Wanderlust

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Fri, 05 May 2017 06:12:00 +0000

Blue pansy - dry season form

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 03:47:00 +0000

Got this rare shot of the female blue mormon, nectering on hibiscus. What a gorgeous contrast of orange and yellow underside , to the blue upperside. Made my day!!

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 03:38:00 +0000

Found many of these blue mormons fluttering on the flowers in Lonavala. This picture is my favourite shots as the blue and white of the wings make a lovely contrast with the dark background.

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 09:50:00 +0000

Highlights of visit to Banerghatta National Park, Bangalore

Royal Bengal Tiger

Count my teeth!

King Cobra

Rock Python - shedding

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 11:46:00 +0000

Coorg

Coffee blossoms

Cavery nisargadham

Abbi Falls

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:49:00 +0000

From Banergatta national park

Jacaranda in full bloom
Lime nectering
Lime Butterfly

Crimson rose

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 08:22:00 +0000

Backyard Flowers

Desi Gulab - stuff of which gulkand is made

Tamanah- State flower of Maharashtra

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 03:47:00 +0000

Common Evening Brown - Found this fellow on my celing fan last evening :-)

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:18:00 +0000

Phansad yet again ......

Anjani

Bogenvelia

Creasted Serpent Eagle

Nightjar

Towering trees in devrai

Jungle Path

Network of Lianas Real knots

A liana is a woody climber that starts at ground level, and uses trees to climb up to the canopy where it spreads from tree to tree to get as much light as possible. Lianas are especially characteristic of tropical moist deciduous forests and rainforests. These climbers often form bridges between the forest canopy, connect the entire forest and provide arboreal animals with paths across the forest.

Leopard claws on the bark

Gecko

Tree frog (on a curtain rod)

Dragonfly

Red wattled lapwing

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 06:10:00 +0000

Satara, Maynai

Black winged stilt- Mayani bird sanctuary, Satara

Black Drongo, Satara
Semul or silk cotton tree flowering
View from Ajinkyatara fort, Satara

Jacaranda blooms, Satara

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 05:17:00 +0000

Wanderings in and around Mumbai.....
Signature spider

Giant wood spider

Handmaiden moth

Common wanderer

Baronate UP and UN

Lemon Pansy UP

White bellied sea eagle

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 08:15:00 +0000

Glimpses of my African Safari 11th- 17th August 2007

An impressive animal, the King of the Jungle , though i think the tiger looks and behaves more majestically and evokes much more awe and respect.this fellow was keeping an eye on the lioness who was lying near by dozing in the sun.since the pair was sitting in a burnt stretch of grass it gave a nice contrating background for photos. other wise their colour easily blends with the savanah grass and does not make them distinct.Unusually for a cat, lions hunt together. Groups of female lions typically bring down prey, mostly large ungulates.

The mane of the male lion, unique amongst cats, is one of the most distinct characteristics of the species. The presence, absence, color, and size of the mane is associated with sexual maturity, climate and testosterone production. Research in Tanzania suggests mane darkness correlates to nutrition and testosterone, and that mane length signals fighting success in male-male relationships; darker-maned individuals may have longer reproductive lives and higher offspring survival, although they suffer in the hottest months of the year. It is possible that lionesses more actively solicit mating with heavily maned lions in prides led by a coalition of 2 or 3 males.

Female lions hunt in groups, usually hunt at night or dawn. Lion prey consists mainly of large mammals, with a preference for wildebeests, impalas, zebras, buffalos, giraffes, and warthogs. Lionesses do most of the hunting; males attached to prides do not usually participate, except in the case of large animals such as buffalo. In group hunts, each lioness has a favored position in the group, either stalking prey on the "wing" then attacking, or moving a smaller distance in the centre of the group and capturing prey in flight from other lionesses.

Lions do not mate at any specific time of year, and the females are polyestrous. Like other cats, the male lion's penis has spines which point backwards. Upon withdrawal of the penis, the spines rake the walls of the female's vagina, which may cause ovulation.During a mating bout, which could last several days, the couple frequently copulate twenty to forty times a day and are likely to forgo hunting. In captivity, lions reproduce very well.The average gestation period is around 110 days, the female giving birth to a litter of one to four cubs. Lionesses in a pride will synchronize their reproductive cycles so that they cooperate in the raising and suckling of the young, who suckle indiscriminately from any or all of the nursing females in the pride.
Huge ear lobes, resembling the map of the african continent. both male and female have tusks as against the ones in India where only the males bear tusks. we saw them in herds, protecting their young , having a bath, dusting themselves with mud and moving about in leisure. aptly a member of the BIG FIVE
Females (cows) reach sexual maturity at around 9–12 years of age and become pregnant for the first time, on average, around age 13. They can reproduce until ages 55–60. Females give birth at intervals of about 5 years. Their gestation (pregnancy) period lasts about 22 months (630–660 days), the longest gestation period of any mammal, after which typically one calf is born.A newborn calf usually stands within one hour and is strong enough to follow its mother in a slowly moving herd within a few days. Unlike most mammals, female elephants have a single pair of mammary glands located just behind the front legs. When born, a calf is about 90 cm (3 ft) high, just tall enough to reach its mother's nipples. African elephant calf sucklingA calf suckles with its mouth, not its trunk, which has no muscle tone. To clear the way to its mouth so it can suckle, the calf will flop its trunk onto its forehead. Newborn calves learn mainly by observing adults, not from instinct. For example, a calf learns how to use its trunk by watching older elephants using their trunks.All members of the tightly knit female group participate in the care and protection of the young. Since everyone in the herd is related, there is never a shortage of baby-sitters. Camoflage at its best. This cheetah was eyeing a herd of gazelle on the other side of the vehicle track. he had the nerve to cross the track with a dozen combis and get hold of this gazelle and bring it down. when we reached the place the cheetah was busing gorging on its kill. the antelope, the cheetah and the grass were so very well blended that we took a while to notice them just in front of the combi by the track.

The Cheetah is a carnivore, eating mostly mammals under 40 kilograms (90 lb), including Thomson's gazelles, Grant's gazelles, springboks and impalas. The young of larger mammals such as wildebeests and zebras are taken at times, adults, too, when the cats hunt in groups.The Cheetah thrives in areas with vast expanses of land where prey is abundant. The Cheetah prefers to live in an open biotope, such as semi-desert, prairie, and thick brushWhile the other big cats mainly hunt by night, the Cheetah is a diurnal hunter. It hunts usually either early in the morning or later in the evening when it is not so hot, but there is still enough light.

Prey is stalked to within 10-30 metres (30-100 ft), then chased. This is usually over in less than a minute, and if the Cheetah fails to make a catch quickly, it will give up. The Cheetah has an average hunting success rate of around 50% - half of its chases result in failure.The Cheetah kills its prey by tripping it during the chase, then biting it on the underside of the throat to suffocate it, for the Cheetah is not strong enough to break the necks of the four-legged prey it mainly hunts. The bite may also puncture a vital artery in the neck. Then the Cheetah proceeds to devour its catch as quickly as possible before the kill is taken by stronger predators.

Huge nile crocodile basking in the sun at masai mara. we got off our combis an walked in the scorching sun to take a look at them and the hippos. Wide habitat preferences, reflecting their success and distribution- e.g. lakes, rivers, freshwater swamps, brackish water. Although the juveniles are generally restricted to eating small aquatic invertebrates and insects, they soon move onto larger vertebrates (fish, amphibians and reptiles). Adults, however, can potentially take a wide range of large vertebrates, including antelope, buffalo, young hippos, and large cats. When feeding, a number of individuals will hold onto a carcass with their powerful jaws whilst twisting their bodies. The anchorage provided by the other individuals allows large chunks to be torn off for easier swallowing.

Beauties standing tall The Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) is a bird in the crane family Gruidae. It occurs in dry savannah in Africa south of the Sahara, although it nests in somewhat wetter habitats.The Grey Crowned Crane has a breeding display involving dancing, bowing, and jumping. It has a booming call which involves inflation of the red gular sac. It also makes a honking sound quite different from the trumpeting of other crane species.

True to its name this starling is a real beauty. found in ample numbers all over the place we stopped to admire its glistening blue green mantle every time we lay our eyes on it.

The Sangrouse that lives in the dry arid regions of africa , has an interesting characteristic. finding water in these area is difficult and the bird ahs to fly long distance before it can get any. when it lands near a puddle or water hole it partly immerses itself into the ater such that its belly feathers get wet. These feathers are not oily and hence can absorb the water. This done it flies back to its chicks and showers them with the life giving water.

Supple and healthy antelopes seen only in Samburu. they posses razor sharp formidable antlers which if used in a fight can pierce through the heart.All oryx species prefer near-desert conditions and can survive without water for long periods. They live in herds of up to 600 animals. Newborn calves are able to run with the herd immediately after birth. Both males and females possess permanent horns. The horns are narrow, and straight . The horns are lethal—the oryx has been known to kill lions with them—and oryxes are thus sometimes called the sabre antelope.
Pelicans are large birds with enormous, pouched bills and long wings. Group fishing: used by white pelicans all over the world. They will form a line to chase schools of small fish into shallow water, and then simply scoop them up. Large fish are caught with the bill-tip, then tossed up in the air to be caught and slid into the gullet head first. Pelicans are gregarious and nest colonially, the male bringing the material, the female heaping it up to form a simple structure. Pairs are monogamous for a single season but the pair bond extends only to the nesting area; mates are independent away from the nest .

You will often see them standing like this alternatively head to rump. all black and white stripes , seen from a distance, a predator cat finds it difficult to sperate out an individual. one would think the black and white colour makes them strikingly stand out. so this is the denfense stattegy they have evolved - their is protection in numbers surely!the stripes act as a camouflage mechanism. This is accomplished in several ways. First, the vertical striping helps the zebra hide in grass. While seeming absurd at first glance considering that grass is neither white nor black, it is supposed to be effective against the zebra's main predator, the lion, which is color blind. Theoretically a zebra standing still in tall grass may not be noticed at all by a lion. Additionally, since zebras are herd animals, the stripes may help to confuse predators - a number of zebras standing or moving close together may appear as one large animal, making it more difficult for the lion to pick out any single zebra to attack. A herd of zebras scattering to avoid a predator will also represent to that predator a confused mass of vertical stripes travelling in multiple directions making it difficult for the predator to track an individual visually as it separates from its herdmates. The Northern White Rhinoceros is one of the two subspecies of the White Rhinoceros. The critically endangered subspecies is a grazer and is an animal of grasslands and savannah woodlands.The family is characterised by large size with all of the species capable of reaching one ton or more in weight; herbivorous diet; and a thick protective skin, 1.5-5 cm thick, formed from layers of collagen positioned in a lattice structure; relatively small brains for mammals this size (400-600g); and its horn. The rhino is prized for its horn. The horns of a Rhinoceros is made of keratin, the same type of protein that makes up hair, lacks a bony core, such as bovine horns, but the horn is not itself made of hair as some have believed[1]. Rhinoceros also have acute hearing and sense of smell, but poor eyesight. Most rhinoceros live to be about 50 years old or more. Gerenuks, are a type of antelope/gazelle with remarkably long necks that are found in East Africa. Gerenuks eat food from higher places rather than from closer to the ground like other gazelles and antelopes eat. They do this by standing up on their hind legs, and stretching out their long necks to get food off of tall bushes. Most of their diet is made up of tender leaves and shoots of prickly bushes and trees, but also includes buds, flowers, fruit, and climbing plants. Gerenuks don’t need grass or water, because they get enough water from the plants that they eat. Because of this, gerenuks can survive in dry thorn-bush county.

The Ostrich is a flightless bird native to Africa. It is the only living species of its family, Struthionidae, and its genus, Struthio. It is distinctive in its appearance, with a long neck and legs and the ability to run at speeds of about 65 km/h, the top landspeed of any bird.striches live in nomadic groups of 5 to 50 birds that often travel together with other grazing animals, such as zebras or antelopes. They mainly feed on seeds and other plant matter; occasionally they also eat insects such as locusts. Lacking teeth, they swallow pebbles that help as gastroliths to grind the swallowed foodstuff in the gizzard. An adult ostrich typically carries about 1 kg of stones in its stomach. Ostriches can go without water for a long time, exclusively living off the moisture in the ingested plants. However, they enjoy water and frequently take baths.With their acute eyesight and hearing, they can sense predators such as lions from far away. When being pursued by a predator, Ostriches have been known to reach speeds in excess of 70 km per hour (45 miles per hour), and can maintain a steady speed of 50 km per hour (30 miles per hour).Ostriches can tolerate a wide range of temperatures. In much of its habitat, temperature differences of 40°C between night- and daytime can be encountered.When lying down and hiding from predators, the birds lay their head and neck flat on the ground, making them appear as a mound of earth from a distance.When threatened, Ostriches run away, but they can cause serious injury and death with kicks from their powerful legs.

These agamas form groups of ten to twenty. The "leader" is an old male, while females and young males constitute the other members of the group. The colour is dark brown at night, but after dawn the colours of the dominant male will change: the body becomes light blue, head and tail bright orange. These colours may change again depending on the dominant male's mood. For instance, if male agamas fight, their heads will turn brown, and white spots appear on their body. Fights take place when a foreign agama male appears. It will try to dispute the leadership of the dominant male. When fighting, agamas hiss and attempt to hit each other's head with their tail. These strokes may be very violent and often result in haematomas or fractured jaws.The females in the group are entirely brown. Often there is a highest-ranking female that remains in proximity to the leading male and struggles to repel other females.

Flamingos filter-feed on brine shrimp. Their oddly-shaped beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they consume, and are uniquely used upside-down. The filtering of food items is assisted by hairy structures called lamellae which line the mandibles, and the large rough-surfaced tongue. The flamingo's characteristic pink colouring is caused by the Beta carotene in their diet. The source of this varies by species, but shrimp and blue-green algae are common sources. Young flamingos hatch with grey plumage, but the feathers of an adult range from light pink to bright red due to the bacteria in the water they inhabit and the pigments obtained from their food supply. A flamingo that is well-fed and healthy is vibrantly coloured bright pink and is more desirable as a mate. A white or pale flamingo, however, is usually unhealthy or suffering from a lack of food. Flamingos produce a "milk" like pigeon milk due to the action of a hormone called prolactin. It contains more fat and less protein than the latter does, and it is produced in glands lining the whole of the upper digestive tract, not just the crop. Both parents nurse their chick, and young flamingos feed on this milk, which also contains red and white blood cells, for about two months until their bills are developed enough to filter feed.
Adult male gazelles with adjoining territories will engage in combat several times a day, fighting with their horns to establish dominance and the boundaries of their territories. In this way, the accepted boundaries of the territory can change on a daily basis. If a lone male, a bachelor group, or in some cases even an adolescent male fawn of a female gazelle should be passing through a territorial male's region, the male will chase the offender out of his territory.

Impala are among the dominant species in many savannas. They are reddish-brown in color with lighter flanks, and havewhite underbellies. Males have lyre-shaped horns which can reach up to 90 centimeters in length. When frightened or startled the whole herd starts leaping about in order to confuse their predator. They are gregarious creatures and are usually found in herds, often a male with many females, although an ewe will leave the herd to give birth. Their food consists of a mixture of grasses and leaves.

Sightings

Samburu
1.Grey heron
2.Hammerkop- nest
3.Glossy ibis
4.Egyptian goose
5.white backed vulture
6.Eagles, kites??
7.Crested francolin
8.yellow necked spurfowl
9.helmeted gunieafowl
10vulturine gunieafowl
11.black bellied bustard
12.crowned plover
13.sandgrouse
14.ringed dove
15.white bellied go- away bird
16.grey headed kingfisher
17.lilac breasted roller
18.yellow billed hornbill
19.red billed hornbill
20.laughing dove
21.Sunbird
22.weaver bird (yellow coloured)
23.grey headed sociable weaver
24.white browed sparrow weaver
25.Drongo
26.golden breasted starling
27.superb starling
28.Pied crow
29.white necked raven
30.yellow vented bulbul

Mammals
1. Impala
2. Grant’s gazel
3. Gerenuk
4. Oryx
5. water buck
6. Reticulated Giraffe
7. African elephant
8. Dik-dik
9. Lion
10. Cheetah cubs
11. wild buffalo
12. Nile crocodile
13. Grevy’s Zebra (solitary)
14. Klip’s springer
15. Baboon
16. Vervet monkeys

Lake Nakuru

31. Lesser flamingoes
32. Pelican
33. White necked stork
34. Black headed ibis
35. marabou stork
36. Black smith plover
37. Gull
38. Long crested eagle
39. Long tailed starling

Mammals
17. silver backed jackal
18. white rhinoceros
19. Thomson gazelle
20. Burchell’s zebra
21. colobus monkeys
22. Guereza colobus monkeys

Masai Mara
40. Golden crested crane /crowned crane
41. yellow billed stork
42. scarlet crested sunbird
43. variable sunbird
44. pied wagtail
45. redbilled fire finch
46. Ostrich
47. Secretary bird
48. Lark
49. Lampet vulture
50. Barn swallow
51. wire tailed swallow
52. Lialac breasted roller
53. Dark chanting Goshwak
54. Senegal hoopoe
55. Fiscal shrike
56. Anteater chat
57. Marshall’s eagle (immature)
58. white browed Robin chat
59. Scaly francolin
60. Sun thrush
61. White eye

Mammals
23. Spotted hyenas
24. Bush baby
25. Cheetah
26. Heart beast
27. Topi
28. Lion young male
29. genet cat
30. Lioness on kill
31. Lion mating
32. Wilde beast
33. Zebra
34. Hippopotamus
35. Water monitor lizard on Topi carcass
36. Wart hog
37. African agama

Photos:- Rama Bhave & Abhiram Bhave

Text- Rama Bhave and facts sourced from Wikipedia

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 05:51:00 +0000

I believe a wildlifer must not expect to be rewarded with recognition or wordly approval.
His work will be his recompense.
Only in his own peace of mind and self-esteem will he find solace.
I believe in Jus animalium, The Rights of Beasts, and Jus herbarum, The Rights of Plants.
The right to exist as they have always existed, to live and let live.
I believe in the Buddhist concept of Ahimsa -- justice for all animate things.
I believe in the greatest happiness for the greatest number of species of fauna and flora that
the Earth can sustain without resultant deterioration of habitat and depletion of natural resources.

I believe in the sanctity of the life systems, not in the sanctity of human life alone.
The concept of sanctity of human life is the most damaging sophism that philosophy has ever
propagated -- it has rooted well. Its corollary -- a belief in the insanctity of species other than man -- is the cause of that damage. The destruction of this idea is a prerequisite for survival.
I believe that wilderness is Earth's greatest treasure.

Wilderness is the bank on which all cheques are drawn.

I believe our debt to nature is total, our willingness to pay anything back on account barely discernible.

I believe that unless we recognise this debt and renegotiate it we write our own epitaph.
I believe that there is an outside chance to save the Earth and most of its tenants.
This outside chance must be grasped with gambler's hands.
-- John Aspinall

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Tue, 15 May 2007 11:31:00 +0000

Silent valley national park, Kerela
20th -27th April 2007

God’s very own country! Kerela! And in this very land God choose to unfold the mysteries of Mother Nature and the power of the Elements to us mortals who happened to tread the forest path of the Silent Valley National Park.
The darkest of nights; the densest of forests; echoing calls of the Lion Tailed Macaques, high in the trees and a bed of bloodsuckers wriggling at your feet. The fury of torrential rains and the peace and quiet of the mist laden green valley.

Next to the north east, Silent valley in Kerela has India’s only surviving tropical rainforest and an experience in it is worth every penny, time and effort spent (and every drop of blood shed- as u will read furtherJ). It is vastly different from an experience in any other forest or national park in India. The main difference lies in the fact that it is a “rainforest”. The flora and fauna are influenced by the fact that it rains for about 8-9 months in this place. The vegetation is evergreen as against deciduous in other parts of the country.
As Edward Hamilton Atkin puts it in a lucid manner

“We are not accustomed to speak of autumn in India, but there is a timeof year in this country as much as in any other, when each tree puts off its old clothes and gets a new suit. The only difference is that tropical trees for the most part manage the matter more decently than those of cold countries. They do not strip themselves before the newsuit is ready and stand naked till it arrives. They undress and dress at the same time, as respectable people do”.

