Huchchara Santhe

Permaculture Design Course (PDC) from Aranya - A new beginning!

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Sun, 01 May 2022 14:50:00 +0000

Getting into farming has always been a spectacular wish for me and with it fulfill one’s requirements enough to survive. However, I wasn’t keen on the conventional methods and always wanted to do it the traditional or the symbiotic way. As a precursor, having a garden on the terrace was one of the things I did and churning out own compost from the kitchen was another attempt towards that. But easier than said, challenges overcome needs and with a busy work-life schedule, the garden always took the backseat in the daily life.

"Organic" is an over utilized and abused word in equal measures and it always is inorganically organic, best said. Browsing through ways of alternate methods natural farming, zero budget farming, permaculture were the terms that came up randomly and consistently and all seemed fair and lovely in their own ways and permaculture ways was preferred being heard and seen more regularly in the social media channels and friends.

The more I read, the more I got interested and Permaculture was the way I wanted to pursue with whenever I would own a piece of land. To hone the skills further, I and Raja enrolled to the Permaculture Design Course (PDC) conducted by Narsanna Koppula (pioneer of permaculture in India) Padma Koppula and Sneha Koppula at their farm, Aranya located in Bidakanna village, Zaheerabad, Telangana State, India and for a duration of two weeks.

What followed next was more than what we anticipated. To summarize, we realized that Permaculture is not only about farming practices but more than that, simply put – it’s a way of life and the ethics of Permaculture pretty much describes it beautifully.

Narsanna Sir and Aranya: Sir, as I regard him fondly has been an activist all through his life working for the upliftment of rural communities and an interaction with Bill Mollison (co-originator of Permaculture term) led him to participate in the first PDC in India and has been a pioneer of Permaculture practice in India ever since. Sir and Padma ma’am founded the Aranya Agricultural Alternatives, an NGO in 1999 and ever since they have been helping farmers, rural communities, government organizations manage water resources and grow their own food making them self-sustainable.

Permaculture (or Permanent Agriculture/culture) is based on the below ethics:
· Earth Care – provision for all life systems

· People Care – provision for all people to access resources necessary for existence

· Fair Share – setting limits to consumption by governing our own needs

Along with these ethics, there are 12 design principles that one can refer that is based on replicating or imitating natural patterns found in ecosystems. The focus of permaculture is not on individual elements, rather on the relationships among them.

My Experience: The two-week course was intense, joyful, labor intense, fulfilling, tiring (blame the April heat), lazy (blame the good food) and energetic in equal measures and the bunch of 25 of us were equally engaging ourselves to ingest as much as we could from the ever energetic and ever enthusiastic Narsanna Sir. His levels of energy and enthusiasm pretty much would outdo a lot of us, and you are sure to be left very far behind if you ever try to walk with him somewhere, such is his agility and speed.

More than being fed content over presentations, the course was more about questions, self-exploration, and making us think and act and the breakout group activities always had an intent behind them to judge the camaraderie of the group members.

"Do not abuse resources, use them judiciously"

I said this in my feedback, and I repeat here that the 25 of us started off as disjointed, bunch of random seedlings, haphazard in our own ways and pretty much the urban dash tribe (urban dash, used by Sir is often referred to folks from the city who are educated but are actually uneducated and find it hard to relate anything other than their mechanized lives) and by the end of 14 days, we all transformed into a design pattern of a tree (connected, sharing, caring and socially interactive) with Sir being the seed and providing us the raw materials to grow and disperse our knowledge to more people.

“Be in co-operative mode, not competitive mode!”

First couple of days were more theoretical focusing on the basics of permaculture including the ethics, principles, site and sector analysis, needs and yields, designs and patterns, and conveying the importance of water harvesting/management, social permaculture and the critical importance of soil.

In general, when we talk about nature, it’s mostly about forests, water bodies, air quality, soil erosion and so on and I’ve hardly noticed anyone talk about the importance of soil. All of us are aware that soil is needed but that’s it, there’s no stress on why soil should be conserved, how does soil regenerate, what’s our role in it and honestly how are we trampling the soil in the name of technological advances in the field of agriculture.

Subsequent days paralleled between more of practical sessions like observation walks, community farms, social interactions with pioneers from the villages (mostly women folk) who have been working with Sir since decades, mock design sessions and exploring Aranya observing the micro-climates, water harvesting techniques, food forests, cropping patterns, composting methods, creating own bio-enzymes, plant identification, soil composition, creating own biochar etc. and few but critical theoretical inputs like the cropping patterns, role of soil, seed preservation techniques, medicinal plants, plant grafting techniques, urban permaculture, weeds and more.

"Weed for one can be food for another"

In between all of this, we were randomly sorted into groups of 5-6 people who were given tasks (like designing the nursery area, repurposing open area near the house, grey water management within Aranya, trench digging) that we would spend about an hour every day in the morning. The days mostly began with a starting circle and ended with a close-in circle where I used to be the loudest and speak the longest (tch tch! 'bear with me' or 'bored with me' 😊)

“This has been a Unique batch, very different from the rest – Narsanna sir!” (Well, I was there! the 67th batch of his)

“We were such a great batch, we got a day off in between!”

The final couple of days were reserved for the final design planning where a custodian would provide a piece of land with requirements and as designers the group would debate, interact, question and chart out detailed design maps and present it to the overall group. That was intense, labor intensive, time consuming but soon I realized that there was so much I had learnt over the two weeks and there was so much more to learn in the future

We were very well fed through the day with various dishes, drinks, and fruits to top it off and most of them sourced from the community network or grown in Aranya that indeed was relative to the concept of our own food forest. The whole campus was teeming with life of all forms and being interested in nature, I had a great time observing birds, butterflies, bugs, insects, patterns and a lot more, thanks to Sneha for the binoculars that was a saving grace for me.

Aranya, to describe is a world in itself; self-sufficient to a large extent – cowshed, chicken coop, natural buildings, seed bank, tents and dormitory for the visitors, utilizing solar energy where feasible, fruit orchards, vegetable gardens, maximizing water usage (so as to not let anything flow as waste), local community resources (who work in the kitchen and the farm) who are residents along with the Koppula family; their daughter Sneha who has studied and lived in the states and now back to the roots; their dogs – Ginger (the undisputed and unpredictable king and a fierce protector), Papoos, Jam and Chotu; the ever energetic and smiling volunteers (currently they are Aadi, Jayoti and Praneeth) who are much more than volunteers here; the numerous beehives or the termite mounds; women folk from the community who consider Aranya their home (Samamma and Thulajamma and others); the resident monitor lizard or the tickell’s blue flycatcher; the numerous organisms and micro-organisms that thrive here (testimony to the fact that Aranya has a pretty dense green cover even during the hot April and the temperatures were slightly lower than the outer areas that had no cover and bore the brunt of the summer sun) and there is always something happening at any time of the year.

Compare this to the thousands of acres of reserve forest surrounding Aranya where native tree species are mostly replaced by Eucalyptus and Acacia plantations in a dry land region where water is a prime commodity and adding insult to it are the badly planned trenches all along for the rainwater (they looked more like to help the water run off with all the soil rather than hold them back), human made fires to help propagate the tendu shoots better (the famous beedi leaves!).

“Where is the Thinking!”

“Forests are for regeneration, not revenue generation!”

Terminologies that you get familiar in Permaculture:

Guilds, Circles, Raised Beds, Edges and Nodes, Trenches, Crescents, Swales, A frame, mulching, nitrogen fixers, contours, windbreaks, zones, layering, gully plugs, percolation tank, brushwood etc...

Key things what I learnt and what others reading this should try to learn:
Importance of water harvesting/management – try to ensure not a drop of water leaves your land (obviously not so if you are located in an excessive water available region)

“Water harvesting is not only about water, its about soil as well”

“Water never travels alone, it carries SOIL along with it”

Soil conservation – how not to till and kill your soil and ways of enriching them to help them heal

“SOIL – Shelter of Invisible Life”

Mulch, mulch and mulch – how critical is it in transforming a barren land into a living paradise

Designs and Patterns – Edges, Nodes, learn from your surroundings to optimize energy and resources

“Edge is where Life Happens”

Wind, Fire, Wildlife threats – Years of hard work can be burnt into ashes within minutes if these factors are not accounted for. Permaculture design has zones limited to use of wild exclusively

Pests and Weeds – how much of a tolerance is needed and how quick!

"A Pest is a Guest"

“Weed is a deed, indeed!”

Compost – Why and how? Cattle dungs, bird droppings, even human waste are great sources if utilized well. This is a critical requirement for any piece of land to enrich, sustain and thrive well

Trees – Windbreaks, Fire-resistant, drought-resistant, hardy, fodder, timber, fruit orchards, pest repellants, medicinal, nitrogen fixers – Don’t pluck anything out unless you are sure it’s harmful

Disaster Management – How prepared are we? Social interaction is a key factor and collaboration with the community helps save and mitigate the damage to lives and the natural resources

“Design for Disaster”

Social Permaculture – in what ways and how? Not everyone can be like Narsanna sir and Padma ma’am but what is the possibility and extent we could do within our individual capacity and it’s not only in practice but also needs to be part of our thinking

“Life has a higher value than money”

Finally, “Don’t forget about the Ethics”

Conclusion:

All in all, well spent two weeks of my life; lots of things to introspect and retrospect; plenty of confidence to progress into creating a food forest (farming) the way I would want it; many inspiring people like the power couple, Sneha, Aadi, Sonali, Nikhil, Raj; and now a member of the fast-growing permaculture tribe in India

If you can spare two weeks, head over to https://permacultureindia.org/up-coming-courses/ and register for the next batch and do remember to cite my reference, my legacy will stay! lol!

Follow them on Facebook, Instagram or on the Web.

Some random observations/impressions of the folks:
1) Trisha: Kutty paapa

2) Aishwarya: aspirational

3) Sindhu: Teacher amma

4-5) Praneetha/Priyanka: Two sides of the same coin

6) Shweta: Happy

7) Sonali: Expert

8) Prajna: Queen Bee

9) Shobita: Silent laughter

10) Alka: Nursing lives

11) Vihitha: Question bank

12) Surabhi: Silent architect

13) Sridevi: Laughing machine

14) Revati: Vegan

15) Shiva: Hybrid

16) Nikhil: vlogger

17) RajMahendra: Been there, done that!

18) Aravinda: It’s hot!

19) Shatam: Cool cucumber

20) Vikram: Coach

21) Nagaraj: Silence is golden

22) Spandan: Future innovator

23) Gangaraju: Son of the soil

24) Sk Chouhan: I have the answer, do you have a question

25) Santosh (self): Babbler

26) Sneha: Family love

27) Praneeth: Who am I!

28) Aadi: Water

29) Jayoti: Living life

30) Padma ma’am: Ever smiling

31) Narsanna sir: tata birla ram ram!

Coorg and Kabini

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 15:15:00 +0000

Monsoons, and the Western Ghats comes alive during the time when the water starved regions, barren lands, dry forests, brown hillocks come alive in various shades of green and numerous waterfalls spring up in nook and corner of the region turning the virtual entire into a carpet of greenery. When it rains, it pours in some regions diminishing the might of the Sun for a few days and the tree canopies prevent the lesser available sunlight to pass through them to hit the forest floors thus rendering it moist always. Leeches love this environment and numerous bugs, beetles, frogs, snakes thrive during the rains. In a corner of the forest, safe from the flowing water, the might King Cobra builds its nest carefully and tirelessly to ensure its eggs hatch. Frogs and toads come out of hibernation and so does many of the smaller insects virtually infesting the whole region with their calls, songs and music. With abundance of prey around, the snakes make the most of it grabbing a meal or two, whenever it can.

The smell of the land after a good rain is probably the best fragrance you could ever sense and a lush green thriving forest is probably the best sight you could see and the calls of the birds, insects and animals is probably the best music you would hear. A complete therapeutic treat to entice all of a human’s senses and re-energize the mind and soul.

We were well aware of the fact the Kodagu region comes alive during monsoons with many waterfalls springing up and the well-known ones cascading in full force and we always wanted to explore some of them at leisure and so we did traversing through Kodagu and tracing out hidden gems that come alive mostly during the monsoons. We did visit a few and we had to skip a few more owing to short time, but nevertheless it was a rejuvenating sight that lot of people miss even though they wander so close to them. Some of these need a hike and walking through unknown terrains and the area around the waterfalls are generally slippery, so you need to exercise caution before you head out deeper into the woods. If you are not sure, then take the help of a local to accompany you as it’s easy to get lost!

Rajasthan birding - Keoladeo Ghana National Park (Bharatpur)

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Sat, 07 Nov 2020 15:16:00 +0000

Rajasthan trip report here...

