Whitecheeked Bulbul

Most of us are familiar with the Redvented Bulbul, which is very common in Western India. However, the Whitecheeked Bulbul is not so commonly seen in the suburbs. These photographs of the bulbul are from my recent visit to the mangroves along the Thane creek. Although of the same size, it is easily distinguishable from the other races by its white cheeks and yellow vent (lower part of the body - see second picture). 

As today is Diwali, I wish you all a Happy & Prosperous Diwali.Will be back next Sunday, Nov 06.

Mangroves

Mangroves of Mumbai

Every day, we use the Eastern Express Highway to commute to our work places further south towards Mumbai or in the western suburbs. We get so used to the daily routine that most of us do not even a cast a glance to our left as we move along the highway. Each one of us is busy–some reading the newspapers, some completing last minute official work and some of us simply having a short nap. The two-wheeler riders -well, they are totally focused on avoiding  potholes and dumpers carrying material for land-fills near Vikhroli. On the way back, it is more of the same. But, if you look to your left, you are sure to notice the vast expanse of mangroves, extending from Thane almost up to Ghatkopar, which help regulate the tide and prevent flooding of the city. Deeper inside, adjoining the creek and the mangroves, are the mud flats where we have our colorful annual visitors–the flamingoes. The entire area is home to a variety of plants, birds and small mammals, like the fox and mongoose. Several species of snakes are also common here.

The mangroves have been here for centuries, long before humans shifted to these parts of the city. As we all know, the longer a species is dominant in a region, the greater its influence on the local environment. The mangroves therefore play an important role in influencing the local weather patterns and ecology.

On some part of these lands, several companies hold long leases for producing salt.  These lands are coveted by developers. Every one of them is lobbying for grant of exemption from CRZ restrictions in developing these lands. The dumping operations are already choking the mangroves leading to a slow but gradual destruction.

Although declared Protected Forests by the Maharashtra Forest Department, we can only hope that the land is not converted into a concrete jungle. By doing this, we would be exposing the city to flooding and possibly even be disturbing the local rainfall, temperature and weather patterns.  The mangroves of Mumbra-Diva have already been destroyed. Those left in Thane/Mumbai/Navi Mumbai must be protected all costs. 

More photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/pankaj.chandra12/Mangroves

Parakeets

These birds are common and tend to congregate on fruit or berry trees and in orchards. They are difficult to spot due to their leaf-green colored feathers, blending perfectly into the background. They are very active and noisy, often seen in pairs or in flocks consisting of four to six birds. They are commonly termed as “parrots” in India and are caged as pets, for their mimicking ability. There are several sub-species among the parakeets. Amongst them, the Rose-Ringed Parakeet and the Large Indian Parakeet, are most frequently seen.

The Large Indian or Alexandrine Parakeet is the larger of the two, with a long tail and hooked red bill. The male has a black stripe across its lower neck beginning from its throat and ending in a pink-colored band on its upper neck. It has a characteristic dark pink-colored patch on its wings, by which it can be differentiated from the more common Rose-Ringed Parakeet. Females of both sub-species lack the black stripe and pink neck band (both female and male Rose-Ringed Parakeets are seen in the first photograph; female in the second; male in the third).

Distinguishing features

The Alexandrine Parakeet is of the size of a pigeon (but much slimmer), with a distinct dark pink patch on its wings (see picture 4 - a male).

The Rose-Ringed Parakeet is slightly smaller, of the size of a myna.

Openbilled Stork

As the name suggests, the Openbilled Stork has a narrow gap between the upper and lower parts of the bill. It is a large bird, about 70 cm tall while standing and is found  all over India, at  riversides, marshes and backwaters of dams. These photographs were snapped at the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, near Mysore.

Conservation

Festivals in India, especially those in which there is community participation, like Ganesh Festival or Dassera, involve high electricity consumption for decorative lighting and loudspeakers constantly playing music at high volume. This, of course, is a great drain on our sparse energy resources. Correspondingly, there is an increase in the amount of garbage on the streets during this period. Part of the reason could be due to absenteeism of the civic workers, but it is largely attributable to the revelers who carelessly litter the streets with plastic water bottles, glasses, plates, food packets and all sorts of plastic wrappers. There is also enormous waste generated by the fire-works. All of this causes a strain on our civic services and no wonder the streets and neighborhoods are always dirty.