And so it happens here -every tree, plant or shrub will wear its green mantle all the year around. With the amount of life giving water that keeps pouring from the heavens, trees grow to unimaginable heights of 40 meters and more. Even regular trees found in the other parts of the country tend to grow taller in this area. The density of growth is substantial and there is a great deal of pushing and shoving happening to grab a bit of land here and bit of sunshine there. Smaller shrubs and creepers will climb up larger trees to get their bit of share in the nature’s bounty. Many symbiotic relationships are hence visible. Epiphytes and parasites abound. Lichens, mosses, ferns and orchids adorn the stems and branches of large trees. Every source of support, to get to the prized raw materials for life is exploited. The abundance of canopy compost created by the decay of fallen leaves, wood, and animal waste provides much moisture and nutrients for further growth. So there is life every where u look – up above, down below…….

Orchids are a best example of survival in a competitive world. Apart from the exotic flowers it produces, its stiff upturned leaves hold reservoirs of water – a drinking supply for canopy animals and shelter and breeding places for larvae of many insects- they are miniature worlds in themselves.

Our journey into this world began from Coimbatore in Tamilnadu from where we cross over to the border district of kerela -Palakkad. It is surprising to know that how ever popular Kerela is for its green countryside, the state has precious little of forested area. A large part is under cultivation. But the people of Kerela deserve due credit for their struggle to save the rainforest from being destroyed at the hands of development. The national park came into news because of the successful struggle that the environmentalists put up to save the forest from being drowned under a proposed dam to be built on the Kuntipuzha River flowing through the heart of the forest.

Mukkali and Bhavani

Leaving Coimbatore we reached our base camp at Mukkali silent valley at about 11.00 am. Prior to lunch a round of introduction was in the right order. There was a clear wide spectrum….several school goers- chirpy and pampered lot and an equal number of senior citizens retired ladies – gapishta in a different sense of the term….and a select few of my age. We were lucky to have amongst us Dr. S.D. Mahajan the acclaimed taxonomist, his son Dr. Parag Mahajan (equally enthusiastic about trees and photography) and wife Dr. Sangeeta Mahajan. Mr. Shouri Sulakhe and Mrs. Jayanthi Krishna introduced themselves and Shouri assured everyone that there was no escaping the fact that the forest was infested with leeches, but he asked us not to make a huhbaloo about it else we would not be able to enjoy our trails.

We proceeded with an informative discussion on what one would call a “forest”. Dr. Mahajan explained that Man cannot generate a forest. Forest is always formed by natural means and when we speak of aforrestation we use a wrong term. At the most we can try to plant endemic species of trees in areas that have been stripped of its green cover and hope that nature takes its course. Still it would take 1000s of years before it resembles anything like a forest ecosystem.

Southern bird wing - After a good South Indian lunch of “rassam bhaat” cooked in coconut oil (the lunch area practically reeked of coconut oil and by the end of three days I had developed a nausea to it!) we were to proceed to our evening trail. I had a delicacy served for me after lunch! The sight of my first southern bird wing flying past in front of the balcony! The dazzling golden yellow of hind wings against the black fore wings was unmistakable. Just what I had come to see all the way down south!! But I wasn’t very sure, for the size did not look like that of the largest Indian butterfly that it was. The others which flew past like the Blue Mormon and the Great orange tip looked much broader and larger. Shouri though confirmed saying that they had sighted SBs on earlier trips at the camp site.

On our evening trail we came across a dead specimen. This we got to examine closely. It is to be noticed that the fore wings are certainly longer than any other butterflies found in this region but not broader. Hence in flight it does not look as big as the others. To our delight we got to see this butterfly nectaring on Syzyzium flowers- its food plant -and on practically every trail it paid a visit. Thro’ the lense of the binocs its golden yellow is every so much more appealing to the eye. Its slow wavered flight makes it easy to spot and one can enjoy its beauty to one’s heart’s content
Another lifer for me was the Malabar Tree Nymph. This one also a large, white, spotted butterfly flies still slower than the SB. You will hardly see it flap its wings. It will descend from a high branch as if it were a feather gliding and sailing on the breeze. The unhurried manner of these butterflies can be attributed to their distastefulness. Any bird which happens to get hold of them will get a bad taste “yuck” – precisely that and it will stay away from them in future. The distaste is due to the toxins that they harbour right from the caterpillar stage, in turn procured from the plant it feeds on. These butterflies do not have to resort to speed to avoid enemies and can take life at leisure.
Dr. S.D. Mahajan was a friendly grandfatherly figure of 75 with a rich treasure house of information and experience; one could easily make out that he was at home in the forest. He practically seemed a part of it J. Pointing out the most inconspicuous of plants in the over growth he would draw our attention to their characteristics, flowers and fruits and their significance in the eco system. Our guide Hussain from the forest department and Dr. Mahajan would practically converse in scientific names of species and help each other identify trees and shrubs.

It was thus that he pointed out many types of ferns and spices among them wild turmeric, wild elaichi, nag kesar and ground orchids. Dr. Parag brought our attention to a very interesting phenomenon – a log fallen on the ground. It was at an interesting stage. Most of it was crumpling and reduced to dust….returning back to the soil from whence it sprungJ. He explained how the saprophytic fungus and bacteria contribute to the process of degeneration. Each living organism however insignificant it may seem has its role to play in the ecosystem.

On one of our trails Dr. Mahajan pointed out to a profusely growing weed – “Raanmaari” or Chromolaena odorata or Eupatorium odoratum, known as Mexican weed or Siam weed, belonging to the Sunflower family (Asteraceae). This is a destructive exotic weed spreading aggressively in warmer parts causing serious threat to the native plants. This plant finds a place everywhere from plains to hills. You can see the colonies all along the roadsides, in wastelands and cleared forests. They look attractive in full bloom with copious bluish white flower-heads. They can adapt to any conditions and thrive well. Fruit setting and seed germination are 100%. Although we uprooted a few plants, the flowering one that we saw was sure to spread its seeds far and wide.

On the first evening Dr. Mahajan spoke elaborately on the damage caused due to the senseless plantation of exotic species of plants that wipe out the endemic flora. The government as well as private bodies have engaged in extensive plantation of exotic and rapidly growing species under the pretext of increasing the green cover of the landscape. There is no business for Australian acacias, African tulips and Eucalyptus to be growing here. The eucalyptus for example makes huge demands on the ground water table leaving less of this resource for other trees. More over the leaves of the tree are oily and species which feed on the fruits or leaves of the tree to aid in its population control do not exist in India. Thus aforestation programs which have been successful in other countries may not be useful here if they are not tailored to the endemic ecosystem! He also pointed out that in a proper forest, where human interference is not seen, one can see only endemic plants and trees. These exotic species are not seen as they do not originally belong to the land.
With some more discussion on the scientific names and their origin a quite enlightening and informative interaction came to an end.

We proceeded to a good night’s sleep on the terrace. With enough space on the two large terraces adjoining the rooms, hardly anyone was interested to spend the night inside. For a forest rest house the place was comfortable and clean. Individual tourists are not usually encouraged and the forest department has an anti poaching unit on strict vigil. Because they did not have as many officers to accompany us, we went about in two buses in groups of 15.

Coffee and pepper
Abhiram and a few others were lucky to enjoy the melodious liquid notes of the Malabar whistling thrush early the next morning and I got a glimpse of its glistening blue from the front seat of the bus.
We had a wonderful sumptuous breakfast of idli chatni and sambar in the plantations. The coffee shrubs were blooming on every slope with beautiful white flowers while pepper creepers spiraled up on the tree trunks. In this area of the forest we had the opportunity to make most of our sightings. Some pompedor pigeons, vernal hanging parrots, plum headed parakeets kept us company. A golden backed woodpecker had begun its day’s work; we saw it hammering on a nearby broad tree trunk while the heart spotted woodpecker paid a cursory visit. We soon finished hogging but lingered longer to appreciate a red faced forest calotis displaying.
Our guide Hussain, had a lot of information on the endemic flora and fauna but language was a barrier…if u showed enough interest and could manage to decipher what he had to say in his heavily accented broken English….he could point out a shy brown “something” behind the bushed as the mouse deer and make the bus stop to look for grey jungle fowl or a Malabar whistling thrush.

Rainforest….. of LTMs and Leeches
A path forked to the left from the main vehicle road into the jungle. We took this one on foot into the dense foliage. The forest was visibility denser and the trees taller than those in the plantation area. The path was covered with leaf litter. Unlike the carpet of dry leaves found in deciduous forests here the ground was moist covered with leaf humus making the path slippery at places. This natural compost is obviously of great value in
increasing the fertility of the soil and its capacity to retain moisture. Rainforest trees grow to great heights. Canopy of these tall trees shields the lower areas under them from natural sunlight. Noticeably so the lower 3/4th of these huge trees do not have any branches for what use is it of sprouting leaves at lower levels which do not receive enough sunlight? The upper one fourth of the tree has long branches covering as much area as possible resulting in the popular rainforest canopy. Lianas and woody climbers dominate the lower parts of the forest and some take truly unconventional forms.

A little further into the jungle and Hussain pointed to Lion Tailed Macaques (LTMs) in the high branches of the trees. They are arboreal animals. Their favourite food is the fruit of “Kulinia” tree- a round yellow ball of spiky fruit. The kulinia trees were fruiting. So we also saw a lot of them feasting. They have a striking appearance with a mass of white mane bordering their dark black face. The person who first saw and named them seemed to have seen the animal’s tail end first (literally) and hence the name. Else wouldn’t the lion faced macaque be more logical? Whole groups cruised the tree tops and we saw them practically on every trail. A probable explanation of this rare endangered species being so frequently sighted was that their favourite tree did seem to have produced the goodies in enough quantities. Hence they were forced to move and search larger territories.
The Nilgiri Langur was another of our ancestors that we saw peering at us through thick foliage. It is dark back allover swinging across branches in groups it causes much more disturbance than does the silent LTM.

Unfortunately for them, most of the group was busy fending themselves from leeches than enjoying the beauty of this unique forest!!!! While the LTMs occupy the upper reaches of the canopy, the leeches rule the ground. This wriggly earthworm like creature lives exclusively off blood. Its diet forms the blood of warm blooded animals for it can digest little else. It has a heat sensing mechanism which directs it to warm blooded creatures, and when one of them finds a meal a dozen more follow in its footsteps……

We did apply enough salt on our legs and rolled up our pants to the knees so as to catch sight of them….for u cannot feel them! Yes …they have an anesthetic substance in their secretions which allows them to latch on to u and suck to their hearts content. This substance also acts as an anticoagulant, which keeps the blood flowing long after u have got rid of the irksome worm…
Moreover while u are engaged in pulling off one from ur toe, five more are busy climbing up your other foot. Stop to look at a plant or take a shot with ur camera and that’s an invitation for an army of them to have a feast. And they are persistent fellows at that. Unless u manage to see one and tweak it off with a twig, u have had it. For once its mouth parts (suckers) are firmly buried in ur skin, it is difficult to get rid of it. Try and pull it and it elongates itself rather than let go, while u look on horrified wondering what to do.
Among screams, shrieks, jumps and jolts we reached a rivulet. Many of us entered the water eagerly to get away from the dammed leeches only to be told by our guide that leeches are also found in the water :-) . To think of it, on our return our legs were washed off the salt to be fresh meat for the leeches. Nevertheless all of us managed to preserve our sanity as we boarded the bus not forgetting to check our sandals for any remains of the worms. With bloody feet we entered the bus and took our seats. Phew!! Enthralled, fascinated, some still shocked from the leech attacks and others keeping a nervous eye on any that may have come in the bus, we headed back. We kept on discovering the remains till we got to the campsite.
Hussain was the only one practically immune to leeches….due to the high nicotine content in his blood from constant smoking …….as we joked later :-) .

Rains at Mukkali

On the evening trail on the earlier day, we got some light showers but that was hardly a trailer of the real movie!! After getting excited over a huge hawk moth on the entrance door, we climbed up to terrace for the much awaited night’s rest. I snuggled in a sleeping bag that night and was quick to slip in deep slumber. Sometime in the middle of the night I awoke to much disturbance and movement around me. My eyes opened to nature’s drama in full swing. A clap of deafening thunder, followed by sharp lighting and heavy downpour! Most of the group was sitting up wide eyed in their beds, awakened by this sudden fury…..As mumbaikars we are used to heavy rains but this was something out of ordinary!! These torrential rains threatened to uproot every erect thing and blow away every speck of dust from the forest floor. And amidst this dense jungle it seemed surreal, almost eerie. The continuous lightning seemed as if someone was holding a torch in your eyes – enough to take away every bit of drowsiness from your eyes. The entire atmosphere was rather “filmy” perfect for “Gumnaam hai koi” type of songs
I wondered what the state of affairs would be the next day. We were supposed to go to Serendri – in the interior area of the forest….and rains would make that difficult. After taking in the situation a while later sleep enveloped everyone.
The next morning the trees having received a through wash looked fresh and the birds were chirpier. The surprising part was that the rains had not left any nasty remains - a bloated river or puddles of muddy water. It seemed that each droplet that fell on the blessed soil was absorbed, quenching its thirst. That was testimony to the absorption capacity of the soil. We stood on the terrace appreciating pompedor pigeons, scarlet minivets and wood peckers and eyeing the green mangoes hanging from branches close at hand which we may not pick :-) .

Malabar Giant squirrel and fairy blue bird
Malabar Giant SquirrelA charming large furry squirrel with a handsome rust coloured coat and a cozy bushy tail, it is very alluring. The rust sheen that we have come to appreciate in the Sahyadris is traded for a dark bluish black in this southern cousin (in keeping with our dark complexioned cousins down south!). It is completely arboreal and rarely comes to the ground. Its need for water is fulfilled by drinking from water collected in tree holes and eating juicy fruits. This squirrel builds many nests on adjoining trees. This serves to dodge predators and transfer its young from one nest to another while a snake or bird may be inspecting a third. It also uses these living quarters generously one as bedroom, the other as living room– or so Hussain our guide told me. Today this furry animal kept us company for breakfast. While we had ours standing on the ground it was busy running up the boughs gathering fruits, nuts and other goodies.

Next the bus halted for the most glamorous living thing in this forest- the Asian fairy blue bird. The male has a marvelous bright blue on its back extending to its tail and a red eye dotting a black head and front. The sight is mesmerizing. The bird perched on the branch for quite a while and all had a satisfactory look. Due to the rains the road had become a bit soggy and the bus could not take a load of 15 people any further. We got off and decided to walk. The walk was a long one but while returning a close encounter with a forest calotis that Shouri hastened to catch and the sight of black eagles soaring in the valley made it interesting.

Up above the world so high…….watch tower at Serendri

Serendri professed to be very scenic and most beautiful of the forested area is located near the Kerela Tamilnadu border. After some more encounters with leeches in the rainforest patch we proceeded to Serendri. Through the impenetrable forest which closes up on you and trees that try to shake hands with u through the bus windows we reached the inspection bungalow and the watch tower. The tower is in an open area and said to be the highest of any national parks. Looking down from the top of the 100 feet tower is an experience beyond words. And we were there at just the right time - sunset. From this height one can appreciate the blue hills that rise and fall with the Pucchapara peak marking the horizon. The denseness with which the trees grow and the canopy of the rainforest can be best appreciated from this point. A 360o view of these mist laden hills around you covered with thick foliage, a cool westerly wind and light showers makes you feel right in heaven!!
To do justice to the atmosphere Shouri asked us to maintain silence for a while. All one could hear now were the calls of the LTMs and the Nilgiri langurs, the mountain imperial pigeons and the swish-a-swish of the trees as they swayed in the breeze. On the east rose a hill covered with green tree tops and red stems an impressive sight. Down below the Kuntipuzha River snaked through the dense overgrowth. To the tired city minds this serene calmness is healing to say the least!
On the west unfolded another spectacle – sunset. As the great orb set on the horizon it lend a golden lining to the mist in the valleys. The reddish golden mist rising from the valleys seemed like flames touching the sky. The pucchapara peak stood tall and dark against the red sky No photographs could do it justice. We stood there, quiet, absorbing all this beauty around us.

Night trail
Back to base we had dinner and some songs presented by the songsters in our group and the Tamilian cook. Before hitting the bed we decided to go out for a stroll to look for the nocturnal life of the jungle. The forest assumes a singular character at night. A few us who dared to venture out did so. The rest preferred the cozy security of the bungalow. Out into the pitch darkness we had our torches to show us the way. Along a well defined path we proceeded, looking for toads, snakes and owls. Throwing our torches along the trenches besides the path we located a toad and a millipede. Leeches though in small numbers loyally kept us company. Picking them from our sandals in the dark night was a task indeed. It is interesting to experience what pitch darkness is for us city dwellers. Switching off our torches for a moment and looking back into the forest it is just u and the starry sky above. U cannot even see the person standing next to you. That’s some experience, what say? On our way back we noticed an extraordinary thing. The crazy leaf phenomenon or “Vede paan” - a leaf keeps swaying at an odd angle from the tree- without any reason- even in the absence of any breeze!!! Eerie! Ghostly! This is enough to drive a weak minded person out of his senses !!

Kunti puzha
Our last day was the most happening and glamorous of the lot! On our way down to the Kuntipuzha River we sighted two mountain imperial pigeons. A plump large brownish bird it sat high on a branch. Much of the path is cleared of the leaf litter to facilitate leech free access to the river for the ‘one-day tourists’. The river has a narrow bed and a hanging bridge over it makes for a scenic location. While shooting with the camera me and Abhiram caught sight of the both the male and female fairy blue bird on a leafless tree! The female is entirely blue but lacks the attractive luster of the male. After spending sometime at the river we headed back.
As if to bring completion to the camp, a green vine snake lay awaiting us on a sunlight branch of a low shrub. Shouri wasted no time in luring it with a cap and getting hold of it. This glamorous sighting was not to be missed and soon every one gathered round it. Threatening by rising up erect and showing us the black scales underneath the yellow ones it tried to do away with the unexpected visitors. Holding it deftly Shouri showed us the fangs buried deep in its pink mouth. This semi poisonous snake uses its poison on the prey that it catches and is not harmful to human. Called “Harantol” in Marathi and often seen in the countryside it has a parrot green lusturous body. Here in its different morphology it was more yellow. After appreciating it from all angles we left it to its sunny branch.

Our return was also marked with spectacular sightings. It was as if the residents of the valley knew we were on out way back and they came to say good bye. The LTMs first, a young one came down on a closer branch and kept looking at us for a long while. The Malabar giant squirrel ensured that it put on its best suit to bid us adieu! Out in the open we got a classic view of its red and blue coat dazzling in the morning sunlight! Beauty beyond compare!!

For all the endangered species that thrive in it and its unique fascinating ecosystem this forest needs to be preserved.

Text - Rama Bhave
Photo- malabar giant squirrel taken from the web, rest clicked by Canon Powershot S3IS

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 09:00:00 +0000

Run Mumbai Run!!!

Me and abhiram ran for the 'Dream run' (6kms) of the Mumbai marathon.
Amazing experience and great fun :-)

People from all strata join in, some running for a cause while others representing corporates.
The atmosphere is charged and colourful with people sporting variety of bright coloured Tee- shirts and groups by the road side cheering with flags, banners, and pompoms

What great fun to run through the centre of major roads , which are other wise the sole domain of vehicular traffic....

Even when one is puffing and panting the people by the road side cheer you on and one waves out to continue the run. Helicopters lowering on us near marine drive with the TV channel cameras rolling made us feel like heros.

It was the only opportunity to get to see Marine Drive from atop the fly over which is other wise occupied by vehicles :-)

The sheer scale and enormity of the whole event was awesome. The enthusiasm of the people young and old, fat and fit, running and a good number of them rooting for NGOs and corporates is very infectious.

It is also a good test of one's stamina and zest...
Abhiram and me enjoyed throughly....

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 09:00:00 +0000

The land of sun,sand and surf

Had a great trip to Goa :-)) truly the land of sun, sand and surf.....and possibly due to the recently concluded International film festival the town was ekdam up-to-date..

All major buildings and houses were as if recently painted and even individual houses are boldly painted in bright red, yellow, green and blue :-)) It makes the city look so welcoming and warm! The entire town looks as if it were from a toy land - a toy town.

Vijay Mallya's presence can be seen every where in goa- right from the ubiquitious Kingfisher brand of alcohol advertised at every nook and corner to his grand palacial guest house on land and motor boats on sea.

Had the first time experience of swimming in the open sea ... it is nice to experience the buyouncy that the sea water lends and feels amazing to be lifted high on the waves that come crashing to the shore.

A speedy bumpy ride on the waves on a water scooter was thrilling. We got to ride the scooter ourselves ....!! At the Coco beach near Panajim we got to see four beauties - Dolphins -two adults and two babies... real cute creatures and so graceful as they move out of the water for breath and quickly inside again displaying their dorsal fins. We had a time of our life spotting them around our boat and guessing their location every time they disappeared under water.

