Rain

Today, when it rains, have a good look out of your window. Don't ask yourself what you are looking at. Ask yourself what you are seeing. If you are a true nature-lover, though you may be looking at a polluted roadside, crammed with vehicles, you will see how the rain has cleansed the atmosphere—how it has washed off part of the haze in the air and formed a magnificent rainbow.

Look a little beyond the hustle and bustle that forms a part of the lives of almost all of us: the rainy season is the best time of the year to connect with nature. Most people just look upon the rain as something to be avoided (so as to stay dry). But that is not so. In fact, this season is the best time to find how closely you share this world with a huge number of plant, bird and animal varieties.

The unique location of India has gifted this country with a variety of species, plant, bird and animal. From the Himalayas guarding the northern part of the country to the 7,517 kilometer-long coastline, India is home to diverse classes of organisms. In fact, five percent of all the documented species of the world are in India.

Now, you may ask - what is five percent? Just a small number? Five percent of the entire world's species means five out of every hundred species, and there are approximately 1.8 million known kinds of organisms classified till date.

No part of the Indian subcontinent is possible to be imagined without birds. There will always be birds everywhere. At this time of the year, bird activity is high (though not the highest) because of the easy availability of food and water. When it is pouring heavily, many birds can be seen sheltering in trees.

Birdwatching is recommended if your job stresses you out, because it is proven that this hobby aids stress management. The near-perfect coloring of some birds can potentially take one's mind of the pressures of life and refresh the mind and body. Apart from the common pigeons, crows and mynas, there are several exotic birds that that one can see almost every day, like the golden oriole and coppersmith. These birds are also fairly common, but city people would probably think otherwise, because city life leaves people with almost no time to stand and stare.
There are more than 1200 species of birds in India. So, even if you went on a birdwatching trip every week, you could be assured of peace of mind for twenty-five years. There are so many birds to choose from that one can never hope to get tired of watching them. After all, they were created by Nature. And they may, in all probability, be our closest link to Nature.

We have witnessed the massive loss of life and property in the recent natural calamity that has befallen our fellow countrymen in Uttarakhand. Our prayers are with them. The tragedy is largely attributed to the greed of a few unscrupulous people, excessive urbanization and an uncaring administration. 

Lets us do our best towards conserving nature and that we do not cross the threshold beyond which we have no control over nature's wrath. 

 

Plumbeous Redstart - male (top) and female

Picture courtesy: Upendra Chandratreya

Malabar Grey Hornbill

The Hornbill is a large bird, about the size of a Pariah Kite. It is dark-grey in color, with a large bill well suited for picking up berries from banyan or peepul trees. 

There are two sub-species of the Grey Hornbill. The species found in the heavy rainfall regions of the Western Ghat regions is the Malabar Grey Hornbill, while that found in other lightly wooded regions is the Indian Grey Hornbill. The Indian Grey hornbill has a small projection over its bill, which is lacking in the Malabar species.

Habits

It is an arboreal bird found throughout the country, in lightly wooded regions. It moves by hopping over tree branches in search of berries and fruits, often stretching upside down while picking up fruits with its long bill. It also feeds on small lizards and mice. It nests in small tree hollows, with the female walled up with mud and bird droppings during incubation. The male provides for it until the young birds are hatched and the nest is broken open.

Sexes are alike.

Photograph location: Thekkady

Save water, save lives

Periyar Lake

Periyar lake is located within the Periyar National Park, or Periyar Tiger Reserve, as it is commonly called. The lake was artificially created by building the Mullaperiyar dam across Periyar river, in what was originally a river valley covered with forests. 

Tree stumps of the submerged forest can be seen even today, although most have been cleared to create a waterway for the tourist boats. During the summer, the lake is more of river, snaking through the valley surrounded by thick evergreen forests. 

The boat rides are good and provide a safe way watching wildlife. However, ticket sales can be better managed. Tickets are sold on first-come basis. This creates a lot of confusion, as there is rush towards the counters, where one has to fill a form with your name and age, before the tickets can be bought. Also, the best seats for viewing wildlife are on the upper deck of the boat, but you are not permitted to select seats and may be allotted seats on the lower deck if you are unlucky. 

Both, the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) and Kerala Forest Department (KFD) operate boat services for tourists. The KTDC boats are better maintained and faster than KFD boats – a good 10 minutes faster. But, you would be better off seated on the KFD boat. That’s because the KTDC boats have rows of 4 seats and are not suitable for those stuck in the middle, while KFD boats only have 2 seats in each row. 

The faster speed also negates the very purpose of the ride – watching and photographing wildlife. On the day of our visit, a herd of elephants emerged from the forest towards the end of the ride, a sight the KTDC tourists missed, as they had already disembarked and exited from the area.  Suggestion: the KTDC counter is on the left and KFD counter is on the right.

The best time to take the boat ride is in the morning at 0730. At this time, it is not too hot and the weather is pleasant. It is also the time when one can spot several wild animals as they emerge to quench their thirst. We were lucky and could spot several birds, sambar (deer), wild boar, bison (Indian Gaur) and elephants.

Snake-bird or Darter

Indian Cormorant

A general observation

One is sure to notice that the forest reserves are well maintained. This is because the ban on use of plastics is strictly enforced by the Forest Department. May be we should hand over civic administration duties in the cities to the foresters.

Keep our surroundings clean; reduce use of plastic - save the environment from further deterioration.

Green Pigeon

April is not a good month to for bird watching as it is very hot and dry during this period. However, if you plan to spot birds at any of the nearby areas, an early morning trip is the best bet.

We reached Karnala Bird Sanctuary (KBS) at around 6.45 a.m, much before it got crowded with the trekking groups moving towards the fort. KBS is around 30 km from Thane / Mumbai on the Goa highway. At this time of the year, after the spring season, most of trees appear fresh and green due to sprouting of new leaves. Very soon, they will turn dry and dusty owing to the summer heat, until the arrival of the rains. As we walked about in the sanctuary, we noticed that the grass and undergrowth in some parts of the sanctuary on the path towards the fort, was burnt dry. The forest personnel were unable to explain the cause of the fire though it was almost next to the rest-house. Unless it was done deliberately to stimulate growth of grass, one hopes the department takes all preventive measures to avoid such fires.

Birds spotted: Pampadour Green Pigeon, Golden-fronted Leaf bird, Racket-tailed Drongo and caught a glimpse of a large raptor, which could not be identified.
 
I have no idea why the Pampadour Green Pigeon was so strangely named. It is an arboreal bird and keeps to upper reaches of fruit or berry trees, and is not easily spotted.
Status: Uncommon

Golden-fronted Leaf bird: Status: common and frequently spotted.

Plastic-free zone
The sanctuary is a plastic-free zone, which is monitored by the forest department. This makes one wonder - if regulations can be implemented in such areas, why cannot the same be done in the city? Unless existing regulations regarding ban of thin plastics (less than 50 micron thickness) are enforced strongly, and awareness is created among the citizens, the use of plastics will continue unabated.