With spare days now on hand and Raja not available in Jaipur, we dashed off to Keoladeo Ghana National Park or more commonly called the Bharatpur bird sanctuary to spend our remaining days of the trip that turned out to be an excellent decision with us being there at the right time. Bharatpur, is as small area but is an excellent avifauna sanctuary that hosts thousands of birds, especially during the winter season and people flock here for many reasons – photography, bird watching, cycling around the whole park or just walking and spending quality time listening to the birds and nothing else.

Rajasthan Birding - Jorbeed, Chhapar

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 18:29:00 +0000

Rajasthan trip report here...

Early next day, we were off to one of the most anticipated places on our list – a dumping yard! Yes. Jorbeed is a carcass dumping yard where carcass is treated and dumped and where you get to see a huge diversity of birdlife. This small patch of land is probably where you will see the highes congregation of vultures of many kinds, all in one place. Diclonofenac literally had wiped out the vulutre population from India, but awareness and banning of the drug has seen the population of vulutres recover slowly, but the threat remains large as few species of vultures are still classified as critically endangered.

Rajasthan birding - RTR & DNP

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Sun, 28 Oct 2018 19:52:00 +0000

Rajasthan – this name brings to anyone’s mind thoughts about desert, camels, oasis, sand dunes and people in colorful attire; while there’s much more to Rajasthan than just these. Sample these – huge forts, palaces, a hill station, wildlife parks, bird sanctuaries and mouth-watering taste of food. Desert National Park (DNP), Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR), Sariska Tiger Reserve, Keoladeo Ghana National Park or the Bharatpur bird sanctuary, Tal Chappar (TC) wildlife sanctuary are some of the prominent wildlife habitats that host the critically endangered but magnificent Great Indian Bustard (GIB) to a good population of Tigers, Blackbucks, Caracals, Bustards, Cranes and a whole lot of more that can only be seen by exploring the vast state.

Ever since my friend Raja Bandi moved to Rajasthan, there was an open invite for me to visit and me along with Kannan and Harish sir ensured the invite was used judiciously by touring Rajasthan and exploring the wildlife for a good two weeks. Also, should I say, I shopped till I dropped ensuring my baggage over ran its limitation on our return journey 😊. We did this circuit ex-Jaipur by hiring a local cab, a Qualis with a jugaad AC set-up to beat the heat of the desert land.

Jaipur - Ranthambore - Jaipur - Jaisalmer - Desert National Park (Khuri/Sudasari) - Kuldhara - Phalodi(Khichan) - Bikaner - Tal Chaapar - Sujangarh - Jaipur - Bharatpur - Jaipur for a good two weeks enduring the hot days and the chilly nights, particularly harsh were the three nights we stayed at the Desert National Park.

Mookanamane falls & Hoysala temples

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Sun, 15 Oct 2017 15:28:00 +0000

A quick visit to Gandikota was on the cards but as always, with only few people confirming and the long distance overwhelming us, we rather chose to explore few Hoysala temples around Hassan as well as visit the Mookanamane Abbi falls near Sakaleshpura.

Impromptu decisions and next morning me, Prashanth (Payaniga) and Avinash were off towards Sakaleshpura in search of the Mookanamane falls. Prashanth had a vague idea of the location of the falls having visited it few years ago. Sakaleshpura town was very quiet considering that the Shiradi ghat roads were closed for repair and also that the tourist flow is low during the rainy season. We were happy with the almost non-existent crowd and had a heavy breakfast at Surabhi restaurant, right next to Hotel Ashritha where we planned to stay for the night. With packed lunch we proceeded towards the falls but it turned out to be trickier than expected as we lost sight of the route and had to scout for people at many crossroads on where to go. Google maps assisted to an extent but considering the patchy network, it was not very reliable.

The landscape changes as soon as you cross over Hassan and being monsoon time, it was all shades of green everywhere all along the route and the smell of the earth after the rains is infectious. Cool breeze, drizzling rain and the shades of green along the countryside kept us company throughout the day infecting us with some wonderful vista views, pure air and dollops of energy to keep us going.

Sometimes, asking the locals for directions can actually detour you as we experienced this and after losing a couple of hours of going around, we finally reached closer to the falls. Rains were reluctant to leave and stayed with us and those umbrellas we carried came to our rescue as we embarked on the path to the falls being half a kilometer away. We could hear the roar of the falls getting louder as we moved closer and finally we reached the upstream area navigating ourselves on the slippery track all along. The water flow was heavy, strong currents, muddy water (due to soil erosion) and it did look scary at first sight but then, monsoon is the only time when you get to see a waterfall in full glory.

We had to navigate through the bushes, rocks holding on to them dearly and watching every step or lunge we took to finally reach the downstream or rather bang in front of the mighty falls. The umbrellas we carried became defunct as we were all drenched due to the rain and the splashing water from the falls. I was mighty impressed by the size of the falls being very wide and the water gushing down from a decent height to create the roars we were hearing. We were thrilled to be there enjoying the nature’s beauty in its rawest form but were also skeptical in staying long in front of the falls as a heavy gush of water would be trouble for us standing exposed in front. At times we had to shout to communicate to each other in front of deafening sound of the falls.

After the customary photo shoot and with growling stomachs, we cautiously made our way back to the parked car where the packed food was devoured in a flash. Manjarabad fort remains unseen as the delays during the day ensured we would be late and the gates locked. Back to Ashritha hotel, we spent the evening chatting through the night and making plans for the next day.

(Kondajje temple and below Chennakeshava temple, Saalagaame)

Early next day, we left early as we had quite a few places to cover and the intention to see the historical Hoysala temples that are spread around the Hassan region. We did manage to see the Kondajje temple near Belur followed by Chennakeshava temple located in Saalagame near Belur and then Boocheshwara temple located in Koravangala and finally the Aanekere Chennakeshava temple near Channarayapatna (CR Patna) before heading back to Bengaluru. Of all the lot, the Kondajje temple presents a sorry state of affairs to such an extent that you cannot make out that it’s a temple of the Hoysala era.

(Boocheshwara temple, Koravangala & below Aanekere Chennakeshava temple)

Aero India 2017 - Aero Show

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 12:42:00 +0000

A few years back or a few editions back, when I first visited the Aero show held in Bengaluru, I was enthralled no end and those mean machines launching up and their acrobatic displays left me pleasantly impressed. The impact of a MIG or the Sukhoi or the F16 whizzing above you with deafening sound would leave many a lot covering their ears or just allow you to gasp at them in awe.

This event that unfolds in Bengaluru at the Air Force Station, Yelahanka once in two years draws huge crowds and the traffic management is a chaos every time with no solution in sight however best the authorities plan in advance and execute. This is one kind of an event where you can get up and close with those wonder machines that you always see up above in the horizon vanishing even before you have a proper look at it. Also to say, you get a peek sneak into the capabilities of various countries and the aerospace technologies that is on offer inviting potential customers to their stands.

I'm yet to get a chance to visit the stalls but the crowds, traffic and chaos has kept me away and I rather chose to sneak in early to watch the displays and sneak out before the traffic goes haywire.

Few tips (for future planners) from me before I share some pictures from there...
If you intend to visit the stalls as well as watch the airshow:-
i. Leave early and reach the venue early. This year you could collect your tickets beforehand that I realized made it more easier avoiding the queues at the counter to collect tickets
ii. Carry a hat, sunshades, plenty of water, camera with sufficient batteries/cards and a sunscreen lotion if you prefer to use them to avoid getting sunburnt and water to keep you hydrated during the hot day. If with family, carry a picnic mat, huge umbrella to help yourself sit under its shade while enjoying the air display
iii. Adequate food counters were set up this dishing out variety of food. Be responsible and dispose the trash in the designated places. Unwanted thrash can attract birds that can affect the air show
iv. the air show display area where the general visiting crowd stands is an open area and people tend to dispose leftover wrappers, plastic bottles, etc etc everywhere that is not a good sign. This inspite of having plenty of bins and designated places to dump the trash. We never learn, do we!
v. Leave the venue just before the event ends to escape the traffic and the subsequent pile up of vehicles
vi. Look up the timings for the bus services that would be put up for this event and use them if you can. I failed to figure out their timings and ended up commuting in my car
vi. All people can watch the air show from kids to elders. Just have some preparation and enjoy the event

I personally, reached early and left just a bit early and escaped getting caught in the traffic snarls.

Next time around if it happens in Bengaluru, I plant to visit the stalls and also watch the air displays. Hoping!

The Yakolevs Aerobatic display team from UK enthralled the crowds

The US Lockheed Martin F 16 enthralling the crowds with a maneuver

The Swedish Air Force Saab Grippen 262 in full throttle

Our very own 'Suryakirans' displaying some formations

The Indian and the US para-jumpers had a live display for the crowd jumping of their aircrafts and landing amidst heavy cheers

The stealthy US Air force's C-17 Globemaster had a short take-off and landing displaying its capabilities

The agile warhorse - Sukhoi - Su30MkI of the IAF

more displays from the Yakovlevs enthralled the crowds

Our pride - LCA 'Tejas' showcased its flying capabilities amidst the loudest cheers

The French Dasault Rafale 4-FF firing up the skies

The best of the lot was from the Skycat Wingwalkers -Scandinavian airshow aerobatics team that had the crowd hooting for more

Until the next event...Ciao! #Aeroindia #Aeroindia2017

Lava, North Bengal birding

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 18:16:00 +0000

view of K2 mountain range

I have traveled to the Kutch in the West, Ladakh in the North and most of the South region but never got an opportunity to explore the East beyond Kolkata. With a couple of spare days in March, I zoomed in on the place Lava located in North Bengal, a birder’s hot spot, for my next journey hoping this trip would be a gateway for more exploration of the East. Nishcay and Prabhu teamed up with me for the first time on this journey in search of some birds and wildlife.

I was pretty excited for the fact that many of the species I would be seeing would be lifers (i.e., never seen before) and while browsing through the internet, I stumbled upon Joseph Lepcha from Lava who agreed to be our host, guide and also plan our entire trip schedule.

We took the Indigo flight from Bengaluru to Bagdogra via Kolkata. Our car was ready at the airport to ferry us to the small village of Lava, about 120 kms away. Lava can be reached either via Gorubathan or Kalimpong from Bagdogra. We traveled via Gorubathan as the route via Kalimpong is unpredictable and caters to heavy traffic towards Sikkim. It took us about 4 hours to travel the distance with some good roads and also missing roads in between but our drive was comfortable owing the modified shocks of the WagonR that took on the rough stretches with ease.

We reached after nightfall and soon realized that we were in for a very cold surprise, it was cold owing to the higher altitude. Lava is also the entry point to the Neora Valley National Park. We then met Joseph Lepcha who showed us our place of stay and then we ended the long day with a hot supper and met few other birders who were there. Joseph also briefed us about our plan for the next 3 days.

Next day, we hit out early with Guru, our guide and driver for the day to cover the Rachet trails. We parked the vehicle at the start of the trail and started hiking on the Upper Rachet trail in quest of seeing as many species of birds as we could. Golden-naped Finch, Rufous-breasted Bush Robin, Whiskered Yuhina, a whole lot of Babblers and Warblers kept us entertained. As we progressed we realized that we had traversed a long distance and decided to descend down to Lower Rachet trail skipping going back to Lava for the brunch. It turned out to be a wise suggestion by Guru as we got to see a lone brilliant red colored Scarlet Finch as well as the Fire-tailed Sunbirds, Himalayan Blue Tail and many more of those colorful species.

After some steep downhill descent and navigating rocky stretches, we hit a trail from where we continued birding while Guru went on to fetch the vehicle. Evening time and the sun quickly fades out and hence we decided to end our session and travel back to Lava. Happy with our day’s bounty, we gulped down an early dinner and sat around Joseph to identify the birds we had seen.

Next day, we were out by 6:30 on our way towards Neora Valley National Park. We were to visit the Chaudapheri camp and Zero point inside the park and Joseph had procured the necessary permits beforehand. We just did not hit the camp but did a fair bit of walking on the trail to the camp birding while the vehicle followed. The weather in Neora valley was all cloudy and foggy, being located at a much higher altitude and as a result the bird activity were also low, they were around and audible but just not visible. Yet, we managed to sight the Green-tailed Sunbird, Scarlet Finch again, Brown Bullfinch, Mrs Gould’s Sunbird, Mountain Bulbul, Rufous-vented Yuhina and many more.

We halted at a place for the much needed breakfast and a breather while a Streaked Spiderhunter whizzed above us not wanting to perch anywhere. Neora valley also hosts the engendered Red Panda as well as the highly elusive but brilliantly colored Satyr Tragopan, but as with our luck we couldn’t sight either of them. Next time!
Chaudapheri camp located inside the park is the place where most of the tourists end their journey, have a cup of chai or some food and return back. It’s also the place where you can easily sight the Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush, Black-faced Laughingthrush and Eurasian Wren that come on to feed on the food waste put out for them. So, while the food is getting ready at the camp, you just sit out and watch them move around.