The trip ended with the timely arrival of Air Deccan to Mumbai (I had heard horror stories about Air deccan's service) allowing me to reach office on time. Over all a wonderful weekend indeed.

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 11:25:00 +0000

Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib

12th -18th Aug 2006

After marriage this was my first major trek and I keenly looked forward to it. The high and lofty Himalayas and the gushing rivers keep beckoning and once you have been in the abode of the Gods you are never the same person again…..One keeps coming back…as if attracted by the untouched and wild beauty of the region.

‘Valley of flowers’ had been on my mind for sometime …I had intended to go with BNHS hoping to get good information from its experts on the flora found there. A trip with BNHS with Dr. Almeida as one on the leaders would have been ideal, but that was not to be. Abhiram had intended to make the trip a few years back as well but it was cancelled due to a landslide in the region. These unfulfilled wishes had to come true this time around! The next best was Gharwal Mandal Vikas Nigam which holds annual treks to many places in Uttaranchal. Certainly better than YHA I thought!

Well so “nek kaam mein deri kyun?” so we got the bookings done managing to get the 15th august week to save on valuable “leave”. Rajdhani and August kranti bookings were through to ensure a comfortable and scheduled arrival in Delhi and return to Mumbai.
What with Abhiram in Baroda and me in Mumbai all the weekends of the month before were occupied with planning and packing for the trip. The sack I had bought recently did not seem to suffice to carry the long list of things we intended to lug along with us…so Prasanna (Abhiram’s friend) was kind enough to lend us his sack which was identical to Abhiram’s and which had not seen any trekking ever since it was bought! We decided to restrict our luggage to two large sacks (huge will be the more apt word, for once on your back it towers over your head, makes you bend in half and if incorrectly packed weighs down on your shoulders that after a few steps start to complain) and two small ones that would be useful for our daily to and fro trips to the valley and Hemkund.

Rain rain go away….
Things seemed to go off smoothly… but we started our trip under a cloud …literally! Due to the heavy downpour in Maharashtra, Gujarat and rest of the country long distance trains were cancelled and many were running late- the prospects of scheduled arrival seemed to be in troubled waters.
As luck would have it, on the scheduled day of departure, a Rajdhani train was in the yard at Mumbai central station and could leave on time. This was indeed “godsend”, for the day earlier it had left about 10 hours late. The train did leave as scheduled and I bade good bye to aai (mulye) and aai, baba (Bhave) who had come to see me off…

All the passengers in my section of the bogie were to alight at Kota and one of them obliged to exchange seats when Abhiram got in at Baroda. With parts of Surat still under water the train moving at a snail’s pace trudged in at Baroda two hours late. This was unlike Rajdhani’s reputation but under the circumstance I was glad we were on our way. Even if it were late to reach, we had four hours in hand before the next train to Haridwar, an hour or so away from our reporting place Muni-ki-reti in Rishikesh.
The time in Rajdhani was- (as it always is) - spent in gorging on the food provided at regular intervals and dozing away in the comfortable chill of the A/C compartment. The train attendants – especially one grandfatherly fellow took it upon himself to see that all the travelers were properly fed and put to sleep J. With Ghasitaram’s kachori, sohanhalwa, sandwich, and frooti firmly packed in my stomach, and later soup to warm me up; I was not ready for dinner at 7.00. I requested the oldie to bring it back at 9.00, to which he replied “Baad mein kaun yaad rakhega beta?” However I managed to convince the other attendant (a younger one with presumably better memory) to bring my dinner at 9.00

Delhi to Muni-ki-reti (Rishikesh)
Giving us a good ‘darshan’ of the shanties (what we would call zhopadpatti in Mumbai) of the Delhi suburbs of Nizamuddin and Tilak bridge the train wearily trudged in at New Delhi two hours late. In sharp contrast to the humid and wet weather of Mumbai the dry heat of Delhi was unwelcome. Wondering what to do to while away time we reached the exist of platform one, were instantly “gheroued” by taxi drivers, hotel managers, rickshaw drivers, each wanting us to climb in his vehicle and put up at his hotel!! We managed to successfully shake them off with the information that restaurants do not open till 12.00. Very well, now to find a place to settle down in this blessed place called Delhi station! The place is characterized by a dearth of seats, be it on the platform or in the waiting and retiring rooms. As luck would have it we chanced upon the ‘International Tourist Bureau’, decided to call our selves ‘international’ and spend our time there. This place was air conditioned and had good seating capacity. We made our way through a hall full of foreigners from all over the world who sat puzzling over railway forms and eyeing train schedule charts with blank expressions. Glad to rest our butts and lay down our load, the next one hour was good entertainment watching the foreign tourists communicating with railway bureaucrats to make sense of the formalities required of them.

Later we had a good meal of Alu Paraths at Nirula’s (Connaught Circus)washed down with ice-cream and were again off to take the further train ‘Dehradun Janashatabdi Express’ to Haridwar. The train started out on time but was delayed. This journey was the most boring of the lot. The seating was uncomfortable to say the least. It had bucket seats, the kind one has in a bus – three on either side and as the train stopped at Delhi, there was a singular rush to reserve as much space as possible for one self and one’s luggage. With ninety percent of the crowd heading to Haridwar and further ahead the luggage was more than the racks could carry. We settled down dripping with sweat with some sacks precariously peeping from over the racks above our heads. A large part of the time was spent dozing (partly ‘coz the heat made one drowsy, and partly ‘coz it is the best way to kill time J ) and waking up several times to find the train stationary at an unknown station. A saffron clad person next to Abhiram mumbled that this is a one way track and has many signals. The only worry with this delay was that we would find it difficult to get transport to Rishikesh as it started getting dark. It certainly had become dark by the time we reached Haridwar but managed to get a tum-tum (a large rickshaw- eight seater) for the two of us and our luggage to drop us at Muni-ki-reti.

At the GMVN hotel at Muni-ki-reti we checked in at 10.00pm and proceeded to dinner. The kitchen was attended by a single person who was attending a lot of 12 people. So we resigned to self- service much of the time. Our guide Deepak Negi met us with a pleasant smile, typical of these hill people. This shortish fellow with curly hair reminded me of one of my friends- Prashant. The group consisted of 18 people. A gang of 12 from Mumbai (three families), three Jains from Delhi and a Punjabi middle aged man who had come alone.

Journey to Joshimath
The next day we proceeded to Joshimath. The bus journey was comfortable, thankfully so as we had to travel some 200 km – the whole day negotiating the sharp turns and bends of the road that takes us along the Alakhnanada river, past the lush green hills and the holy confluences (prayags) to Joshimath.
The journey is invigorating with changing vistas awaiting us at every bend and turn. As one travels from Rishikesh (1360 meters) to Joshimath (1890 meters) it is easy to notice the deep valley and the far away stream come closer as one rises up in the hills. As one climbs up the mountains, the river sheds the sluggishness of the plains to acquire a force to reckon with. The gushing river flowing with unimaginable force through a narrow gorge, spraying the mountain flanks wet is in sharp contrast with the slow sluggish nature acquired with a broader basin down on the plains. It is tempting to compare this with the youthful zest of a slim and trim teenager and the slow sluggish gait and a broad girth that many of them acquire with age. With the roaring rapids of Alakhnanda to accompany you along the way, bordered by multitude hues of lush green mountains spotted here and there with terrace farms, I was more than once tempted to get off the bus and walk the way up… become one with the nature, at a tempo that lets you absorb its bounty and liveliness.

There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country.
A fine landscape is like a piece of music;
It must be taken at the right tempo. Even a bicycle goes too fast.

- Paul S Mowrer

Reminding myself of the fact that there was walking and more walking to be done in the coming days, I sat content watching the valley unfold before me. While beauty lay on one side, on the other side the mountain rose above us showing its wild unpredictable nature. Boulders loomed large, balanced precariously on mountain edges, threatening to let go and come crashing down headed straight for the valley. Remnants of such mishaps were seen along the way. The Himalayas- stunning and ruthless no doubt!!

Landslides take place routinely but thanks to the efficiency of Border Roads Organization (BRO), bulldozers quickly appear on the spot to clear the road of the skree and rock. It is worth mentioning the creditable work this organization puts in building and maintaining roads in this tough terrain. The BRO has made the road the more interesting by putting up sign boards to encourage safe driving. And these are creative, not the dull, mundane kind. While one says “Be gentle on the curves” the other one advises “It’s better to be Mr. Late than Late Mr….”
As I said, on the mountainside the bus was negotiating jutting out rocks and huge rock faces standing straight up high above us. Layers of rock in varied shades of grey, pressed against each other were a testimony to the real nature of the ‘Fold Mountains’ that the Himalayas are! These were formed as the Indian subcontinent moved up and thrust against the northern plains of Mongolia and Russia. What seems dull and uninteresting in geography books, when comes alive in front of you holds far more meaning.

The beauty of the mountains instinctively brought to mind the song-

“The hills are alive with the sound of music
With songs they have sung for a thousand years
The hills fill my heart with the sound of music
My heart wants to sing every song it hears”

We kept humming the song over and over again through out the trek and finally it inspired Abhiram enough to compose it on his mouth organ :-)

Prayags – Holy confluences
So we traveled till we came to Dev prayag (confluence, Sangam) where the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi meet to form the Ganga the most revered river of the north – for that matter of the entire country. The white waters of Alakhnanda and the darker waters of Bhagirathi maintain their distinct identities for about ½ a km even as they unite to form the larger flow. The Alaknanda originates from the Alaknanda mountain range near Badrinath and is indeed a mighty vibrant river as we would know. It kept dominating all along the route till we entered the valley of flowers. It maintains its presence even as other rivers lose their identity in the sheer scale and force of its current. The rapidity and momentum of the flow takes with it all and sundry. The huge boulders in its path at the very least manage to create whirlpools where a part of the stream water flows against the current.

A small temple is built on the confluence with steps leading down to the waters. With both the rivers coming from either side of the rock on which the temple stands it makes for a picturesque location. A couple of photos at this point, and we proceeded further along this scenic road. Every sight and every scene seemed worth a snap. A waterfall here, a landslide there, a lazy cloud descending on a green mountain top, meadows punctuating thick coniferous forests and crops in full flower in terrace farms swaying to the wind ….. one just can’t have enough!
The next in line is the Rudraprayag where the Alakhnanda meets the Mandakini originating from Kedarnath. Temples of Rudranath and Chamunda Devi mark the confluence. We did not stop at this place as the narrow road did not allow enough place for parking the vehicle. Promising a better and more leisurely view on the return journey Deepak Negi asked the driver to keep the wheels moving.

Our driver was a singular character worth a description…. An oldie with greying hair and a curling moustache, who had perhaps spent a better part of his life driving down these roads, he would bully poor Negi when it came to halting at given sites, eager to reach the destination without any time ‘wasted’. On the other hand we would bully Negi to allow enough time for photography, and absorbing the sites and sounds of the place…. With further such experience of tussle in store for us he (Negi) was is a bad position by the end of the trip! Another irksome quirk he (driver) had was the tendency to honk frequently. With sharp turns on the winding road it is understandable that safe driving requires the driver to blow the horn at a turn. But this fellow behaved as if the horn was a place to rest one’s hands when tired at clutching the wheel! He would just not let go of his hand once it rested on the horn. He had as if taken upon himself to announce our arrival a km in advance; as if people in the nearby villages would be all set to salute and give us a grand welcome. And it did create much the similar effect. As we passed by on the narrow roads of Rudraprayag, Joshimath and similar places, the honking would almost make people drop what ever they were doing and whether they liked it or not, take notice of our vehicle. The horn (as is so often in these places) was so shrill that after a while I thought I would get a splitting headache.

At Karna Prayag the Pindar River which flows out from the Nanda Devi glacier meets Alakhnanda. There are two temples here, one dedicated to Uma (the goddess Durga) and the other to Karna, the tragic hero of the Mahabharata. The bus halted for a while to let a dumper pass by but as this was not a scheduled halt we were not allowed to get off the bus to visit the place.

Further up Nandakini from Nand mountain joins the Alaknanda at Nand prayag. A temple dedicated to Gopalji (a form of Lord Krishna) marks the confluence. On the way to Vishnu prayag the force of Alakhanada is the most impressive of the lot. One stands in awe of the elements as the Alakhnanada rushes down cutting through gorges, valleys negotiating huge boulders on her way, the churning waters giving it a milky white appearance. These silver waters reflect the early morning sun and keep you company all along the route while in the vehicle from Rishikesh to Joshimath and later from Govind ghat to Ghangria while on foot.

At Vishnuprayag cutting a deep gorge into the mountains the Dhauli Ganga originating from Himani Mountain meets the Alaknanda. In this region a large power generation project by Jaypee constructions is underway. It will generate 400 mega watt of power. The civil work that was required has left ugly gashes on the mountain slopes that were slashed and sliced to produce enough space required for the project. A large part of the mountains lie gaunt and naked stripped off their green mantle. Thankfully, nature is forgiving and resilient and hopefully the green cover will recover. Having had our day’s fill of nature’s splendor we reached Joshimath for the night’s halt.

Govindghat to Ghangria
At Govindghat after breakfast of half cooked muli and alu parathas, each one proceeded to look for and negotiate horses or porters to carry the load to Ghangria. Some porters insisted that we would be required to hire two porters as our huge sacks would not fit in one basket that they used to carry the load. It seems we were late to reach the spot, so most of the horses were already on their way up hill. But we were lucky to get a Sardar who offered to carry both our sacks. The rates for a mule/horse, porter, pittu and dohli are regulated by the office which manages the thoroughfare up and down the mountain. So one doesn’t have to bargain. This porter again a ‘Negi’ with one blind eye had amazing stamina to lug about 30 odd Kgs on his back uphill. We were concerned about him but he was easy going, kept encouraging us when we got tired and advised us to keep a look out for the mules which shared the track with us.

As we proceeded we got to see more porters whose load far outweighed that of our ‘Negi’. It is a demanding and strenuous job that these poor people are forced to do to earn their bread. All kinds of people- rich, poor, old and young, those walking on foot and others being ferried uphill are seen all along the 14 km stretch. About 90% of this ‘junata’ is heading towards Hemkund Sahib- the religious shrine of the Sikhs. You can choose the way you want to be carried up hill. – in a ‘pittu’ a cane basket which the porter carries on his back, on horse/mule back or in a ‘Doli’ a wooden seat rested on wooden poles – each of the four ends carried by a porter on his shoulders. The ‘Doli’ carriers show an impressive ability to maintain rhythm while moving on the stony rock-strewn path. They are most often out of breath, sweating and red in face. But you will also see them use the 10 mins of ‘rest’ to enjoy a smoke. Their lungs must be made of some amazing stuff to tolerate all this.

The way from Govindghat to Ghangria on foot allows you to cherish the scenic beauty of the region from close quarters as one walks this 14 km trek. The Alakhnanda never leaves your side and your journey starts with a hearty welcome from a lone waterfall - a steady stream of water falling from a height of about 100 feet. Lush green conifers stand tall on hills that rise ridge after ridge to the eternal snows. Every moment here is a Kodak moment! (For us a Canon moment)

The road to Ghangria is not a mud or clay path as one would imagine a trek route to be. It is a well defined path made of stones packed tightly together. These stones have become smooth and shining from constant use. On this path we trudged that morning along side a train of mules, some carrying luggage, others people. These horses/mules have a mind of their own. They will not heed to the shouts and pushes of their owners if they can help it. Once they have decided to head in a given direction, they will do just that. If you happen to stand in the way and donot have the good sense to get out of the way quickly, you will get a nasty push as the mule keeps moving steadfastly. Once you have experienced this push you will soon learn to keep out of the way when you hear the jingle of bells coming behind you. Thus with thousands of people and at least half the number of four footed ones moving in both directions there is enough traffic all along the way. Whether you move fast or slow you will not feel lonely. To make the journey comfortable, at regular intervals temporary shacks for toilets have been erected along rivulets and brooks. Moreover all along one can see food stalls offering “garma garam parothe, chai, Maggie and nasta”. Another very earnest suggestion to make life on this path easier is to put up milestones all along the way till the very end. It is very difficult to judge how much more one has to go and how much one has already receded. Every fellow traveler throws up his/her speculation about the distance which creates more confusion than clarity.

At about half the way (or so we thought it was) we recharged ourselves with limbu sherbet and further at a fruit stall had some juicy apples and peaches (khubani). Besides we kept nibbling on our steady supply of dry fruits and sipping on Glucon- D. The initial part of the day, the scenic beauty and panorama kept us engaged. At every twenty steps there was something worth a snap. But the later part of the trek became weary and we were waiting to reach as soon as possible. This is the time when one feels the dearth of milestones. Three km before our final destination, we had lunch. This shack was by the riverside. Though the food was mediocre and we were more tired than hungry, it was nice to gaze at the white waters as one ate. Now the food in our stomachs, our legs started protesting and it felt more chilly as well. Finally we reached a glade where the gradient came down to zero. Here there was a military helipad on our left. We united with most of our group who were sipping hot tea. It was tempting to feel the warm liquid go down your throat. We thought we had arrived but there was a km. still to go. This forested road was at a slight gradient and literally tested our patience. At the end of the tree cover we were glad to catch sight of the village of Ghangria. This was at 7.00 pm and darkness had started to set in.

The accommodation at GMVN was modest but comfortable- bunk beds. Six of us were occupying the space allotted to 10. So there was enough place to lay our sacks and dry our sweaty clothes on the empty beds. The bedding was comfortable and since it had not rained, the cold had not set in. We did not have any dinner that evening. A hot cup of tea and rest was the need of the hour.

Lo Behold! Valley of flowers

It started drizzling the morning we were to start for valley of flowers. Our group which anyways required cajoling to get going in time got an extra excuse to lie in bed and delay departure. No one seemed to want to leave in the rains. Rains are a regular feature in this region at this time of the year. These are not like the Mumbai rains that keep pouring relentlessly. In my opinion we should have proceeded as everyone was equipped with rain gear. We unnecessarily wasted one hour waiting for the rain to stop.

Another very tragic and shocking incident of the morning was that my camera started getting hiccups. It so happened that a peak across the GMVN, which was not noticed the earlier evening suddenly came into limelight because of the snow cap it donned today morning! My camera though would not cooperate! Once a picture was clicked it would say “corrupted data” on the review pane. After removing the card and batteries and reinstalling them, it did give a false assurance of having recovered but that hope was soon shattered. After asking about similar incidences with others, a Mr. Shishir Jain suggested that the memory card may have bad sectors and that it would be better that we format it. We may lose the existing data he said but any further pics we take can be used. As some photos could be reviewed satisfactorily and others could not be, I resorted to taking multiple snaps of the same object with the hope that some pictures will be stored by the card!! The result of all this was that we got going finally at about 8.00 and were at the ticket office at 8.30.

At the gate a crude map of the valley has been put up with different points marked and labeled by the species of flora found in the region. Again the information on distance from one point to the other was missing!!

There is one single path running through the valley at least up till the first three km. For the first half a km. it is lined with thick growth of plants and shrubs. This gives you a feeling that you are walking along a garden path -a private garden at that because the traffic here is much less almost ¼ of that which comes to Ghangria or which goes further to Hemkund. Moreover a relief is that ‘khachars’ or mules are not allowed in the valley. This largely reduces the traffic of those who cannot make it on their own two feet. Being a protected area it was devoid of the litter created by the eateries on the other pathways and one could enjoy the splendor of the natural beauty in peace. The geography of the area, and its remoteness, were the reasons the Valley remained a secret for so long and these same factors limit access today so that it is still an enigmatic place visited by relatively few nature enthusiasts. To preserve the sanctity of the valley and protect it from destruction, visitors are not allowed to stay back overnight. Access is limited to about 5 km inside the valley.

The flowers are close by at hand in small bunches at regular distance from each other – tiny colorful faces beaming at you, greeting you “good morning”! The wild flowers found here are quite tiny, some even miniscule; so they create an impression or succeed in attracting attention only when they grow in numbers bunched together to create flower beds. In the initial km and half they grow apart, singular or in small bunches tucked away in the verdant green forest growth. Unless you know that the valley reveals its wonders only when you near the 3 km mark and further ahead, you will be disappointed. Many take a peep into the valley on their destination to Hemkund and come away disillusioned because they are unaware of this.

