tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19509131275164067192024-02-02T06:04:48.880-08:00envirotekindia travelJitendra Bhatiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872266309661669977noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950913127516406719.post-17376151472606270922016-07-04T04:50:00.003-07:002018-07-02T10:54:37.420-07:00MEMORIES OF BIRD ISLAND (SEYCHELLES)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you do a google search on the internet, you will hit two 'bird islands'. The first one is actually a misnomer. A place in Minnesota derived its name from an erstwhile rookery that existed in the marshes nearby. The marshes have since been leveled out and the birds driven away, but the village still carries its old name -- 'Bird Island,' quite like our own 'Dhobi Talao' (washermen's pond) in Mumbai or the 'Santra Gachhi' (orange tree grove) near Kolkata. The other 'Bird Island', (and possibly the only one justifying its name), is a small, privately owned island way out in the far flung Indian Ocean. I was there several years ago with my brother and his wife Anne. It was an unforgettable trip and images of this breathtakingly beautiful island are still fresh in my mind. </span><br />
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Main Street in Victoria, the Capital of Seychelles</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My personal life at that time was passing through a period of turbulence. An invitation from my brother to visit him in Seychelles for a couple of weeks came as a welcome reprieve. The idea of exploring the virgin islands of Seychelles for the first time was exciting enough, but the highlight of the trip was to be a two day trip to the 'Bird Island'. I was then a novice bird watcher and carried with me a small 4x digital camera and a cheap set of heavy binoculars. On reaching Seychelles, I supplemented these with a useful book 'Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands' picked up from a local book shop in Victoria, the capital city of Seychelles.</span><br />
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SEYCHELLES-- A Land of Islands, Beaches & Sunshine</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Seychelles is an archipelago made up of 115 scattered islands in the Indian Ocean north of Madagascar. Till the middle of 17th Century, these islands remained uninhabited, visited occasionally by seafarers and pirates as stop-over resting points. After a short period of control by the French, Seychelles became a British colony in the year 1794 and remained so, till its independence and simultaneous membership of the commonwealth in 1976. Interestingly, presence of these islands was known to ancient sailors and some even link them to the proverbial Garden of Eden mentioned in the Bible. Be as it may, it is indeed true that there are no snakes or carnivorous land animals in Seychelles, nor are there any crows. In absence of these predators, birds in Seychelles are a friendly lot, spending a good part of the time wandering fearlessly or feeding on the ground.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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LOOK WHO'S COME FOR DINNER: A friendly female Madagascar Fody (<i>Foudia madagascariensis</i>); The male is bright red or sometimes flavistic yellow </h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With a little bit of coaxing, the doves, the terns and the colourful sparrows will readily pick up crumbs from your hand.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90EBLnmx5-gz26YNegQAScJxUGt10ZbGHTxSWVABGtzSyNUb322G4IY_f-mqiuzA0R169SD_tsCAXdmUhnemsL7x9lyJvRRqICK3BeBCB7PFBAWzuBUThDERF5ghnnDPG4LWSUQTcsqU7/s1600/DSCN2028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90EBLnmx5-gz26YNegQAScJxUGt10ZbGHTxSWVABGtzSyNUb322G4IY_f-mqiuzA0R169SD_tsCAXdmUhnemsL7x9lyJvRRqICK3BeBCB7PFBAWzuBUThDERF5ghnnDPG4LWSUQTcsqU7/s400/DSCN2028.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
A Male Fody on the Go!</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With a population of less than 100,000, Seychelles is a small country with unspoiled beaches and breathtaking natural landscape. Residents are mostly Indian and African settlers who speak a French based Creole and live a relaxed life fishing or farming. Apart from Mahe, Islands like Praslin and La Digue are extremely popular with the tourists. An extensive ferry service, including some luxury high speed boats, connects the islands scattered over a vast sea area. The island of Aldabra is a kind of a mini Galapagos, where entry is restricted.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygxJT1d87Z2KRTwDfmFtk21a2kSxApocJsTZtRRJrODMeQAZGs-HLp6UjAUtDNCTV7Mw3qSzYcDJjYtQ3U2DPX2MWOiF4sV3uZ1TQvL9Ohq2PyTpEwd7cH1HU4pP1lZLvMl7RmaGU13UY/s1600/DSCN2083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygxJT1d87Z2KRTwDfmFtk21a2kSxApocJsTZtRRJrODMeQAZGs-HLp6UjAUtDNCTV7Mw3qSzYcDJjYtQ3U2DPX2MWOiF4sV3uZ1TQvL9Ohq2PyTpEwd7cH1HU4pP1lZLvMl7RmaGU13UY/s640/DSCN2083.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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The Beach at Praslin</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Seychelles has rich sea life and is home to a number of endemic birds, many of which are different from the species seen in the neighbouring Madagascar or on the African mainland. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bird Island is one of the smallest islands located on the northern fringe, some 100 km away from the main island Mahe. We boarded a short commercial flight of Air Seychelles from Victoria in a small 20 seater plane to get there. Just as we were landing, a breathtaking view of the island and its surrounding blue sea opened up before us.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMXMmro-luH-veQhpHKlkr174nIbVbPf3r2LLwOW27CvUlYzbfnMFFlS82qgqD-SGhnSdBnBVYmPFwwZOVz0pyvEt83xWQMqlISRIoA64EFkn7Mom455YauL-_wpjGEA5znQGijrH1N4nx/s1600/%25E0%25A4%259A%25E0%25A4%25BF%25E0%25A4%25A4%25E0%25A5%258D%25E0%25A4%25B0+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMXMmro-luH-veQhpHKlkr174nIbVbPf3r2LLwOW27CvUlYzbfnMFFlS82qgqD-SGhnSdBnBVYmPFwwZOVz0pyvEt83xWQMqlISRIoA64EFkn7Mom455YauL-_wpjGEA5znQGijrH1N4nx/s640/%25E0%25A4%259A%25E0%25A4%25BF%25E0%25A4%25A4%25E0%25A5%258D%25E0%25A4%25B0+1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Bird Island as seen from the plane</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Bird Island is much smaller in size than you would expect, with a perimeter of only around 5 miles. Number of species of birds on the island are not too many, but their numbers are simply mind- boggling. Around 700,000 pairs of sooty terns come here every year to breed, not to mention a fair number of other terns, which together make up to one million or even more. Quite naturally, the bird density on this small island is several times higher than that of humans who are limited to around two or three dozen tourists and a team of conservation support staff who are busy all the time looking after the needs of avian as well as human guests. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On alighting from the plane, we were greeted by the members of the management staff who are responsible for the island's excellent upkeep since 1967. From a modest beginning, the Bird Island has emerged as one of hot spots in the world for eco-tourism. Sir David Attenborough visited the island in 1997 along with the BBC crew to film two episodes of his famous film 'The Life of Birds'. and in 2006, BBC Wildlife Magazine named the Bird Island as one of the seven best destinations to travel to in the world for genuine eco-tourism.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkertxRRgMaHSORYOjW9_5Iaax3PoAVx0kFQn0EaaidMveh8X0qCitfmfpIjC4PfsUSqzWpfMcI2tRFokG7_j1IyL-17ddkSFmODMqpRGAJsj_3uRqDXiwg6pXS8f6P8QNWcO9qGc94WK/s1600/DSCN1438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkertxRRgMaHSORYOjW9_5Iaax3PoAVx0kFQn0EaaidMveh8X0qCitfmfpIjC4PfsUSqzWpfMcI2tRFokG7_j1IyL-17ddkSFmODMqpRGAJsj_3uRqDXiwg6pXS8f6P8QNWcO9qGc94WK/s640/DSCN1438.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Bird Island</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The history of Bird Island is in itself a story of ups and downs in preservation and conservation. Sighted for the first time by a passing ship in 1771, the island was described as one having "innumerable birds and sea cows (dugongs) on the beach". In 1895, Guano or Phosphate Mining operations were established on the island employing over 100 people. All the 17000 tonnes of phosphate was excavated within 10 years, after which all the staff left for Mahe. In 1931, there were 12 people on the island who started a plantation of coconuts and papayas. Over the years, these human activities took a heavy toll on the breeding population of sooty terns visiting the island and by 1955, barely 18000 birds were left from a million pairs historically. The new management which took over in 1967, first restored the breeding activity, controlled plantation, removed all rodents from the island, introduced turtle conservation under the guidance of an eminent expert and thereafter built up eco-friendly chalets away from the breeding area for terns. Over the last several decades, the island </span><span style="font-size: large;">has evolved into a conservationist's dream, winning several international awards and attracting, apart from sooty terns, several other tropical species such as the tropic birds, brown & lesser noddy and the all white 'fairy tern' which all now breed here. Accommodation at the island consists of functional, but reasonably comfortable cottages surrounded by a colony of assorted birds and turtles. </span><br />