After the sumptuous simple lunch, we headed towards the Zero Point beyond which the core area falls and you are not allowed without additional permits. The weather here was foggier and visibility very low at many stretches and so was the bird activity. We came back to the camp to sight a flock of Yellow-billed Blue Magpie’s and were also treated to the calls of the Hill Partridges that were very vocal but not visible. We reached back Lava after dusk for some piping hot tea and snacks and went on a stroll around the village. Next day would be our final day at Lava.

Next morning, we waited for the sun to come out before heading out as it was a little foggy and ventured around the village for some birding. Grey Bushchat, Golden Bush Robin, Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler, Green-backed Tit and many others were added to our list of birds sighted. After a productive session and some breakfast, we headed out towards the Pipeline trail. It’s a walk track next to the pipeline amidst thick vegetation that hosts a whole lot of birds. Having said that, hearing them is easier but not sighting them owing to the vast area and the dense foliage. The calls of the Great Barbet resonated through the valley while the Streaked Spiderhunter teased us flying high above while a Black Eagle soared just above our heads.

Next, we headed back to Lava for the much needed lunch and set out towards Alagarh road thereafter. The stretch until a couple of years ago was a birders dream stretch that housed many varieties and bounty sightings all along the single lane road stretch. But, currently as the road is being widened as it is a strategically important highway leading to Nathu La and the China border, the bird activity has reduced drastically owing to the work in progress. Rusty-fronted Barwing, Great Barbet, Golden-throated Barbet, Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, Whiskered Yuhina were the highlights from the stretch.

Next, as a final attempt on sighting the Red-billed Leoithrix, we headed towards Rishop, a village on the hills hoping to catch the common species that we had missed all along but alas we were not lucky enough to sight them. Next time, hopefully! We also missed the view of Kanchendzonga peak owing to cloud cover. Rishop has a whole lot of hotels, homestays that offer window views of K2 peak and it looked like a popular tourist getaway place.
Back at Lava, we went to the Monastery only to find it closed. Dinner time and conversations with Joseph Lepcha over various topics and recapping the hits and misses of our short stay at Lava. Next morning, we left Lava early in the same WagonR towards Bagdogra picking up some Darjeeling tea on the way at Siliguri.

Closing notes:
It was a short but productive trip and I enjoyed great company with Nischay and Prabhu. Joseph Lepcha was a very good host and good at birding. He guides people and groups on birding trails while not at his contractual duty with the forest department. Happy to have known him and hope more such local talent grow and prosper. He can be reached at +91 99320 95242 and the best time to contact him would be in the evenings when he would be back home.

Dachigam National Park

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Sun, 23 Oct 2016 18:26:00 +0000

J&K complete logs here

Early next morning from Manasbahl, we drove straight to Dachigam National Park that is located about 20kms from Srinagar and home to the critically endangered Hangul (Kashmir stag), Himalayan bears and many others. We met Mr. Nazir Malik, one of the finest naturalists I’ve come across who knows Dachigam in and out and has got tremendous knowledge about everything in Dachigam and we were rewarded with some fine knowledge sharing and tips from him.

The park has got a couple of enclosures where bears and a leopard are housed in huge cages that were either rescued or nurtured in captivity since long. Visitors do come in during weekends for picnicking in the park and are taken on a short nature walk inside the park. The terrain in the national park varies from sloping grasslands to rocky outcrops and cliffs owing to the varied altitude variation (5500 to 14000 ft) of the park.

Hangul or Kashmir stag is the state animal of J&K and is found in the national park but habitat destruction and hunting has reduced it to a state of 'critically endangered' on the IUCN list and might be wiped out completely if suitable measures are not undertaken to protect its habitat. I personally feel tourism is pretty low to the park owing to the lackadaisical management of the park, conflicts in the state, and vulnerability owing to the hilly terrains of the park. Himalayan bears are also found in good numbers and there are many incidents of people getting killed/injured being attacked by them. The main thing to be noted here is neither bears or any other wild animals do not attack unless they are provoked or feel threatened or in a act of defense if their young ones are around.

Nazir bhai guided us on a small hike into the immensely vast national park and in that short period of time, we got to see many bird species in about a couple of hours. Chestnut-eared Bunting, Long-tailed Minivet, Tawny Owl, Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, a host of flaura and many species of butterflies kept us enthralled. The afternoon session was a bit downer with a flat tyre and pouring rain but the Tawny Owl seen in fading light brought an end to our wonderful J&K birding trip.

We closed the day, the last of our long trip filled with many moments, experiences, lifers etc watching the football world cup match in Srinagar at Hotel Malik Palace situated overlooking the Dal lake. Next morning I, Kannan and PK were home bound in different flights while Amith had to drive back to drop the car and then catch his flight home a day later.

Closing notes:
First, to thank Amit for detailed planning, shepherding all of us and driving too. Kannan and PK for the awesome company and for many of those moments.
Tips & Notes:
> Have spare days, you never know how the weather can behave especially in the high altitude regions
> Do not rush and exert too much in the high ranges, take it slow and easy
> Manage your bookings only through known contacts or reliable portals, else you may be turned away at the doorstep
> Maggi was the staple diet for us but do try the local food. Keep instant noodles/bread/fruits while traveling to remote places
> Fuel is another precious commodity. Have spare cans on long journey outside of Leh
> Do not under estimate or ignore high altitude sickness. If it strikes, your trip is a complete messy affair. Be aware and take precautions, carry the necessary medications
> Carry sufficient warm wear but do not over stuff; nobody cares if you are wearing the same set daily
> Littering still happens and by all of us. Be sensible and dispose your trash in designated places. Avoid buying unwanted materials
> Help generate local economy – prefer a home stay, hire local guides and cabs, buy local products and help generate revenue

Tso Kar-Taglang La-Leh-Dras-Srinagar

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 16:05:00 +0000

J&K complete logs here

After the lucky sighting of the Little Owl at the Thupche village and after a quick visit to the monastery there, we were back to the resort for some hot food and much needed rest. The rooms were insulated from the cold winds as they were concrete structures and not tents. I missed pointing out the sightings of Kiang or the Tibetan Wild Ass we had while on our way to Tso Kar from Polokung La. These Ass are found only in pockets in India and this is one place where they are found in huge numbers. In short, you need to come here to see the Kiang, the largest of the Wild Ass species. They are the country cousins of the Indian Wild Ass or Khur that is found in LRK/GRK in the state of Gujarat.

What you get to see here is plain dry fields extending as far as the eyes can see and then the hills and the mountains at the far end rising like the phoenix with ice caps here and there. In the winter months, it’s bitterly cold and snowfall is common around these regions and the lakes freeze. Closer to the resort is Startsapuk Tso, a fresh water lake that houses a variety of birds and that is where we were headed in search of some commonly seen species that included the Tibetan Sandgrouse, Black-necked Cranes, Snowfinches and other water birds.

We had elaborate plans of long birding at Tso Kar, but that somehow didn’t materialize as birding was tough and lady luck not favoring us, still we spent two nights looking out for birds. We missed the very common Tibetan Sandgrouse and the Upland Buzzard was a very distant, far off sighting. We spent the whole day roaming around Tso Kar looking around for birds and we did encounter quite a few of them in good numbers as also the Kiang’s (they run just like that, without any provocation, and keep running). There are no defined tracks to follow (except for those that are carved out due to vehicles regularly moving on the stretch) and our car got stuck in slippery sand at a place and we had our task cut out in getting it out to a safe zone that drained a lot of our energy. It’s not easy spending the extra energy in a high altitude place where every step you take consumes your energy more than that in a normal place.

Black-necked Crane’s, Blanford’s Snowfinch, Twite, Great-crested Grebe, Bar-headed Geese were some of the highlight sightings that we had during the course of the day. Next day, we decided to do some early morning birding and by afternoon start our return journey towards Leh with a definite stopover. Luck, even distant seemed favoring us as we sighted the majestic Golden Eagle yet again (we were seeing it so commonly now all around) and then the rare Saker Falcon (that breeds in these high altitude ranges) and then the Upland Buzzard all in a matter of two hours and that’s how it is. The Golden Eagle had perched on a cliff and was camouflaged pretty well at a distance, the Saker Falcon was perched much higher and far on another cliff and the Upland Buzzard had perched on top of a cliff very far away almost invisible until it flew and we noted the characteristics through the bincoulars.

After having a heavy breakfast and a small photo session, we left as we had to cross over another high altitude pass, Taglang La, where possibilities of sighting the Tibetan Snowcock was presumably high but as luck had it, we didn’t and that made us change our further plans and halt at Rumtse village hoping to sight the rare Snowcock the next morning. It was snowing, chilly and rough weather atop Taglang La and very few people or vehicles around and the roads were missing in many stretches. We stayed at the J&K tourism guesthouse at Rumtse, small but decent accommodation with manageable food cooked for the night. We roamed around Rumtse village (a very small one indeed), looking out for birds and to call up our respective families as mobile network was nonexistent and I and Amith drove up to see some gompa’s closer nearby while PK and Kannan took a long stroll for some more birding.

Early next morning, we spent good time driving around Taglang La but as luck would have it, we didn’t see any signs of Snowcocks and the weather too was not very favorable towards us. We saw the Bharal’s again on the snow clad hills and quite a lot of Wooly hares all around. We started our return journey stopping whenever any of us would sight a bird at a close proximity or at a distance. Kannan and I alternatively stole winks sheepishly under the pretext of looking out for birds as we had nothing to do on the long journey but sit and wait for something to show up. In one such instance, we hit a bounty at a place where we abruptly stopped and were rewarded with sightings of Mongolian Finch (that’s a rarity!), Great Rosefinch, Twite, Chukar Partridge and Fire-fronted Serin’s all closer to a village called Lato, a splendid natural treat for Kannan on his birthday. From there, we headed to Leh with couple of small stops in between and by the time we figured out the location of the army camp and settled, it was late.

Some shopping, dinner and we were back to the camp for much needed rest; our final day at Leh as early next morning we would be heading back towards Srinagar with a halt at Drass. We checked out early in the morning with a quick stopover at the small lake near the airport to have a re-look for any good sightings and then proceeded towards Drass. En-route, we saw a short deviation towards Alchi monastery and decided to pay a quick visit to the place where we were rewarded with sightings of Pied Wheatear and Oriental Turtle Dove and were treated to some finger licking hot Maggi that was much needed. We reached Drass by late afternoon enjoying the vistas all along the way and catching up on some sleep while Amith was doing the hard work of driving.

We were back at the army camp and a break is a good while traveling between Leh-Srinagar as it’s a long journey and those mountain roads to negotiate. Later in the evening while chatting around dinner time, we were advised to start early, very early next day to cross over the dreaded Zojila at the earliest and we followed it and were happy as it turned out to be a messy stretch, much worse than what we encountered while coming. We left Drass around 4 in the morning only to be stopped at the check post before Zojila as the weather conditions were unfavorable that we soon realized. A little while later, we were allowed to pass along with few other cars (only smaller vehicles were allowed) and soon unfolded the gravity of the situation as the roads were only slushy and were becoming hard to negotiate.

Just passing through the Zojilla, Amith’s keen ears picked up a few dogs barking incessantly a little away on a slope to our far right. The voices of bear, bear started resonating in the car as we jolted to a sudden halt and all eyes wandering around the barking dogs. Soon, a bear (the debate of it being a brown or a black Himalayan bear is still on) emerged on the slope while the dogs continued their barking surrounding the bear as the nomadic settlement from where the dogs arrived was close by. We guessed some action to happen but the bear was eager to get away while the dogs content in chasing it away. After 10 good minutes and the bear appearing to move away, we resumed our journey as we still had to steer clear of the slushy Zojila at the earliest. By now we were the only vehicle left as the other vehicles had passed us and with a constant drizzle and unwilling sun to shine, it was a tricky good hour we spent to cross the entire Zojila stretch, all eyes wide open and pepping Amith with F1 style navigation.

We halted at Sonamarg for lunch and a quick walk around the park near the river that was full owing to copious rains over the last couple of days. Soon, we got to know that entry to Srinagar was banned as a curfew was on owing to PM’s visit to the place. Having heard that, we now had the task of finding a place to halt for the night and after some intense searching, we ended up at Manasbahl, about 20kms before Leh. Luckily it worked out well for us as we got to sight the Little Bittern, Jackdaw, Black-eared Kites in the small lake at the same place. Later, we mingled with the locals and for discussions on various topics till we chose to end the day.