In 1931 the English mountaineer Frank Smythe stumbled across the Bhyundar Valley, an 8 km long Glacier corridor in Chamoli Garhwal. This area, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and carpeted with over 500 species of flowers, soon became a protected site. It was declared a "National park" in 1982. The Valley of Flowers stretches over an expanse of 87.50 km. This part of Uttaranchal, in the upper reaches of Garhwal, is inaccessible through much of the year. The area lies on the "Zanskar" range of the Himalayas with the highest point in the national park being Gauri Parbat at 6,719 m above sea level.

The bloom starts immediately after the melting of snow but the peak blooming period is from mid July to mid of August. Almost 300 species of wild flowers bloom here in a natural manner. Some that we saw were Anemone, Geranium, Potentilla, Asters, Morina Longifolia, Impatiens, Bistorta, Anaphalis, Lady’s lace and others which I failed to identify. Most of the flowers have medicinal values too while others are poisonous. The valley remains is bloom for three months while the floral composition keeps on changing every few days. The life span of the flowers is very short. To allow the regeneration of the nature’s garden it has to be kept away from the destructive hand of man. Signboards everywhere prohibit picking and collecting flowers. By September the hue starts changing and autumn bids farewell to the flowers. The entire vegetation remains dormant for about next five months when the valley is snow bound.
The path went uphill and entered thick birch forest. The bark of silver birch (bhojpatra) trees peels off and our ancestors made good use of this natural paper. Many of our scriptures are allegedly written on this bhojpatra. The timber was used to erect many of the ‘Dhaba’ shacks that we came across on our way to Hemkund. A lot of birch trees were fruiting and their bluish violet cones could be seen in bunches at the end of branches.

We came across the first bridge which crosses the Pushpawati River. This is a proper cement bridge looking over the rapids of the river. The road further climbed up and down several times going through thick jungle. I was busy shooting flowers as the others in the group continued further. Even this beautiful valley was not without landslides. The jungle opened up to the sky and we came upon a clearing. Here the mountainside showed signs of a recent landslide. Along side was the river and on the other bank a glacier deposit could be seen. It was covered with mud and clay making it difficult to recognize it as such. As we walked further truly the flowers increased in abundance. They also grew in height and width till we came to a point where the path was bordered on both sides with 5-foot tall flowerbeds of Impatiens and Lady’s lace. These wild flowers almost rose as tall as medium sized plants spreading wide, covering the valley with a carpet of rosy pink and snowy white.

We took a minute to admire the beauty of this nature’s bounty. Further ahead we came to a bridge made of wooden and tin sheets. It had started to drizzle and had become a bit windy. Across on the other bank there was a huge rock over hang looking like a frog head. From this point, over the rock one could get the view of the entire landscape of the valley as one typically sees in the picture postcards. The snow capped peaks of Ratban Parvat could be seen with lush green hills in the fore ground sloping down to the Pushpawati River running through the valley enveloped on either side with myriad of flowers. As we stood on the rock it was possible to take an 180o view of the mountains and the valley of flowers - fields of tiny flowers bobbing and swaying in the breeze all around us, with a white pathway crisscrossing through them.

It was 1.00 pm by the time we finished admiring the landscape and turned to practicalities. We had carried packed lunch of potato sabji and roti. The tandoor roti had become all rubbery and the sabji was tasteless. Nevertheless we finished off what we could. Most of our group that had reached this point started to return. It seemed like noone was interested to continue further. And it also looked like rain. Further ahead it would have been possible to view number of flowers and also of a different variety. We could also have been able to visit Miss Margaret Legge memorial- the researcher who lost her life here in a landslide. But I wasn’t sure of the distance further ahead. Some said it would be 5 kms while later we found that going ahead even 2 kms would have been enough. The guide was nowhere to be seen to help.

So we started on our return journey which was completed in about two hours. It was 3.00- 4.00 by the time we reached the first river crossing near the entrance to the park. There was still lots of time to be spent in the outdoors and we did not want to return to camp so early. A stream bifurcating from the Pushpawati flows down this path. The flow is not so forceful as to create a deadening roar. We did good amount of “pade raho giri” by the riverside. Here we could locate a blue whistling thrush darting from one rock to another. In my earlier trips to this region I have heard this bird fill the valley with its liquid notes. This time around we were not so fortunate to hear it sing though we could get a good look from the binoculars. Near this rivulet we found a good secluded place to lie back and absorb the music of the river current and the chirping of the birds. It was heavenly to spend some quite time in the lap of the Himalayas. Being close to nature can rejuvenate you instantly.

We returned to camp by 6.30. All these days we had had enough of alu parathas, more so they were not cooked well at every place. So we were on the look out for south Indian food. We found many restaurants advertising south Indian food but only one, which served it. As expected, in the north it is difficult to get good south Indian stuff. The dosa that I got was of mediocre quality just enough to serve the purpose of “udaram bharanam”. But it served to break the monotony of alu parathas which were forced on us.

We met two Delhiites who had driven from Delhi to Govindghat and pitched their tent at Ghangria. They had completed their trip to Hemkund, that evening and shared with us beautiful snaps of Brahma kamal and blue poppy and gave us best wishes. These flowers were conspicuous by their absence in the valley and I was eager to catch sight of them on the way to Hemkund.

Hemkund Sahib
During the night I could sense much activity outside our room. I was not aware of the time and did not bother to get up from my cozy bed. In the morning by 7.00, still when most of the group seemed to be in bed, I wondered what Negi was doing. It was his job to get people going in time. Apart from this the guide has precious little to do as trek routes are well laid out and chances of getting lost are very slight. At this time it became known that one among the group of twelve had got seizures, in the middle of the night, that left him paralyzed for some minutes. A doctor had been called from the Gurudwara and he advised him to return to lower altitude. Due to tension and stress generated by this incident the whole group of 12 had received little rest last night. They decided that only the kids of the group will go up to Hemkund sahib, the mothers will stay back at GMVN to take care of them and the men of the group will escort the sick member back to Govindghat. Negi had to go with them.

So we proceeded, the group of six of us - Sumant, Anuj, Gargi and Mihir and the both of us. Once they found out that we were not as young as we seemed to be, Anuj enjoyed teasing us by calling us ‘kaka’ and ‘kaku’ The way was pretty manageable although there was a constant gradient and we gained altitude quite fast. A marked difference was found in that there was vast amount of traffic of trekkers, horses and pittus which happened to slow us down apart from the steep gradient. We had Maggie at the first dhaba we came across as we had started out with empty stomachs. From this vantage point we could get a bird’s eye view of the route to the valley of flowers. We spent some time admiring the view. The initial part of the trek seemed easy to negotiate and I wondered why people talked of this as a difficult venture. But this was until we knew otherwise. On our way we came across a couple of larks, tits and red munias. Also noticeable was the greater saturation of colour in the same species of flowers at this altitude. We got our first sight of the Himalayan blue poppy! Such a dear little lovely flower!

We were happily trudging ahead checking a flower here, pointing to a bird there, and taking our own sweet time. Given the lack of milestones we were mistaken that we had covered a lot of ground when actually there was still a long to go! The road snaked upwards at an ever increasing gradient. Every time we neared a set of dhabbas we thought we had arrived! To add to the frustration was the fact that people coming down from the Gurudwara kept telling us that there was just one more lap to go and we would be there! We saw many Sikhs in traditional dresses adorning their kara (steel bangles) and kirpans (daggers) looking like some historical figures of the past. Even the women had their hair tied in a turban. The old and the young all climbed up the mountain in earnest, the chants of “Satnam Vahe guru” giving them the mental energy to make it to the top. We stopped to admire a huge glacier from whence sprung the surging waters of the Laxmanganga river that flows in this part of the valley. The glacier is just beside the path and could be seen at quite a close range.

After a point Anuj started having a headache… the rarified air at this altitude does result in such symptoms but they are quite manageable. But he being the youngest member of the group, his brother Sumant was concerned. Moreover in the absence of the parents he felt responsible for the younger ones. Anuj had some hot tea at a Dhaba. They decided to return. It was about two pm at this point in time. Some people who were returning from their visit to the gurudwara said it was about 15 mins from that point and that we should hurry up as they would soon stop serving the ‘Langhar’ (food served as Prasad at the Gurudwara). We were relying on this for our ‘lunch’ and it was already past lunch time. Meanwhile it started to rain. We stood by the dhabba in our raincoats wondering what to do. Sumant and the others decided to wait for a ‘Pittu’ for Anuj and in any case start on the way downhill. After the incomplete stint at the valley yesterday, I did not want to return half way today. The very purpose of coming all this way is foiled if one does not make it till the end. Moreover looking at all the traffic of people of all ages coming and going on the way, gave me confidence that we could very easily make it.

Before wasting more time me and Abhiram continued ahead. Some people advised us to take the stairs to the top rather than the round about -more gentle- way used by the horses. The stairs were steep but promised to take us quicker to our destination. Now, after every two three steps I would get breathless and my head felt hollow. Before the reeling sensation set in I decided to have an Analgesic as soon as I reached the top. We could see the flag, indicating the gurudwara fluttering in the cool breeze but it took us longer to reach there than we imagined. After an hour‘s long haul from the dhabba to the top we finally had the good fortune to get the darshan of Hemkund sahib at 3.00 pm. As we neared the top my final wish was fulfilled - Brahma kamals blooming on either side on the path !! The flowers were sparsely spread out over the slope away from the path. This did not allow a close view or the inside view of this large cream coloured flower with translucent cabbage like petals. We did not have enough ‘kida’ in us to steer away from the path on to the rocky area for a ‘zoom in’ and ‘full view’. We were eager to reach the gurudwara.

The gurudwara is a huge a stone structure dedicated to Guru Gobin singh. One of the most revered of all Sikh Shrines, The Hemkund Sahib, the Worlds Highest Gurudwara, is situated at an altitude of 4,329 mts. Going by the saying “aadhi petpuja mag devpuja” we proceeded straight to where food was being served. The glucose biscuits and gram ‘garam chai’ were life giving; we gobbled up a bowl full and went for more. We did not feel much like lunch. Standing by the lake we enjoyed a peaceful moment.

The high altitude Hemkund lake, on the banks of which this gurudwara is located has pristine crystal clear waters. It was very misty when we reached there. Although the lake was visible we could not see the reflections of the surrounding snow clad peaks on its clear serene waters. There is also a Lakshman temple built on the bank of the lake - the only one in the country (I suppose) specifically dedicated to Lakshman who was otherwise compelled all this life to be under the shadow of Bhaiya Ram J and Bhabhi Sita J. It is believed that Lakshman, meditated by the lake and regained his health after being severely wounded by Meghnath, the son of Ravana. Inside the gurudwara it was warm and the soft carpet felt good to our tired worn feet J. Images of Guru govind singh and his accessories (turban, sword, kirpans and clothing) were preserved in a room.
By now, most of the pilgrims had started to return and a long queue of horses could be seen to take them back. Dipping our hands in the lake’s frigid waters we filled up our stock of drinking water.

On our return we climbed down at a pace we had never known before. Careful not to twist one’s ankle on the cobbled path, we raced down without stopping to while away time or being tempted to rest at the Dhabbas on the way. The chants of “Satnam Vahe guru” of our fellow travelers ringing in our ears we made it to the base in three hours flat!! Record time!! We congratulated each other glad to have completed it without any mishap. Tired of looking at the smooth, rounded, cobbled, stony pathway, it nevertheless kept us company right through the village of Ghangria to our guest house. Tired but fulfilled we trudged in at 7.30 pm. Those who had not ventured out or completed the trek congratulated us on our return.

The next day we started out on our return to Govindghat…. Our porter Mr. Negi was ready and present at the GMVN guest house to carry our sacks. This time around since the route was downhill he had decided to make more money and carried two more bags of another traveler!! A salute to the stamina of these people and human capacity! The trek route was now well known and we could spend more time looking around observing butterflies and listening to chirping birds. At points the traffic of mules was overwhelming. Along side the river where we had tea we observed the familiar plumbeous redstarts and white capped water redstarts darting on rocks in the rushing waters and a lone blue magpie displaying its long lovely tail. Among butterflies many ‘blues’ were ubiquitous. In one of the many butterfly watching stints Abhiram happened to join a group of people peering over a beautiful specimen with large blue eyes on its wings and realized that the person standing next to him was Sonali Kulkarni, the marathi theater and film personality J She had come with YHAI and we knew we would soon expect her articles on this trip in the Marathi daily! We had the opportunity to see her at Badrinath as well- a nice down to earth personality without much air about herself.

We made it to Govindghat by 3.00 pm.; had lunch with gulab jammuns for desert and proceeded on our way further to Badrinath.

Badrinath
Apart from the Vishnu temple at Badrinath which is the reason people visit the place; the main attraction for me was to get a good sight of the Neelkanth peak, as it reflected the golden rays of the rising sun. We were done with ‘darshan’ on the evening we arrived. The stone temple is an impressive sight, all lighted up standing on the banks of the roaring Alakhnanda. The hot water springs near the freezing cold waters of Alakhnanada are a testimony to the wonders of nature.
Neelkanth from BadrinathThe next morning I got up at five to catch sight of the Neelkant peak at sunrise. But it was still very cloudy. From the orange tinge that the sky had acquired I could make out that it was past sunrise and I would not be able get the “golden neelkant” now. Frankly speaking I wasn’t sure where to look. The GMVN person had said that right from the front door one can get a spectacular view. But it did not seem that there would be anything spectacular behind the sheet of dark clouds. That there would be a peak itself did not seem to be a possibility. I went back to my prized sleep. But nature shows its wonders at the most unexpected moments! While we were about to go for breakfast, the curtain of clouds rose to reveal the massive snow clad peak that stood before us. The sight was just stunning!! Before we could call others who were still in their rooms the clouds soon gathered to envelop the spectacular scene. Early bird gets the worm, no doubt!!

Mana- ‘Bharat ki aakhri chai ki dukan’
Another attraction about Badrinath was ‘Mana’ a village 2 kms from Badrinath -near the Indo Tibetan border. Among the many attractions are the Vyas Gufa and Ganesh Gufa where Lord Ganesh wrote the Mahabharat as dictated by Maharshi Vyas. Here a creative fellow has put up a board announcing his shop to be ‘Bharat ki aakhri chai ki dukan’ consequently hiking up his sale of goods.

Further down is the Bhimpul where the mysterious Saraswati River makes a spectacular appearance from under a rock face. One is awestruck by the gigantic amount of water that comes surging cascading from underneath the mountain. Standing there facing this torrential mass of water has a kind of magical effect on you. The roar of the waters is so deadening, it is impossible to listen to the person standing next to you. Legend has it that the Pandavas passed this way on their way to heaven. When Draupadi could not manage to cross these cascading waters, Bhima obliged by lifting a huge boulder to create a bridge. The guide quickly points out the impressions of Bhima’s fingers on this boulder. Further the path continues ahead for 5 km to the famed Vasundhara falls. The mysterious Saraswati gives up her identity a mere 3 kms past her origin to merge in the flow of the omnipresent Alaknanda.

Auli

Auli was scheduled on the trip but by the time we reached Joshimath and finished a late lunch, it was well after 4.00 pm. The driver, and now hand in glove Negi were eager that we reach Pipalkoti before any landslide creates hindrance; both were very reluctant to stop the bus for a cable car ride to the Auli slopes. They told us that the last cable ride was at 4.00 which we had missed and a minimum of 15 people are required for a car ride. The Punjabi guy and the three Jains were hell bent on taking the ride. They started arguing with Negi waving the schedule in his face saying that he had to give the allotted time for the ride….the rest of the group of 12 were not interested, they put forth the excuse that it will be troublesome to spend the night in the bus if we were to get stranded in a landslide…

When Negi suggested that the four can take the ride and the bus will leave and meet them at Pipalkoti, Mr. Shishir Jain blew his top, insisting that the bus had to wait till they came back in an hour. Both of us did not know what to do, we were nicely sitting on the fence . Rather than hear both parties complain we decided to take some fresh air and got off the bus for a stroll… meanwhile the four Jains and the bearded Punjabi (dadhiyal) went upstairs to the cable car office to talk to the manager. Sumant, the more enthu from amongst the 12 and both of us decided to check out the cable car office. There we got to know that the rides were till 6.00, so it was possible to go. Instead of waiting in the bus for an hour we also decided to give the cable car a try, knowing fully well that the possibility of seeing snow clad peaks was slim in given the cloudy weather.

And were we glad we took the ride! The view from atop was awesome! The cable car operator showed us the Auli slopes and gave information about the winter skiing sports that take place. In good winter when ski courses are held here, the slopes are covered with 10 feet deep snow. Now, on the slopes orchards owned by the villagers were dotted with green, yellow naspati and red apples ready to be picked. Further up we could see the famed silver and golden oak, pine and birch trees with their cones peeping out from bundles of needle like leaves. Underneath us on the motorable road to Auli, village lads enjoyed pointing the cable car to each other; hardworking villagers in their farms eagerly looked up and waved at us, a quaint smile lighting up their weather beaten faces, healthy cattle grazed lazily on the meadows ….. picture perfect!!

A delight to ones eyes the slopes were speckled with tiny pretty white flowers of Anaphalis, and long stalks of pink Morina Longifolia. Once on the hill top it was nice to feel surrounded by lush green meadows and flowers stretching in front of you as long as the eye could see. As against the valley where one is restricted to the boulder strewn path -unless one ventures away from it to seek more flowers-, here one can take the liberty of lowering oneself down on soft grass and letting go, take the pleasure to lie down in the bed of flowers and let ones eyes feast on the towering snow laden peaks and thick oak forests that border the meadow. The place was so charming; it was almost ‘filmy’ – like any typical pretty Bollywood scene. I was half tempted to go rolling down the slopes in a typical Shammi Kapoor fashion! In about 25 mins it was time to go. The cable car operator enumerated the names of the peaks which eluded us - Hathi, Ghoda, Palkhi, Lotus, Nandadevi and many more.
We returned to the bus admiring the saturation of hues in huge yellow sunflowers zinnias and delias in red, yellow, orange, and pink.

These magical moments came to an end as we neared Shrinagar and the unwelcome heat of the plains!! A painful walk in the blazing sun to the archeological museum here was the anticlimax to the trip L . Singing songs, listening to the mouth organ and entertaining ourselves with puzzles and dumb charade games we reached Rishikesh. Each of us dispersed with fond memories of the hills and valleys.

The lack of easy access serves only to add to the appeal of places like Hemkund sahib and the Valley of flowers. With infrastructure being increasing built even in difficult terrain as this, there remain just a handful of such places in our country which require us to take the effort to walk on our own two feet to reach them. These places should be left so without the aid of modern transport. Even if this keeps them away from the reach of the old, the infirm, and the couch potatoes, and perhaps keeps the local people from so called “development”; in the bargain of protecting this wilderness I will still vouch for it.

This is an environment that must be protected if it has to yield water for the teeming hordes of humankind on the plains. Those who have walked off into the wilderness and drunk pure, clean water from a gurgling brook will identify with this feeling immediately. Others must do so immediately, lest they wait long enough for these places to vanish under the increasing pressures of development.

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Sun, 25 Dec 2005 11:21:00 +0000

Lakshadweep -Kadmat Dec 2005

Hi,I am back from lakshadweep and had a fantastic time. it is an amazingly beautiful place with clear transperant turquoise blue andgreen waters, even near the shore. The coral reefs are beautiful teeming with fish and variety of marine life. I could fulfill two of items on my wishlist - snorkeling and scubadiving the latter from "Lacadives" training institute for scuba diving- got a cert for having completed the 20min introductory dive. Saw Green turtle tracks - when it comes ashore for laying eggs. Also met Mr. Hisham and Ms. Andrea members of BNHS and LEAD working on a partnership project to save Giant clams.

Another out of the world experience was collecting planktons. - Algae in the sea waters when washed ashore at night time emit florescent light. Picking up the floroscent blue grains from the sand was thrilling. It was as if the sea had thrown up gems from its hidden treasure house for us to appreciate.

Once you get used to breathing in from your mouth and allow your nose the rest that it never gets, snorkelling and scuba diving is fun.It is like you are absorbed in a different world surrounded by fish big and small, beautiful coloured corals of numerous shapes and sizes and all you have to do is float about enjoying the spectacle. It is important not to get too excited and grin from ear to ear as I did and get gallons of salt water in your tummy!! The experience of travelling on a ship is novel in itself. We could spot several dolphins practicing their famous dives. Had a distant and not so satisfactory view of sooty terns and noodys.

We were lucky enough to witness the rising moon from the ocean waters- a great orange orb rivaling any sunrise in its beauty. I had never seen the moon look so orange ever in my life. The setting moon that we got to see on the day of return was a beauty in itself lending a mellow soothing sparkle to the sea waters.The sun rise that i could capture on my camera was one of the best possible for me till date. I hope the pics look as good on the CD as they look on the camera LCD.

