Grey Squirrel

Not so deep in a not-so-remote forest, a bunch of squirrels noisily look to climb a tree, looking for fruits and nuts to eat. The forest floor is littered with a layer of leaves. Every animal, however small, cannot avoid making sounds while treading. The climb is not very difficult for these swift creatures.

The squirrels proceed to the higher branches, for the lower ones have already been cleared of the fruit and nut by other members of their genus. Effortlessly, like practiced acrobats, the squirrels maneuver over the branches and reach their goal—nuts, their favorite food. Munching delightedly, they keep looking around furtively. Within days, the tree is bare of nuts.

Tiny though they are, squirrels can be very quick on their feet. They are usually shy creatures, and stay away from any intruders, especially cats and dogs, which are always trying to catch them. An amazing sight to watch while they scale near-vertical tree-trunks, they may also choose to stay still for a while to ensure no one else is around.

Being extremely wary, squirrels bound away to the safety of trees the moment they spot anything coming towards them, including birds. However, occasionally, they may become brave, and start looking for food to eat even when there are crows prowling nearby. Aggressive squirrels often take on the crows, loudly squeaking with their tails upturned.  They'll probably never become so bold in front of humans though, since we have practically cut off ourselves from Nature and only occasionally venture outside.

Squirrels prefer to live in peaceful environments. They are seen infrequently, as are other wild creatures, during festivals dominated by sound pollution—Diwali.

Indian epic Ramayan, mentions that squirrels received the white stripes on their backs from Lord Ram as a token of appreciation. They had helped the king build a rock bridge over the sea to modern-day Sri Lanka. 

We ought to learn from these little animals that however small our contribution, it counts. It is only important to have belief in oneself and confidence that only good will happen—quite contrary to Murphy's Law. 

Lets make a small start to protect our environment.

Pariah Kite

The Pariah Kite is a large brown bird, with streaks of white all over the body, black patches across its wings and a sharp, hooked beak. 

Very common throughout the country, it is usually spotted in large numbers near municipal garbage dumps and in the vicinity of abattoirs, feeding on discarded waste, rodents, small birds and lizards. It has exceptional skills in flying, swooping down to pick up discarded food or waste with its strong talons and easily evading pursuit by noisy crows. 

 

Photo courtesy: Upendra Chandratreya

It is one of the few birds (and the only raptor) which has adapted extremely well to human habitation, others being the common crow, house sparrow and mynah.

Its presence can be identified by its shrill and high pitched call. In flight, it has a distinct angular wing silhouette and forked tail.

Best place to spot:
In the evening, along Saket road near police grounds and near Thane jail.

RRRR
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover: Save our environment

Sustainable Development

Is Sustainable development possible in India?

 
Today, as India continues on its way towards achieving better standards for all its citizens, we tend to forget that development cannot take place without due consideration of the environment.

As more areas are opened up for industries, housing and infrastructure development, the industrial lobby is riding rough-shod over environmental concerns raised by NGOs and wildlife activists. There is a tendency to overlook most, if not all, of the issues that affect the environment and wildlife survival, by those who are responsible for implementing policies. This begins with lopsided planning of infrastructure and industrial projects. These projects often get the necessary approvals from all regulatory bodies by appropriate lobbying, greasing of palms and political backing. If and when activists object to such projects, they (the projects) are referred to the judiciary, which can turn out to be a long drawn process. Highly paid lawyers then ensure that the industry’s point of view is explained in a manner that makes the activists appear as obstacles or hindrances to development of the society and the down-trodden. The sons-of-soil argument is forwarded for offering jobs to the affected persons and a compromise formula worked out. 

And when the project is promoted by the government itself, you can understand how effective the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) can be in its objections to the project. Does anyone remember what happened to Mr. Jairam Ramesh?

The recent news of the apex court’s approval for the passage of the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) through the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, is one such example.

The apex court, in good faith, has taken into consideration the project authorities’ commitment towards mitigation of the adverse effects of the corridor on the wildlife and has suggested several measures during the construction phase.  

Sanjay Gandhi National Park
The SGNP, for people who are not aware, forms an important green belt within Mumbai city’s boundaries and is connected to Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary. Dispersal of wildlife between SGNP and TWS is critical to ensure that gene pool diversity is maintained and the animals do not in-breed. The dedicated double freight corridor will connect Vadodara with JNPT, cutting off the dispersal route between SGNP and TWS for small mammals. (Refer article in TOI, dated Sep 09, 2013).
As the article rightly points out, remedial measures mentioned by DFC, such as high fencing and under-passes for the animals may be poorly designed or may not even be constructed. Just think about it: would the animals use under-passes over which huge double-decker freight trains move to and fro, at high speeds and short intervals? The scenario is unnerving even for humans.

The fact that the wild life reserves are under attack is also evident from the reported construction of a Viscose Fibers factory in the close vicinity of Karnala Bird Sanctuary, without obtaining necessary clearances. Now, do you require any further elaboration on how this case too shall proceed?

Five minutes to midnight
Can the earth’s ecosystem sustain such unplanned and unrestricted development?
R.K. Pachauri, head of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) speaking in Delhi mentioned “we have five minutes to midnight” for fighting against environmental disaster.
The rate at which India is moving, it would be more appropriate to say, “Two minutes to midnight”, (Iron Maiden).

The extent to which we are polluting the environment can be seen from the attached photographs. The Thane creek, stretching from Kalwa bridge right up to Vashi, is littered with garbage (includes plastic bags, bottles, thermocole plates and glasses, items from Ganesh immersion and construction debris in polythene fiber bags). 

It is time to stop this degradation. As we pray to Vignahartha (Lord Ganesh) to remove obstacles in our path to success, let us ensure that we do not displease Dharti Mata (Mother Earth).

The earth does not belong to us; we belong to the earth

Black Winged Stilt

The Black-winged stilt is a wader and one of the most easily recognizable birds amongst the several species of water birds. It is very common; large numbers can be spotted in the backwaters and creeks surrounding Mumbai and Thane. It is slightly smaller than the common crow, with black wings and white body. It has a slender bill and very long, thin, red-colored legs, which almost make it appear as if it were standing on stilts.
Female differs from the male in being dark brown and white.

Its long legs allow wading into deep water near sand banks and mudflats, and the long beak is effectively used to explore the murky depths for aquatic creatures like snails and mollusks. When it takes flight, the head, neck and legs are outstretched, the legs often skimming just over water, causing ripples across the water surface.

Seen here along with the Pied Avocet (middle) and Bar tailed Godwit

Location: Bhandup mangroves