People in Kashmir, like any of us are peace loving and would love to remain the same and something more evident was their reluctance to travel anywhere as lot of questions about militancy, war crop up wherever they go that makes them feel uncomfortable. A cozy little homestay where we stayed near the lake; good but expensive food; hospitable host who was very friendly; elderly locals who were more than keen to indulge in discussions on various topics made our short stay a memorable one.

Pangong Tso - Chumathang - Sumdo - Tso Kar

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Fri, 19 Feb 2016 18:20:00 +0000

J&K complete logs here.

After surviving the howling winds and a chilly night, I pulled up myself to step out and have a look at what was on offer. The campsite was facing the lake and vista views of the lake and the rising sun was what awaited us (well, actually the sun was up very early when we were in deep slumber). The howling winds had reduced and so did the chillness and the sun was blazing in all his might with clear skies.

We drove up to Mann (few kms further away) for some birding and all I did after looking at the birds was just sit and get lost in the tranquility and surrender myself to the sublime beauty of the place next to none. I didn’t know what to do, I was completely lost and felt like a puny, tiny object on this earth in front of the mighty Himalayas and the widespread blue mesmerizing Pangong Tso.

By now, the sun was blazing with all his might and it was getting hotter by the hour and all I could manage to do was sit on the ground and stare into oblivion, a feeling of being in a place that is imaginative or was I hypnotized with a blank mind staring at the natural vista or was I out of my mind thinking all these…

A good hour passed by with me in this state of mind till the other folks returned and brought me back to the real world and the after effects of this state of my mind continued as I chose to remain a silent spectator till we moved out of this place.

This lake and some specific locations here have become tourist hotspots after the movie 3 Idiots and as a result of it, you’ll find signs of trash, hordes of people on a ‘picnic’ and the exhibit of insensitivity that we display everywhere.

After a dose of simple breakfast and birding around, we left Pangong towards Tso Kar, another high altitude lake and the place for the critically endangered Black-necked Cranes but we were sure of a halt in between due to numerous birding opportunities we would encounter on the way. We had to take the route backwards via Chang la and then deviate towards Karu and then Chumathang. It was already late afternoon by the time we reached Chumathang and opted to stay there and continue further the next day. We chose a small hotel to stay right next to the highway that was probably the only hotel around that offered a place to stay. There were some natural hot springs within the compound area from where hot water bubbled out even in the extreme cold. These regions in Ladakh are not so frequented by tourists and in many stretches, ours would be the only vehicle to be moving around. Wherever and whenever we stopped on seeing a bird, we would be curiously watched by the locals around and our cameras and binocs would be their main discussion theme.

Next day, we left early towards Sumdo as we had a lot to cover and had some prime birding spots en-route that had plenty to offer. We had plenty of birding on the way till we reached Upper Sumdo where again we were kept occupied by relentless birding all around. Except for a few houses, there was nothing much in Upper Sumdo but the bird life kept us occupied. In particular, the White-throated Dipper that gave us a hard time at Mushko valley was frittering all around the place here and spent ample time with us allowing to observe its behavior, feeding pattern and also gave us the opportunity to take some good shots of it from multiple angles.

We also came across a herd of Blue Sheep or Bharal that had come down from the hillocks to feed on the lush green grass and they showed us a glimpse of natural talent of maneuvering cliffs and rock climbing skills. In seconds, they would vanish from our sight and be seen on a steep cliff high above and their ability to merge within the surroundings keeps them safe from the lurking predators. Bread, Jam, Nutella and Ready-to-eat dry Noodles was our breakfast that we had in midst of the continuous birding that we were doing.

From Sumdo, we drove towards a school at Puga, where there were a couple of bird sightings reported and also offered a lift to a teacher from that very school who was very happy when we agreed to drop him. As luck would have it, we were blessed with distant sightings of the Black-necked Cranes and Tibetan Wolves en-route Puga that literally had us thanking all our stars and gods that we pray to. We were confident of seeing the Black-necked Cranes, but Tibetan Wolves was a bonus that we were rewarded. They were sighted in a distant meadow near a hot spring and we chose to stay till the wolves and the cranes moved away from there. Our effort of having embroided t-shirts from Leh with the cranes paid off as we could now happily state that we had indeed seen them.

From Pugo, we traveled towards Tso Kar through another pass, ‘Polokung la’ on a literally non-existent road with an ascending gradient and except for a single vehicle we didn’t pass by any other vehicle on this stretch for the many hours we spent traveling. Polokung la had multiple sightings on offer for us as we got to see the Groundpecker, Bearded Vulture, Golden Eagles, Ravens and many others and the Groundpecker being the highlight of the place.

We reached Tso Kar Eco resort just before Thupche village that looked deserted passing by Tso Kar and blessed with another sighting of the Black-necked Cranes. The Eco-resort is mainly a club of few individual rooms and one dining hall and nothing else. The temperature was dipping as the hour passed by and we raced to the village to scout for the Owl species found there and after a thorough scanning we did see the Little Owl happily perched on an electric pole.

Back to the eco resort after this, we had a proper meal and retired for the day with plans of extensive birding around Tso Kar the next day. The accommodation was decent and comfortable and these being concrete buildings helped negate the howling winds. We were in a far fetched location, literally cut off from the world with patchy or non-existent network and the only news that would reach here was the communication received through the satellite phone booth.

(how many Bharal's can you see...?)

So overall we had good sightings for the day that included Blue sheep, White-throated Dipper, Black-necked Cranes, Tibetan Wolves, Groundpecker, Lammergier, Little Owl, Ravens, Royals Pika and hot springs at Chumathang.

Leh - Chang La - Pangong Tso

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Sun, 07 Feb 2016 17:58:00 +0000

J&K complete logs here.

Further to what I had said in the earlier post, below is an Alpine Accentor, found in the high altitude region feasting on a noodle nibble discarded atop Khardung La. Polluting here is an serious issue and we all are responsible for it. Our way of contribution was to carry back our trash/plastics from such places to the nearest town for disposal.

After navigating the terrain twice through the mighty Khardung La, we got our vehicle checked once more before proceeding towards Pangong Tso and Tso Kar lakes as now the travel would be through remote places with fewer people and fewer facilities. Also, point to note is that you may need to carry additional fuel in cans if your travel is for more than 2 days from Leh, else you might face the probability of getting stranded in a no man’s land till you are rescued and in that eventuality, the highest possibility is of being rescued by one of those army truck convoys that keep moving between bases.

With the vehicle check getting delayed, we utilized the time to do some shopping and finally headed towards another high altitude pass, the mighty Chang La, world’s third highest pass located at 17688 FT. It was a long journey and we had multiple breaks on the way to gaze at some birds or to drink in the scenic views that was on offer. Stops for food/drinks was very limited and we had quite a long distance to cover before ending the day.

Birding on the way, we finally reached the top at around 3pm; quite late actually and stopped for a quick scan for the birds and to have the much needed Maggi in lieu of lunch that we had skipped. Compared to Khardung La, this pass is relatively less crowded and less noisy as most of the vehicles that pass here are the ones traveling to the remote Pangong Tso.

Snowfinches, Rosefinches, Accentors, Ravens, Choughs kept our binocs and cameras occupied till Chang La and thereafter a lone Red fox, numerous marmots and a few woolly hares kept us happy. The roads were pretty good except for few stretches here and there and we were soon approaching the magical lake, Pangong Tso. As stated earlier, there were hardly any souls or people moving and we were kind of traveling in isolation. A vehicle or two would pass us once a while, else it was only ourselves in the whole terrain. No people, no shops, no food, no water… absolutely nothing. You just keep following the dirt track till you reach your destination and in case you are stuck somewhere, keep praying that someone should find you!

Daytime in the mighty Himalayan region is lengthier and it used to get dark only post 19:00 hours, and this meant we had long days every day, wake up at odd hours in the morning and hit the bed late at night that meant only a few hours’ sleep every day literally. As we started descending towards Pangong Tso, we could clearly see the crystal clear blue lake from a far distance and the views were amazing, difficult to describe but worth experiencing. A huge fresh water lake at a high altitude of about 15000FT, 30% of it in Indian territory and the rest 70% in Tibet. The 30% of the lake that is in India itself is mighty huge and there are camps setup at strategic points for hosting the tourists. Choices vary from luxury to very basic and the food served across is almost the same. These camps wind up by October as the cold starts getting unbearable and they return back next summer just before the tourists start arriving. During winter, the whole lake is frozen and only a few hard souls choose to stay back in the area.

We had to do a little bit of searching and enquiring for accommodation and finally chose to stay in tents at Padma Hotel, a setup of cluster of tents and a small building for the host. We were walk in guests and luckily got some dinner and we feasted as we were without a proper meal through the day. Sleeping in tents in the bitter cold is a challenge and I had to use multiple layer of clothing and bedspreads to feel comfortable. In such cold weather, your activity freezes and you don’t feel like doing anything other than snuggling up in the bed.

Pangong and Chumathang up next…

Khardung La-Panamik-Leh

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 18:28:00 +0000

J&K complete logs here.

We took a day off after arriving in Leh, a little tired of the long travel done so far and we used the day to acclimatize and look around Leh and we also had to get the vehicle checked. Thikse monastery was the only place we visited in Leh and we couldn’t manage any other sightseeing. Next day would be a big day as we would be traversing through Khardung La. We also utilized the spare day to do some shopping, pick up essentials, fill up the vehicle tank and get the permits (just in case if it is asked for somewhere).

[Idol inside the monastery (top) and view from the monastery (above)]

Next day, we were up early and all set to traverse through the highest motorable road in the world situated at an altitude of 18380 FT! Our plan was to reach Panamik from Leh passing through North Pulu, Khardung La and South Pulu.

Khardung La is a hot spot for tourists, especially bikers who ride in all kinds of bikes (bullets are invariably the preferred choice); stay on the top for a while and either proceed back or halt at Panamik. High altitude has its problems and for people not used to heights, precaution needs to be taken else you could easily be affected by the High Altitude Sickness that in extreme severity can lead to death.

As we left Leh, the roads started winding up gaining altitude and we could see wonderful vistas of the Leh town with the mighty Himalayas in the background. All these hilly terrain roads are maintained by the BRO (Border Roads Organization) and they have people and equipment at strategic locations that is called in whenever required. Also to note, all these are strategically important locations as our neighbors are just across the mountains and the roads need to be kept clear if any immediate troop movement needs to happen.

Driving up to Khardung La is an experience in itself and the vistas you see blow your mind away. For a person like me, who had never experienced a snowfall or a hailstorm; this trip made me experience all the above and we also had to literally drive on ice-slush kind of tarmac in some places that was quite challenging as well as scary.

Khardung La top sometimes resemble a mini market (of one of our cities) with people coming in hordes (picnickers in my language) and there is not a place there where you don’t see a person taking a selfie or a groupie. A small eatery on top offers the much required snacks and a bowl of Maggie if you are really hungry. Yes, Maggie has been a lifeline for people living in such hostile conditions and also travelers visiting them as it’s the quickest and easiest to prepare and it provides you the much needed energy to withstand the cold and fill up your stomach.

We did not directly drive to the top, but took it easy stopping en-route for our customary birding and slowly drove up. We found more birds scavenging on the litter discarded on the top and we could see them feeding on Maggi from a plastic sachet at 18380 FT. Plastic is strewn from the sea depths to the highest mountain tops! After our birding, we had some quick hot Maggie followed by a cup of hot tea to keep us warm and active. Temperatures atop Khardung La is usually in the single digit or in the negative and any individual needs to be prepared for the harsh weather up there. We recorded temperature of -1degC atop Khardung La, the lowest on our entire trip.

Note of Caution: Passing/Driving through high altitude mountain passes is an adventure in itself but one needs to take some precautions before venturing out on the same. Normal human beings get affected by the sudden altitude change and drop in Oxygen levels and it becomes harder to breathe and move around. It is advised not to ‘overstay’ atop Khardung La for more than 20-30 minutes as Oxygen levels are low and it can affect an individual’s health. But, we the ignorant people tend not to follow the advisory and end up suffering. We could see quite a few people visiting the mobile army hospital atop Khardung La for rest and in some cases for some Oxygen intake. Knowing the risks, we were well prepared and informed and acted accordingly. Also advised is to intake lots of water to keep your body hydrated in the cold weather.

Coming back, how does it feel to be atop the world’s highest motorable road where only a select few visit and as a bounty, we were also treated to some wonderful bird sightings along the way! Finches, Redstarts, Wooly Hares, Bharals were some of the sightings we had along the way. Soon, not to overstay we descended down towards South Pulu on our way to Panamik and a bounty sighting awaited us as we located a Golden Eagle majestically perched atop a rock cliff just beside the busy road. Soon, we realized there were more and finally saw 4 of them together… they were having a feast and we were enjoying the siesta! Amith and PK had a far off sighting of this majestic raptor with difficulty in the Spiti valley and here we were watching 4 of them together and that’s what we call luck.