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 07:40:00 +0000

Wanderings in a coastal woodland

The relentless call of the brown headed barbet ringing in the background, gold fronted leafbirds and green pigeons silently hiding in the bright green foliage, a scorpion in an aggressive mode ready with its deadly sting, cat legged spiders lurking in tree hollows, young fungoid frogs leaping besides a spring and a riot of colours as butterflies and dragonflies flutter basking in the morning sun. This and much more is what Phansad Wild Life Sanctuary had to offer us that weekend in March.

I decided to cash the three-day weekend of Holi and joined BNHS trip to Phansad WLS. Situated near Murud in the Raigad district of the Konkan region, at a mere four and half hours drive from the city, this little known sanctuary is a blessing for Mumbaikars. Sprawling aross 53 sq km. this Coastal Woodland represents a unique Ecosystem of Western Ghats.

Twenty of us led by Mr. Adesh Shivkar, Dr. Vaibhav Deshmukh, Mr. Parthiv Patel left Mumbai by 6.30 a.m. After a few wrong turns at Panvel and breakfast at a near by restaurant we headed further past Nagaon, and Chaul till we reached Rev Danda.

We stopped here in the village of Therunda to take a look at (as we were told) the skeleton of a 6-month-old blue whale. After futile attempts to burn or bury the 45 feet baby whale that had washed ashore, one of the villagers took the initiative to preserve the skeleton, arrange for the Plaster of Paris imitations to fill up a few missing bones and set it up for public appreciation. The enormity of the creature is the first thing that strikes you. If the baby is so huge imagine a full grown adult. One marvels at the miracles of nature. Adesh and Dr. Vaibhav provided information that whales – the largest of the mammals are vegetarians and feed on the smallest of living organisms – the planktons. Surviving on oxygen from the air they surface approximately every 20 minutes. Whales being mammals give birth to live young. These are not delivered head first as in other mammals, since in the water the baby may suffocate. They arrive tail first and as soon as the head comes out the mother pushes the baby towards the surface to allow for breathing. After more exchange of information on other sea animals we left the place feeling grateful that there still exist people like this gentleman from the village who spend from their own pocket for public good.

We proceeded further along the scenic road by the sea shore of Kashid to reach Phansad at about 3.00 p.m. By 4.00 p.m. we had set out to see what the forest had to offer us. On the way we discovered a magpie robin’s nest in a roof of a hut. The clever bird had used a snakeskin to line its nest to deter predators from venturing nearby. We headed towards one of the sacred groves (devrai) that form a part of the forest. These areas are thought to have the presence of god and hence no tree is cut. Thus left untouched by human hand they form a gene pool important to protect the biodiversity of nature. The entire forest floor was covered with thick leaf litter and pair of twenty feet made quite a racket walking through it. Surrounded by the canopy of evergreen and deciduous trees, wood climbers- lianas, strangler figs and Garambi (Entada species) we trudged forward. We marveled at the flowers and pods of Garambi.

Each series of these woody pods is about 2 feet long. One fine day they burst open to disperse black shiny seeds. While we were busy admiring the Garambi pod, Parthiv got hold of a juvenile bark gecko and we appreciated its vertical pupils. He explained the difference between the lizard and gecko family. The lizards are laterally flattened while the geckos are dorso- ventrally flattened. Some geckos also have lamellae under their paws (small tube like structures that end in cups) which help them to climb vertical surfaces and defy gravity. We sighted a lone lapwing and some yellow-legged green pigeons. To reach the grove we had negotiated a small slope full of thorny dry bushes but returned through Supegeon the adjoining village.

Before dinner that evening we settled down in the open courtyard of the forest rest house where Adesh presented his slides of birds. This gave rise to further discussions and queries on the behaviour and habitat of the birds. Many doubts and questions were answered.

That night after dinner we set out for the night trail. Adesh showed us a tree hollow known to be home to the cat legged spider. Focusing a torch on it revealed two yellow and black striped legs. We were not successful in luring it to come out. Meanwhile some one found a dead nightjar lying on the road probably hit by a passing vehicle. It was a good opportunity to see its features from a close distance. Dr. Vaibhav volunteered to show its wide gape, the bristles by the beak which are sensitive to touch of insects and allow it to hunt at night. Its feathers are soft to touch aiding silent maneuvering in the night. Once we were done with the nightjar we proceeded to a nearby meadow to settle down and listen for nightjars. The Grey nightjar and the Indian nightjar were quite vocal.

The next morning I was ready by six so some of us decided to take the route by the guesthouse towards the watchtower. The bird activity was in full swing. The forest was alive with their chirping and the sweet smelling Raan Jai and wild Tagar made my short walk invigorating. I was glad to be able to shoot golden orioles on my camera; coppersmith barbets, bulbuls, gold fronted chloropsis, ashy drongos were energetically dancing from one treetop to another. Yellow footed green pigeons and pompadour pigeons sat silently in the trees hidden completely by their excellent camouflaging colours and contours.

Before I joined the entire group a blue-faced malkoha was sighted and I regretted not being witness to it. We kept trying to look for it when Sahil, an enthusiastic birder sighted it yet again. This time again it was a fleeting glance and the bird kept shifting from one branch to another before it took refuge in the dense foliage away from our prying eyes. One group returned with the information that a jungle babbler’s nest had been located. The nest was neatly done and hidden in a small bush. It held three bright green eggs. Our curiosity satisfied and the eggs intact, we left.

After breakfast we set out yet again and this time came across a dead Green Imperial Pigeon. The beautiful bird lay on the leaf litter its neck unnaturally twisted. Ants had already started making a meal of its eyes. Its lovely metallic green wings glistened in the morning sun. We hoped to see these birds alive and healthy and here we had come across two dead ones already!! Mr. Chandrakant Naik the forest officer of Phansad offered to show us a den used by the leopard. On the way we came across a baby cat legged spider. Although still to reach adult size it has its share of poison ready for anyone who tries any funny tricks, so the safest way to handle it is with a twig. Parthiv put it in a case so that everyone could view it.

The way to the cave was slightly up hill. It had a small opening just enough to fit a person seated on the ground. We took our turns to check it out. One could not really go much further from the entrance. The cave narrowed and the torchlight revealed openings on the upper right hand side and lower left. These were just enough to accommodate the cubs. The amazing thing was the natural ventilation that the cave possessed. Outside the cave we were sweating from the heat but near the entrance one could sense a drop in temperature and the resultant coolness. Quite a cozy home to rear one’s cubs!

Soon we were back for a sumptuous lunch and cool wash. In the evening we set out along the main road. The treetops did not reveal any interesting birds and Parthiv literally left no stone unturned with the expectation of some prized serpent until his efforts bore fruit! There under a stone was an adult female scorpion! He tweaked it from its hole and it took an aggressive stance openly threatening with its sting! After every excited soul had taken a good look we left the scorpion to its own business. Further down a purple rumped sunbird perched on a branch, preening in a spot of sunlight its green cap shining brilliantly. This deserved a look from the spotting scope. The spotting scope revealed more features. Quite a handsome bird indeed!! Those who had got digital cameras could take snaps by positioning the lens and the scope eyepiece in alignment. Lucky indeed to get such pictures without much effort!

Thus walking further we came to a point that over looked the valley. Adding to the beauty of the forest was a delightful mix of greens, yellows, reds and browns. The beginning of “Vasant” was announced by the deciduous trees wearing a new coat of bright green, the evergreen trees sporting a darker hue with splashes of red from the Flame of the forest, Coral tree and new leaves of the Ceylon Oak tree (locally known as Kusum).

All through the trip Adesh and Dr. Vaibhav would keep making different birdcalls and to their credit the birds did respond in return. At this point a hornbill responded to a call. Every one rushed to the point. We could locate the approximate position of the hornbill and stood at the spot. What followed next was a “jugal bundi” between Adesh and the hornbill. Call answered call – it was a weird call something like a cranky baby calling. As Adesh would lower his voice the hornbill would raise its and so it went on; all of us rooted to the spot listening intently until someone sneezed and gave away the show. A brief glimpse of the bird flying in the trees led us to believe that it was a Malabar grey hornbill.

After the brief excitement we trudged back. Uma had sighted a rat snake some distance further. All of us at this end of the road rushed back. By the time Prathiv and the rest of us could reach the spot the snake had disappeared. He could just get a glimpse at it. So much for the excitement J. Nevertheless we headed back to base for dinner.

While dinner was being cooked we entertained ourselves with some quiz questions. Parthiv and Adesh tested our knowledge on birds, their calls and migratory behaviour. This set off a volley of questions and answers which lasted through out dinnertime.Dr. Vaibhav and Sahil on their night prowl sighted a brown wood owl. They were lucky to locate it on a branch and the bright torchlight kept it in place long enough for Sahil to take a snap!

The next morning we started out early; decided to skip breakfast and headed towards Chikhal Gan one of the many perennial springs that bless the forest with life giving water. The highlight of the day was the crested tree swift. As we reached a large meadow the trees lining the meadow sported many crested tree swifts rising up in the air and settling down on the treetops. As we neared we located a female sitting in a determined manner on her nest. She was least bothered with us mortals lining up under the tree to view her through the spotting scope. Not far away was the male showing off its orange ear coverts. We spent some time watching them to our satisfaction.

Further ahead was a long way to the spring. The spring surrounded by dense foli age makes for a picturesque location. As soon as we reached the spot a honey buzzard was present to welcome us. That it did and flew away. The muddy forest floor showed signs that a wild boar had come the previous night to wallow in the mud. (some dhulivandan that must have been J). Some of us stayed by the water while others marched further in the forest. Many nests of the Malabar giant squirrel could be seen though the furry animal was not to be sighted. A malabar grey hornbill was calling and to our excitement could be located high on a eucalyptus tree. Adesh lost no time to make it better appreciable to the human eye. From the scope we could see its huge beak and even its eyelashes! About a dozen white rumped vultures circled above us taking advantage of the thermals to relieve their wings of trouble. The large green barbet that had kept calling relentlessly for the past two days allowed us a peek before it gave us a slip again.

Near the spring in the mud many butterflies and brilliant coloured dragonflies were flittering about basking in the sun; note worthy among them - Common leopard, Short silver line, Blue tiger, Gaudy Baron and Danaid eggfly. We took our time to have a good look at each and capture a few on our cameras. On our way back we stopped by the watchtower for a panoramic view of the forest landscape and the Korlai Castle by the shoreline. Continuing further we were amazed to see the crested tree swift still on her nest undaunted by the blazing sun! Talk about parental instincts!! Further down a green vine snake gave us ‘darshan’ before we left Phansad.

A wonderful camp was made pleasurable by group leaders like Adesh, Dr. Vaibhav and Parthiv. Their zeal, enthusiasm and patience are indeed infectious. For its wonderful mix of deciduous and evergreen forest and the variety of flora and fauna Phansad is a place every nature enthusiast would love to visit.

_________________
Text: Ms. Rama Mulye
Photos courtesy: Mr. Rahul Natu

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Mon, 15 Nov 2004 11:13:00 +0000

Pt. Calimere Bird Sanctuary- 11th – 15th Oct

Point Calimere was on my “wish list” since sometime, mainly after some of my bird watching friends narrated their experience at the bird banding camp. So this time when the opportunity presented itself I couldn’t but join the ornithology study group at their annual bird banding camp.

Point Calimere lies at the tip of the eastern Indian coastline and its local name “Kodikkarai” “Kodik” meaning end and “Karai” meaning coast, is aptly self-explanatory.
It is a small piece of land jutting out into the sea and the sea enters at places giving rise to wetland, marshes and swamps. Sprawling across 17.26 sq km surrounded by sea and shore, comprising forests of tidal swamps, dry evergreen forests of mangroves, and this sanctuary is situated in the Nagapattinam district of Tamilnadu.

It was a thrilling proposition to hold a tiny bird in your hand and put a ring around its tarsus, measure its limbs and then let it go. I seriously doubted my ability to do so. More than anything else I was afraid of hurting the bird. All my fears were laid at rest watching Dr. Bala deftly handle birds as if they were an extension of his body. The birds be it tiny warblers or larger water birds were calm and quite in his hands. Some of them particularly shrikes were decidedly curious. They would even peep over his index finger to see their tarsus being ringed. Others on the other hand among these mynas and paradise flycatchers would make every effort to exercise their right to freedom. They would announce their annoyance at being held against their will and create a ruckus.
The water birds (sandpipers, terns, plovers) were most cooperative of the lot.

While having a bird in your hand can give a good opportunity to observe the finer points of identification which in the field are difficult to pinpoint, it does not give you an idea of the natural behaviour of the bird in the field. You do not for e.g. know how the bird sits while perching on a branch, its posture, its flight, and its call. So the ideal situation would be to see the bird in the field as well as be able to ring it. On many occasions we could do just that. On our morning walk we could sight forest warblers, Asian paradise flycatchers, sunbirds, shrikes, babblers in the field and later be able to ring them. Surprisingly this would match. If on the day we sight forest warblers or white-headed babblers, Indian pittas in the field the mist net findings would be similar.

Mist nets are fine nets difficult to see at a distance even to the human eye. These nets are hooked to wooden poles along the regular foraging routes of the birds. E.g. mist nets are set in front of the thorny bushes which are favourite perching sites of warblers. When the bird flies in the direction of the bushes it gets entangled in the net. When it struggles to get free, it further entangles itself. But these nets are so designed that even when the bird struggles it does not strangle itself or get hurt. Mist nets are never to be left unguarded, for opportunistic feeders like crow pheasants will not hesitate to make a meal of these helpless creatures. About two hours after setting the nets the birds are collected. It requires great skill to remove birds from the net and Dr. Bala’s assistants Mr. Paneer and others did it with ease. First one needs to determine which direction the bird came from then you hold the bird by both its legs and remove any mesh entangled in the claws. Then free the wings followed by the head and other parts. We were not allowed to do this obviously because it requires skill. Catching the bird by its wing or tail feathers will lead to injury. After removal the birds are bagged separately according to sizes.

Next comes ringing. These birds have to be ringed and let loose within half and hour’s time. They were caught while on their foraging rounds in the morning so many may be still hungry. Depending on the season some may have left their eggs unguarded while some may have young to feed. So it is most important to quickly complete the ringing process.

While releasing the birds, the land birds will fly to the nearest bush once you loosen your grip. But it is important to release the birds at the site from where they were caught. Care has to be taken that predators are not around. Many times the predators like Brahminy kites have learnt to recognize the basket of the trapper. So the trapper has to be extra cautious to hide the basket while releasing the water birds near the shore.

We would spend our time birding in the early morning and later the trapper would get the birds and wide eyed and enthused we would identify the bird, measure, its wing, tail, tarsus, bill, weigh and ring it and release it. Ringing a bird is a thrilling experience indeed! Dr. Vaibhav one of our team members compares it to holding a new born baby for the first time. The tiny soft creature sits in your palm while you ring its tarsus gently. If the bird sits calmly that means it is comfortable. If your grip were to become slightly tight it will struggle to get free. Dr. Bala also explained moulting-(shedding old feathers and growth of new), the position of primaries and secondaries, and how to determine the age of the bird. Moulting was a new phenomenon I got to learn. Till date I only thought in terms of the breeding plumage and juvenile plumage which changed as the bird entered the adult phase. Given that the bird was in hand we could spread its wings to see any new feathers appearing, identify old feathers and look for any missing ones. Many of these waders are migratory, covering thousands of kilometers to reach their stopover at Pt. Calimere and proceed to Sri Lanka and further. A juvenile bird starts moulting before it begins migration. By the time of migration if the moulting is not complete, it will stop moulting till it reaches its winter sites and then once again begin and complete the moulting process. That makes sense- in view of a long journey ahead, the bird wouldn’t want to loose old feathers before the new ones are fully in position.

In the evenings we would go for strolls to the mud flats. An engrossing spectacle here was Brahminy kites fishing. Many spot billed pelicans graciously soared over the waters and landed effortlessly on the surface. Several types of terns -among them the handsome Caspian tern with its coral red bill deserves mention- plovers, sandpipers were present in numbers. We would try to identify them by the characteristics we learnt while ringing them. So we spent hours identifying the little terns from the whiskered terns from the gull billed terns.
Another “na bhuto-na bhavishyati” experience was walking in the swamps. Usually I will hesitate before entering the waters of Mumbai for fear of garlands, plastic bags and indescribable crap clinging to my ankles. But however mucky and slushy the swamps were the water was clear and transparent. Once you get accustomed to the feel of slimy mud spotted with wader droppings under your bare feet, it is a soothing experience to say the least. From the cool exposed mudflats into the warm water currents there are miles to go. The floor is covered with layers of blue-green algae in innumerable shades of green. It forms the primary source of food for the flamingoes. Walking thus for about two hours we sighted many plovers, a black winged stilt, a western reef egret and a lone sanderling greeted us by the horizon. The greater flamingoes were present in large numbers but preferred to keep their distance. The center of the swamp served as a roosting site as numerous water birds gathered for their night roost. As dusk fell we trudged back. Out of the mud and on to the beach our sticky muddy feet were swept clean by the waters of the Bay of Bengal. Back for our dinner we surprised a hermit crab which promptly hid its face in a conch shell.

One of the nights we had our dinner near the beach and spent quite sometime on the beach watching the forest wagtails in large numbers one after the other heading towards the sea. They were on their annual migration to Sri Lanka. Night herons were also following their migration instincts flying in formations above us while we lay on the cool sand cushioning our heads. The next day morning more pelicans migrated to the swamps in a formation that did them credit. What luck to observe migration by day and by night!

Sadly as life would have it this wonderful place is plagued by the perils of development. Salt panning has increased the salinity of the waters to dangerous levels harmful to life. The lands are thrown waste and the waters cannot sustain life. Dead fish float on the surface refused to be eaten by the water birds. A nearby chemical factory draws benefit by producing bromide from the accumulated salt. A major blow is the upcoming Sethu Samudra project which proposes to link the two large water bodies of Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar. If this project were to come to reality it would mean less time and money spent by ships to reach the Indian Ocean beyond Sri Lanka and in turn destruction of the coral reefs and swamps which serve as stopover sites for numerous migratory birds.

One glimmer of hope is people like Dr. Bala who are trying to convince the officials against this. A scientist at BNHS, he is one enthusiastic person whose genuine love for birds and child like awe of nature’s miracles is infectious. Truly a son of the soil he started the bird-banding project in Point Calimere and would like to see the Sanctuary provide a safe haven for the many avians who come here for refuge.

Further G.K on bird banding

Bird banding or ringing is essential to study individual or groups of birds within a population. Ringing involves catching a bird and putting a numbered metal ring on the tarsus bone (leg/thigh –in lay man’s terms), which will help the ringers in individual identification. All rings have particular size code, number and address of the organization engraved on it. While ringing, the ringer can identify the bird in hand and also take morphometric details (measurements of wing bill, tarsus, tail and weight) and other data from the bird. All the details are carefully entered in data sheets. In future, if the bird is recaptured or killed, the finder reports the number and the place of capture to the organization that ringed the bird thus revealing the whereabouts of the bird.

Aims of bird banding
To find out the movements of birds, flyways and distribution ranges.
To know the longevity of individuals within species.
To gather information on annual lifecycles and moult pattern.
To determine population breeding success from adult/juvenile ratios.

You can see that the aim of bird banding is not identification! Identification can be done using field guides. Earlier birds were killed and stuffed for gathering information and for identification. Thankfully is it no longer required since we have enough information on different species for their identification.

Banding
The bander has to select the correct band size depending on the tarsus of the bird. All bands have specific diameter suited for the tarsus of different species. After identifying the bird, the proper band has to be fixed on the tarsus bone with the help of pliers. The band should move freely on the tarsus and it should not be too loose to come off. For land birds the band can be fixed on the lower tarsus but for water birds it should be in the upper tarsus to avoid corrosion.

We came across many birds which had been already ringed by BNHS earlier. Dr. Bala narrated his experience with some Russian scientists who during their visit to Pt. Calimere coincidently found a bird ringed by a Russian institute! Dr. Bala also showed us bands he had recovered from Afghanistan and other countries.

Brood patch

Birds during incubation sit over eggs and transfer the body heat to the eggs for hatching. Prior to this they develop one or more incubation patch on the ventral side of the body. This area looses feathers and the skin is exposed to allow adequate heat transfer to the eggs. Later after incubation period is over, the feathers cover up this patch again. It is possible to see the brood patch by simply blowing the ventral side feathers of the body.

We could see brood patch on purple-rumped sunbird female.