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Day Gecko (<i>Phelsuma sundbergi</i>)</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were delighted to find on the wall of the cottage, a small day green gecko with red spots! The Giant Day Gecko is endemic to Seychelles, growing upto 20 cm in length. It is a diurnal species, feeding during the day and resting in the night. It is typically found on coconut palm trees and also in residential dwellings. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a refreshing cup of tea, it was time to visit the star attraction of the island, the massive breeding ground for sooty terns. You could view the colony from a platform, without the risk of disturbing the nesting on the ground.</span><br />
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The Colony of Sooty Terns at Bird Island</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Nearly 700,000 pairs of Sooty Terns(<i>Onychoprion fuscatus</i>) land at Bird Island every year in March, lay their eggs, rear the young and are ready to fly off again by end of October. The nesting activity is carefully monitored by the island authorities and you are not allowed to do anything that could disturb the nesting birds. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
The Sooty Tern (<i>Onychoprion fuscatus</i>)</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ringing of some birds has revealed that on an average, the same birds visit the islands once in four years. Where exactly they spend the intervening period is not fully understood. Like many other birds of the sea, Sooty Terns sleep on the wink while flying in the night and possibly for this reason, are also known as 'wide awake terns' in some areas. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibSeTk0d_4VKy7m7JsFoElVwrYhQ46OToMsuq2TGEyytjnHTEbostAF9du3ylJvqbh336hLX-M0fvDBgvel12z8lBFQwWNio8B94bOhD5gKCUTaI4OFs3avP3yUhs4JJrLMRIKHiTEUXM/s1600/DSCN1335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibSeTk0d_4VKy7m7JsFoElVwrYhQ46OToMsuq2TGEyytjnHTEbostAF9du3ylJvqbh336hLX-M0fvDBgvel12z8lBFQwWNio8B94bOhD5gKCUTaI4OFs3avP3yUhs4JJrLMRIKHiTEUXM/s320/DSCN1335.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
The Viewing Platform</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Entry to the nesting area is restricted. Managing the vast breeding area is a Herculean task. The island has an efficient service team attending to the birds. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were shocked to find the next morning that there was a choice of regular eggs or terns eggs on the breakfast menu! We were explained by the wardens that being a massive colony, there are several abandoned eggs which will not hatch and which must be regularly removed from the breeding area. These are the ones that turn up on the dining table. We politely declined the offer for tern omelettes, even though these are considered a delicacy by some locals.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Sooty Terns flying on the island</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Apart from sooty terns, Bird Island is also known for its breeding population of Brown and the Lesser Noddy, though these birds can be found in larger numbers on several other islands of Seychelles. Noddies prefer to breed on islands which are devoid of rats or cats and the Bird Island now meets this criterion. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCi6i4pI-d-tUs_qFhxoqGC8RRb5HybJRqoCEPzw_eak4XaKBo16BmKhk_EFOmHHxDatxndmfDD4d0l_ia14rhiD-XmGMM_3GsGcYzBWCTupelQBlxPN2ceuT0YuTR1mEvlcfI8wz5pjR6/s1600/70806+Brown+Noddy+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCi6i4pI-d-tUs_qFhxoqGC8RRb5HybJRqoCEPzw_eak4XaKBo16BmKhk_EFOmHHxDatxndmfDD4d0l_ia14rhiD-XmGMM_3GsGcYzBWCTupelQBlxPN2ceuT0YuTR1mEvlcfI8wz5pjR6/s640/70806+Brown+Noddy+01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Brown Noddy (<i>Anous stodilus</i>)</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo1SB_sT7yctIg2ilWVOBG6RHC2ELak_hyzNOmHNFzJeYEbn7q_uYfjrhN-TdG9laVS2PG9LEi0sb9DAU75yCu4S_x2tm7BT5ej7zE2hsjUJB3pRftnQUHiPKZT8iMFDKuD999FDS4cW_7/s1600/70804Lesser+Noddy01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo1SB_sT7yctIg2ilWVOBG6RHC2ELak_hyzNOmHNFzJeYEbn7q_uYfjrhN-TdG9laVS2PG9LEi0sb9DAU75yCu4S_x2tm7BT5ej7zE2hsjUJB3pRftnQUHiPKZT8iMFDKuD999FDS4cW_7/s400/70804Lesser+Noddy01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Lesser Noddy</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Noddies are part of the tern family. Out of the three varieties of 'Anous' found in the world, two- the Brown and the Lesser Noddy are abundantly found on the islands of Seychelles. There are subtle differences between the two; Lesser Noddy is smaller in size, has a sharper narrow beak and the pale part of its head is larger in area as compared to the Brown Noddy. These birds are quite indifferent towards humans and are known to be easy targets for shooters.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYGAKhS2Gk2Iy6RvDgz5oS0IiE9BShiZ_Dzj6hQAm7moHI_SmzcvMc4n7NmXGS0F2aQRZqpTHPROOEtcoJYdB7xE5O1knur7WZxSJw9cklUcofiNCCeiVen53AZAgxKLCj96RJqCzQ_X9/s1600/70804Noddy+with+chick01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYGAKhS2Gk2Iy6RvDgz5oS0IiE9BShiZ_Dzj6hQAm7moHI_SmzcvMc4n7NmXGS0F2aQRZqpTHPROOEtcoJYdB7xE5O1knur7WZxSJw9cklUcofiNCCeiVen53AZAgxKLCj96RJqCzQ_X9/s400/70804Noddy+with+chick01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Lesser Noddy with Chick</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Fortunately,Bird Island is a safe breeding ground for these birds. Noddies make their nests on low hanging branches of trees or sometimes also on the ground. Historically, islands of the Indian Ocean islands were also abundant in giant tortoises, but over the last two centuries, indiscriminate killing has virtually brought them to extinction. Bird Island has had the distinction of having 'Esmeralda', the world's heaviest tortoise weighing 298 kilos. In 1995, the island started its turtle conservation project under the guidance of Dr. Jeanne Mortimer, an expert on the subject. Today, the island has its own family of these giants, their backs covered with droppings from noddies on the trees. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Probably the most graceful bird on the island is the Fairy or the White Tern (<i>Gygis Alba</i>) which is the only all-white tern in the world. It breeds all over Seychelles and there are many pairs on the island. It is a beautiful, friendly tern whose comparison with a white fairy is quite understandable. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjMb7xwM22p8Ayl9q8P2DWxgn7S5_9AB6IaxpGxnj29sKgdl0RbdZmbneyjJoK_yVyybLdHDsSrUFJu_RRtSavQC-Q3Kyf-T0Gb_nk9hyUG9zEYvZBdO6-UkmlI9BdsJJHJYRote3ouV3/s1600/DSCN1421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjMb7xwM22p8Ayl9q8P2DWxgn7S5_9AB6IaxpGxnj29sKgdl0RbdZmbneyjJoK_yVyybLdHDsSrUFJu_RRtSavQC-Q3Kyf-T0Gb_nk9hyUG9zEYvZBdO6-UkmlI9BdsJJHJYRote3ouV3/s640/DSCN1421.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
A Fairy Tern in Flight</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Fairy Tern does not build a nest, but instead lays its solitary egg on joints of tree branches or sometimes on whatever convenient location is on hand. We found one tern incubating the egg laid in an empty coconut shell!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcmYxQ2bMdXMY5VOAVmIGbuL1uKR1fBPdHENDkZPctmeJrCSFr-fVAOY58P153T1QUj0BfLKDYoXl-fjypfkOmGYbwKoFQjE-EKFLys708VW4KtRT0nSzvLvrj0J3P7OshbRtfcbx3ybF/s1600/%25E0%25A4%259A%25E0%25A4%25BF%25E0%25A4%25A4%25E0%25A5%258D%25E0%25A4%25B0+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcmYxQ2bMdXMY5VOAVmIGbuL1uKR1fBPdHENDkZPctmeJrCSFr-fVAOY58P153T1QUj0BfLKDYoXl-fjypfkOmGYbwKoFQjE-EKFLys708VW4KtRT0nSzvLvrj0J3P7OshbRtfcbx3ybF/s640/%25E0%25A4%259A%25E0%25A4%25BF%25E0%25A4%25A4%25E0%25A5%258D%25E0%25A4%25B0+7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