The road through Khardung La that further passes through Panamik is a strategically important route as it further leads to Siachen (the dispute area with Pakistan) that is a very important post for our armed forces and regular troop movements happen along this route. Interestingly, many vehicles (trucks, bikers, cars) that get stuck in the ice-slush or have a breakdown are mostly rescued/helped by the army personnel moving in their heavy trucks.

As the roads were brilliant, we reached Panamik quicker than expected sighting a herd of Bacterian camels far off in the horizon on the way and at Panamik we started scanning the area for a single bird that we had come in search of. Well, yes we had come to Panamik just to see that one single tiny little bird. Amith and Kannan got fleeting views of the bird before we called off for the day sprinkling hopes for a better sighting the next day. For our stay at Panamik, we walked into a no-name not-yet-completed building looking for accommodation and we got it but on the flip side there was no electricity in the guesthouse. Huber lodge was the name of the place and we caught up with two expat bikers who had come riding from Manali.

Soon, next morning we were up early and out scanning the area looking for that small bird that goes by the name 'White-browed Tit Warbler' that is just about 10cms in size. This small little bird, belonging to the warbler family is generally skittish in nature like other warblers and is constantly on the move and catching a clear sight of them is difficult. This individual kept us on our toes and gave us glimpses only for seconds while on the move.

With our mission accomplished, the rest of the group went on to visit the famed hot springs of Panamik while I stayed back to catch up on some sleep. On our return journey, we were to pass through Khardung La pass again birding along the way and also gave a lift to a Buddhist monk, who incidentally resides at the Tibetan camp near Kushalanagara in Karnataka. Our hopes of an early return were squashed as we got to know that Khardung La stretch was closed due to fresh snowfall and they were not sure when that would be cleared. We were advised to rest for the day and continue in the morning. After waiting for an hour, we scouted for options to stay at South Pulu and we found it but somehow were not convinced with what was on offer and the price quoted.

Dilly dallying, we pursued one last attempt to check if the roads were cleared and proceeded towards the check post as we still had an hour to go for daylight to vanish. The person in charge replied in the affirmative that yes the path was cleared for light vehicles to pass through and three other cars that were lined up along with us were clubbed and told to travel as a convoy staying together. We jumped at the offer and started our travel towards Leh. We soon realized why the stretch was closed and in some places there was no signs of the road at all. The weather was worse than the previous day and was showing no signs of improvement and Khardung La looked deserted with hardly few vehicles up there owing to the bad weather. Some moments were scary, but we were cautious and passed through eventually in dimming light. Rosefinches, Snowfinches, Redstarts, Chukar Partridges, Punjab Ravens, Golden Eagles and the mighty Lammergier were some of our sightings all through the day. Back at Leh, we stayed at the same lodge, Hotel Dorjee and hit our beds for some good rest as we were to travel to one of the most beautiful high altitude lakes, Pangong Tso, the next day…

Kargil-Fotu la-Lamayuru-Leh

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 17:30:00 +0000

J&K complete logs here.

Up early with the excitement of reaching Leh, we moved ahead and soon after Kargil town, the landscape that was dominantly green gave way to shades of brown before we were completely engulfed with views of browns all around us. As we had a long journey to accomplish, the breaks were fewer and the travel fast paced with the drive mesmerizing on the windy roads that went uphill and downhill curving through those huge gigantic brown mountains.

The vistas and the views were so pleasing that you would feel like stopping at every turn to capture the beauty. Another point to note is that we were steadily gaining altitude and the town of Leh is located at an altitude of 13000ft. Driving to Leh helps one acclimatize as you just don’t land up at 13000ft but do it slowly and steadily allowing your body to cope with the change.

On the way, we stopped at Mulbek where the statue of Maitreya (supposedly the 5th incarnation of Buddha) is located right off the highway greeting and blessing travelers and tourists alike. This is the-to-be next incarnation of Buddha, whenever that happens. It’s a huge carving on the giant rock and is a good stop to have a look and for a break.

From the time you enter the Ladakh region in Kashmir, you start seeing the white colored ‘domes’ or ‘stupas’ or ‘chortens’ spread across till you exit the region even in remotest of places. I couldn’t figure out what they are or what they are called actually but they hold
some importance to the Buddhists.

We had very few stops for birding but still managed to see Hill Pigeons, Yellow-billed Choughs, Red-billed Choughs, Tibetan Snowfinch, Yellow-billed Magpie’s, Chukar Pheasants all along the way. Next we stopped at Moonland, Lamayuru to catch a glimpse of the moonlike crater landscapes carved into the Himalayas. It’s a visual treat owing to the flat lands that one would have seen all along. The moon shape like domes or craters only seen here are its claim to fame. To reach Lamayuru, one has to pass through ‘Fotu-la’ (la means pass in Ladakhi), the highest pass on the Srinagar Leh highway. The roads are pretty good and a pleasure to drive.

With time racing against us, after a brief stop at Lamayuru and to catch a glimpse of couple of Chukar partridge’s calling, we moved ahead towards Leh. Next stop on the list was at the Magnetic hill that is a small strip on the highway where it is said vehicles are pulled upwards automatically. White-boxes are clearly marked by the BRO for vehicles to stop and experience it. The extract from Wikipedia page states this demystifying the myth surrounding it – “The so called 'Magnetic Hill Effect' observed, is not gravity-defying as claimed but is in fact due to gravity coupled with minor influences from its geographical position and altitude.” We did experience the phenomenon and it’s worth the try if you are passing by.

Finally, at around 6pm after a long drive since morning, we reached Leh and we chose to visit the lake just at the entry of the town in search of some birds. Yes, we the birders are insane! Gadwalls, Garganeys, Coots, Mountain Chiffchaff, Citrine Wagtails welcomed us to Leh and soon after we called it a day and proceeded towards the town in search of Hotel Dorjee.

After searching for a while, we located the Dorjee guesthouse located in a small alley perpendicular to the main road. Initially, the guesthouse refused to acknowledge the booking and told he had no idea about the booking nor was he informed from the travel portal. Tiredness of the day long journey turned into anger and frustration; but after a small discussion he agreed to let out a room for us with additional beds for us to stay for the next couple of days (we booked through Agoda.com and faced no response when my friend contacted them).

Here, more than the issue what I would stress is that we need to be careful about where we do the bookings from and the validity of the sources (especially third party booking portals). Luckily, the accommodation was good and comfortable and we had no issues thereafter. The living room was a nice place to sit and have a chat or read a book. But the guesthouse doesn’t have parking space and it’s better to contact them directly for your booking. We chose to rest for the next complete day just roaming around Leh sightseeing (Thikse monastery) and relaxing as we had hectic days ahead. We also tried out the local cuisines like thukpa, momos, khambir, etc and also got ourselves t-shirts embroidered with the stitch of the critically endangered Black-necked Crane bird image hoping to wear it when we would go in search of it.

...to be continued!

J&K logs - Srinagar-Sonamarg-Dras

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Sun, 08 Nov 2015 17:30:00 +0000

J&K complete logs here.

With a lot of excitement and energy, me and Kannan landed at Srinagar airport after a long via flight from Bengaluru; and were not happy with the Go Air flight. We waited at the airport lounge itself for PK to arrive from Pune about an hour later as Amith was yet to reach.

Nothing much to say about Srinagar airport and the departure terminal hardly has anything for the visitors and being hungry we were gobbling up all the fast foods we had and PK had got some excellent chikki’s from Pune (in fact, varieties of them). After more than a couple of hours and the airport now almost closed, Amith finally came in tired crawling through the massive jams on the Jammu highway.

In terms of birding or wildlife, this would be a bumper trip for me as I would be sighting many of the species for the first time and that surely kept me excited and as it turned out by the end of the trip, I had almost 60+ new additions to my list.

Sparrows were all around the airport and so were the crows and we also managed sights of the Jackdaw and the Common Starling while on a tea break on the highway to Sonamarg. From Srinagar, we traveled to Sonamarg (about 100kms) where our stay at the army camp was arranged and the temperature dipping as the hour passed by. Reached the camp to a warm welcome and hot dinner exactly opposite to the chilling weather outside. Preparations were on at the camp for the Amarnath yatra that was scheduled to start off in a few weeks’ time.

Sonamarg camp is located away from the town, a tourist hot spot and relatively calm and peaceful. Early morning views were excellent and we ventured out for our first birding session along the highway. We went scouting in the nearby fields, streams and wherever possible and were rewarded with bounty sightings of Brown Dipper, Ibisbill (one of our prized catches), Rock Bunting, Russet Sparrow and a variety of Wagtails.

One thing to keep in mind is not to wander close to any army camp or their area, clad in birding attire (camouflage) holding the camera’s and stuff, you are bound to be questioned and chased off and if you resent, you may see a bullet or two whizz past you! That was just a warning and we did not face any such situations and to be honest the army folks were very helpful wherever we got a chance to interact with them.

After spending couple of good hours birding at Sonamarg and getting the vehicle checked, we proceeded towards Dras (about 70kms), and the journey was a very slow affair as we had to cross the dreaded ‘Zoji La’ (Zoji pass – ‘La’ means pass in many Himalayan languages) and also frequently stopping for sighting birds all along the way. The weather gods were good to us as we crossed the Zoji pass in our SX4 slowly and with caution enjoying the vistas the valleys had on offer but nevertheless to state, it’s a tricky pass to ride or drive on. Blue-whistling Thrush, Wagtail, European Goldfinch, Redstarts among others kept us occupied as we reached the Dras army camp by late-afternoon where our stay for the night was arranged and soon after we wandered off again towards Mushko valley in pursuit of some possible marked sightings.

The ride to Mushko valley was very scenic but on a narrow uphill path, enough for a vehicle to pass through and we were rewarded for our efforts with sightings of White-throated Dipper, Fire-fronted Serins and plenty of European Goldfinches along with the Common Rosefinches. On our way back, we also observed memorials (like water tanks, bus stops or just pillars) erected in memory of civilians killed during the Kargil war that brought back memories of the turbulent times the valley faced. Standing in front of the memorials and imagining an enemy shell or a rocket landing right next to us sent shivers through us as we progressed downhill to the highway and further on to the Kargil memorial site that I’ve written about here.

Back to the camp, we met up with some army officers who were inspiring to listen to and with the temperature dipping every second, it was a challenge standing out in the cold. Remember, Dras is the 2nd coldest inhabited place on earth. Our thoughts go out to those brave soldiers who have to survive in these tough conditions for the welfare of the rest of us. Hats off to them! The Dras army camp canteen has stark memories of the Kargil war in the form of holes in the walls, courtesy shells fired at the camp during the war. We retreated to our cozy beds (courtesy the thick multiple rasoi’s) with a jinxed mindset and thoughts running about the war, our trip and the valley people.

Next day, we would be traveling towards Leh…

Tiger, Tiger burning bright - It's time to save them right!

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Sun, 25 Oct 2015 12:15:00 +0000

Home to more than 70% of global tiger population, we sure have a far larger responsibility in ensuring their protection and survival. Tigers are apex predators and sit at the top of the food chain that implies saving one tiger saves an entire ecosystem!

How?
To illustrate in simple words, a tiger needs a territory (roughly about 100sq km forest area) and a good prey base (ungulates and other prey) to survive; and for the prey base to be abundant, the vegetation needs to be good and for that there should be no habitat destruction or human interference (like forest degradation, cattle grazing, habitat destruction, poaching). So, in short you end up saving a large piece of fertile forest, a lot of wild ungulates and countless other species that survive in that protected land…; all in all to save a tiger.

Also to state we are currently in a situation that can be aptly described as – ‘Now or Never’ and the threat of our future generations seeing tigers only in zoo’s is a genuine possibility unless we act.

So, how can a common man contribute in saving the apex predator…? (Is it just limited to posting rants or anger on social media... does that really help!)

Let’s see a few ways on how every individual can contribute to tiger conservation:
1. Education & Awareness – Before anything get yourself educated about the tiger, its behavior, feeding patterns, its habitat and all about it. That way, you would realize the importance of saving the tiger in particular and the habitat in large.

2. Social media influence – Spreading the word helps, but we need to careful and sensitive of what we are posting.

a. A Facebook post about a traffic violator inside a tiger reserve may reach large audiences and finally end up with the department intensifying their patrol.

b. Another Facebook post about a tiger death (without knowing its cause and reasons) may induce a lot of hatred and negativity on the social media (about the forest department or people involved) with no much significance and from people who would not even know what is that all about. (A ‘tiger death’ can be made out to be a very sensational news by opportunists).

c. Do not get carried away by some social media posts. Do your research, collect facts and then post your views. A social media post in anger can cause more harm than good.

d. Write articles or blogs about tiger conservation and submit them to newspaper, magazines and other media sources (but again, know the facts before it ends up in print).