Seen= S, Heard= H, Ringed= R
Grey Francolin (H,S)(Francolinus pondecerianus)
Indian Peafowl (Male) (S)(Pavo cristatus)
Lesser whistling duck (teal)(juvenile) (S)
(Dendrocygna javanica)
Cotton pygmy goose (female) (S)(Nettapus coromadelianus)
Black rumped flameback (R)(Dinopium benghalense)
Indian grey hornbill (S)(Ocyceros birostris)
Common hoopoe (S)(Upupa epops)
Indian Roller (S)(Coracias benghalensis)
White-throated kingfisher (S)(Halcyon smyrnensis)
Pied kingfisher (S)(Ceryle rudis)
Bluetailed beeeater (S)(Merops philippinus)
Green beeeater (S) )(Merops orientalis)
Pied crested cuckoo (S)(Clamator jacobinus)
Chestnut winged cuckoo (male) (R)( Clamator coromandus)
Lesser cuckoo (hepatic female) (R)(Cuculus poliocephalus)
Grey-bellied cuckoo (male,female) (R,S)(Cacomantis passerinus)
Asian koel (female) (S)(Eudynamys scolopacea)
Blue-faced Malkoha (S)(Phaenicophaeus viridirostris)
Lesser coucal (S,R)(Centropus benglensis)
Rose-ringed parakeet (S)(Pisttacula karmeri)
Asian palm swift (S)(Cypsiurus balasiensis)
House swift (S)(Apus affinis)
Barn swallow (S)(Hirundo rustica)
Spotted owlet (S)(Athene brama)
Spotted dove (S)(Streptopelia chinensis)
Laughing dove (S) (Streptopelia senegalensis)
Common coot (S)(Fulica atra)
Wimbrel(S)(Numenius phaeopus)
Eurasian curlew(S) (Numenius arquata)
Common redshank (S,R)(Tringa totanus)
Black baza (S)(Aviceda leuphotes)
Brahminy kite (juvenile & adult) (S)(Haliastur Indus)
Eurasian marsh harrier (S)(Circus aeruginosus)
Darter (S)(Ahinga melanogaster)
Little Egret (S)(Egretta garzetta)
Western reef egret (S)(egretta gularis)
Cattle egret (S)(Bubulcus ibis)
Pond heron (S)(Ardeola grayii)
Grey Heron (S)(Ardea cinerea)
Black-crowned night heron (S)(Nycticorax nycticorax)
Greater flamingo (S)(Phoenicopterus ruber)
Eurasian spoonbill (S)(Eurasian spoonbill)
Spot-billed pelican (S)(Pelecanus philippensis)
Painted stork (S)(Mycteria leucocephala)
Asian openbill (S)(Anastomus oscitans)
Indian Pitta (S,R)(Pitta brachyura)
Longtailed shrike (S)(Lanius schach)
Brown shrike (S,R) (Lanius cristatus)
Rufous treepie (S)Dendrocitta vagabunda)
Blackheaded cuckoo shrike (R)(Coracina melanoptera)
Black drongo (S)(Dicrurus macrocercus)
Asian pradise-flycatcher (rufous male, female) (S,R)(Terpsiphone paradisi)
Chestnut-tailed starling (R)(Sturnus malabaricus)
Brahminy starling (S,R)(Sturnus pagodarum)
Common myna (R)(Acridotheres tristis)
Red vented bulbul (S)(Pycnonotus cafer)
White browed bulbul (S,R) (Pycnonotus luteolus)
Lesser whitethroat (S,R)(Sylvia curruca)
Common tailor bird (S,R)(Orthotomus sutorius)
Greenish leaf warbler (R)(Phylloscopus trochiloides)
Large billed leaf warbler (R) (Phylloscopus magnirostris)
Jungle babbler (S)(Turdoides striatus)
Rufous-winged bushlark (S)(Mirafra assamica)

Marsh Sandpiper (S,R)(Tringa stagnatilis)
Common greenshank (S,R)(Tringa nebularia)
Wood sandpiper(S)(Tringa glareola)
Terek sandpiper (R) (Xenus cinereus)
Common sandpiper (R,S)(Actitis hypoleucos)
Ruddy turnstone (non-breeding) (R,S)(Arenaria interpres)
Sanderling (S)(Calidris alba)
Little stint (R,S) (Calidris minuta)
Long-toed stint (S) (Calidris subminuta)
Curlew sandpiper (S,R)(Calidris ferruginea)
Broad-billed sandpiper (R) (Limicola falcinellus)
Black-winged stilt (S)(Himantopus himantopus)
Grey plover (R)(Pluvialis squatarola)
Little ringed plover (S,R)(Charadrius dubius)
Kentish plover (S) (Charadrius alexandrinus)
Lesser sandplover (S,R) (Charadrius mongolus)
Red-wattled lapwing (S,H)(Vanellus indicus)
Heuglin’s gull (S)(Larus heuglini)
Brownheaded gull (S)(Larus brunnicephalus)
Gull-billed tern(S)(Gelochelidon nilotica)
Caspian tern (S)(Sterna caspia)
Lesser crested tern (S) (Sterna bengalensis)
Sandwich tern(R) (Sterna sandvicensis)
Common tern (R) (Sterna hirundo)
Little tern (S) (Sterna albifrons)
Whiskered tern (S)(Chlidonias hybridus)
Osprey (S)(Pandion haliaetus)
Purple rumped sunbird (R)(male & female) ( Nectarinia zeylonica)
Purple sunbird(R) ( Nectarinia asiatica)
Forest wagtail (S,R) (Dendronanthus indicus)
White-browed wagtail (S)(Motacilla maderaspatensis)
Paddy field pipit (S)(Anthus rufulus)
Baya weaver (S)(Ploceus philippinus)
House crow(Corvus splendens)
Jungle crow
Blue rock pigeon
Ring dove
White headed babbler (R)
Ruff (non-breeding) (R) ( Philomachus pugnax)

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Wed, 20 Oct 2004 07:17:00 +0000

Kokan diva - Mangad Trek

Members: Rahul Natu, Shekhar Rajeshirke, K. Ramachandran,

Amol Raybagkar, Rama Mulye, Padmaja Prabhu.

Gavdevi temple - Kumbhi wadi Janani Temple at the entry of Kumbhighat

Kokandiva School at Ghol, where we stayed over night

Forest spring Sunset at Kumbhi Ghat

Waterfall

Photos courtesy: Mr. Rahul Natu

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Tue, 20 Apr 2004 06:57:00 +0000

A Day hike to Valmiki Ashram

We gathered outside Kalyan station by 6.30 where Rahul was waiting with his Sumo. Left Kalyan by 7.15. The team consisted of mere four – Amol, Rahul, Padmaja and myself. Since the restaurants around Kalyan were yet to open for the day’s business, we proceeded further and after about an hour’s drive pulled up near a wayside restaurant to indulge in idlis and dosas. The breakfast concluded with that extra-sweet tea one finds in these countryside restaurantsJ. That was enough to make me feel queasy in the stomach but it did not ruin my happiness for long.

The drive was pleasant and the road fairly good. Pointing out rollers, bee-eaters, drongos kingfishers and other regular village birds to each other, and admiring the Shayadri range of Kulang-Madan-Alang and Kalsubai, Ratangad on the South / south-East, and Naneghat, Jivdhan, Dhakoba on the North we reached the base village in good time by 9.00. Got the village oldie to supervise the parked Sumo and shoo away over curious young brats. A five minute walk up hill and we settled down to gaze at the Ghatghar school yard and water tank seen on the opposite mountain range, Kalsubai peak, Alang, Kulang Madan. No sooner had we settled down than we started munching on the Rum flavoured chocolates Rahul had brought thanks to his sister who had come down from U.K, and finished off a tin full of homemade kharvas. We trudged further the climb was reassuringly gentle and entered thick jungle cover of towering evergreen trees. Plenty of wood climbers- Lianas and strangler figs were to be seen; mushrooms on exposed wood, spiders baiting on giant webs, anthills by your feet and ant nests above your heads. This part of the forest is supposed to be a “Devrai” as Rahul informed. A Devrai is a forest surrounding a holy place often around a temple, which is considered the province of the God/Godess, and hence no twig/tree is to be cut. Left so untouched by human hand for years together they form amazing bio-systems. For once it feels good to see, trees getting their due space on this planet.

As we neared the top we could hear human voices singing bahjans to the tune of cymbals (zhanja). We let the procession of about ten men, women and children pass by (It was a DINDI from Valmiki Ashram to Alandi) as we sat enjoying kachoris and chatni. At about 11.30 we were in the so called "Valmiki Ashram". It consisted of a temple, a hut with a huge Banyan tree in the background and another hut showing signs that it earlier used to have walls and a roof. We rested in another dilapidated structure sporting a loft supported by wooden poles. All about there were signs of burned out wood fires (chul) lit by villagers who camped here during specific festivals. After resting a while, Rahul, Padmaja and myself continued further to check out “Site che Paalna", which also has impressions of Sita’s feet left here while she took refuge at this place for delivering the much prized twin sons. The paay-waat to this place was as steep as the earlier had been gentle with some scree put in to make it that bit stimulating thru thick cover of Kaarvi. Panting and puffing we reached the top. Negotiating a small rock patch had been made manageable by resting a wobbly iron ladder on it. Once on the top on the left was a small cave with the “Site chi Paavle” in it. And thank God for small mercies in life - on the right was a small water tank. Drinking water from it meant balancing one self precariously on the edge of the rock face and helping oneself to whatever water you could retain in your palm. A coconut shell made the process easier. Refreshed and energized by life-giving water we spent some minutes watching the grand balancing act by the world’s greatest acrobats- monkeys – rhesus macaques and languors. The rock we were sitting on faced the popular Ajoba mountain wall. On the other end of the tank, we had a panoramic view of the range from Kulang to Kalsubai.

Back to base by about 1400hrs, we joined Amol for lunch which comprised of Methi parathe, Green-Garlic chatni, lemon pickle, Nestle Dahi, kachori, and plum cake (Ovenfresh) and more chocolates for dessert. We filled up our water bottles at the nearby watertank - there are two- the upper one has collected water while the lower one flowing water. A good one-hour’s siesta post lunch did us good. Few villagers who had come for an excursion and dev darshan stopped by to bathe in the water tanks. They were surely a noisy lot. Soon after at about 1600 hrs we started on our way back. Nearer the base, the light was good and suitable to shoot the panoramic range around and view the top most point of we had attained today.
It was about 1730 hrs by the time we touched base and found the Sumo intact, thanked the Ajoba for guarding the car and started our drive back. Once within the citylimits we stopped by again at Hotel Kasne for some pet puja of idlis, vadas and some decent coffee. We reached Kalyan by 2030hrs. This was one of the most leisurely trek I have had.

Text : Rama Bhave

Photo courtesy : Rahul Natu

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Tue, 23 Mar 2004 11:19:00 +0000

Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary (Bharatpur) and Ranathambore National Park
(18th – 23rd Feb 2004)

We arrived at Bharatpur station about an hour late. The sun was already painting the sky red by the time we reached our hotel. A small wash, breakfast and we set out to visit the Bird Sanctuary. There were 11 of us Alka our leader and organiser, Geeta, Mr. & Mrs Katdare, Kanchan and her nephew Amogh, Niranajn and his wife Ashwini, Rahul, Shekhar Rajeshirke (hence forth referred to as Raja) and myself. Some of us had been with Alka before and had some experience of birding, for others it was new. Old or new everyone was quite enthusiastic and eager.
At Bharatpur we were blessed with an experienced guide. He possessed an amazing ability to spot birds at a considerable distance in camouflage. Thanks to this enthusiastic chap we practically saw everything that was there to see in the park. Harisingh with his telescope on his tripod and the rest of us with our cameras and binoculars walked for almost 10-15 kms on the first day.
His precise identification especially of eagles and other birds of prey deserves appreciation. As soon as he would make a sighting, he would setup his telescope and we would queue to have a look. The superb magnitude of the instrument gave us the satisfaction of viewing even the tiniest and farthest birds. Spotted owlets taking a snooze were camera friendly. Purple & grey herons, Painted Storks, Egrets, Ibises, Pintails, Gadwalls, Brhaminy ducks, Bar-headed Geese, Comb ducks made up most of the morning sighting.

After lunch that day we proceeded in the direction of Python point to try our luck with the huge reptile. Although our legs protested and body demanded an afternoon siesta we trudged on. After a point the guide Harisingh left the well-worn path and entered thick dry shrubs until he came to a clearing. He put his finger to his lips indicating silence and asked one person to come at a time. We were too impatient to wait till the other person was done. Soon all of us found ourselves encircling a small bush underneath which were four–five tunnel burrows. Sliding on the soft sandy surface were four Rock pythons. Finding themselves suddenly surrounded by so many people they silently crawled down their tunnels. One of the python had had a recent meal. Its bulging stomach accentuated its slow slithering movement. This particular one that I saw had pricked itself with a porcupine quill near its eye. I thought it looked pretty sinister with a quill protruding from its eye as it slid towards the tunnel situated five feet from where I stood. Poor thing it must be in such pain!! I guess it justifies the injury considering that these pythons had captured the tunnels industriously dug up by porcupines. Within 5 minutes all the pythons were back in the safe abode of the burrows. In the excitement photos had not been given due attention; we wanted a repeat act. So we retreated a few meters and waited, taking care that the ground did not unduly vibrate under our feet, giving away our presence. But opportunity strikes only once; we lingered round for another ten minutes and left.

From there on we went in search of stone curlews, following Harisingh through dry, arid jungle; the sun beating down upon us…… The path was strewn with bones, skulls and other remains of the animals’ fallen prey to the carnivores. We came across these remains practically at every step so that the whole area took the appearance of a natural graveyard… quite eerie!! The Stone curlew continued to elude us……

Nevertheless we continued walking ……. Harisingh with his unabated zeal true to a birder’s nature took every opportunity to show us ruffs, pipits, warblers, wagtails which present a challenge to the unaided eye. At the end of the day tired but fulfilled we returned to a wonderful hot water bath and welcoming dinner.

The boat ride the next morning was quite a disappointment for me. The intention of the ride was that we would get a closer view that would lend itself to photography.
My disappointment was perhaps because I judged it from my previous experience at the Park. Earlier I had been to the Bharatpur in November. It was breeding season then, and hundreds of heronries and nestlings could be seen everywhere. Every tree supported numerous nests of ibises, storks, egrets, and the waters were home to an equal number of ducks, jacanas and other water birds. The Park bore a busy atmosphere. The birds caring and feeding their young were least bothered about the onlookers. It was delight to the birdwatcher’s eye. Besides at that time we had moved around in a Tonga and then after sunrise taken a boat ride.
This time around we started the boat ride the first thing in the morning. As the boat inched nearer pintails, gadwalls, shovellers took off from the waterfront and landed at a safe distance further. They made a nice picture as they sprinted on the water surface before taking off.
We saw a marvellous sunrise in the background of dry shrubs. The water acquired a golden sparkle as the great orb rose in the sky.

Harisingh had promised to show us nightjars. But we could not locate any the previous day. After the boat ride we went to have a look at this nightjar that he had located with the help of two other forest rangers. Nightjars characteristically squat on the ground well concealed among dry leaves and scrub making them difficult to locate. The bird also takes an immobile stance allowing for observation at leisure. Although Niranjan and Raja moved quite close to take pictures it did not even bat an eyelid!! Its immobility was actually the reason that some had difficulty locating it among the mass of dry leaves within a distance of five feet J!!

Having thanked Harisingh we bid him farewell to take our next train to SavaiMadhopur.

Ranathambore National Park presents a range of vegetation from dry arid regions with limited water resources to thick foliage in ravines and gorges. It lies in the centre surrounded by Satpura and Aravali mountain ranges.

It is common knowledge that peacocks are found in great numbers in Rajasthan and U.P. In Ranathambore even on dry sultry afternoons when even deer were rarely sighted, flocks of peafowl could be seen at regular intervals. They would include peahens, immature peacocks and full-grown adults. This particular afternoon we had been travelling through a particularly dry & barren area. After a while the road entered comparatively thick vegetation. On a clearing were a group of peafowl. In line with our increasing demands, we expressed the wish to see a dancing peacock with its trail fanned out. And the peacock was decent enough to oblige. Of course it was busy wooing a bevy of admiring hens with its back to us. That was not what we had asked for. On repeated pleas from our side it did pay some attention to us and we got an amazing spectacle of its grand fanned tail. Simply awesome! The peacock was still young and the tail had not developed to its full length, still the sight was extremely fulfilling! Satisfied we continued further.

I had not expected a tiger sighting at Ranathambore. But the National Park is supposed to have a fairly good density of tigers; hence our luck.

The route assigned to our canter was R1. There are about 7 routes in the tourist zone at Ranathambore. The reverse (R) and forward (F) routes are the same but in the opposite direction. On day one we took route 1 in the reverse direction. Dharmendra who is a committed researcher on spiders and Alka’s friend is presently working on tigers at Ranathambore. He met us before the ride and was of the opinion that R1 had low probability of tiger sighting. R6 & R7 were comparatively better.

At Rambaugh our canter halted. Straight ahead down the slope was the lake. We sighted a few sambar deer, spotted deer and peacocks. Suddenly the sound of Langur alarm calls could be heard. This indicated that the tiger was prowling near by. The movements of the tiger are quite well traced in the jungle. As soon as the tiger is noticed all the animals & birds are notified. Langurs and deer are in the forefront in this aspect.
This was the drama that unfolded before us that afternoon. As soon as we heard the Langurs call, everyone had their binoc’s to their eyes focused on the lakeside. All the Sambar deer stood with their tails erect. After a while the male stag started stamping its right hoof. It was an indication of the tiger’s proximity.
Those ignorant to these signals would have seen langurs playfully jumping from one branch to another, sambar peacefully grazing and peafowl feeding nearby. A purple heron, painted stork and ducks swimming on the waterfront completed the picture.

But given the significance of the alarm calls and signals, we knew that the entire jungle was keenly alert to the movements of the tiger while going about their mundane activities. The intention of the tiger is also estimated. They realise that it is not necessary to interrupt their humdrum routine when the tiger’s intention is not to kill. And yet one has got to be aware of the tiger’s presence.
Our driver twice opined that the tiger must be hidden in the tall grass near the water. Still we failed to spot the tiger though false deductions in the form of tufts of grass and bark of trees continued.
Two three vehicles were parked around us trying to spot the striped animal. After a while when there was still no sign of the tiger the vehicles moved. They went in the direction of Padam Lake where a sighting had been reported. We urged our driver to do so. But Padam Lake did not fall on our assigned route.
The park allows only 3-4 vehicles to ply on any given route to restrict the amount of disturbance caused to wildlife. The penalty of failure to comply meant that the driver would not be allowed to drive for the next four months.
Here it should be mentioned that the drivers are as desperate as the tourists (if not more) to sight tigers. This is in anticipation of a fat tip especially from foreigners. The larger the canter and more the number of foreign tourists, heavier is the pocket of the driver by the end of the day in the instance of a tiger sighting.
Knowing this very well our driver calmly removed the number plate denoting the route and proceeded in the direction of Padam Lake.

Padam Lake is the major fresh water resource for the park and is frequented by thirsty avifauna. As we reached the lake many vehicles had already lined up and the occupants were busy studying the opposite bank. On that end of the lake a dry tree trunk lay on the ground. A few peacocks were feeding on worms, insects and other titbits. Through her binoculars Geeta spotted something and insisted that it was a peacock’s trail lying upside down … a puzzling finding. No one was interested in peacocks… all attention was concentrated on the tiger. God alone knows where it was hiding…. And suddenly we could see the striped creature behind the dry tree trunk!! …… with a graceful bound it was now on the top of the trunk intending to settle down. A gasp of delight & excitement… from those who saw it all… Not everyone did catch a glimpse since all the group members did not possess binoc’s. Till the binoc’s could reach their hands our driver noticing a patrol vehicle approaching had started moving away from the site.

The next day we did get an opportunity to view this particular tiger at leisure. The drivers often exchange information of sightings when two vehicles come across each other. That day as soon as our driver was informed about the tiger he stepped on the accelerator only to stop when we reached Padam Lake. Fortunately this time we were on the right route and could spend more time at the place. Many vehicles had lined up and our driver stationed the canter in a position affording a good view. The tiger was in full view lying by the waterside taking an afternoon nap. Again Sambar deer were grazing nearby fully aware of its presence. Every time the tiger turned from side to side we got a glimpse of its white belly. Its tail was busy shooing away flies and insects. Once in a while it would lift its head to gaze around but did not bother to get up and move. For about 45 minutes it enjoyed our full attention. Everyone had a satisfying view. The photography enthusiasts got their snaps and movie cameras rolling.

