Land of Trumpet, Roar, and Song: Wanderings in Wild India

Tiger family from Bandipur

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 04:27:00 +0000

Perhaps one of my best sightings ever.

BPW upcoming workshops

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 05:23:00 +0000

Basic Workshop 18th December 2010 - Hebbal Lake and Canon Imagelounge, Bangalore

Advanced Wildlife Photography - January 8th, 9th and 10th, 2011- Kabini

Bandhavgarh Tiger Photography Trail - Bandhavgarh National Park - February 23rd - 26th, 2011

Corbett Tuskers | 2

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 01:30:00 +0000

More tuskers from Corbett. The first image shows the musth discharge. Canon's 500mm f4 IS was used for all the images.

Corbett Tuskers | 1

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:49:00 +0000

For almost a year I have not published images on this blog. This does not mean that I stopped photographing. Rather I was publishing my images on the Infinity Resorts blog under a cloak of anonyminty. Why, I cannot say, but without further ado, I intend to rectify the state of affairs starting today.

What is striking about the Corbett tuskers is that their tusks are not big, but their build is enormous. Of course, the tuskers you see here are in musth (a condition akin to rut) and this adds to their intimidating experience.

I would rate the Dhikala grassland as one of the best places to see and photograph elephants in India during the summer. It is better than Kabini or Kaziranga.

Bandhavgarh Tiger Tour

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:08:00 +0000

Click on image to know more

A Naturalist's Diary: 15

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:56:00 +0000

6th July, 2010

Fought with the macaques today. When I returned to the room in the afternoon the Alpha Male was on the roof, just above my door. He threatened me and almost came for me, but I was able to shoo him off with my umbrella.

When I wanted to leave the room, he was there again, and this time the standoff was longer, with him charging down the branch towards me, at least three times. I finally shooed him away, but now have ordered the branches overhanging my door to be cut. The last think I want is to get bitten. The anti-rabies treatments in town are long and expensive. Later, the Maintenance Manager told me that this particular individual does charge.

The large male Hanuman Langur, on the other hand, is a model of calm and good behaviour. I do make eye-contact and tell him that I am merely going to my room and he seems all right with that. On the other hand, making eye-contact with the male macaque seems to have triggered the stand-off.

A Naturalist's Diary: 14

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:54:00 +0000

5th July, 2010

A curious phenomenon yesterday. I was walking back to my quarters in the afternoon when I heard a loud splash at our waterbody. I investigated as I assumed a Rhesus Macaque had fallen from one of the overhanging branches of a mango tree, into the water. Sure enough I spotted a young macaque swimming strongly and confidently. It reached one of the islands and clambered out, bedraggled, but otherwise unscathed.

But when I was returning from my quarters it happened again! And I could hear several splashes. The macaques were deliberately jumping into the water.

I watched them for about a half-hour today and there were three young macaques who kept repeating this! At one point I thought that one came up with something and ate it, but I am not certain. Yesterday was a warm day, today completely sodden and wet. I just spoke to the Resort Manager and he says that this is a regular phenomenon.

It rained the entire day today. By 10 am the river had risen by about four feet and the waters were fast and turbulent. I found three river crabs on the steps leading down to the spa, a good fifteen feet above the river.

To Ramnagar in the evening. A tree had fallen towards Mohan and blocked the road. So hundreds of people walking through the forest towards town. When the boundaries of the park were drawn up, how did they not extend it to the river?

B. striatus fished avidly all through the rain, but moved to the resort bank. By six-ish the rain had let up and the waters had already receded by a foot. When I checked the spa steps I could not find any of the crabs. Jolly Uncle tells me that that today’s rain is not a ‘real’ rain since it is not raining in the hills.

A Naturalist's Dairy: 13

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:51:00 +0000

30th June, 2010

Quite a dull day. I did go to the river in the morning but the mahseer activity was limited. I did, however, get a zoomed-in video of B. striatus fishing. Tomorrow I shall go to the river armed with my camera.

No rain but lowering clouds in the evening. c. 20 persons bathing in the river this evening, two even armed with spool and line!

Avifauna very dull as well. After the waters had receded from the banks I would have expected to see egrets and herons feast on stranded creatures, but no such activity. I suppose there is plenty of water everywhere and even the sots are showing signs of life.

A Naturalit's Diary: 12

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 06:59:00 +0000

29th June, 2010

Went down to the river this morning. Mahseer spawning, a great deal of activity in the shallows bordering the bank. I intend to try and videograph this tomorrow morning and photograph it the day after.

I heard a single Golden Oriole this morning. I also hear the Indian Cuckoo (Hierococcyx varius) which I did not hear for the first few days after my return from Delhi. The Common Hawk Cuckoo (Cuculus micropterus) is very audibly present and one can appreciate why it is called the Brain Fever bird. Its incessant and ascending brain fever, brain fever, BRAIN FEVER, is taxing in this heat and humidity.