The common refrain amongst people is “What can be done?” At most times, we lack an awareness and understanding of conservation measures, and as a consequence, we do not realize we are using up or consuming nature’s resources. Our consumption patterns are formed by our habits. Understanding our habits and identifying areas where we can contribute is a step towards potential savings in electricity, water and energy. Productive and efficient use of resources and better energy management is, in the long run, good for the environment.

Effective conservation measures always start with the four ‘R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse (plus Recover – for industries)
 
Reduce    

Reduction in consumption of materials is not an easy task in these days of consumerism. However, we can avoid wasteful consumption if we keep in mind that although the money is ours to spend, the resources belong to the society. Here's a list of actions which I found extremely useful in reducing my material and energy consumption pattern: 
Buy items (including clothes) only if you need them, not just because they are on sale. 

Almost all monitors have a switch to turn them off: please make use of this during your lunch and tea-breaks (even at home). Take time from your busy schedule to shut down the computer, before leaving for the day.

Do not just walk out of finished meetings and conferences; remember to turn off the lights, AC and projectors too.

Stop printing out each and every mail. Print it only if it is of utmost importance. Do not print  Harry Potter, Jeffrey Archer and other e-books. This is a classic example of paper wastage.

If you must take prints, make sure that you take double-side prints; print documents on econo-mode. This way you save both paper as well as cartridges.

Make full use of electronic billing services for your utilities like electricity, phone, credit cards, bank statements and stock statements.

Use rechargeable batteries; though they are expensive, it involves a one-time purchase. Recharge when required and switch off after fully charged. (Same applies to cell-phones, MP3 players, iPods and laptops.)

The best pens to use are ink-based. If you have to use a ball point pen, buy refills instead of buying new pens. Pencils are much better for rough use.

Remember to close water taps before preening in front of the mirror. Do not keep the tap running while shaving and brushing your teeth; water is a precious resource. Sixteen liters of water are wasted every minute if the tap is left open.

Stop using paper napkins. Make use of the hot-air driers and your cotton handkerchiefs.

Take few minutes to learn about topics like 'global warming', 'air/noise/land/water pollution', apart from continuously interacting on social websites and surfing for news, latest gadgets, cars, bikes, movies and music.

Reuse   

A simple act can make a large difference. If each one of us reuses plastic carry-bags just once, it can lead to 50% reduction in plastic waste. Reuse it more than once and you can imagine how much can be done for the environment.

Plastic bags these days come in bright and attractive colors and there is always a temptation to take them home. On your next shopping trip, go prepared with a cloth bag.

Recycle

Items beyond their useful life or utility may be recycled into newer products of different uses or utility. Items which can be recycled include paper, plastic, glass and metals. Unused portions of your kids notebooks may be donated for reuse. Try to segregate different kinds of waste into bio-degradable (fruit or vegetable waste), recyclable (waste paper and paper products) and electronics (floppy disks, CD-ROMs).

It has been estimated that if all the newspapers of the world are recycled, 250 million trees would be saved every year.

Refuse

All of us can refuse to use plastic bags offered by the retailers when we shop for our daily necessities. As mentioned above, always make it a practice to carry your own cotton bag.

Recover

Recovering material for reuse is applicable mainly to large industrial and manufacturing organizations and involves recovery of solvents for reuse in manufacturing processes and waste water recovery for gardening purposes. Environment friendly organizations are easily identifiable as they are normally ISO 14001 certified. Wherever possible, shop for goods produced by such companies to encourage conservation measures.

Much of the above information is easily available and known to all of us - as human population increases, the Earth is becoming a dangerous place to live for creatures of land and water. Soon, it could turn out to be the same for us. Let us pledge to save our beautiful planet for the future generations. May be our efforts can make it a better place for all of us.

Whitebreasted Kingfisher

 

About the size of a myna, this is the most common of the kingfishers seen in India. It has bright turquoise-blue wings and tail, with dark-brown colored head, neck and lower body parts. It has a long, pointed red beak; the throat and breast is conspicuously white, hence the name.

It has a loud call, keek, keek, keek…..and can be spotted near ponds, lakes and riversides  and also in lightly wooded areas, away from water. These photographs were taken near my residence and indicate that it is common in this part of the country, although it is slowly running out of nesting spaces in urban areas.
More photographs: https://picasaweb.google.com/home