On the last morning we did not quite expect to have any new spectacular sightings. We had seen practically everything ……… so we thought. This is the reason why perhaps many were not ready with their cameras and Niranjan had not paid for his camcorder.
Fortunately for us as we decided later, we had to wait half and hour for our canter. We were to share our canter with other tourists unlike the luxury of a 11-seater canter we enjoyed for the previous rides. It was irritating to be late to enter the Park since most bird and animal activity is in early mornings.
It happened before we started on our assigned route. After we entered the park a little distance further down from the official gate some vehicles were waiting and the tourists were looking in one direction. We followed their example. Indeed after staring at the tree cover we could see the majestic animal walking towards us. Perfectly camouflaged, it revealed itself to the eye as it neared the road. Through the dry foliage it emerged on to the road and crossed over on to the other side passing within 10 feet of the rear of our canter. Not once did it hesitate on seeing the vehicles full of excited Homosapiens (scientific name of humans …for your GK). All of us were overjoyed at this early morning welcome. It was a wish come true. The incident is etched on every onlookers mind and it stays there more so because the low morning light did not lend itself to photography.
After the tiger entered the jungle on the right, the canters started moving to track it to the next location. From our destination we could see the canters moving along the road in thick vegetation. Some of us counted three more tigers as the vehicles moved J. Such was the effect of the close encounter with the tiger that for a while we could register nothing but the image of tigers in every moving thingJJ!!

Further down the route a sloth bear crossed our path. It is rare to see one during the day, so Alka told us. Beautiful Chinkara hopped and skipped along our path and broke into a graceful run on seeing a Jackal. The chinkara is really a pretty animal belonging to the gazelle family. We were also lucky to see the unusual incident of a male Sambar mount another male in the absence of a female!! Alka informed that such behaviour is seen at times when they are on heat.

Thus concluded our stay at Ranathambore fulfilling and thrilling with its abundance of wildlife!!

Birds

1. Grey Francolin
2. Indian Peafowl
3. Bar-headed Goose
4. Common Sheild Duck (Brahminy duck)
5. Comb Duck
6. Gadwall
7. Eurasian Wigeon
8. Spot-billed duck
9. Common Teal
10. Nothern Pintail
11. Northern Shoveller
12. Red-crested Pochard
13. Common Pochard
14. Freruginous Pochard
15. Mahratta Woodpecker
16. Black rumped flameback Woodpecker
17. Brown headed Barbet (heard)
18. Coppersmith Barbet
19. Malabar Pied Hornbill
20. Common Hoopoe
21. Indian Roller
22. White breasted Kingfisher
23. Small blue Kingfisher
24. Pied Kingfisher
25. Greater Coucal
26. Roseringed Parakeet
27. Plumheaded parakeet
28. House Swift
29. Dusky Eagle Owl
30. Collared Scops Owl
31. Spotted Owlet
32. Laughing Dove
33. Spotted Dove
34. Red Collared Dove
35. Yellow footed green Pigeon
36. Sarus Crane
37. Purple Swamphen (moorhen)
38. Common Moorhen
39. Whitebreasted waterhen
40. Common Coot
41. Common Redshank
42. Common Greenshank
43. Wood Sandpiper
44. Green Snadpiper
45. Marsh Sandpiper
46. Ruff
47. Black Shouldered Stilt
48. Bronze-winged Jacana
49. Red-wattled Lapwing
50. Yellow-wattled Lapwing
51. Lesser fish Eagle
52. Eurasian marsh Harrier
53. Lesser spotted Eagle
54. Greater spotted Eagle
55. Steppe Eagle
56. Imperial Eagle
57. Bonelli’s eagle
58. Crested Serpent Eagle
59. Little Grebe
60. Darter
61. Little Cormorant
62. Great Cormorant
63. Intermediate Egret
64. Cattle Egret
65. Indian Pond heron
66. Grey Heron
67. Purple Heron
68. Little Heron
69. Glossy Ibis
70. Black-headed Ibis
71. Eurasian Spoonbill
72. Painted Stork
73. Asian open bill
74. Woolly necked Stork
75. Black necked Stork
76. Long tailed Shrike
77. Brown Shrike
78. Large wood Shrike
79. Rufous Treepie
80. Eurasian golden Oriole
81. Black Drongo
82. Brown breasted Flycatcher
83. Red breasted Flycatcher
84. Blue throat
85. Oriental Magpie Robin
86. Indian Robin
87. Black Redstart
88. Chestnut shouldered Petronia
89. Pied Bushchat
90. Common Starling
91. Brahminy Starling (Myna)
92. Jungle Myna
93. Ashy Prinia
94. Plain Prinia
95. Lesser Whitethroat
96. Jungle Babbler
97. Short-toed Lark
98. Ashy crowned sparrow Lark
99. Purple Sunbird
100. Purplerumped Sunbird
101. White Wagtail
102. Olive backed Pipit
103. Paddy field Pipit
104. Richards Pipit
105. Long tailed Nightjar
106. Barn Swallow
107. Wire-tailed Swallow
108. Common Quail
109. Red spurfowl
110. Green bee-eater
111. Black-tailed Godwit
112. Long-billed Vulture
113. Egyptian Vulture
114. Red headed Vulture (King vulture)

Animals
1. Sambar deer
2. Spotted Deer
3. Blue bull (Nilgai)
4. Chinkara
5. Tiger
6. Jackal
7. Sloth bear
8. Ruddy mongoose
9. Black tip mongoose
10. Python
11. Crocodile
12. Tortoise

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Wed, 26 Dec 2001 11:17:00 +0000

Corbett national park & Tiger reserve
(Nov 17th –24th, 2001)

The Corbett national park is the first national park of India and also the first to be declared a tiger reserve. The jungles of Corbett are a treasure house of beautiful Himalayan bird and animal life. Several birds migrate from Siberia and beyond to the foothills of Himalayas and the others migrate from the warmer regions of the lower Indian peninsula. These colourful avians are a delightful sight, more so because they are the more beautiful cousins of those found in Maharashtra. For example: the Himalayan pied kingfisher, the big brother of the pied kingfisher found here is larger, bearing a crest on its head. This fellow is more majestic in its flight and appearance. It is sheer pleasure to watch this bird hovering over the water while fishing. Similarly the white-cheeked bulbul found in Corbett is adorned with a crest and a yellow vent as opposed to the red vented one found back home.

The terrain in Corbett varies from dense forests to grasslands to riverbeds. This amazing diversity allows us to view all the animals of the food chain from tigers, elephants, chital, sambar residing in the forests to grassland birds (warblers, babblers) and also water birds of storks, ducks, egrets and the like; fish eagles, vultures to finally the turtles, ghariyal, and mahasheer fishes.

We reached Ramnagar at about 7:00 a.m. Our tour guide Mr. Manoj Sharma was there to receive us. Bijarani is about 2 hours from Ramnagar. After reaching Bijarani, we dumped our luggage in a room and rushed for the morning jeep ride. Three jeeps accommodating five of us each took us into the jungle. Our schedule through out the trip was arranged in such a manner that we could get the morning and the evening rides at every place. Our group consisted of three families i) Mr. and Mrs. Sahastrabudhe and their neighbour Rahul, ii) Hemang, his wife Beena their son Shashwat and Beena’s brother Nikunj, iii) me and my parents; and Hira, Niranjan, Kanchan, Alka (our organizer) and her nephew Satyajeet. A varied group from 8 yr old to 55 yrs old – quite a range.

On the first morning at Bijarani we got to see a wall creeper sitting against the sandy wall by the riverbank. Himalayan pied kingfishers made a beautiful picture hovering over the stream fishing for breakfast. Black necked storks were also hopefully waiting for a good catch. As we reached the grassy part of the terrain, a female scalybellied woodpecker caught our attention. Its yellow crest was quite conspicuous. It was closely followed by a male with a red crest tap tapping on the hollow branch of a tree. Up on a watchtower, we had a bird’s eye view of the Corbett landscape.

In the afternoon, after lunch some of us got an elephant ride. Others went on an elephant ride at Dhikala. The forest department offers these one-hour rides at 100 Rs. The advantage of being on the elephant’s back is that you get to go in to the dense forest where the jeep cannot reach. Another benefit is that the animals are quite comfortable in the presence of the elephant. So a sambar, which would run as a jeep comes closer, keeps grazing peacefully or at the most raises its neck and keeps staring at you innocently, allowing you to get good snaps of the animal.

After the evening ride we got together and discussed over tea and biscuits what each group had seen. Mr. Sharma read out from the list of birds that Alka had already provided us with and checked those sighted. The count on the first day itself was 68. He assured us that it would reach 150 by the time we left Corbett. Before dinner that night we had quiz time. Testing our knowledge of flora and fauna was Mr. Sharma and we competed against each other, many a times getting the right answers by luck than by intention.J Before turning to the dinner table we also watched two documentaries one on Corbett itself and the other on Bharatpur.

On the next day morning we were again engrossed in watching the activities of the kingfishers. How we wished we had not spent so much time admiring them! Had we been quicker to move from the place we would have got to see the TIGER. The people in the jeep ahead of us saw it crossing the dry riverbed but by the time we reached there, there was no sign of it.

Back from the jeep ride we had a lovely breakfast of potato and flower parathas and pickle. Yummy!! We had quite an appetite in the healthy winter climate and each one gobbled up the hot parathas as soon as they came on the plate. The poor cooks had trouble keeping pace with our speed of emptying the plates.

On the way from Bijarani to Dhikala, the tree lined road was shady and the journey pleasant. The Sal and the Khair trees were punctuated by tall termite hills. These five feet or so termite hills sound hollow when knocked. They are almost four times deeper under the ground than over it. A cross section of it would reveal galleries of termites that live in colonies similar to bees. Alka drew our attention to a brown bundle hanging from a tree. It looked liked a Baya’s nest but without the tunnel entrance. It was a paper wasp’s nest. This wasp builds it by making paper pulp using leaves and its own body secretions. It is the first creature to have made paper…. the Chinese must have taken their lessons from the wasp. We continued to travel under the canopy of the wayside trees, occasionally shivering in the wind, and at other times enjoying the warmth of the sun. Suddenly our driver slowed down the vehicle since he had noticed some movement. On our right lay a reptile. Its colour was greyish brown matching the surrounding sand. It looked like an enlarged version of a house lizard. It was a monitor lizard (Ghorpad - in Marathi). This is the lizard that enjoyed a special place in the pages of the Maratha history. It had helped many a warrior to scale the ramparts of forts during their battles against the Moghuls. After being the source of attention for a while it scampered into its home in the sand.

We arrived at Dhikala by lunchtime. The other jeeps had already reached the place. The resort stands on an elevation which overlooks the Ramganga river. From the courtyard we could sight wild elephants, black-necked storks and wild boars on the bank of the river. After lunch, we went for the evening jeep ride. The alarm calls of the barking deer could be heard indicating that a tiger was on prowl. So we tried to estimate the direction from which the calls were coming and proceeded in that direction. Following the calls we continued to travel but after a while the calls stopped. We reached a watchtower and went up to see the panoramic view over the river. We waited a while but the tiger was no where to be seen. Satisfying ourselves with a few lapwings we left. As we approached a grassy section a swish-wish sound could be heard, the sound of plants and grass crushing under something heavy. We waited but could not see much so we proceeded. While returning on the same path we were surprised to see all the tall grass blades flattened- obvious signs of elephants being around. Behind the overgrowth we could see the elephant’s head. To let it come out in the open we backed our jeep and waited. The elephant took its time to show up, sizing the situation, approaching the road and retreating 2-3 times before it finally decided to cross the road. Even as it came in the open it did keep an eye on our movements. A male tusker gradually emerged from the tree cover at the left and entered the jungle on the right. Quite satisfied with the sighting we returned to the resort.

Even at twilight time silver backed jackals roamed about in the premises of the resort, as if they had come to stay. We would say hello to them every time we went to and fro to the dinning place J. During that night, there was a commotion as wild elephants had entered the premises and tried to break open some of the doors. The staff had a hard time shooing them away. Although most of us were asleep while this happened, some of us did hear the noise. But they were too lazy to get up in the cold to be a witness to the drama. The next morning the elephant’s foot prints near the doors told the entire story.

That morning in Dhikala, we had an experienced guide with us who demonstrated his amazing skills of locating birds from a distance and precisely identifying them: all this without the help of binoculars. As we moved through the grassy landscape near the riverside, we located an eagle on the topmost branch of a naked tree. It was sitting with its back to us against the sunlit background. So we could not make out all its features, especially the colour and pattern of its throat and breast. Hence we were not sure of identifying it. Our guide quickly came to rescue. He skilfully gave the call of a bird to attract the attention of the eagle. After a few such calls, the great bird obliged and changed position to face us. Now we could satisfactorily see its face and front to identify it as a subadult changeable hawk eagle. The juvenile, subadult, and the adult of the same specie look so distinctly different from each other that you marvel at the change in colouration and added features the bird acquires with age.

Raptors generally perch on the top branches of leafless trees- a strategic position to keep a look out for prey. On such occasions they sit in a meditative position long enough for you to observe them at leisure. On other occasions they soar high up in the sky. That’s when identification becomes a bit difficult if you don’t have a good pair of binoculars. Overhead flights can tell you whether the raptor is an eagle, hawk or a vulture from the curvature of its wings and tail. But identifying the specific specie requires great expertise.

After breakfast, we went to the water tank built on a bridge-like cemented extension over the river. From here we could get a closer view of the river under us and the birds on the bank. Some of the tame elephants were lazily grazing on the bank. A wild boar that looked like a rock betrayed its presence when it moved. Some turtles made a train on a log basking in the sun. We initially refused to believe that they were turtles. They lay stationary on the log, one behind the other about five to six of them looking like small well-formed stones. Black necked storks patiently balanced on one leg, looking for fish. The water was crystal clear. We could see mahasheer fishes (both black and golden variety) swimming in the water. A mallard duck was creating ripples in the water as it swam about. The whole scene was most picturesque indeed.

From the tank we went straight to the canteen to partake of delicious lunch. While we did so a hoopoe enjoyed our undivided attention. Next a beautiful male chital with velvety horns vied for our attention. We actually left the lunch table to take snapshots of this lovely deer. Mr. Manoj Sharma told us that the deer shed their horns occasionally. The deer then eats the shed horns; after all they are a good source of protein. It is a law of the nature that nothing is useless and nothing should go waste!

Before leaving Dhikala for Kaladungi we visited a small museum near the exit of the place. This museum displayed stuffed tigers- some who died a natural death and others who were man-eaters killed in the region. The tigers varied in age- some were full grown males others were younger. Even though the animals were stuffed, it did not hide their majestic and awe-inspiring appearance which commands respect. Although stuffed and behind plastic cases, they did not look lifeless !! Some of the tigers had died as a result of haemorrhages. One case carried a tablet saying that the tiger died in a fight with a tusker that went on all through the night. This surprised us and our guide told us that generally elephants and tigers do not meddle with each other, they respect each others space. But at times an injured tiger may engage in such a fight and when such a fight begins neither of the party is ready to let go out of sheer lack of rationality.

Mr. Sharma told us that tigers become man-eaters mostly because of the destruction of their habitat or when they are injured. Injury may result from bullet wounds from their encounters with poachers. These wounds leave them incapacitated to hunt. As a result they may go hungry for days on end before turning man-eaters out of desperation. Another habit of the tiger that results in injury is its preference for porcupines. Porcupines are a favourite food of leopards and tigers. As against tigers, leopards are more adapted at hunting them. Moreover tigers have soft paws that make them prone to injury. Mr. Sharma narrated an incident about a tiger that injured itself with a porcupine quill. The quill had gone right through its paw from one end and come out from the other end forming a U-shaped curve- giving the tiger unimaginable pain. The tiger struggled in vain to get the quill out. Such injuries obviously leave them incapacitated for hunting. This is when they take to killing humans, cattle and any prey that they can easily get.

Another interesting part of this visit was that we saw embryos of tigers preserved in small glass cylinders. It is possible that they were found in female tigers that died a natural death or were killed. Talking of embryos and pregnancy, Mr. Sharma told us that the gestation period in elephants is 18 months. Gosh!!! 18 months, can you imagine more than a year- carrying the baby inside you? Ouch, that’s uncomfortable. J

The camp at Kaladungi called “ Jungle lore” after the book written by Corbett was beautifully structured. Kaladungi, the residence of Jim Corbett lies outside the area of the Park. It was pretty dark by the time we reached Kaladungi at about 7:00 p.m. It had started getting chilly. This time our accommodation was in tents. There were about 10 canvas tents pitched in the place. The place itself was a lichee orchard. To each tree hung a lantern giving the place a warm and welcoming look. The dining place had electricity supply but the tents were not provided with artificial light on purpose. The tents were maintained quite well, each furnished with two beds a side table with candles on a candle stand to provide the required illumination. In the orchard the sitting arrangement was done up in a creative fashion. Large flat boulders and wood stumps served as seats around a flat rock. The food and dessert were excellent and we had quite a tasty dinner.

At this camp our usual quiz and discussion took place at a campfire lit in a pit specially made for the purpose. We sat around the crackling fire enjoying the warmth and discussing the day’s happenings and then had a hearty laugh as we watched one of the groups struggle to enumerate 10 predator birds during the quiz. J

The next morning at Kaladungi we went for a refreshing walk along the canal built by the riverside. It was a pleasant walk in the early morning crisp chilly air and the sound of the water rushing through the canal gates was music to the ears. This canal, so we were told was constructed by Sir Jim Corbett and it stands so since then, supplying water to the nearby villages for irrigation. But the sad part of the whole thing is that in the process the whole river is emptied, leaving a dry riverbed. As Mr. Manoj Sharma rightly put it, it kills the river and along with it the aqua fauna. Shoals of fishes get emptied into the fields along with the river water and thus reach their grave. L

A plumbeous water redstart was chirping away to glory on the nearby barbed fence. We followed it with our eyes; a slaty blue body with a chestnut tail the size + a sparrow, hopping from one bush to the other. A little further down the canal we were welcomed by a pair of white capped water redstarts. This bird is a real beauty, a resident of Himalayas; it has a rufous – chestnut body, slaty blue head adorned with a whitecap. We saw many more of them as we left the canal and proceeded down to the rocky river bed of smooth white stones. Here we saw numerous wagtails and redstarts. We were there for quite a while watching the red starts to our satisfaction. Away to our left a mixed hunting party was having their breakfast. It consisted of woodpeckers, flycatchers, shrikes and bulbuls. As woodpeckers peck at the bark, they disturb small worms and insects that are eagerly picked up by the bulbuls. Thus they operate in a group helping each other. While we were thus observing, a flash of red caught our attention. A crimson sunbird sent a wave of excitement through the group. What a beauty!! Its lustrous crimson mantle shone in the early morning sun. We got a good look at it through the binoculars as it darted from one treetop to another.

When everyone was contented we took the way back, this time walking on the motorable road. As we trudged back we admired many beautiful butterflies yellow ones, some lustrous blue and another one a sky blue coloured flittering past us. We stopped to admire few tunnel spiders. These spiders do not weave their webs between the branches of trees but prefer to do so on the ground. The spider gets its name from a white cotton like web shaped like a tunnel. The spider sits in it baiting (waiting for a prey): as soon as any insect sits on the edge of the tunnel the predator sucks it in. After a good walk we were ready for lunch.

Before going straight to the camp we visited Jim Corbett’s house. It has now been converted into a museum. The rooms displayed his photographs during his hunting expeditions along with his associates and the killed maneaters. His furniture and accessories were also displayed. On the walls hung tablets written by Corbett himself. They tell about his experiences of wildlife and the lessons he learnt from them. The one/two lines on each tablet reflect a lot of thought and philosophy.

That evening we spent in the pleasant surroundings of the Corbett falls. Although the falls were quite close to our camp, we took a longer route going through the jungle and climbing down a slope to reach there. We spent some time by the falls; took some snaps and returned by the motorable road. We left for Ramnagar that evening to take the train back to Delhi.

While we waited for the train at Ramnagar station Mr. Sharma showed us his photos and slides. Since he visits the park frequently as a part of his work, he has good opportunity to shoot wildlife. Some of the snaps depicted rare instances, which he was lucky to catch. One of the snaps showed a male elephant secreting “mast”. The male secretes the “mast” when he is ready to mate. This is done to attract the female who can smell the “mast from a distance and then approaches the male. Another photo was interesting. As the photographers neared the elephant herd, one of the baby elephant panicked. So its aunts (female elephants) J surrounded it one standing behind it and two on either side of it raising their trunks over its head in a protective gesture. Lucky indeed to get such a snap!