A Fairy Tern Hatching its Egg</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMq9OUbNB6f9jZAGYa1gb1G6sgJEKgzYCbvA5V0NDR7rRFWGrV8QKfmRwa1q73eFCP8yDBWKeOpb8SpJePp-FZND30wrMX3OITvP89E03aYboNG-tAXKGsyCkAt0X2Y1FOnsETaERnNjUi/s1600/DSCN1534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMq9OUbNB6f9jZAGYa1gb1G6sgJEKgzYCbvA5V0NDR7rRFWGrV8QKfmRwa1q73eFCP8yDBWKeOpb8SpJePp-FZND30wrMX3OITvP89E03aYboNG-tAXKGsyCkAt0X2Y1FOnsETaERnNjUi/s400/DSCN1534.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Juvenile Fairy Tern</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next day in the morning, we were greeted by a juvenile fairy tern sitting on our windowsill. We were amazed by the friendliness of the bird. And soon after, relaxing in the sitting room after breakfast, we found Anne with a group of Fodies and Ground Doves picking up crumbs right out of her hand, while a flavistic yellow fody seemed to be busy picking up tit-bits from the adjoining dining table. Outside the building, a group of Ruddy Turnstones were feeding in the backyard. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-C8nliZ4ImuwPUys7u_piqE4WvZOLan0aPtemhvvh2LBzz7kvy4EMnSfvQnafuMaVt6Gkwqa_TTbA1SFx5vaELDkRfARuXhJBROV91EoWCkUnYVWOOGat0zeTTzakvjdm8y1ztlcHHPa1/s1600/DSCN1287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-C8nliZ4ImuwPUys7u_piqE4WvZOLan0aPtemhvvh2LBzz7kvy4EMnSfvQnafuMaVt6Gkwqa_TTbA1SFx5vaELDkRfARuXhJBROV91EoWCkUnYVWOOGat0zeTTzakvjdm8y1ztlcHHPa1/s400/DSCN1287.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Fodies & Barred Ground Doves Feeding from Hand</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Friendliness of birds in Seychelles and in the Bird Island is disarming and infectious. In absence of any predators and with limited experience of interaction with humans, these birds instinctively see us as allies and friends. It is a wonderful feeling, almost like walking into a Kipling like world where elephants dance and wolves give you a smile as they pass by. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnnXbi-uDpY4M2oGwWpE8seHdrLjNUChewsgrOyhbkMyPswtami2H2K1Pgsk-8bRPzo2LluPHUKxpQZLH7dOYkMr860e2xx7L_JUDgYGWHfH2brlD7Iulok84YrUIF55jchVXiYetwqku/s1600/DSCN1928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnnXbi-uDpY4M2oGwWpE8seHdrLjNUChewsgrOyhbkMyPswtami2H2K1Pgsk-8bRPzo2LluPHUKxpQZLH7dOYkMr860e2xx7L_JUDgYGWHfH2brlD7Iulok84YrUIF55jchVXiYetwqku/s400/DSCN1928.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Flavistic Yellow Madagascar Fody</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Not far from the wooded area dominated by the noddies, we discovered the nesting colony of the White Tailed Tropic Birds (<i>Phaethon lepturus</i>). There were half a dozen nests at the base of the trunks of large trees, quite open and without any camouflage. Under normal circumstances, such nests would be quite vulnerable, but not so on Bird Island where every creature roams free!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMr21BhcEsXRiDogLOyK7LU2rzs2oreoOx2LxEzZEp5ZWbJxzP8MEAkAJ5EUKD6eEH7pqfLk3_PymRAHSM6tnWHtLCS8BIAWByk5AlrLCElN5wppPOywf7B2XnwzPGbg9bkM0GhOtLkbi/s1600/DSCN1461-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMr21BhcEsXRiDogLOyK7LU2rzs2oreoOx2LxEzZEp5ZWbJxzP8MEAkAJ5EUKD6eEH7pqfLk3_PymRAHSM6tnWHtLCS8BIAWByk5AlrLCElN5wppPOywf7B2XnwzPGbg9bkM0GhOtLkbi/s400/DSCN1461-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
A Brown Noddy visiting a Tropic Bird's Nest</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We found the noddies walking in and out of Tropic Bird's nest and no one seemed to mind! The Tropic Bird is a beautiful bird to watch as it flies with its antenna like tail fluttering in the wind. But seeing this lovely bird at close quarters on the ground with its chicks in tow is equally fascinating. The sight of the unwieldy parents descending from the sky onto the trees with their beaks full of food for the chicks, quickly feeding them and then flying off again into the sea for more food, kept us spellbound. We were told that nesting of white tailed tropic birds was possible only after the island was completely cleared of rabbits, rats and other rodents. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDC7LENxs0pVjfV7SC5POwa3uCh1P5iF5MF3C4x55bZqhWSBObtB1VfmdsYcXnRfwEq90AJmGRFcuXFgCX1MBvJeysg71KSEnJ-3f2wJmVS9NG2KXREqYTsOvumlCUmtJnfEKI2iYhdp2/s1600/DSCN1488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDC7LENxs0pVjfV7SC5POwa3uCh1P5iF5MF3C4x55bZqhWSBObtB1VfmdsYcXnRfwEq90AJmGRFcuXFgCX1MBvJeysg71KSEnJ-3f2wJmVS9NG2KXREqYTsOvumlCUmtJnfEKI2iYhdp2/s640/DSCN1488.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
White Tailed Tropic Bird</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSVdlz9Yr4wkUJ6vCUoj3N-Q63_WidgxRqNA7PYJtGc_-UfBix159jXo4G6E64r2NAiYaIhhS56M68N8LAokL26y-tEEzZyVx9cOnDsMAgnUWryMrf8KCK3rveQc52PPIjd0zSAhKbLCUf/s1600/DSCN1589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSVdlz9Yr4wkUJ6vCUoj3N-Q63_WidgxRqNA7PYJtGc_-UfBix159jXo4G6E64r2NAiYaIhhS56M68N8LAokL26y-tEEzZyVx9cOnDsMAgnUWryMrf8KCK3rveQc52PPIjd0zSAhKbLCUf/s400/DSCN1589.JPG" width="326" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Group of Frigate Birds (<i>Fregata minor</i>)</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> On a walk in the morning on the all pervading seaside, we met other birds of the island, a solitary crested tern, scampering sanderlings & ruddy turnstones, curlew sandpipers and a group of whimbrels sauntering on the air-strip. On branches of a tall tree, we spotted a gang of Great Frigate Birds, the giant pirates of the avian world. It is a huge bird with a wing span of 220 cm. This bird frequently indulges in stealing food picked up by other birds through what is known as '<i>kleptopasitism</i>'. Typically, it raids birds returning from the sea, carrying fish in their beaks. It gives them a chase till they drop the fish, which it promptly catches in mid-air. The sea around the island is also known for its abundant population of Wedge tailed shearwaters (<i>Puffinus pacificus</i>) but you can get close to them only if you venture into the sea in a boat.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6BeW5J2qSeJXwULiFBytky7lPKN8ybJoG5BmTw5b5MS4Z4bqHv9pLX-iknJrmX93wSlUk1M2tfrnD6v9oDsRUIsswcWiz7IzybhdSKIMHlxynp5UMf33j2sSvjZLWxTZyAwGvhiASRDY/s1600/DSCN1616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6BeW5J2qSeJXwULiFBytky7lPKN8ybJoG5BmTw5b5MS4Z4bqHv9pLX-iknJrmX93wSlUk1M2tfrnD6v9oDsRUIsswcWiz7IzybhdSKIMHlxynp5UMf33j2sSvjZLWxTZyAwGvhiASRDY/s400/DSCN1616.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Jitendra, Anne & Suren Bhatia</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">As we packed our bags to wait for the plane that was to take us back to Victoria, we wished we could thank, in addition to the management of the island, all the unique, wonderfully friendly birds of the island who seemed to love our presence, as much as we enjoyed being with them on this wonderful trip. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">(</span><span style="font-size: medium;">All pictures in this post were taken on a Nikon 4X digital camera) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><em style="text-align: right;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Jitendra Bhatia</span></strong></em></div>
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all rights reserved</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
jb.envirotekindia@gmail.com<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>
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Jitendra Bhatiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872266309661669977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950913127516406719.post-85559285597329551832015-12-30T09:54:00.000-08:002016-01-17T06:22:33.599-08:00(PART 3) MADAGASCAR- RELIVING THE DEAD AND OTHER FANTASIES<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Antananarivo Railway Station</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>PART 3</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>MADAGASCAR-</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>RELIVING THE DEAD AND OTHER FANTASIES</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The central railway station in Antananarivo, bang opposite our hotel, was a modest colonial structure with hardly any activity. The pavement outside, however, bustled with a familiar crowd of peddlers, squatters and casual onlookers. The railways came to Madagascar at the beginning of the twentieth century, mainly for transportation of local sugarcane crops. The solitary passenger line runs between Fianarantsoa and Mankara. In words of the official railway guide, " (<i>The journey) theoretically is about 8-12 hours but practically could take much longer. It is risky to organise a tour around it, unless you are ready to skip the train ride at the worst case!" </i> The Indian trains, perpetually running late, could take a tip or two from this candid railway guide. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fortunately, our itinerary required us to take a plane to Tuliara, the southern-most airport and port of Madagascar. Getting off from the plane at Tuliara (Tulear), we were greeted by an intense sun and a strong desert-like dry wind. Not surprisingly, Tuliara is called the 'City of the Sun' due to its arid climate and less than 400 mm of annual rainfall. The new spelling of the city, adopted in the 70s after freedom from the French in 1960, is akin to our own renaming of Mumbai/ Bengaluru/ Kolkata/ Kochi and others in India. Tuliara is today an important national hub for export/import of commodities such as sisal hemp, peanuts, cotton and rice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our destination was a location 12 km. from Tuliara known as Arboretum d'Antsokay, a treasure-land of endemic shrubs and succulent plants of Southern Madagascar. The botanic gardens of Arboretum were set up around 1980 on the initiative of Swiss amateur botanist Hermann Petignat to house the most threatened species of Madagascar with special emphasis on plants thriving in the arid climate. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWekKgg_ILkLLORAlapjVwL-JMmG_YIe2OxNl3u4MiMWg0mZbs7RtrQAPapN5X4VpfVWcg29qWb-uwAeJIoubM6lxBFlUpuWf6V_69iIksbi1gYvEZgJHFrBFxeRPkKulemTDwW2W4MdDp/s1600/IMG_5173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWekKgg_ILkLLORAlapjVwL-JMmG_YIe2OxNl3u4MiMWg0mZbs7RtrQAPapN5X4VpfVWcg29qWb-uwAeJIoubM6lxBFlUpuWf6V_69iIksbi1gYvEZgJHFrBFxeRPkKulemTDwW2W4MdDp/s640/IMG_5173.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Madagascar ocotillo (<i>Alluaudia procera</i>)</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today the garden, collaborating closely with with Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, WWF etc. has over 900 species of rare plants. It also provides a natural abode for several endemic birds and reptiles, and has, among other things, a lovely restaurant for the visitors. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
The Restaurant at Arboretum d'Antsokay</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">No talk on </span><span style="font-size: large;">trees of Madagascar would be complete without the mention of the magical baobab, variously called the 'boaboa', the 'bottle tree', 'the tree of life', 'upside down tree' or the 'monkey bread tree'. The tree has a very long life; just how long, nobody knows exactly but a tree with carbon dated life of around 6000 years has been reported! Among the eight species of baobab found in the world, six are endemic to Madagascar.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
A Young Baobab (<i>Adansonia grandidieri</i>) at d'Antsokay</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The baobab is truly the tree of life. Every part of the tree is useful. The tree can store hundreds of litres of water in its trunk 'which is an adaptation to the harsh drought conditions' in arid parts of Madagascar.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Radiated Tortoise (<i>Astrochelys radiata</i>)</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the arboretum, we were fascinated to see the beautiful radiated tortoise which is endemic to southern Madagascar but has now been introduced in a number of adjoining islands including Mauritius.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A walk through the red earth of the botanical park also brought us face to face with a large unfamiliar brownish-grey bird having a prominent blue eye-strip and a reddish-brown cap. This was the Red Capped Coua which is endemic to Madagascar.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36ks_3R0ZFTtvC3mKlHBRV3jQ9xjXJALrKI6p_TLVM4YJfmeUu2aX86GBp8SmXLBDBUC-Pi1gYLpN3ZxEExbPg78JP5-pmQhFikKKIUVN3ugGn0Edo33TdTjyAJ9XFqsDmoZSQWzYcizq/s1600/IMG_5126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36ks_3R0ZFTtvC3mKlHBRV3jQ9xjXJALrKI6p_TLVM4YJfmeUu2aX86GBp8SmXLBDBUC-Pi1gYLpN3ZxEExbPg78JP5-pmQhFikKKIUVN3ugGn0Edo33TdTjyAJ9XFqsDmoZSQWzYcizq/s640/IMG_5126.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Red Capped Coua (<i>Coua ruficeps</i>)</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Couas are large terrestrial birds from the cuckoo family endemic to Madagascar.The name 'coua' is derived possibly from the phonetic notation of the call of the bird.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUdLebzawJE5tgV2mAXm27d0Rp2QKsk0VfwBHx7HDkG60FLsqwec-_Sr3nIoeMDb1t0U-t3CUV8ylTdBXZQySAWB2oIRicPxZPOMi8EnHJW3ex55ZIZvuVjHRah8GmM5n396rzKd53GEd/s1600/IMG_6744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUdLebzawJE5tgV2mAXm27d0Rp2QKsk0VfwBHx7HDkG60FLsqwec-_Sr3nIoeMDb1t0U-t3CUV8ylTdBXZQySAWB2oIRicPxZPOMi8EnHJW3ex55ZIZvuVjHRah8GmM5n396rzKd53GEd/s400/IMG_6744.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Blue Coua (<i>Coua caerulea</i>)</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">More than a dozen species of Couas are found in the world, of which, four are reported to be extinct. At least six different species of couas are endemic to Madagascar. All of them have large feet and a reversible third toe for scrambling through plants and shrubs for food-- akin to all members of the cuckoo family. The Coucas also feature bright blue coloured patch around the eyes, a little bit like the species of wanga birds found locally. The blue coua has a light greyish blue coat while the crested coua, as the name suggests, has a prominent crest. The giant coua, the largest among all, is upto 60 cm in length.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The drive from Toliara to the Isalo National Park took us through varying terrains of cultivated areas, sandstone formations, rocks and canyons of strange shapes and sizes. </span><span style="font-size: large;">As the sun descended into the horizon, the landscape turned into a fantastic natural stonehenge spread over several miles. This was the 'la fenetre de I'salo' or the window of Isalo.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNoE-yM47hcmeOb5e9krfk1cwcTgHG9eff6baqRAi45iTcIxCJ-pwDCOZgsul8sK4ZAQAqauirgyNgvHGulck5wGS_tyjouI2mlTJsGk5Ykww4qkbxwoWU2l9eCGawOyHjysrmqNojKAp/s1600/IMG_5737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNoE-yM47hcmeOb5e9krfk1cwcTgHG9eff6baqRAi45iTcIxCJ-pwDCOZgsul8sK4ZAQAqauirgyNgvHGulck5wGS_tyjouI2mlTJsGk5Ykww4qkbxwoWU2l9eCGawOyHjysrmqNojKAp/s640/IMG_5737.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Images of 'La fenetre' at Isalo National Park</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgH9R_ccIyzf5_w_yxEGMDwnn04efX6vFN67tGzSChvk87M2hHELiMe9HPd-rRsdWCQOz8A8ZDjN1KvejIoo5TR-lwddhIGM74juim-XKFR_HrMFbSTgkAJ0vfawCid43woCvpxZk4268u/s1600/IMG_5763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgH9R_ccIyzf5_w_yxEGMDwnn04efX6vFN67tGzSChvk87M2hHELiMe9HPd-rRsdWCQOz8A8ZDjN1KvejIoo5TR-lwddhIGM74juim-XKFR_HrMFbSTgkAJ0vfawCid43woCvpxZk4268u/s640/IMG_5763.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">A long trek through the Isalo National Park under the scorching sun can be tough on the body. However, it was rewarding for the variety of shrubs, plants and birds we encountered on the way. The most striking among the birds was the Cuckoo Roller which is sexually dichromatic and the two sexes are distinctly different in appearance from one other-- unlike most other rollers having identical male and female sexes.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyH0f6qTfvHQWFHc3FxwZRCkBGhqN2UCA3IUPLrgTUbxwkknq-2nJVhnON3yqPqPbMrLEj0Bu0kEaaIBmn4mcxy0Y3cR_9TJjWTNPn9ommITkMnfACzJfoeUHKO7R0LOPAWCmleaYkFlQY/s1600/IMG_5562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyH0f6qTfvHQWFHc3FxwZRCkBGhqN2UCA3IUPLrgTUbxwkknq-2nJVhnON3yqPqPbMrLEj0Bu0kEaaIBmn4mcxy0Y3cR_9TJjWTNPn9ommITkMnfACzJfoeUHKO7R0LOPAWCmleaYkFlQY/s640/IMG_5562.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Cuckoo Roller of Madagascar (<i>Leptosomus discolor</i>) - The flying bird is Male and the sitting Female </h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The cuckoo roller is an amiable bird and the locals reciprocate its friendliness by protecting it. Killing a cuckoo roller is a bad omen. It is regarded as a harbinger of good weather and a symbol of love, as it is often seen in pairs. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLv-GNqrgnW3c6-li5iHYzN83QNLLErB9EyhNVK3whWiFyVPbSr0t4fdwf_6W9e9XhCbTkY1OwI9c7pSlPv1wPztN1jTIreGUWI50w96yRYD4lSXOc9G2n0VpfGY57IGRbQw4v3Mj8ZZi7/s1600/IMG_5597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLv-GNqrgnW3c6-li5iHYzN83QNLLErB9EyhNVK3whWiFyVPbSr0t4fdwf_6W9e9XhCbTkY1OwI9c7pSlPv1wPztN1jTIreGUWI50w96yRYD4lSXOc9G2n0VpfGY57IGRbQw4v3Mj8ZZi7/s640/IMG_5597.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
The Male Cuckoo Roller</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The dominant inhabitants of Isalo are the Bara tribe who have an unusual custom of reburying their dead, often after a gap of several years. In the first funeral after death, the body is buried in a temporary or a 'provisory' grave, usually in the crevice of an accessible sandstone hill and marked as such. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97I9bi6NUjheNxKULvAYxVNFXZOIMQEny1lg35Vq8-LbJWpTv4K12hRRqm6bduGHDciU9u9AyasA8-JGPYeivVqOv9_YoT97KytUZGdadGB6sY76-pLCa4_azmqRFx8s-8bkcOl7i3hSh/s1600/IMG_5278-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97I9bi6NUjheNxKULvAYxVNFXZOIMQEny1lg35Vq8-LbJWpTv4K12hRRqm6bduGHDciU9u9AyasA8-JGPYeivVqOv9_YoT97KytUZGdadGB6sY76-pLCa4_azmqRFx8s-8bkcOl7i3hSh/s320/IMG_5278-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