3. Responsible tourist behavior – Be responsible and act judiciously.

a. While on a jungle safari, everyone wants to see a tiger…, but you need to be aware that wilderness has much more to offer and appreciate than only tigers.

b. As a visitor, respect the laws of jungle and not create havoc on not seeing anything.

c. Avoiding bright colored clothes and using plastic (please remember you are not on a picnic drive).

d. Discarding waste or plastic items in the jungle (again please note this may get consumed by many animals out there and may end up killing them).

e. Respect wildlife, do not tease or feed them.

f. Educate others – you might see people shouting or doing something wrong… speak to them and educate them, do not pick up a fight.

4. Watchful eyes and ears (to help curb poaching, illegal cutting and hunting).

a. Report any illegal activities to the forest office. We, as normal people can play an important role here.

b. Be alert while on treks or when inside the jungle, look out for snares or traps set up for poaching animals. Hear out for any distress calls of birds/animals, specifically in reserves where there is human presence.

5. Educate Kids in particular – they can be ambassadors for conservation work.

a. Kids can play an important role, sensitize them about the wildlife and its importance.

b. If possible, visit the fringe areas of a national park and interact with the local students and educate them. This can help a lot in managing human-animal conflicts in fringe areas.

c. Educate kids in your locality, school, apartments about wildlife and its importance. Take them out for a nature walk or a safari.

6. Educate locals – The locals who live around the national parks or sanctuaries are the most distressed lot due to human-animal conflicts.

a. Involve them in workshops and educate them about wildlife and its behavior -- Why would an elephant cross over from a forest to the field to graze? (food availability, degraded forest areas due to domestic cattle grazing, wood logging leading to loss of green cover, etc…)

b. Support them in times of need or crisis.

7. Volunteer – If possible, approach your local forest office and offer to volunteer for them in patrolling forest areas, picking up trash, conducting medical camps for the department staff, conducting camps for the children of the staff, contributing basic things for them, etc…

8. Financial support (to NGO’s as well as staff) – This probably is the easiest way, donate to someone who is doing the work and sit and relax!

a. Be wary of unknown setups as they may be portraying themselves but not doing anything worthwhile at ground level.

b. Research about the org/NGO you are about to donate, make a note of what are they doing and how are they contributing.

c. Follow up with them on the activities and action plan and results that come out of it.

9. Do not buy tiger or wildlife related products (tiger skins, tiger nails, Ivory etc…)

As an individual, we have many ways to contribute towards tiger/wildlife conservation – we just need to make up our mind and spare some time and we can contribute significantly in conservation of a prime species like the tiger that in turn saves a whole lot of other wildlife and a large piece of habitat for them and others to survive.

Aircel, has been championing the cause of tiger conservation since 2008 through its ‘Save our Tiger’ campaign and its commendable to laud a big telecom giant take the lead in such a wonderful cause for the benefit of wildlife, for the benefit of us.

They have been associated with WWF India, Wildlife Trust of India, NDTV & WCT and Sanctuary Asia in championing many projects for the conservation of tigers like support in providing basic infrastructures across the tiger reserves, conflict management plans across many reserves, the Save out Tigers telethon campaign, developing and deploying Rapid Response Units, and involving kids with a unique campaign called ‘Kids of Tigers’ in association with Sanctuary Asia.

You can read more about their projects here.

I am writing for “You Are The Power Of We”, campaign by Aircel as part of their continuing #AircelSaveOurTigers campaign and blogging contest. Each one of us can make a difference. So, go out and help save the roar!

About the author:

Traveling, wildlife photography, bird-watching, trekking, blogging are some of Santosh’s hobbies. He involves himself in conservation related activities. Participating in the Naturalist Training Program and the Volunteer Training Program have helped him appreciate a lot of small things in Nature and the need for conserving them.

J&K logs - some more landscapes

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Sun, 02 Aug 2015 18:19:00 +0000

It's been a year (June-July 2014) since I had been to J&K - Ladakh and my memory is still afresh with all the tripping we did and all the sightings we had throughout our two week sojourn from Srinagar to Ladakh and back to Srinagar.

In this post, I will just brief on the places we covered, more details will be shared in a later post.

Srinagar-Sonamarg-Drass-Mushko valley-Jozila pass-Leh-Khardungla-Panamik-Leh-Changla-Pangong lake-Karu-Chumathang-Tsumdo-Tsokar-Taglangla-Rumtse-Leh-Drass-Manasbahl-Srinagar-Dachigam-Srinagar

We (myself and Kannan) traveled by GoAir from Bengaluru-Srinagar via Mumbai (and return via Delhi) and were joined by PK (Prashanth) from Mumbai and Amit picked us up from Srinagar (he had flown in two days earlier to pick the car - SX4 that was to be our vehicle for the entire duration).

To start off, I would just share a few landscape shots (nothing excellent by any measure) that I was able to take throughout the journey. J&K is so beautiful that you just can't stop clicking, be the green valleys beyond srinagar that changes over to brown once you are in Ladakh region and the himalayas in the distant background and those stunning vistas you get to see at the high altitude lakes... everything is just so beautiful!

Also, to note J&K is the place where unrest is real and happening and Srinagar town has army presence everywhere...and sometimes you do get that eerie feeling seeing so many army people. Another thing I would mention is the presence of army camps all through the way from Srinagar and covers entire Ladakh region, you pass one and you get another... and the huge convoy of army trucks in those narrow hilly stretches.

Let me stop boring you and take you to the pictures... enjoy!

(many such fields and sights makes on wonder - why go elsewhere)

(the huge mountain ranges and home to some of the inhospitable army posts)

(glaciers, streams and mountains...)

(valleys, hills and mountains...)

(landslides...not a day without them!)

(Himalayan ranges as far as you can see!)

(snow...ice... sheets of them everywhere!)

Follow the entire J&K logs here...

J&K logs - Kargil war memorial!

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 18:15:00 +0000

On my last year's trip to Kashmir-Ladakh, one place that we didn't want to miss visiting was the 'Dras war memorial' (or Vijaypath) located in Dras, an the foothills of Tololing peak.

Across from there, you can see a glimpse of the Tiger hill and way beyond is the Siachen glacier peak, all strategic and important posts for India. This memorial is situated right on the Srinagar-Leh highway on NH1 and is hard to miss.

A must visit to pay your tributes to the brave soldiers and officers of the Indian Army who gave up their life fighting the Kargil war, something that should have never happened.

You get an eerie feeling passing through the NH1, Srinagar-Leh highway as the war happened right beside the highway on the hills like Tololing peak, Tiger hill from where the highway is clearly visible, I had goosebumps.

Back to the memorial, it has a huge epitaph with names of all officers and soldiers who laid down their lives in the war. There is a gallery beside, named after Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey, a Param Vir Chakra recipient - the highest military award honored who displayed extraordinary courage and leadership and laid down his life for the country, all at the age of 24.

The gallery houses pictures of soldiers marching on slopes, cooking food at high peaks, recovered arms from the intruders, celebrating victories and mourning deaths of fellow men. Going through the gallery, you cannot hold back not getting emotional and also wish there should be no war...!

Just can't imagine how the war was fought in hostile conditions, inclement weather and the enemy seated above in strategic places seeing all your moves. It requires nothing less than exemplary courage to move forward and charge being in the line of fire and we are blessed to have an army like that and apt are the words on the memorial says - "the martyred soldiers who gave their today for our tomorrow".

If you are ever passing through the place, please pay a visit and offer your tributes (and on my behalf too). Most of us do not even have an iota of idea as to how the army people manage critical posts, that are high altitude places almost in isolation, temperatures dipping way below zero, hostile weather and nobody to even talk except your partner with whom you would be manning the post for weeks or months at a stretch.

Imagine yourself locked up in a remote high altitude place in a bunker, unable to move out due to inclement weather and having to survive on packed foods for months with no communication with the outside world except for the communications with the base camp; and this for weeks or months together till you are swapped with another person who in most likely would have to trek up to the place with all necessary materials in his backpack...!

I can't describe anything beyond...! Let's respect our brave men who are sacrificing their today for our safe and better tomorrow.

P.S. the photos are not of good quality - never realized it!

Magadi lake - a conservation success story

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 07:30:00 +0000

Hello,

(a delight to watch... Bar-headed Goose)

I was so keen on sighting the Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus), that I took few others scanning lakes around Magadi, close to Bengaluru a couple of years ago in search of them and our efforts paid fruit when I could sight them at Markonahalli reservoir but at a very far distance. It was enough for me to glee that I was able to see the prolific travelers (they visit from as afar as Mongolia flying over the Himalayas...!)

Last year having heard more than enough of another 'Magadi (tank) lake'; this one near Gadag town in North Karnataka about 350kms from Bengaluru, that hosts more than 3000+ of the Bar-headed Goose every winter when they come visiting was enough to set me packing to go and witness it live.

(early morning high key images)

Saandip Nandagudi, prolific birder and wildlife photographer, Yogananda Thandra and comedy king Avinash Kannammanavar okay'd to accompany me and we drove down to Lakshmeshwar, about 350kms away and the closest town to the lake. We had contacted Somanna, the forest department temporary guard there for directions and accommodation options and he was of great help for us and one should accolade the hard work he puts in for the protection and conservation of the species for the entire period they stay here.

I am fond of North Karnataka style and varieties of food and an roadside eatery catered to our early morning pangs so much so that it set Saandip on fire because of the spices; well... I enjoyed it :) We stayed put at the PWD IB at Lakshmeshwar that is okay, a better choice would be a hotel near the bus stand that offers decent accommodation as well as food (hotel below and lodging on top) and the food was good while we stayed there.

'Toilets' and 'use of toilets' are something non-existent even today in many places and Magadi town is no exception to this and having a lake is like an attraction where many people openly defaecate in the early hours of the day. I'm stating this to highlight not only the good things but also the practical ground realities that exist and would see if visiting there.

(Brahminy Shelducks)

(they fly in formations...)

(typical landing amidst chaos...)

Getting back to the Geese's, they are called so because of the bars on their neck and are known for their long distance flying, all the way from Mongolia and other European regions to peninsular India crossing over the mighty Himalayas. They breed in the high altitude regions of Ladakh and China and fly down south to pass the harsh winters up north. Another intriguing as well as mind blowing fact about them is that they return to the same wintering hotspot year after year, retracing their path with the help of tailwinds and are capable of covering more than 1000 miles in a single stretch!!!

Their routine is very simple: As the dawn breaks, they all take off in batches with their 'honking' sound and disperse off the fields to feed on groundnuts, corn, rice and other crops and travel long distances in search of food. Sometime between 8-9 am, they all return back to the lake and spend the rest of the day in the lake. They repeat the feeding cycle once in the evening and congregate back by nightfall and prefer to spend the night in the middle of the lake, the deepest part to avoid predators and dogs.

(long distance flyers...)

Specific to Magadi lake, the forest department has done a commendable job in ensuring its protection and declaration as a conservation reserve. Mr Vijay Mohan Raj (VMR), IFS officer is one of the pioneers who played a role in conserving this lake. Somanna, the guard has been given a field scope by the North Karnataka Birders Assocn and a 3-tier watchtower is built by the department to keep a vigil over the lake and also to keep a track of the 'ringed' birds that come in every year. Somanna is keeping a log track of all the 'ringed' birds that visit the lake every year and the information is communicated back to the originator that helps in understanding a lot about the species and their lifestyle. Somanna once rescued a goose that was injured and nursed it back to health on his own with the help of a local vet and is happy that it joined the group back in good health; but his hard work needs to be recognized by the department and sufficient grants/privileges should be released to ensure he can sustain his family while working for conserving the lake and the species that visit them. If he moves on in search of greener pastures and more income, that would be a great loss for the lake and its visitors.

(Painted Stork in flight)

(Northern Shovelers in flight)

(pair of Indian Coursers from a nearby field)

Not only the Bar-headed Goose, we also saw a plentiful of other species such as Brahminy Ducks, Painted Storks, Egrets, Cormorants, Northern Shovelers, Indian Peafowl, Bonelli's Eagle's, Caspian Terns, Hume's Whitethroat and many others, epitomizing the fact that 'you save one species, a hundred more get saved with them'. We were also lucky to sight Indian Coursers in a field where we had wandered off losing our way.

I will list typically what to do and what not to do if you are visiting there:

Do reach the place early, in fact before dawn and position yourself closer to the banks (empower yourself with the knowledge of east direction)

Do sit still without movements till they feel comfortable in your presence

Do not move around like crazy or keep frittering around. A little discomfort... and off they go!

Patience and perseverance pays

Afternoon is hot, ideal to end morning session by 10am and return back for evening session by 3pm. Winters will be awfully cold in the morning, tendency to dip low.