As the train came we bid farewell to Mr. Sharma who arranged the trip well and helped make it a memorable experience.

LIST OF BIRDS AT THE CORBETT NATIONAL PARK
Those that made life in Corbett fascinating…
Cormorant
Indian Shag
Darter
Grey Heron
Pond Heron/paddy bird
Smaller Egret
Little Egret
White necked Stork
Black Stork
Blacked necked Stork
Mallard
Blackwinged Kite
Shikra
Changeable Hawk Eagle
Steppe Eagle
Pallas’s Fishing Eagle
Black/King vulture
Indian Longbilled Vulture
Indian Whitebacked Vulture
Hen Harrier
Crested Serpent Eagle
Red Breasted / Collared Falconet
Peregrine Falcon
Kestrel
Kaleej Pheasant
Red Junglefowl
Common Peafowl
Redwattled Lapwing
Spurwinged Lapwing
Greenshank
Green Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Blackwinged stilt
Indian River tern
Yellowlegged Green Pigeon
Blue Rock Pigeon
Emerald Dove
Alexandrine Parakeet
Roseringed parakeet
Blosomheaded Parakeet
Crow Pheasant/Coucal
Brown Fish Owl
Jungle Owlet
Crested Tree Swift
Himalayan Pied Kingfisher
Lesser Pied Kingfisher
Common Kingfisher
Storkbilled Kingfisher
Whitebrested Kingfisher
Hoopoe
Great Pied Hornbill
Lineated Barbet
Bluethroated Barbet
Crimsonbrested Barbet/Coppersmith
Wryneck
Rufous Woodpecker
Little Scalybellied Green Woodpecker
Blacknaped Green Woodpecker
Lesser Goldenbacked Woodpecker
Fulvousbrested Pied Woodpecker
Collared Sand Martin
Plain Sand Martin
Crag Martin
Striated/ Redrumped Swallow
Grey Shrike
Rufousbacked Shrike
Golden Oriole
Blackheaded Oriole
Whitebellied Drongo
Bronzed Drongo
Common Myna
Bank Myna
Indian Treepie
House Crow
Jungle Crow
Pied Flycatcher Shrike
Common Wood Shrike
Scarlet Minivet
Longtailed Minivet
Small Minivet
Common Iora
Goldenfronted Chloropsis
Blackcrested Yellow Bulbul
Redwhiskered Bulbul
Whitecheeked Bulbul
Redvented Bulbul
Blackchinned Babbler
Yelloweyed Babbler
Common Babbler
Large Grey Babbler
Jungle Babbler
Brown Flycatcher
Whitebrowed Fantail Flycatcher
Whitethroated Fantail Flycatcher
Chestnutheaded Ground Warbler
Franklin’s Wren Warbler
Ashy wren Warbler
Brown Leaf Warbler/Chiffchaff
Greyheaded Flycatcher Warbler
Bluethroat
Magpie Robin/Dhyal
Black Redstart
Plumbeous Redstart
Brown Rock Chat
Stone Chat
Pied Bush Chat
Dark Grey Bush Chat
Whitecapped Redstart
Indian Robin
Blue Rock Thrush
Blue Whistling Thrush
Grey Tit
Chestnutbellied Nuthatch
Velvetfronted Nuthatch
Wall Creeper
Grey Wagtail
Pied/White Wagtail
Large Pied Wagtail
Purple Sunbird
Yellowbacked Sunbird
White-eye
House Sparrow
Spotted Munia
Crested Bunting
Chestnuteared Bunting
Tesia

noreply@blogger.com (Rama Bhave) — Thu, 08 Nov 2001 11:11:00 +0000

Nature camp at Tadoba Wildlife Sanctuary (May 25-31, 2001)

The nature camp at Tadoba wildlife Sanctuary was a memorable and thrilling one. Experiencing wildlife at such close quarters has its own enchantment, which words cannot describe. The Tadoba Sanctuary, although not as well known as the Kanha and the Ranathambore Sanctuaries, has many attractions, which other sanctuaries do not offer. We could walk in the forest on foot, which is not allowed in other places. In other wild life reserves, tourists are not allowed to step out of the jeep, which takes you in the jungle. Early in the morning at 5:30, we would leave for our strolls in the jungle to different areas: waghzari, katezari, ambathira, vasantbandhara and pandharpauni. The jungle mainly consists of dry deciduous and moist deciduous trees, so most of the trees were bare and the forest obtained a yellowish brown hue. The thick bamboo patches made it hard for the eye to penetrate the tree cover beyond a certain limit thus affording wonderful camouflage to the animals.

I was initially worried that the temperatures in that region being 45o and above would make life difficult during the trip. As expected it was very hot on the first day, especially in the afternoon and lying down in the rest house room was punishment. The noisy fan over our heads sent out hot air and the bed emitted enough heat for us to shun it and opt for the bare ground. With the asbestos roof, the rooms were no less than a hot oven. Thankfully the night brought a few light showers of rain and the rest of the days became tolerable with the temperatures dipping a bit.

Our usual schedule would be a forest stroll from 5:30 to 10:30 am, and breakfast on returning from the walk. 10:30 to 3:00 was rest time, since the blazing sun makes walking torturous. Moreover jeep rides are not permitted between 11:00 and 3:00. Nevertheless we soon learnt to convert this so-called rest time into fruitful activities by the lakeside. After tea at 4:00 we would leave for a jeep ride through the forest and return at 6:30 pm.

The Tadoba Sanctuary boasts of a beautiful lake, which lies at the heart of the Sanctuary and is a perennial source of water for the animals. We would spend our afternoons under the peaceful shade of the Jammun trees by the lakeside (Jammulaakhayan!! as we called it J). On one of these days we had the entertaining company of Langurs and watching their acrobats was fun. We even had the privilege of observing a pair in a courting mood J. Then came a crested serpent eagle hovering over our heads and I expected it to perch on a branch of a nearby tree, but to my surprise and delight it descended near the shore and decided to quench its thirst and we had a rare sight of an eagle drinking from the lake with us sitting not more than ten feet away. The lake is home to many crocodiles and hence however much the water seemed inviting we could not risk stepping into it. The opposite shore of the lake displayed many water birds (ibises, cranes, egrets and herons), eagles and chital who came to the waterfront to quench their thirst, graze and fish for food. We spend many hours in the afternoon watching them through the binoc’s.

The first of our tiger sightings was done sitting by the lakeside. We watched the tiger through our binoc’s on the opposite shore. He had come to the lake to cool himself down. He sat in the water for a while, got up and went away. All of us on this end of the lake were thrilled on having seen the animal for which we had traveled so far to Nagpur in the merciless summer heat. Although the initial excitement lasted a while, we were not satisfied, and wanted a closer look, for a longer time. And we looked forward to the coming days with hope. The lakeside excursions were definitely profitable. That night we could observe a crocodile that had come to check the eggs that it had laid on the shore. We got a good view in the torchlight. Though 2-3 torches were focused on her, she did not budge from that place. As it was too dark for a photo, we decided to come back to the place the next morning. The next morning found no crocodile, but by now we had developed the habit of surveying the opposite shore for any movement, and indeed we were blessed with a view of a sloth bear, trudging alongside the lake. It went all the way from one end to the other, stopped in the middle on its hind legs and continued on its way into the jungle.

On the third morning at Tadoba, our guide Sameer took us for our morning walk to Vasantbandhara via Chitalshed. We were greeted by fresh tiger pugmarks heading in the very direction we had taken! Fresh tiger droppings!! More pugmarks!! This was around the waterhole on our left indicating that the tiger had quenched his thirst from the very waterhole at which we presently stood. Here we could even make out the impressions of the hind paws and his tail by the waterside. These signs indicated that the tiger was prowling that area not long before we reached there (perhaps an hour and a half ago he was there) and may well be around right now!!!! The thought that the tiger could be hiding behind the bamboo shoots, well camouflaged, eyeing you, watching your every movement is enough to send shivers down your spine and your heart pounding. It almost seemed that he was THERE lurking round the corner and at any moment you may come face to face with the majestic animal. For a kilometer or two we had been tracking the tiger’s whereabouts when we came to a concrete patch of a road build over a small canal; the pugmarks ceased to be visible any more and we lost track of the much sought after animal L L. Nevertheless we continued to walk and reached the “bandhara”. It is a canal surrounded by thick forest. We waited there a while, just feeling the forest around us. One of the thick tree trunks had a lot of claw marks. The branches of this tree had honeycombs hanging from it. The bears in the process of reaching these beehives leave marks on the trunks and its branches. We saw a lot of such scratched trees.

After spending the afternoon under the Jammun trees by the lakeside, we reached the canteen for tea and snacks. We were waiting for tea, when suddenly it seemed that there was much activity. Our guide Sameer jumped on a bike, stick in hand, behind Rahul (who is a researcher, currently staying at Tadoba). They were off to no one knew where. The news was around that a python had been sighted. After taking our usual evening jeep round, we returned and then set out again with one of the guides to take a look at the huge reptile. The jeep parked among the bushes, we continued on foot on the mattress of dry, golden brown leaves spread on the ground. We soon reached a tree underneath which was a mound of dry leaves. The guide cleared this pile of leaves and uncovered the tail, body and lastly the head of the Rock python. While he was doing this, the python did not move an inch. Even as it lay at our feet, with all of us surrounding the reptile, it seemed less bothered. The reason was apparent. It had had its lunch and was resting. The middle portion of the long body was visibly expanded, and jutting out. It had had a young deer on its menu (so we came to know later from the researcher Rahul). It was clear that the python would be there for a while till it had fully digested its meal. Since it does not move during this time, it is vulnerable and needs to protect itself. So it had taken refuge under the dry leaves, the colour of its skin gelling very well with the surroundings. The camouflage was so exact that an unmindful passerby would well have stepped over it and come to grief. Unfortunately its hideout had been discovered by a group of nature enthusiasts from Chandrapur. The reptile must have been upset by the presence of so many eager and uninvited visitors that followed. But we were happy to get some excellent photos of this exquisite reptile J J!!!

On the second last day; i.e. the last night that we were at Tadoba, we stayed on a machan from 6:00 in the evening to 6:00 the next morning. This was an experience worth taking. From the outset I was excited about saying on the “machan” or the watchtower through the night and quite hopeful that we would have a feast of animal sightings. The machan is an elevated structure usually made of bamboo and wood, either constructed separately near a waterhole or rested on a tree between two wide branches which hold it in place. Most of the machans are located near waterholes which are frequented by thirsty animals and birds. Since you are at an elevated level near treetops, it gives a tremendous advantage of watching wildlife from close quarters without disturbing it. This machan at Katezari was a well-constructed one, with proper stairs and a landing space. The upper storey and landing together could accommodate all the 11 of us for the night.
We reached the machan in two batches. The jeep reached the four of us Alka (our organizer and group leader), Mangesh (her volunteer), Uttam and myself at 6:00 and the driver returned with the vehicle to fetch the rest. We were welcomed by a noisy chatter of numerous birds and our eyes eagerly searched for them. Golden oriels, green pigeons, peacocks, a crested serpent eagle and a brain fever bird, which we had been hearing, all these days but had not seen, were among many others making their presence felt. A Chausingha hesitantly approached the waterhole, looked about and walked away without drinking. A wild boar came out of the bushes; stared at us peering through the binoc’s with amazement and retreated into the bushes. Peacocks came and went at their will. The crested serpent eagle sat so long on the branch of a near by tree, that we watched its every feature with utmost fulfillment. There seemed to be so much activity on all four directions that we did not know where to look and what to focus on.

While we were enjoying thus, it was already past one hour, yet the others had not reached the machan. We wondered what had happened; whether the driver had lost his way while returning or perhaps better still they had sighted some wild life while coming this way. After a while the sound of the jeep’s motor could be heard and the crested serpent eagle announced its arrival. The eagle that had been sitting on the opposite tree all this while spread its long wide wings and took to the sky without a sound. The driver came upstairs excited; he had seen a sloth bear while returning to fetch the other group. The sloth bear had crossed the jeepable road and the driver had to brake to wait and watch. This was perhaps his first time to see a bear from so close a distance. He was so fascinated that he was at a loss of words to describe the scene. He also wanted to stay on the machan but since the jeep cannot be parked in the jungle during the night, he had to return (this kind of enthusiasm often rubs off on others and in this case our driver also learnt a few things from being with us for a few daysJ).

We quickly filled in the others [Rajaneesh, Rajiv, Ashwin, Vasanti, Beena, Sameer and Sanjay (guides)] with what we had already seen. Everyone quickly settled down, laying their bedding and taking their respective positions on the watchtower. The walls of this tower were lined with bamboo and peeping slits were made especially for observation so that when one sat down on the floor of the machan, the slits were located at your eye level making it convenient to observe without the animal noticing you. As a rule one has to sit still without moving since the animals and birds easily detect the slightest of movements and then would not approach you. So one needs to sit still without making any sound. But it usually so happens that when nothing worth mentioning is seen for a long time, everyone starts getting restless. At such times the slightest of movement gets accentuated and makes a loud noise in the silence, causing embarrassment to the person responsible for it and sending a ripple of laughter among the others. Just when one is not supposed to laugh, the smallest and the most irrelevant things will make you laugh irresistibly!!

So we sat for a while, all eyes and ears, wanting to detect any slight movement here, a small sound there. After a while most of us got tired of sitting down and peering through the slits and we stood up leaning against the walls. Two of us (Mangesh and Beena) literally resorted to lying on their bedding with an instruction to others to wake them up if there was anything eventful J. The others stood facing the direction in which the waterhole was situated.

Slowly as darkness fell our visibility reduced. Now every object that we had earlier rejected as a wood stump, or a mound of mud began to seem like a living creature. As we stood there idly gazing around us, there came a wild dog and three others followed him!! We excitedly called the others and everyone ran to that end of the machan. We stood there besides each other as if looking over a balcony and watched the scene play in front of us. This was perhaps the same pack that we had seen a day earlier. One of the wild dogs proceeded to the waterhole while the others stood with their back to him facing three directions seemingly keeping a watch. The one who had reached the water drank his fill making quite a sound “lap, lap, lap “ as he lapped up the water. After he finished, the others had their turn. Even after quenching their thirst, they were in no hurry to leave. Two of them sat down and lay by the waterside, stretching a bit. The other two were still on their feet standing. After a while one of them noticed a mongoose and started chasing it and the others followed suit. We were all silent, absorbed in watching the wild dogs for almost about 15-20 minutes. It was the start of more exciting things to come J!!

Now it was darker than before and our guides who were sitting with some of us on the landing would throw a beam of torchlight around the place or in the direction of a sound to check whether there was any sighting. At 8:30 we decided to have dinner; we had packed our meal from the canteen. Within no time we had our fill of batatachi bhaji, pickle and chapattis, and resumed our task. Now that we could not see anything, it started getting monotonous. Nevertheless we could hear the brain fever bird and the relentless ‘chakuu’, chakuu’, chakuu’ of the nightjar. Our organizer, Alka suggested that we sleep from 10:00 pm to 3:00 am. Since it is unlikely to sight anything in the night; generally the most optimum time for sightings are the late evenings and early mornings. We willingly accepted her suggestion. Surprisingly it was quite warm even at night in the jungle, although I expected it to be pleasant, it was only after much tossing and turning that I went to sleep.

But not long before we had gone to sleep, a loud sound could be heard in the close vicinity. A lot of rustling and bustling going on accompanied by a cat like mewing. The sound was loud enough to make everyone jump to their feet. We peered into the darkness but could not make out anything. Later we came to know that they were two civet cats fighting with each other and in the process one had fallen off the tree. Not having seen much we went back to our beds to get up in the wee hours of the morning at 3:30- 4:00 a.m. Back to our observation points, we sat, hopeful that something more would happen. About 4:30- 5:00 came two sloth bears from our left. They scampered across the dirt road into the tree cover at the right. One of them probably a male was heavy and large while the other was smaller in size. This sight lasted for a second or two but all of us saw it. Thus concluded our stay on the machan with two major sightings – wild dogs and sloth bears.

Finally the last day, and time to leave Tadoba. We were quite satisfied with the large numbers and the variety of bird and animal life that we witnessed here in Tadoba. We had seen all that there was to see. All that we wished for as we jokingly said was to see the tiger from 15 feet!!! J Being that close would be a climax to what we had experienced until now. Perhaps God had decided to fulfill our wishes for we awaited the ultimate highpoint of the trip. After returning from the machan, all of us were busy packing up since we would be leaving after lunch. Every one was relaxed as we trudged in the canteen for breakfast. After our stomachs full, we had enough time before we started our journey back, so we decided to take a last jeep round. The guide, Sameer, said that a tiger had been sighted at the ‘tar road’ so we set out to check that area. I forgot to mention that the tiger density at Tadoba is amazing and everyday at least one group reports a tiger sighting. Until now we had missed this animal twice by seconds/minutes. Once on a jeep round we had passed by the lake and at that very place itself a group had spotted a tiger. We came to know this after we reached the rest house. On another occasion our jeep passed by and one of the boys from Chandrapur who was on foot saw the tiger seconds after our jeep took a turn round a bend. Such experiences can be frustrating but perhaps they are necessary for you need to have patience while observing wildlife. None of us had the tiger on our minds while we took this last of our jeep rounds in Tadoba; but nature shows its miracles at the most unexpected of moments!!

As we reached the middle of the tar road, we saw a jeep that had halted and its inhabitants peering out. Thinking that there was some sighting, we also waited. The other jeep soon left. There was a small waterhole on our left. We did not see anything even after staring hard at the yellow bamboo growth. So we continued to move ahead; no sooner had our jeep moved than Sameer, shouted “TIGER, TIGER”. Back went the jeep to the spot we had just left,
and all eyes were on the overgrowth on our left to sight the striped animal. And there we spotted it, yes, it was very much there!!! It stood not very far, just behind the bamboos by the roadside. It was eyeing us wanting to gauge our motives and predict our movements, waiting for us to pass by. It paced up and down a bit then walked the length of our vehicle and waited behind us on the side of the road. It was obvious that it wanted to go back in the jungle on the right. Click! Click! went the cameras to shoot the majestic animal. Eyes to the binoc’s and craning our necks, although awkwardly positioned, we did not want to miss any of its movements. Because the tiger wanted to cross, we decided to retreat a bit. As the jeep moved away, the tiger came out in the open, on the road, still gazing intently at us, its every movement full of grace and elegance.

We were so engrossed in watching this tiger that we did not notice when another one made its appearance and a third one followed. Our joy and surprise knew no bounds. This was certainly not what we had dreamt of. Our jeep went back and forth, reverse and forward to allow the tigers enough space to crossover and to afford us the closest view possible. As the tiger moved, so we moved in the jeep, each of us wanting to get the most of this wonderful experience. We craned our necks tossed and turned about oblivious of our uncomfortable positions in the process. As if we had not had enough, Beena noticed a fourth one who had silently and unnoticed come and sat down in the bushes beside us. She was a female, bearing a fierce look, the mother of the three tigers we had just admired. As she made her headway to the road she did not forget to give us a threatening look, opening her mouth and showing her canines. With due respect we let her go by. The tiger is not a social animal and prefers to live by itself in its marked territory. These three tigers were almost full grown about 2 years of age and the mother would leave them anytime to fend on their own. But until she did that she was very protective of her offspring.

Four tigers in half an hour’s time!!!! JJJJ What could one say; this was a shower of blessings, Chappar Phad Ke. No sooner did we head back than we let out a loud Hurrah! Yippee! Not one, not two, but four tigers in such a short span of time at the same place and a total of five tigers in four days, this was simply unheard of!! Unfortunately Alka had not got her camera along with her (which had a zoom lens) and she regretted this very much. So we thought we could go back to the rest house and return with the camera. Although we had decided to keep mum about our sighting till we got the intended snaps, such news does not take time to reach everyone’s ears and the next time that we went back to the place, there were three other jeeps. One of the groups literally had come for a video shooting and one of them was leaning out of a window to get a better view. Not only this they were making quite a din. In spite of this we did spot the tiger but it soon retreated further inside the jungle without allowing us the photos for which we had returned. Nevertheless all talk was about the tiger and the tiger thereafter. At lunchtime we discussed our experience with others there and everyone was of the opinion that we were certainly lucky to have witnessed three full grown cubs and their mother J.

Later in the day we left Tadoba with fond memories of the wonderful and varied wildlife that we got to experience. After reaching Nagpur we celebrated our tiger sighting by treating ourselves to ice creams and mithai.