A Provisory Grave for a Bara Dead</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The tribal Malagasy believe that the spirits of the dead, after complete decomposition of the body and fulfillment of certain family objectives, join the ancestors of the tribe. This is an occasion of rejoicing and celebration. After the death of a member and after a certain period, extending upto several years, if the family does not witness any adverse event, the successful transition of the spirit is announced. It is the second funeral, called the '<i>turning of the bones</i>' or Famadihana.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5Vh0HthD4E_RAUnGJ40MSy9q9fyKCcUYTGQW_lsff8mUz38nIoQC-S-4JefsJ387izm5mifVywuaeMPhn8QMsb7grvJSn0dAWejUSnEglIEw4lshCApUhuAHcSDdvhhK78SRuYIjmHbm/s1600/IMG_5686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5Vh0HthD4E_RAUnGJ40MSy9q9fyKCcUYTGQW_lsff8mUz38nIoQC-S-4JefsJ387izm5mifVywuaeMPhn8QMsb7grvJSn0dAWejUSnEglIEw4lshCApUhuAHcSDdvhhK78SRuYIjmHbm/s320/IMG_5686.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
A Coffin being Taken Out </h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On this occasion, bones from the old provisory graves are taken out, wrapped in fresh silk wraps around a hand made ladder and taken out in a second funeral procession. There is rejoicing with wine, lavish food/meat, music and dancing to mark the celebrations. The remains of the body are then buried again in a second, more permanent, decorated tomb. As Bara tribesmen say, " </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">We do not come from mud, we come from these bodies!"</i><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmIlYXFVD4GMTWNTVNaAcSEtSpKbFjhQu2Jfu-0wCV-iNpCaZD_fnCmWtHYGFKNjdQ5sb__eUQ8pSV8FKXAJIVsbAi0x1gKgqbOH8B6WwOC3PmBZn_Z7CRjRDwR_HOjH7bgFZFrtrfdb_/s1600/IMG_5988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmIlYXFVD4GMTWNTVNaAcSEtSpKbFjhQu2Jfu-0wCV-iNpCaZD_fnCmWtHYGFKNjdQ5sb__eUQ8pSV8FKXAJIVsbAi0x1gKgqbOH8B6WwOC3PmBZn_Z7CRjRDwR_HOjH7bgFZFrtrfdb_/s320/IMG_5988.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
A healthy Zebu</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From Isalo we move on to Ihosy, the capital of the grass raising Bara tribe. Heads of cattle, particularly bulls or 'zebu' are regarded as a measure of wealth and prosperity among tribesmen. Very few are slaughtered, unless there is a big occasion like 'famadihana'. As a result of increase in numbers of zebus over the </span><span style="font-size: large;">years, precious forests have been cleared and converted into vast grasslands for grazing of cattle, particularly in Southern Madagascar. After continuous and repeated grazing, most of these grasslands become unfit for cultivation or for any other use.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDKSew_h_yFONC8S_MwDl-eqnPeb_uPydOnUF2Sa9j8p6jjxEenll4SoVAL3S_QoMlT73tkTjP9_KPPjnaK9K-LIM8Kviu9toqVgTVg_fWFUtre2t7bscEU5foVQq8mn2PS55dXmGGovt/s1600/IMG_5989-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDKSew_h_yFONC8S_MwDl-eqnPeb_uPydOnUF2Sa9j8p6jjxEenll4SoVAL3S_QoMlT73tkTjP9_KPPjnaK9K-LIM8Kviu9toqVgTVg_fWFUtre2t7bscEU5foVQq8mn2PS55dXmGGovt/s1600/IMG_5989-001.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Innocence Personified: A Bara Child</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bushy grasslands are home to a number of local endemic birds. The most striking among these is the local variant of sparrow, locally called the 'Madagascar Fody' or the Cardinal Red Fody. The female fody is in appearance similar to our common house sparrow, but the male is striking cardinal red in colour.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwijXamky0zrgibi8Y4b1Cu7qS7Sd_QN6YiuWQQ2Dwz5ESiD2k6CJ04tiXtHv4O07przK2jzHhOjrZBGsE7zY8BsSCvMKpyRHhyphenhyphenqjqneTJo4hdhbCSnwC-c5XgYoGOfRI7xFHX1nbssjG/s1600/70804+Fody+Pair+06-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwijXamky0zrgibi8Y4b1Cu7qS7Sd_QN6YiuWQQ2Dwz5ESiD2k6CJ04tiXtHv4O07przK2jzHhOjrZBGsE7zY8BsSCvMKpyRHhyphenhyphenqjqneTJo4hdhbCSnwC-c5XgYoGOfRI7xFHX1nbssjG/s640/70804+Fody+Pair+06-001.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Madagascar Fody Pair (<i>Foudia Madagascariensis</i>)</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBYh_e3IeNc66Xi8MLKuKxEbCpZC6dwnoVCkN9xvejSM1xrjeOLBIPu-aZuZArNw97rh7aNT2tqS1TLL6vWbh2TiAovDsVEmuWh2vH3-04yl8gsw-UDnmWnoieQEQWFljS4WyYlHXV4dI/s1600/70803+MF+Flavistic+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBYh_e3IeNc66Xi8MLKuKxEbCpZC6dwnoVCkN9xvejSM1xrjeOLBIPu-aZuZArNw97rh7aNT2tqS1TLL6vWbh2TiAovDsVEmuWh2vH3-04yl8gsw-UDnmWnoieQEQWFljS4WyYlHXV4dI/s320/70803+MF+Flavistic+2.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
One that Came to the Table: Flavistic Fody</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fodies are quite fearless in the domestic environment, very much like the common sparrow. One also comes across flavism in Fodies. Non breeding male fodies are canary yellow in colour. A hoard of them came down to our breakfast table in the resort, looking for crumbs. Interestingly, a number of endemic birds of Madagascar are distinguished by a dark patch of varying colour around the eye. The male fodies have a dark black patch around the eye, while Couas have a blue patch and the wangas have a white patch. Even the white eye of Madagascar has a much broader ring around the eye. It is not clear whether this commonality is related to a unified genetic origin. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKx_MCHD60GQ9ONM17zFkhIc5QwN9EP7jBBZryRzkbvTf-gIAqju2JgsE80grNVbs2pnqOe6vt73VG3S63ebcF-SP97ZDZ8edlZnqy0Vo46SDFNR5OZOsiYv5-XcSTaUsSolOgpfjwmz4s/s1600/IMG_4881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKx_MCHD60GQ9ONM17zFkhIc5QwN9EP7jBBZryRzkbvTf-gIAqju2JgsE80grNVbs2pnqOe6vt73VG3S63ebcF-SP97ZDZ8edlZnqy0Vo46SDFNR5OZOsiYv5-XcSTaUsSolOgpfjwmz4s/s400/IMG_4881.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Nelcourvi Weaver (<i>Ploceus nelicourvi</i>)</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJIvJlGRSbkoo5RpiNbidEshrGce5D95CAH1n2F1plMIDSVCz0yDHMevwRouNtCJgayy3qkvFe93XiUqBXCk71yMKmNPIb9gL8-g_LVw7DG_WFqQ1RUkBPWgojscichyai8BGnXljhpSkZ/s1600/IMG_5040-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJIvJlGRSbkoo5RpiNbidEshrGce5D95CAH1n2F1plMIDSVCz0yDHMevwRouNtCJgayy3qkvFe93XiUqBXCk71yMKmNPIb9gL8-g_LVw7DG_WFqQ1RUkBPWgojscichyai8BGnXljhpSkZ/s400/IMG_5040-002.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Saklava Weaver</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Weavers are close cousins of the sparrow. The grasslands of Madagascar are home to two of these weavers, the Nelcourvi and the Saklava, both of which have the canary yellow as their base colour. Very much like our Indian 'baya' bird, the males make exotic nests, which require to be approved by the female before it decides it to be suitable for raising the family. Interestingly, the name Nelcourvi has its origin in the Tamil word for Finch- <i>nellukuruvi</i>. Sakalava derives its name from a tribal clan of the island in the 17th century, which was later merged with the French Madagascar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Approaching the city of Ambalavao, we stop for a unique co-operative effort in conservation at the Anja Park. In the early nineties, one of the most beautiful species of lemurs- <i>The Ring Tailed Lemur </i>was on the verge of extinction due to indiscriminate hunting and loss of habitat. The last 100 odd numbers remained in the region of the 'Three Sisters'; an area where three huge granite boulders protect forests at the base. The area has numerous caves formed by the winds which serve as burial grounds for the local <i>betsileo </i>tribes. Here too, the destruction of forests was pushing the lemurs and other endemic creatures to a virtual path towards extinction. In the nineties, the government stepped in, and with the help of local people, decided to create a small haven for ring tailed lemurs, now known as the Anja Reserve. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtE21Jz_1UNy5CJcB7P5_lLis1DV0FRpnlffcFL4RAi9fGw-lJaDpu0W0vy0aL6kLOsf6L56gX-pXm6TMjqRX9xlnRmvMlVUU19OyrbG_3uKB6AvN5XWknJaNgZsnqHa1e2_vMAkg-JQQi/s1600/IMG_5846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtE21Jz_1UNy5CJcB7P5_lLis1DV0FRpnlffcFL4RAi9fGw-lJaDpu0W0vy0aL6kLOsf6L56gX-pXm6TMjqRX9xlnRmvMlVUU19OyrbG_3uKB6AvN5XWknJaNgZsnqHa1e2_vMAkg-JQQi/s640/IMG_5846.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Ring Tailed Lemurs (<i>Lemur Catta</i>) at Anja Reserve</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span id="goog_2006534875"></span><span id="goog_2006534876"></span>At Anja, the guides and forest keepers are all local people who have learned to look after the lemurs as a new way of life and livelihood.