for me based on my preference. With his guidance, I could observe a beautiful variety of birds this country has to offer, from a very unique-looking Painted Stork to rainbow colored Bee-Eaters! The key highlights of the session also included: Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Spot-billed Pelican, and Red-vented Bulbul. If you're considering organizing a trip with KeyTerns, I can assure you that their service will never disappoint.

• Contagious enthusiastic

  Sandor D,Jan 14, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Me and my daughter went with Suba and saw a lot of different birds. The spotscope was great and Suba's enthusiasm infectious. We came to surprising places where we had a good view.

  

  

  

• if you have the time, do this

  Sunshine01999609549,Mar 17, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  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

  

  

  

  

  

  

• A true expert guide on short notice!

  JuliaW613,Feb 23, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  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!

  

• Excellent morning birding

  Shalini2018,Jul 23, 2024

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

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

• A wonderful days birding

  Chris D,Apr 22, 2024

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  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.

  

  

  

• Ticking off one new experience in life- Bird Watching!

  Adventure44860530462,Apr 9, 2024

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  "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!"

  
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