A Naturalist's Diary: 11

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 04:56:00 +0000

28th June, 2010

We had a good shower here this morning. After the shower I went down to the river and it was boiling with water levels the highest of the season. The river was turbulent and brown and seething with silt. Tadpoles, big fat ones, crabs, and a snake had been stranded by receding waters.

The humidity had dropped considerably after the shower, but it is now back with a vengeance.

See the Kosi video on the Infinity Resorts Blog.

A Naturalist's Diary: 10

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 04:52:00 +0000

27th June, 2010

From the 26th evening I have spent time trying to capture moonscapes. Faced an onslaught of winged termites the previous night and managed to wait it out by staying low. Whilst photographing, a sambar belled just opposite me. I could not locate it, but it only belled once; I assume it was alarmed at seeing me on the jetty.

I was able to achieve an excellent HDRI panorama of the Kosi yesterday morning, my first ever and this opens up a lot of possibilities.

The weather is dreadfully humid. I will move the cameras into the bedroom as it is less humid there.

A Naturalist's Diary: 9

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 03:38:00 +0000

26th June, 2010

There have been many changes to the avifauna around the resort. I do not hear the orioles anymore. Their mellifluous and rich notes are prominent by their absence. The Asian Paradise Flycatchers (Terpsiphone paradisi) are gone. The Red-breasted Parakeets have replaced the Rose-ringed (Psittaculla krameri). I went down to the river this evening and there were huge overflights of P. alexandri. In flight they are darker than the Rose-ringed and have shorter tails. And, of course, they have their characteristic honking.

I saw at least five Striated Herons (B. Stiatus) by the river and they seemed intent on beating up one another, constantly engaged in minor turf wars; fishing rights, as it were.

Three young Rhesus Macaques emereged from the forest and approached the channel by the resort. When I looked again, one was on a rock surrounded by swirling water, another was in the water but then hastily regained the bank. When I looked again they were not to be seen. I wonder if they actually crossed the river? If so it would be an amazing feat considering that the pull of the current is very strong.

In the matter of The People versus the snails, it seems that salt or copper piping will work. The copper tends to generate an electric current when the snail tries to climb over it. Salt is, of course, like acid, and we don’t want that.

Almost forty-five people bathing in the river this evening. Unsightly, but they are homeless or if they have quarters have no facilities. And they are all employed by the resorts surrounding the park and by new constructions.

A Naturalist's Diary: 8

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 04:17:00 +0000

25th June, 2010

Glad to be back at Corbett after an absence of ten days. It rains odten and is very, very humid, but it is far better than being stuck in the furnace that is Delhi.

A very positive sign here is the constant and very noisy presence of Red-breasted Parakeets (Psittacula alexandri)! When I was left they were very evident on the metalled road to Mohan which is the boundary of the park, but now they are in the resort as well. However, parakeets are not the easiest birds to photograph!

It’s that time of the year again when we hear the crunch of snails underfoot. I must try to find a solution to this and stop the slaughter.

I saw the Little / Striated Heron (Butorides striatus) by the river this morning which is a first. Until the 15th of June it used to be present only in the evenings. Most of my day today has been spent on the computer and I want to try and do some bird watching tomorrow morning. Hopefully the rains would have resulted in some new visitors.

A Naturalist's Diary : 7

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 04:50:00 +0000

24th October, 2010.

Finally back at my beloved Corbett. Delhi was blighted, as usual. By the time the train reached Hapur, the weather had cooled. Ramnagar was mess with a wedding going through town complete with a brass band and men carrying fluorescent lights mounted on poles. This was followed by a gaudy horse-drawn (!) carriage where the be-turbaned groom, who looked to be in his early twenties and completely bored with the proceedings, sat surrounded by a screaming mass of children. Perhaps he viewed it as portentous!

Corbett very humid but I could hear a myriad frogs last night whilst smoking my post-prandial cigarette which is a good thing.

A Naturalist's Diary : 6

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 03:06:00 +0000

Back to Gurgaon after a break in Bangalore and en route to Corbett. Temperature here at about 41 celsius with 30% humidity! Can't wait to get out.

Images of the workshop will be up on Facebook soon.

Workshop at Canon Image Lounge

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 05:13:00 +0000

19th June, 2010. For DSLR users. Ashish and Apana will be there.