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2LiKOCZ6YcjEEw3qds2r3wHsPHdlK0JYCU7erDg4Y3qsE9Cxr1e17LyoyiorgJEOy8kd5ImiS_sZEz2I4JPS8s8dAiPZNPmoXpT8W131Bi-Y3WhCihVBeyEknn98AATRPuM8ArF4PRDY/s1600/IMG_5879-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="596" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2LiKOCZ6YcjEEw3qds2r3wHsPHdlK0JYCU7erDg4Y3qsE9Cxr1e17LyoyiorgJEOy8kd5ImiS_sZEz2I4JPS8s8dAiPZNPmoXpT8W131Bi-Y3WhCihVBeyEknn98AATRPuM8ArF4PRDY/s640/IMG_5879-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Double Decker Ride </h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The lemurs at Anja Reserve are a happy lot. Protected by the community and accustomed to the admiring looks of the visitors at close quarters, they move around in families, hopping from tree to tree with acrobatic ease.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIx-GdtSAOspiNIwpNizPOL1x2Xau3-mcG6gPKZ19OE1KRK9Fmn_hTpRqRdVFHUN-0gNS5wsCrp9rzgll2eK5s8o_o0sqMN_jIxJ7RrLW_pDbztIsfjLAHcRkG7Kf2lj1VTE5yoPHhfk4/s1600/IMG_5857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIx-GdtSAOspiNIwpNizPOL1x2Xau3-mcG6gPKZ19OE1KRK9Fmn_hTpRqRdVFHUN-0gNS5wsCrp9rzgll2eK5s8o_o0sqMN_jIxJ7RrLW_pDbztIsfjLAHcRkG7Kf2lj1VTE5yoPHhfk4/s1600/IMG_5857.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Posing for the Camera</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Anja Reserve is also known for a variety of endemic plants and orchids. The mountains in the area offer one of the most stunning landscape in the entire island.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtnO7_bj4VVpCQL1AB4E7Whpv2rbzacC-qcq9Uv2ZhAJWrblv5v5oZEsn7HLSWDEC0wsk4eE3H4IowFXP8jbKwuhLDr9W9ycL9nso5csByLMU-1u34FOzrnf9gj6h8Gg8G62cyEC-MBf4/s1600/IMG_6009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtnO7_bj4VVpCQL1AB4E7Whpv2rbzacC-qcq9Uv2ZhAJWrblv5v5oZEsn7HLSWDEC0wsk4eE3H4IowFXP8jbKwuhLDr9W9ycL9nso5csByLMU-1u34FOzrnf9gj6h8Gg8G62cyEC-MBf4/s640/IMG_6009.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Mountains in the Anja Region</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Continuing our travel further north, we reached the well known Ranomafana National Park, a primary tropical rain forest spread over an area of over 160 square miles and famed for its various species of bamboo lemurs.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvKX0_MYUGSLgnTwPvaclDxMN4iXdT7Bd6K4buIXQro71chQDw0KxvSEAoDy0vnySM7jSGAif5lBUuFp5N6xZG7OwSHsSAcpr05G4qGVKj6t1VyonTkAdH2N38LZcPVOxWEH-C5aBhiCA/s1600/IMG_6465-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvKX0_MYUGSLgnTwPvaclDxMN4iXdT7Bd6K4buIXQro71chQDw0KxvSEAoDy0vnySM7jSGAif5lBUuFp5N6xZG7OwSHsSAcpr05G4qGVKj6t1VyonTkAdH2N38LZcPVOxWEH-C5aBhiCA/s640/IMG_6465-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Bamboo Lemur (<i>Hapalemur aureus</i>)</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiongedYqyScJzbRggBkpF4FwSwsLcquHKIvBXJYXcx7Eb2dsvGIYIczzHCY24h-nEzU9pdoy0V0OD3eCj50DOx8M-KJA6K0VUVQFzenTe8sUC-xDHmL47gv1k8I54hqXlGPU_QXYSAJYcd/s1600/IMG_6480-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiongedYqyScJzbRggBkpF4FwSwsLcquHKIvBXJYXcx7Eb2dsvGIYIczzHCY24h-nEzU9pdoy0V0OD3eCj50DOx8M-KJA6K0VUVQFzenTe8sUC-xDHmL47gv1k8I54hqXlGPU_QXYSAJYcd/s400/IMG_6480-001.JPG" width="337" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Greater Bamboo Lemur (<i>Prolemur simus</i>)</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir8D-y8wIe1mFcDt4VdD2zyOP5elQhcrzEcu8nylS4SjQSz0Y9wwJdHcJYo6QKGirYepFXwNM0PWEUIB4wbOZ9b2tq4Vk7CmseJXpCSM7ih9HkXyqS996wmzuO8EAddfbRUApwi9qs2GD0/s1600/IMG_6597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir8D-y8wIe1mFcDt4VdD2zyOP5elQhcrzEcu8nylS4SjQSz0Y9wwJdHcJYo6QKGirYepFXwNM0PWEUIB4wbOZ9b2tq4Vk7CmseJXpCSM7ih9HkXyqS996wmzuO8EAddfbRUApwi9qs2GD0/s400/IMG_6597.JPG" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Namorona River at Ranomafana</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are three sub-species of bamboo lemur; Golden Bamboo Lemur, Greater Bamboo Lemur and Lesser or Gentle Bamboo Lemur. All three co-exist together in Ranomafana Park. Bamboo lemurs are critically endangered species found only in the thick forest cover of the Park, much of which has already been lost in the past due to deforestation. In 1986, Dr. Patricia Wright discovered the Golden Bamboo Lemur here for the first time. This expedited the need to have a National Park at this avenue, which was formally opened in 1991. It is learnt that this step, to a large extent, arrested the destruction of bamboo habitat in the park for construction, fishing, baskets and furniture. However, progress, eternally in conflict with the environment can only be checked up to a point and no further. Namorona River bisecting the Ranomafana National Park is also a source of electricity through its hydroelectric power station located at Ramonafana. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Golden Bamboo Lemur survives on a staple diet of growing bamboo shoots, which contain a very high percentage of deadly cyanide (150 parts per million, to be precise). An adult lemur, on an average, consumes half a kilo of bamboo shoots every day, containing enough cyanide to kill a man three times over! Till date, no one has been able to understand how the metabolic system of the lemur quite naturally neutralizes this deadly poison. It is indeed </span><span style="font-size: large;">ironical that lemurs, which have a natural metabolic immunity for these and other strange elements, ultimately find themselves helpless at the hands of the greatest destroyer of all time--the man!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqrLZPA6TezEFToInKF2qSQrvp63V3HwdINhuFVv1-4SIIlEb22LN_vN1LGX8oeKIIkDHn-VZIsxzhFMADjDYC0mOJEHMWKu1ThnNhpvd1-gISz4h-JlQYFSt32kdVUkxNjEDRw1hiiQa/s1600/IMG_6021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqrLZPA6TezEFToInKF2qSQrvp63V3HwdINhuFVv1-4SIIlEb22LN_vN1LGX8oeKIIkDHn-VZIsxzhFMADjDYC0mOJEHMWKu1ThnNhpvd1-gISz4h-JlQYFSt32kdVUkxNjEDRw1hiiQa/s640/IMG_6021.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
The Road to Fanarantsoa</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9X8TxXzgTh4A_Rpmv_dTEkK96tAVqdU56fpOzN4IN141m-u6Bm1sqspwxz8vYN2AqO4zsMBDQOZyb2_gpw6R_NJIxl3ZSOJTIWbpliBbAikVViigW2dQsOo4qbBnX3Xh50rmIA2wOrIyF/s1600/IMG_6053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9X8TxXzgTh4A_Rpmv_dTEkK96tAVqdU56fpOzN4IN141m-u6Bm1sqspwxz8vYN2AqO4zsMBDQOZyb2_gpw6R_NJIxl3ZSOJTIWbpliBbAikVViigW2dQsOo4qbBnX3Xh50rmIA2wOrIyF/s320/IMG_6053.JPG" width="213" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"> From the tropical forests, we gradually move on to the urban suburbs and towns of this large island. Fanarantsoa, the island's fourth largest town is also its nerve centre in more ways than one. It is the cultural and intellectual capital of Madagascar and also the focal point for activism and political turmoil in the region. The World Monuments Fund in 2008 listed it as one of the 100 most threatened historic sites of the World and the city proudly displays this distinction in a plaque. Interestingly, not only the various monuments of the city, but the plaque itself is also in urgent need of repair!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquiDlLakthBZEegqNbu92UyCPKUqHzOZ7c_OF1VBocAd4N1xo6AGIMYlTQAUE_Pgnx6c4DDaltmOF4s7dJB_jTP1M2HOkWMXz8yoC2PjQgYC4_gof-ksprLpBf87Qm_5cTf9aniAEzepl/s1600/IMG_6061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquiDlLakthBZEegqNbu92UyCPKUqHzOZ7c_OF1VBocAd4N1xo6AGIMYlTQAUE_Pgnx6c4DDaltmOF4s7dJB_jTP1M2HOkWMXz8yoC2PjQgYC4_gof-ksprLpBf87Qm_5cTf9aniAEzepl/s640/IMG_6061.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Ambozontany Cathedral at Fianarantsoa</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From Fianarantsoa, we descend on to Antisarabe, the Island's third largest city-- a non-descript town with very little to write about-- and then back to Antananarivo, where a plane waits for us for our final flight out of Madagascar. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">***</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It took me a long time to assimilate what I had seen on this 'bewitching' island, during my two week stay. An island that once had a tryst with evolution of nature, and which, to my mind, is in urgent need for restoration and preservation of its natural treasures, much more than the relatively trivial task of refurbishing the man made buildings of Fianarantsoa. Unfortunately, the population in Madagascar, in the first fifteen years of this century has been growing at close to 3 percent every year--a rate among the highest in the World. According to one report, 90 percent of primary forests in Madagascar have already been lost. The current explosion in the population does not auger well for the remaining ten percent. Man needs grains to stay alive. So who eventually wins in this mad race between forestation and cultivation? No prizes for the right answer! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">(Concluded)</span><br />