Be a silent visitor and leave no traces of your visit.

Inform and report any unusual sightings to the guard over there. Try and collect more information about any ringed birds you see.

Other Information:

Magadi lake is in Magadi, a small village of Shirahatti Taluka in the district of Gadag. Lakshmeshwar town is 11kms from the lake and Gadag is 26kms from the lake. Bangalore is at a distance of 350+ kms and the road is good enough for a self drive and takes about 8hours.

Magadi (tank) lake houses the Magadi bird sanctuary and spread over 140 acres is a biodiversity hotspot and declared as an IBA (Important Bird Area).

Accommodation and Food at Lakshmeshwar (PWD IB or a local hotel near bus stand)

Time to visit: November to February

(difficult to catch loner in a frame...)

(end of a long day...)

Also, please read these blog written on and about the same place...
Saandip Nandagudi's blog
Yashpal's blog
Dr Arun's article on JLRexplore

#LiveLodgycal by BlogAdda

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 06:30:00 +0000

Cars have always fascinated for me and I try to keep myself updated with the happenings in the auto world and the dream of a LandRover still races in my head. So when Harish called me for an event at Goa and having been part of the last event for Tata Zest, I confirmed my participation without a delay. I got to know it was an event by Renault India for their newly launched MPV, the Renault Lodgy. What was more exciting for me was the prospect of meeting several bloggers of various genre’s and spending 2 days with them, that was something I didn’t want to let go off…

Unlike the last event, this one was to be for two days and I had just two things in minds, connect with people and have a fun time and well, I truly lived up to it :)

(L-R --> Ankita, Ankita, Tridib, Sushma from blogadda; Harish is missing here)

I truly appreciate the team of Harish, Ankita Vadhel, Ankita Banerjee, Sushma & Tridib at BlogAdda who took our feedback from earlier events and truly bought in those changes that ensured we had a pretty good time with a mix of leisure, fun, activities and purpose. Three cheers team, you guys are rocking the blog-o-sphere.

We were grouped into teams much before our arrival and the teams would compete in doing some activities that had prizes up for grabs. We were hosted at ‘The Leela, Mobor, Goa’ for the two days we stayed there. The property is huge and sprawling and caters to the elite class with a range of rooms and suites that cater to your taste and needs. The lobby itself was a huge sprawling hall and we were received cordially by the staff followed by the registration and welcome shakes from the Renault India and the BlogAdda team.

(our deluxe suite at The Leela, Goa)

Networking started from the airport itself where I met the Bengaluru brigade, about 12 of us, people from different genres of blogging and traveling on the same aircraft helped. Prashanth, Vamshi, Piyush, Giri, Parineeta, Madhumita, Thakker brothers (Nirav & Prateek), Jobo and Ankit were some of the bloggers whom I met with at the airport.

RJ Archana from Radio Mirchi, Mumbai was the host for the event who kept the bloggers involved through discussions, talk and fun. That was followed by the talk and presentations from the Renault India team briefing us about the history of the company, the making and all about the product. Well, they were glad to have us there and we all were more than excited. I finally met up with our team that had myself, Parineeta, Tina Acharya and Omkar Thakur (both from Mumbai) and we came up with a name for the team at the last moment… called #OrganisedChaos! (We lived up to the name being organized in the tasks and created good amount of chaos at the event).

(Team #OrganisedChaos)

Monsoon time and rains were evident all through the 3 days right from bloggers from Mumbai getting stuck in bad rain traffic to the rains lashing Goa through the two days of the event and it was fun driving around, lazing or at the beach.

(photos by Renault India team during the event)

(photo by BlogAdda team)

The next day was the day of the ride, filled with multiple tasks for the teams to complete and the twitter was abuzz with #LiveLodgycal, so much so that it was one of the top trending topics, power of bloggers you see! We drove up to The Lalit, about 35kms away for lunch and some video bytes shooting by the Renault India team and drove back to The Leela by evening. All of us shared the driving and photo sessions were multiple throughout the day. It was fun discussing various topics, completing the tasks and importantly the drive through scenic roads of Goa.

Since @ankita_vadhel was keeping a close eye on me, I just hide a small breakfast today @blogadda #LiveLodgycal pic.twitter.com/iMkDmOXxv0
— Dr Roshan R (@pythoroshan) June 21, 2015

The evening after the drive was much livelier with few bloggers sharing their experiences of their blogging journey and some of them were truly inspiring stuff to listen to. Post this was ‘complete energetic chaos’ for the next few hours as the number one band in Goa, Forefront took center stage and the dance floor was occupied by ‘spirited’ bloggers, dancing away to glory, truly living a bloggers life, celebrating an eventful day (Neha stole the show churning out some wonderful songs). I and few others also contributed to the high spirits dancing away to glory at the dinner plates and snoring away to glory much before the ‘spirited party’ came to an end.

Here's a small fun video I made of the party...

The BIGGEST PARTY OF THE bloggers is happening at #Livelodgycal here. pic.twitter.com/3q6mtuQ9pU
— BlogAdda (@blogadda) June 20, 2015

Through the event, I met up with Senthil, Dr Roshan, , Ayan, Deepak, Manjulika, Ankit, Rutavi, Sharon, Ragini, Ashwin, Sourabh and many others from different parts of India who had all come to experience the #LiveLodgycal way of life.

Yes, @cgiridhar, I do have a shot of yours! :) With Friends. #Bonus. #LiveLodgycal @blogadda pic.twitter.com/en5mEEhHwC
— Atul Sabnis (@atulsabnis) June 22, 2015

(with @payaniga Prashanth and Giri, @cgiridhar)

#LiveLodgycal @blogadda @payaniga @Harishk please have some points for last comers too... :) pic.twitter.com/IXQQxeKFg1
— Santosh (@santosh_bs) June 20, 2015

Isn't this awesome? Power of bloggers and power of blogging! #Livelodgycal #CelebrateBlogging https://t.co/dAMY7whX7e
— BlogAdda (@blogadda) June 19, 2015

I and Prashanth were up early and the rains couldn’t stop us from venturing to the beach, joined later by Giri and Vamshi in contradiction to others who were still lazing around trying to overcome the overnight spirits. We had heavy fun at the beach enacting few plays, captured them, edited, loaded and shared with fellow bloggers at the event nicknamed as the ‘Beach buggies’ series of videos, all done on our OnePlus One mobile devices, such is the power of the mobile device nowadays.

I leave you to watch them and please share them if you like it.

We were back at the breakfast table to hog before our flight but a delayed flight ensured we had more time than wanted to spend at The Leela and we finally made to the airport after hogging lunch and bidding goodbye to the fellow bloggers who were returning on different flights. It was a well-orchestrated event with loads of fun, laughter, sharing, networking, knowledge, activities and most importantly driving around the new Renault Lodgy.

I had a jolly good time meeting a lot of new bloggers and having awesome fun along with it and true to our team name, we created organised chaos and emerged as the top team to help ourselves to an iPad each, #OrganisedChaos.

I made a short video collage of the entire event, please have a look...

If you want to look at more photos from the event, please head to Renault India Facebook album here or the BlogAdda Facebook album here.

And, also do read the experience posts of these fellow bloggers.
BlogAdda post on their blog here
Dr Roshan
Piyush
Ankit Jain
Giri

I was a part of the #LiveLodgycal Drive by BlogAdda.com in association with Renault India.

The new ‘big boy’ in town - Renault Lodgy

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 18:30:00 +0000

Disclaimer: The entire opinion showcased here is my ‘own’ and I was part of the 40 blogger contingent that met up for the #LiveLodgycal drive at Goa hosted by blogadda sponsored by Renault India.

Renault, the French auto giant has the Pulse, Scala, Duster, Fluence, Koleos (in order of their price) lineup of models in India and the fact is that other than Duster, none of the others have anything to boast in terms of numbers sold or popularity and in this scenario, now comes the Lodgy, the new MPV (big boy) in town comparing against the likes of the Maruti Ertiga, Honda Mobilio, Toyota Innova, Mahindra Xylo, a MPV segment jammed with many competitors, a product Renault is hoping to work for them and to repeat the success of the Duster. There has been none to beat the Innova till now… well, I said ‘till now’.

(picture by Renault India team during the event)

First thing first, you spark the Renault Lodgy to life and it’s pretty hard to accept that it is a diesel vehicle you are seated in. I was surprised to hear it could do 0-100 in flat 12 seconds, faster than any of the competition here.

Look & Feel: The Lodgy name itself sounds a little odd to me though and it’s a big vehicle on appearance and is cleverly concealed when viewed from certain angles. Look wise, it’s not a head turner and looks boxy from the rear (but better than the Innova or the Xylo). Lot of chrome is used on the exteriors and interiors, something liked in a market like India though! The interiors are very practical and appear pleasing to the eye. Plastic quality is good and sturdy and many bits are carried over from the Duster. The seats are cushioned well and provide ample comfort. Overall, you feel good in a Lodgy.

Interiors: First thing you notice is the cabin is very airy and well-lit owing to the large glasses all around. Plenty of storage spaces, be it on the dashboard or the seat pockets, the door pockets or the arm rests. Reading lamps for all three rows and charging sockets too. Overall, appeared to be good and looks long-lasting. Small gear level, neatly laid out layout, practical dashboard, cruise control buttons and steering mounted audio controls are some of the eye-catching features that you notice instantly.

Ride & Handling: I only got the chance to drive the 100ps variant and it cruises above 2000rpm, below which it lags and needs frequent downshift of gears. Overtaking on highways is an easy task and exceptionally low noise levels inside the cabin. The ride quality is good across roads and many a time I didn’t feel like driving a big vehicle, a completely small-car like drivability. Really, need to test it out on a ‘long drive’ to be able to tell the steering response and confidence of handling this ‘big boy’ on the faster highways.

(picture by Renault India team during the event)

Space: Well, the biggest news is here. Owning a Xylo that’s massive on space, no other vehicle came close to that in offering space to all 3 rows of seats till now, but the Lodgy dispels that to an extent, albeit not entirely to my satisfaction. I couldn’t just digest the fact that the 2nd row seats are fixed. (Just imagining the scenario where I remove the 3rd row seat altogether and have 4 tall people with some luggage, translating it means more space for the luggage than the people itself).

#LiveLodgycal @blogadda @knithaurs @tina_acharya @GodsentEvil @RenaultIndia... The interiors of the Lodgy... pic.twitter.com/oXqkrShqHc
— Santosh (@santosh_bs) June 20, 2015

Surprisingly, the 3rd row seats are ‘usable’ (far better than others in the MPV segment but not yet close to the Xylo) and can seat 2 adults or 3 kids or 1adult+2kids. You remove the 3rd row seat altogether and fold up the 2nd row seat to reveal a massive storage space. With all seats up, you find less space and can fit in 1 medium suitcase plus a couple smaller ones. Still, it’s pretty decent on space and comfort.

#LiveLodgycal with plush captain seats which add luxurious comfort to every drive: http://t.co/herF0pjoPg pic.twitter.com/g8IsnHcb1V
— Renault India (@RenaultIndia) June 14, 2015

Pricing: Slotted bang in middle of the Ertiga and the Innova, this big boy has it spot-on and capable of moving people away from Ertiga/Mobilio on being more practical and usable and from the Innova on being more faster, refined, drivable and cheaper buy a good 500 thousand rupees. But, it can’t match the confidence an Innova evokes even at speeds of 150kms.

To summarize, I would list my pros and cons as below…

Pros:

Pleasure to drive above 2000rpm on the highways (I’m generally seen on the highways, you see)

Superb drive quality and zero noise

ABS standard on all variants

Very airy cabin with ample light seeping in (feels good to me)

6 speed shift on the 110ps variant (I miss it on my Xylo)

Rear large windows completely roll down

All 3 rows get AC vents and charging points (only on the top variant though)

Usable 3rd row seats (yes, I repeat usable for adults)

Plenty of small storage spaces (but front door pockets are small)

Massive luggage space when the 3rd row is completely removed and offers multiple combinations to suit all

Smart lever to tumble the middle row seat (not clumsy nor hard)

Cons:

Fixed middle row seat (how can they do that!) and limited middle row legroom (especially for tall people)

No dead pedal and the clutch pedal tad small for my liking

The indicator levers on the left side of the steering (It’s takes a long time to get used to it, not to my liking though)

Overall, it would not be wrong to say that Lodgy is a good vehicle to own, a firm competition to the ageing Innova at a lesser price and is an overall good package.

Test it and go for it!

(picture by Renault India team during the event)

Finally, it leads me to one point – ‘how about after sales & service’... well, only time can tell!

If you are looking for a detailed review, then go nowhere else than this review on team-bhp.