A Naturalist's Diary : 5

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Fri, 14 May 2010 04:35:00 +0000

I have been chasing after the sunbirds. The previous occasion was far, far away. On this occasion, however, I have a new gem to pursue, the Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja). The sub-species here is seheriae. And thus I have stood for many hours watching them flit and feed either on the honeysuckle near the reception or on the red hibiscus near the dining hall. I soon notice that the male Purple Sunbird (Nectarina asiatica) is very aggressive when it comes to seeing off other males from his patch. I had not noticed this in my earlier tryst with their cousin, N. zeylonica in Coorg. What started as an interesting observation soon developed into a sense of frustration as I was particularly keen on capturing the ruby-like siparaja. But every time siparaja would appear to claim his share of nectar, along would come the smaller asiatica in high dudgeon and drive off siparaja in a flurry of furious purple and red wing beats. They wind, weave, and feint furiously across the gardens, narrowly missing the watchman's head, two mortal enemies, each of whom seems determined to wreak havoc on the other.

Asiatica is no different with others of his ilk and sees off other male Purple Sunbirds with equal vigour.

It has been one of those days without electricity and I have spent my time with Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall set in Henry Tudor's England where, according to the blurb-writers, "man is wolf to man." Apparently the blurb-writers do not read the daily newspapers.

A Naturalist's Diary : 4

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Mon, 03 May 2010 13:21:00 +0000

Another sultry day here, but there was sufficient clarity to attempt some photography this morning. And so I went onto the roof of the recreation area to try to capture the Asian Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi) and the Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus). Both were tantalizingly close but no decent shots were had. The Orioles stayed well-hidden or shrouded behind foliage and teased me with their wee-ows. I wee-ow-ed a fair bit myself, to no avail. In the evening, I had clear views of the orioles, but high up in a dry teak tree. The flycatchers, we get the white morph here, were around in abundance, and sadly when one first sees them one wonders if it is a bit of garbage, plastic or paper, that's been caught in the bush; such is the prevalence of garbage in the area.

Temple Tiger Truths

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Mon, 03 May 2010 04:40:00 +0000

You've all probably heard of the temple in Thailand which is filled with tigers. One always suspected that there was something fishy and after I joined my new job I heard even more. And then yesterday I chanced upon this website.

http://www.tigertempletruths.org/

See the Care for the Wild PDF as well:

http://www.careforthewild.com/files/TigerTemplereport08_final_v11.pdf

A Naturalist's Diary : 3

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Sat, 01 May 2010 13:19:00 +0000

The day dawned overcast and cloudy. It did blunt the ferocity of the sun, but the day was sultry. Walked around in the late evening. Chestnut-tailed starlings (Sturnus malabaricus) are roosting near the conference hall and their arrival begins at the teak near the reception, until they finally descend, in a clamourous squabble on a mango tree near the conference hall.

Eurasian Golden Orioles (Oriolus oriolus) also much in evidence with their mellifluous calls. Two Greater Coucals (Centropus sinensis) were booming outside my quarters. Plum-headed parakeets (Psittacula cyanocephala) screeching about; in all a bird-filled evening to counter a deeply birdless morning.

A Naturalist's Diary: 2

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 03:55:00 +0000

In Gurgaon where I occasionally walk around the block. Two male Indian Robins vie for the attention of a single female. I watch with interest as they display for her. A Common Tailorbird has a nest in a bush opposite the house and a Black Drongo and a Green Bee-eater visit the tree in the empty plot next door. In yet another empty plot are two Red-wattled Lapwings.

A Naturalist's Diary : 1

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 03:06:00 +0000

I intend to begin a new series here which I will update on a regular basis. I am currently in exile in Gurgaon, a suburb of Delhi, and am reading Don't Look Behind You: True Tales of a Safari Guide by Peter Allison, a collection of adventures and hilarious mishaps in the line of work. Allison also touches upon some serious points, such as the politics played by the private lodges around Kruger National Park, and I feel the book would have been more effective has he concentrated on these points.

Here is one telling passage from the book which stuck in my mind:

While I loathed the poachers, hated them for their cruelty and their methods, I knew that most were not doing this for commercial reasons. My rage was hypocritical, because I was perfectly aware that you rarely meet a starving conservationist.

Obit: Lady Scott

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:45:00 +0000

Marrying Peter Scott in Iceland in 1951 while on a trip with him to find the breeding grounds of the pink-footed goose, Philippa Scott (who became Lady Scott when he was knighted in 1973, but was known to friends simply as Phil), played a crucial role with him in the establishment of the Severn Wildfowl Trust at Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, these days the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT).

Read the full obituary in The Times.

Nilgai Bulll in the MIst, Bharatpur

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 01:24:00 +0000

I am back! Having gone to Bangalore and brought my cameras, all my blogs will start to live again!

Also expect a lot of decent video.

Nilgai Bull in Mist at Bharatpur from indianwildlifetv on Vimeo.

Relocating to Kaziranga!

noreply@blogger.com (AB Apana) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 07:06:00 +0000

Apologies for the long delay, but I have been travelling. In January I take charge of a new project, Infinity Kaziranga Wilderness, and will be based out of Kaziranga National Park, Assam. Expect regular updates from the end of January.

And a Happy 2010 to all!!!