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(<i>This travelogue is based on a trip to Madagascar organised by the Bombay Natural History Society</i>)<br />
(<i>The views expressed are the author's own</i>)<br />
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<em><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Jitendra Bhatia</span></strong></em></div>
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copyright 2015 Jitendra Bhatia</div>
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jb.envirotekindia@gmail.com<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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Jitendra Bhatiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872266309661669977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950913127516406719.post-20798845520820963072015-09-20T09:37:00.001-07:002016-01-17T06:21:19.144-08:00(PART 2) MADAGASCAR-THE LAND OF CHAMELEONS & LEMURS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpG8kMXQqxV-uqlEWnzBwTd0I5NOViOblda51gJm7o_hVMQYTnican_FbcHEKF8P5gt3gDC0ol5tA9ELLPrTjnxwrtiAqqFjqyrh9UL7l5gCsMAfXhaYFbNHmPr0F-o2UgVtnEeeyhfcJq/s1600/IMG_5747-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpG8kMXQqxV-uqlEWnzBwTd0I5NOViOblda51gJm7o_hVMQYTnican_FbcHEKF8P5gt3gDC0ol5tA9ELLPrTjnxwrtiAqqFjqyrh9UL7l5gCsMAfXhaYFbNHmPr0F-o2UgVtnEeeyhfcJq/s640/IMG_5747-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">PART 2</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">THE LAND OF CHAMELEONS & LEMURS</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Isolated from the African Mainland for some 165 million years, Madagascar has evolved its flora and fauna in virtual isolation. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHlmazHz9Qkqkk1aq_m7NYd0DI_cVaX_2ygOhT47SI0ZFRlC3prEBzye0_AFGJr1Nhjoj5Iu8iZRFN-PqF0HfWss9EQSeJkyH4-ZVGgMvptR7TYpcuPwKfzIBCs5yn2uQLqhxb4yaT_6O/s1600/IMG_5297-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHlmazHz9Qkqkk1aq_m7NYd0DI_cVaX_2ygOhT47SI0ZFRlC3prEBzye0_AFGJr1Nhjoj5Iu8iZRFN-PqF0HfWss9EQSeJkyH4-ZVGgMvptR7TYpcuPwKfzIBCs5yn2uQLqhxb4yaT_6O/s640/IMG_5297-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Spotting some of these endemic species can be as fascinating as finding developed life on a new planet in the galaxy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">More than half of breeding birds in Madagascar are endemics, though their diversity is not as rich as an island like Borneo. Renowned Madagascar researcher Olivier Langrad says that Madagascar's isolation from the mainland has resulted in high levels of endemism. Moreover, as there are no islands between the African mainland and Madagascar, there have hardly been any stepping stones for colonisation.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51dPDgN7bewz_D8Hkkmeu6xfv_co5CJn1LSgW419uscjQQqtd8cmk6R1hxbflJIVVTaRVTnKyc9IRSdDKDyPn6Qf-zacSooqsgTJvMzM7kpb67duSZYEidKapAme8d3AxBun1_DcyzM5x/s1600/IMG_6347-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51dPDgN7bewz_D8Hkkmeu6xfv_co5CJn1LSgW419uscjQQqtd8cmk6R1hxbflJIVVTaRVTnKyc9IRSdDKDyPn6Qf-zacSooqsgTJvMzM7kpb67duSZYEidKapAme8d3AxBun1_DcyzM5x/s640/IMG_6347-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
Mascarene Martin (<i>Phedina borbonica) </i>Breeding Endemic in Madagascar</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Madagascar's most popular birding area Perinet is a three hour drive from Antananarivo. Half way to Perinet, we halt at Marozevo, to visit a unique chameleons farm operated by a private company. Set up by the French naturalist Andre Peyrieras, the farm or reserve, also known as Reserve Peyrieras, consists of large enclosed greenhouses which the visitors can enter accompanied by a guide. It is a convenient way of spotting and photographing reptiles kept inside the greenhouses under near-natural habitat. The most popular exhibits at the farm are chameleons, many of which are endemic to Madagascar.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVJnx-tY_-IhHsyPMui6qaSYMxq2eqXRwpVpaJCVg_p-LcCdli199Yo8PFfI7_CGyLPBfdQm4GY9DOqT4DQtzUIA6YODepMDlPbnHKARTlP5BuOaTa-oxMax69r4bDOBqkrOFwxW4m3Kz/s1600/Oustlatet%2527s++Chameleon+IMG_4229-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVJnx-tY_-IhHsyPMui6qaSYMxq2eqXRwpVpaJCVg_p-LcCdli199Yo8PFfI7_CGyLPBfdQm4GY9DOqT4DQtzUIA6YODepMDlPbnHKARTlP5BuOaTa-oxMax69r4bDOBqkrOFwxW4m3Kz/s400/Oustlatet%2527s++Chameleon+IMG_4229-001.JPG" width="325" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Oustalet's Chameleon (<i>Furcifer oustaleti</i>)</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Chameleons are unique reptiles from the lizard family. Found in a variety of shades and hues, chameleons also have ability to change colour. In proverbial parlance, you often equate crafty and inconsistent behaviour of a person to the changing colour of a chameleon. Nothing, as far as this hapless creature is concerned, could be further from truth. There is popular perception that chameleons change colours according to the hue of their surrounding environment. However, this is not always true. Changes in colour are often related to a specific emotion and could also be a means of communicating with other mates. As with many birds and animals, changes in appearance could also be for defending one's territory.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGUJ2bwF2t0xqx98JPyPfHVM-twFZbXkSrOyjs_rCqkXArmDz74AYDxi5VP4bAZt5H-Q-kVEFywkYv5VGYs47bP-aJeK2ZjafXkzBhaZZ49di1Y0N7N7q_jzfOHtZ9DFqdYfs9kv7n-zK/s1600/Carpet+chameleon+-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGUJ2bwF2t0xqx98JPyPfHVM-twFZbXkSrOyjs_rCqkXArmDz74AYDxi5VP4bAZt5H-Q-kVEFywkYv5VGYs47bP-aJeK2ZjafXkzBhaZZ49di1Y0N7N7q_jzfOHtZ9DFqdYfs9kv7n-zK/s640/Carpet+chameleon+-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Carpet Chameleon (<i>Furcifer lateralis</i>)</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Over 200 species of chameleons are known to the world and of these, more than half, mostly endemic, are found in Madagascar. The name 'chameleon', derived from the original Greek '</span><i style="font-size: x-large;">chamaeleon</i><span style="font-size: large;">', roughly translates as 'lion of the ground', though it is difficult to associate any of its attributes with that of a lion. Despite their bulging stereoscopic eyes and demonic appearance, chameleons are harmless creatures which are popular as household pets in many countries. Some people tend to regard chameleons as miniaturized forms of prehistoric dinosaurs. Chameleons often behave threateningly towards members of their own species by posturing menacingly and changing colours rapidly, but other than this aggressive streak, they are quite docile and passive in nature. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Locally, Malagasy people tend to treat chameleons with considerable introspect. One proverb says that they have <i>'one eye on the future and one on the past'. </i> Some of the local people believe that treading on a chameleon could result in untold misfortunes. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPhpYNuRvkrAZOKfZYSKWfHull-ePCxVW0IRPQ1z4rIxT5mJsoCRPD_vc4TqoujPaek6bjZe-WW3BQssIqZ18xNLluVM5OfHUBCm2ngtGPchwoQo0SR8geb33kVj2tUlY23wp6Nr9VXXc/s1600/Parson%2527s+Chemeleon+IMG_4275-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPhpYNuRvkrAZOKfZYSKWfHull-ePCxVW0IRPQ1z4rIxT5mJsoCRPD_vc4TqoujPaek6bjZe-WW3BQssIqZ18xNLluVM5OfHUBCm2ngtGPchwoQo0SR8geb33kVj2tUlY23wp6Nr9VXXc/s640/Parson%2527s+Chemeleon+IMG_4275-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Parson's Chameleon (<i>Calumma parsonii</i>)</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Be as it may, we found our first find, the Parson's Chameleon (</span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Calumma parsonii</i><span style="font-size: large;">) a solid jolly good fellow. The island's second largest chameleon (after the Malgasy Giant Chameleon), Parson's chameleon has two sub-species, one of which is characterized by its huge orange eyes. The largest specimens could grow to the size of a normal cat. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As we came out of the </span><span style="font-size: large;">Reserve Peyrieras to move on towards Perinet, we were confronted by a large Madagascar tree boa on a branch in a rare combative mood.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwkU2doCNUhYjnx7fgVjSYy5UfN3xmoO0a49TSB7lMvLGKFsKXNgMPa3Kk2Xh6Rv9SoCTG-sDd0AFFnWAH5Tt4bNkBE5nPrBihWCxfSo1PWcfL4nA3ibo4nCOGAtuBmjj8TZM8wO8z8n8/s1600/Madagascar+Tree+Boa-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwkU2doCNUhYjnx7fgVjSYy5UfN3xmoO0a49TSB7lMvLGKFsKXNgMPa3Kk2Xh6Rv9SoCTG-sDd0AFFnWAH5Tt4bNkBE5nPrBihWCxfSo1PWcfL4nA3ibo4nCOGAtuBmjj8TZM8wO8z8n8/s640/Madagascar+Tree+Boa-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Madagascar Tree Boa (<i>Sanzania madagascariensis</i>)</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The tree boa is a non venomous snake endemic to the island and is found in two distinct sub species in the eastern and the western parts of Madagascar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The winding road to Perinet passes through thick foliage and crosses many small streams. The Eastern part of Madagascar is lush green with typical rain forest vegetation while in stark contrast, some parts in the south can be quite rocky and barren. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxT5V3S9SizYqmUNLv_YSmugJR7WVdAgPMWuvItt3fbeRUHeCFVuW2U8LNvDA_kn1_pV21dTPjJgR9RVETrUMyy_1EUMKuzHyAunSYRvCZeJcqDYhLYvZcq0E9grMIGGU-wHQqZ3T8uiJh/s1600/IMG_4370-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxT5V3S9SizYqmUNLv_YSmugJR7WVdAgPMWuvItt3fbeRUHeCFVuW2U8LNvDA_kn1_pV21dTPjJgR9RVETrUMyy_1EUMKuzHyAunSYRvCZeJcqDYhLYvZcq0E9grMIGGU-wHQqZ3T8uiJh/s640/IMG_4370-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