I was a part of the #LiveLodgycal Drive by BlogAdda.com in association with Renault India.

Keep up the fresh air with ambi pur!

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 17:15:00 +0000

Well, I generally don’t do reviews but hell yeah, I need to tell how do I overcome that stinking odour of soiled clothes or shoes after coming back from a long travel or a trek (or, it could be me too…J)

Rains and outings go hand in hand for me and how welcomed are you coming back with a bag full of wet clothes with that smelly odour…?

Many a times, the socks get over utilized, i.e., remains unchanged for days and by the time I’m back they would have started crying and farting, smelling like shit… and my mom gives me that customary unkind stare as soon as the odour enters the house… well!

The rucksack holding all the items bears the brunt and is smeared with all kind of odour from the contents and more so especially if you have wet clothes and stinking shoes packed sometimes smells like a garbage bin with varieties of smell all packed in one bag.

Well, the above doesn’t mean I’m like this every time (hell no!) or come back stinking from where ever I go (I’m not smelly dude!)… but these do happen sometimes.

These are odours that I contribute to sometime but we also do come across many like…

A house full of visiting friends or families and that one sly person who farts unnoticed and the whole room stinks and then starts the infamous blame games… isn’t it :)

A heavy dose of garlic being prepared at the neighbor’s house or a food item with an aroma that you can’t stand… and they sneak their way into your house making you dizzy…

A very hot day blessed with power cuts and sweaty people… that’s a combination that you would want to run away from…

An unpleasant odour from somewhere hitting on your nostrils and you are just not able to locate the source, that finally reveals a dead rat in a secretive corner of your compound wall that had set you on a ‘find-that-smellysource’ mission.

I tried out the ‘Ambi Pur Air effects’, blossom and breeze air freshener that I got hold of recently. Not a regular user of any kind of bottled sprays and always put off by the mosquito repellant used, I was skeptical of using it till the first press of the nozzle.

The fragrance is light and not heavy (my nostrils are very sensitive to these artificial smells and starts crying immediately) and importantly not irritating.Back from Goa with a pair of wet, smelly clothes (well, I kept them to rot to test this…) and one use of the freshener instantly got rid of the smelly odour in the room from the wet clothes.

The bottle is sturdy and the nozzle and sprayer doesn’t feel cheap. I just read it’s imported from Thailand and well I would say, worth a try (especially for those who use a air freshener everyday).

I am blogging for #SmellyToSmiley activity at BlogAdda.com in association with Ambi Pur

Andamans - final part

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Sun, 17 May 2015 16:44:00 +0000

Read the earlier post here...

In the last post, I had showcased images of some of the birds we could see on our trip. Continuing that in this post, I will few more images not only restricted to birds but also covering landscapes, butterflies and some generic.

Hope to have your attention :)

Also adding few notes to help the travelers out there who intend to explore the island for some birding and travel.

Notes:
> We traveled by Air from Chennai to Port Blair and return in the same way. Blr-Chennai was covered by Shatabdi express train. Taking a stopover flight from Blr-Portable would be ideal if a good airfare offer is on.

> Standard taxi fares in Port Blair (irrespective of vehicle size and make), so chose a bigger vehicle for space and flexibility. Rates are fixed for destinations and day long hires costs are also fixed, roughly about 2500/- when we went in 2013.

> We stayed at Hotel Aparupa that is a budget hotel and mind you budget hotel fares start only from about 1500+ tax for a small and simple double room. Food is extra.

> Only two (if I'm not wrong) 'vegetarian' hotels in Port Blair and are little expensive. In general, most of the decent hotels are expensive. Don't expect non-veg food to be cheap, they are equally expensive.

> Port Blair, being an island is very small and houses most of the facilities that you would need on your trip with the airport and the harbor.

> Rates compared to any other tourism places is on the higher side and you will definitely feel it if you are traveling on your own.

> Havelock Island is by far the most popular and the touristy island, renowned for its world famous Radhanagar beach, that we visited and sure is one of the best in the world.

> Havelock Island and Chidiyatapu are the locations for scuba diving, the former preferred more, but we did it in Chidiyatapu and enjoyed it. Read it here.

> Ross Island, Viper Island, Small Andamans, Neil island are some of the important islands on the tourist circuit.

> Cellular Jail in Port Blair, Caves at Ross Island, Sunset at Havelock are some of the places/activities not to be missed.

> Vikram Shil was our guide who is a localite and knows the locations very well and is the preferred person by any individual/group visiting. He is generally booked well in advance and can be reached on +91 9434262681

> Please remember, nature can play havoc anytime it wants to and could be in the form of cyclones, tsunami or dull, cloudy days. Any amount of planning or precaution may or may not work in your favor and keeping calm and having spare days on hand is ideal.

> Again, the airport / port functions if the weather is ideal, else you are 'stuck' there till the conditions turn favorable.

> Sun rises very early here and sets very early. So, at 6pm you are staring at pitch darkness and at 5am you have bright sunshine.

> Birding in general is difficult as the canopies are very high and light reaching the base is very less and in some places nil. The birding is mostly from the roads or near marshes and not many trails inside.

> You may see snakes, birds, butterflies but sighting the big mammals is very difficult considering how dense the forests are, in fact there are no big cats in the Islands.

> Narcondam Hornbill is a bird every birder would have on his wishlist, but unfortunately the island is a no-go with permissions not given to visit as it's a secured location. Nicobar islands hold many gems and again visiting them is practically difficult and permissions, very hard to obtain.

Below is a video of the nature's wrath we felt, cyclone Lehar unleashing its fury. Sadly, no news of Andaman & Nicobars is considered worth to be of national news importance and hardly shown in the mainstream media.

Below are other images that I was able to get through my visit to the islands.

(Light availability is difficult in many places)

(boundaries are only for man!)

(Andaman Tree Nymph, a very delicate butterfly that glides)

(Brown Shrike, this is a subspecies of the mainland visitor that visits this region)

(An un-id'd snake, found it crossing the road in the evening)

(Blue-tailed bee-eater, again a subspecies that visits this region)

(White-breasted Woodswallow, found only in the Havelock Island)

(Andaman Monitor Lizard, unexpected catch from the mangroves)

(Eastern Jungle Crow)

(A couple enjoying the sunset at Radhanagar beach, Havelock Island)

That's it from me folks for now :)

Capturing Wildlife moments - by Ashok Mahindra

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Sun, 10 May 2015 18:00:00 +0000

Capturing Wildlife moments - A coffee table book by Ashok Mahindra

I have glanced through many books and quite a lot of them are either too monopolistic (focusing only on one subject like the tiger or the elephant) or too dramatic (some carry more photos of the people than wildlife itself)..., but this book caught my attention with varied subjects being showcased right from a common sparrow to the very elusive Malayan Giant Squirrel. This for me in itself speaks about the intent of this book that is aptly described by the author, Ashok Mahindra as below…

“My endeavor as a photographer is to encourage people to care for all threatened species – from the smallest insects to the biggest cats – before it is too late”.

Let me highlight some of the strong points from my viewpoint about this book…

1. Malayan Giant Squirrel, Himalayan Black Bear, Hoolock Gibbon, Wild Buffallo, Stump-tailed Macaque, Pallas’s Fish Eagle, Gharials representation with descriptions is the winning point of this book.

2. Mangrove roots, Termite mounds, Trees of Kanha & Bandhavgarh along with some behavioral descriptions and illustrations caught my attention that emphasizes the importance of everything in the wild, be it big or small, be it flora or fauna.

3. The lesser fauna (to the large sect of people) representation such as the frogs, butterflies, spiders, gecko along with their behavioral description is sure to hold the reader’s attention providing them insights into many forms of life that they would have been ignorant about.

4. The big mammals like the tigers, elephants, lions, leopards, rhino with some interesting facts and stories about them fill the dominant part of the book.

5. Pictorial representation of common species like the cormorant, sparrow, kingfisher, painted stork is sure a differentiator from many books that tend to overlook them.

6. Some of the images are stories by themselves like the couple of rich landscape photos or some of those individual tiger frames or the photos showcasing elephant behaviors.

7. The Thirteen ways forward conceptualized by Ashok Mahindra effectively summaries the current situation we are in and what needs to be done.

8. The author has covered a large portion of the wildlife inhabited areas in India ranging from Dachigam in Kashmir to Valapari in Tamil Nadu and from Gir in Gujarat to Kaziranga in Assam that speaks about the voluminous effort put in and it’s very likely this collection is over a period of many years of traveling the wild in India.

What I felt could have been better in the book was the layout formation and more emphasis on certain text (highlights in a paragraph) and inclusion of scientific names would have added more value.

For a nature lover, seeing wildlife is complete bliss and taking the effort to compile them and add substantial information about their status, behavior, distribution, threats is itself an accomplishment worth accolades.

Overall, a good coffee table book to read through that conveys a very strong message and hopes to inspire the young Indian generation in conserving what is left of the natural resources.

"This post is a part of the book review program of at Saevus Wildlife India in association with The Hemchand Mahindra Foundation for the book Capturing Wildlife Moments in India"

Andamans birding

noreply@blogger.com (Santosh Bs) — Sun, 12 Apr 2015 06:25:00 +0000

Day 1 - Scuba diving at Chidiyatapu
Day 2 - Jirkatang road birding
Day 3 - wash out due to Lehar cyclone
Day 4 - Chidiyatapu birding trails and local harbour
Day 5 - Chidiyatapur trails and Sippy ghat
Day 6 - Havelock Island
Day 7 - Jirkatang road birding
Day 8 - Corbyn's Cove and departure

In short, this was the summary of our week long birding and wildlife trip to the Andaman islands of which two full days were lost due to the Lehar cyclone that hampered the weather, our plans and made us miss quite a few species that were otherwise had to be seen.

Tsunami had a devastating effect on these islands and the proofs of that are still evident today with numerous localities lost and some tracts of land lost forever to the might of the sea/ocean. Lehar cyclone came in unexpected and hit with greater impact than expected (was expected to be a passing one with the impact being a gloomy half day with some showers) and Mount Harriet and Havelock islands bore most of the severity of the cyclone.

We thought of cancelling and pulling out mid way but when the cyclone hits the islands, all services are disrupted and importantly the air services are cancelled for the days till the impact reduces. So, in short we were stuck on the island and had to bear the gloomy days. Being positive thinkers and having planned and spent, we decided to complete our trip to the T and then return as per our schedule. Photography wise, it was not very fulfilling but sighting the species through your eyes and binoculars were rewarding enough.

Overall, birding in Andamans is no easy job, there are no definite trails as such and most of the forest birding happens from the road. Jirkatang trail is a traffic magnet as this road passes through the Jarawa reserve that has restricted timeline and the vehicles are always in a hurry to cover that stretch. Early mornings and early evenings are the order of the day which means early morning birding is the best bet and evening sessions would be short and a bit tricky. Darkness sets in very fast and you need to spend long evenings everyday.

Added to all the above, the vegetation in Andaman and Nicobar islands are tropical rain forests and the trees compete with each other in growing tall and at many places, the sun barely gets a chance to reach the ground that means light is quite tricky for birding. Species wise, almost all that you see in this region are either new for you (if you are visiting for the first time) or are subspecies of the mainland species. So, it's like you need to make a note of everything you see including the most common ones too as you never know for tomorrow they may be classified as a new species in itself.

For us, Chidiyatapu and Jirkatang was the best trails in terms of species seen as we got to see the Anadaman Woodpecker, Andaman Drongo, Andaman Bulbul, Andaman Serpent Eagle, Andaman Scops Owl, Andaman Cuckoo Dove, Violet Cuckoo, Andaman Nightjar, Andaman Shama, Andaman Hawk Owl, Andaman Treepie, Andaman Teal, Olive-backed Sunbird, White-headed Starling and many more species.

I'll add below a few species that I could document for you guys out there to see and enjoy from the Andaman islands. Please note they are nowhere close to good but yet want to showcase what we got to see.

(pair of Changeable Hawk Eagle)

(Andaman Coucal)

(Andaman Woodpecker, most commonly seen)

(Andaman Treepie, always prefers to be inside...)

(Red-breasted Parakeet and the moon)

(Crested Serpent Eagle, Andaman subspecies)

(Andaman / Sunda Teal, their numbers have gone down after the Tsunami)

(Collared Kingfisher, Andaman subspecies, the most common Kingfisher seen here)

(Hume's Hawk Owl, Andaman speciality)

(Andaman Hawk Owl, another Andaman speciality)

(Violet Cuckoo, one of the most colorful birds)

(Andaman Cuckoo Dove, another Andaman specialty)

(Blue-eared Kingfisher)

(this was being chased about by the bully Stork-billed Kingfisher)

I'll try and fit in shots of landscape, butterflies and few more birds in the next post.

Till then... Adios!