A River near Perinet in Eastern Madagascar</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We are headed for the Perinet Andasibe-Mantadia National Park which is home to a large number of birds and several species of lemurs.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdr-1AQO7YPh8ZXgw2hNZA5l8Xlj5whtnkuENPGx5eym_hvDJZJJ1Mw9feOF3JOQqvTNNTQDi1tI6Nnr1yWD3SHcXp_aiOhyphenhyphengUa4HiKiEg1-AW6V9VZDNGAIKbnzoGIbinEY00yFH832HB/s1600/IMG_5430-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdr-1AQO7YPh8ZXgw2hNZA5l8Xlj5whtnkuENPGx5eym_hvDJZJJ1Mw9feOF3JOQqvTNNTQDi1tI6Nnr1yWD3SHcXp_aiOhyphenhyphengUa4HiKiEg1-AW6V9VZDNGAIKbnzoGIbinEY00yFH832HB/s400/IMG_5430-001.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Madagascar Bee Eater (<i>Merops superciliosus</i>)</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For us visitors, the familiar garden birds in </span><span style="font-size: large;">their unique endemic versions were all new. The long list of 'lifers' included the wagtails, the bee eaters, the hoopoe and sunbirds. The Olive bee eater or the Madagascar bee eater, also seen on coasts of East Africa is quite common in the grasslands and mountain forests of Madagascar. The Madagascar Wagtail with its prominent black necklace is endemic to Madagascar and can be seen abundantly near streams and wetlands all over the Perinet forest. Madagascar Buzzard, Yellow Billed Kite and the Madagascar Fish Eagle are found virtually over the entire island.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhtP22rn2zisMXy2oO03p4EIdcM1e6Vy_tjjWy2-I-tau30ntRpw8nnEwCsw9SXswGjD9vPB2gSU-V7CWOOeCjI2fTB1jEgXBSaMk3vlhqhU35p9boBYLhEjiDk4EEHalR4cvrzEQ1V_I/s1600/232143173077069071171118082182063024109065173023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhtP22rn2zisMXy2oO03p4EIdcM1e6Vy_tjjWy2-I-tau30ntRpw8nnEwCsw9SXswGjD9vPB2gSU-V7CWOOeCjI2fTB1jEgXBSaMk3vlhqhU35p9boBYLhEjiDk4EEHalR4cvrzEQ1V_I/s320/232143173077069071171118082182063024109065173023.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We stopped for the night at a small cottage resort on the edge of the Perinet National Park and were embarrassed to find that rooms of cottages have built-in toilets without any doors. Sometimes, as in Antana, you have the luxury of toilets with a thin cloth curtain. We learnt that this 'French' arrangement is common in Madagascar, even in some luxury resorts. So if you are sharing your room with someone, be prepared to shed all privacy or else use toilet and the room by turns.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We woke up to an overcast sky and by the time we arrived at the Mantadia Na</span><span style="font-size: large;">tional Park, it had started drizzling. Moving around the park in raincoats with all the photographic equipment can be quite a performance. But rain here is a routine occupational hazard. Park has almost 200 or more rainy days in a year and the humid rainforest is dripping most of the time. A World Heritage Site since 2007, the Mantadia National Park is largely made up of virgin primary growth forest. Some of the endangered species of mammals and reptiles have been reintroduced here under close supervision. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZe2FxJTbukF4zv7vuMgtRMmztC7_KJQ7YXToV5ZBooDg8BtkVkAitOhxqbUEzk8rzcdL1ylgXAP4itECnPVDc6gr3O7xSStWFuiPDdz18kELxjjBeozx2vR3t90B88S3oZDCyCJTLMk6Q/s1600/IMG_4600-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZe2FxJTbukF4zv7vuMgtRMmztC7_KJQ7YXToV5ZBooDg8BtkVkAitOhxqbUEzk8rzcdL1ylgXAP4itECnPVDc6gr3O7xSStWFuiPDdz18kELxjjBeozx2vR3t90B88S3oZDCyCJTLMk6Q/s640/IMG_4600-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
A Pair of Eastern Woolly Lemurs( ) at Mantadia</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Considering the dismal weather in the arboreal habitat, we were lucky to spot a pair of Eastern Woolly Lemurs, snugly huddled high up in the branches.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The large liquid eyes of lemurs easily make them the most soulful animals in the world. These are timid, highly social family creatures that stay together through thick and thin. Many species spend entire life with a single mate. </span><span style="font-size: large;">We were to find out soon that photographing lemurs is a tricky business as the complete animal rarely comes out in the open and is always partially hidden in the thick foliage. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNI6k2bfuy7UcyDKzFONhoUV_GKCVh6VIMDqfL4tKsMPMgWpIuExHNLdFYvGKI3PjdQHjVa6dl7xBincxIEcvA8VguoD6NzgLHExdcf1p8BeGfOWeOSOE3-o6IJGD0sLlNCIh1kOWhnmXa/s1600/IMG_4530-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNI6k2bfuy7UcyDKzFONhoUV_GKCVh6VIMDqfL4tKsMPMgWpIuExHNLdFYvGKI3PjdQHjVa6dl7xBincxIEcvA8VguoD6NzgLHExdcf1p8BeGfOWeOSOE3-o6IJGD0sLlNCIh1kOWhnmXa/s400/IMG_4530-001.JPG" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Diademed Sifaka- a cross or a predecessor?<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> </span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Carrying the most identifiable and representative insignia of the Malagasy land, lemurs are primates that look like a cat crossed with a squirrel and a dog. Madagascar is world's solitary homeland for some 60 species of these unique primates. Reportedly, 15 or possibly more species of lemurs got wiped out from Madagascar after arrival of the most destructive mammal on earth -- the civilised man. Given its reckless greed, a few others like the largest sized Indri and the Diademed Sifaka would have met a similar fate, had timely conservation and relocation efforts not been taken on war footing to save them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The story of evolution and eventual survival of lemurs as a species is interesting. Based on fossils found in Africa, it is presumed that lemur like creatures evolved some 60 million years ago in Africa and crossed over to Madagascar while the landmass was still shifting from the mainland. By the time monkeys and primates came into existence some 20 million years ago, Madagascar had already drifted apart. As a result, the lemurs on one hand survived here in isolation, and on the other, the drifted island remained untouched from evolution of primates. As a result, there are no monkeys in Madagascar. Assuming that this hypothesis of selective evolution is correct, lemurs could rightly be called predecessors not only of primates but also of the homo sapiens that arrived in this world many million years later. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We are back at the Mantadia National Park the next morning, to get a sighting of the mythical Indri (<i>Indri indri</i>), one of the largest lemurs of Madagascar. Excitement runs high as we find a large female with a cub high up in the branches of a tall tree.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuIdYvIuLP8QTFB0oNzOxGq2w2EnvWgHi17V20Ez22nxSFs8aiHYoyVQgcrO-uVuCuIuuTVz7Wdp0pTyb4ef1oc3HL4aYItFiTNY7zKPIyUcPXPxEbVTpC8uH1RSkq1PZ9uzY3IWIkZDVl/s1600/IMG_4917-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuIdYvIuLP8QTFB0oNzOxGq2w2EnvWgHi17V20Ez22nxSFs8aiHYoyVQgcrO-uVuCuIuuTVz7Wdp0pTyb4ef1oc3HL4aYItFiTNY7zKPIyUcPXPxEbVTpC8uH1RSkq1PZ9uzY3IWIkZDVl/s640/IMG_4917-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Indri (<i>Indri indri</i>) one of the Largest Lemurs of Madagascar</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Indri, also known 'babokoto' locally, is suffering serious threat to its natural habitat due to rampant deforestation, logging and conversion of forests into rice fields by the 'slash and burn' cultivation method. The local name 'babocoto' meaning '<i>father of a small son</i>' originated from several mythical stories associated with this magnificent creature. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVED1P2Jc1VdrLSMNPbHz9qnXflgU7aQK0b38zTJNHfqudDavKpmtM9j6yVtCyz3qIrlnJeJZ3XUwM92Gj2ImZCrbzFTIppZobMHdWP1pttoNkQb1gri2A3a6ZmsjGEKt-ZvdjKNqms3A3/s1600/IMG_4969-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVED1P2Jc1VdrLSMNPbHz9qnXflgU7aQK0b38zTJNHfqudDavKpmtM9j6yVtCyz3qIrlnJeJZ3XUwM92Gj2ImZCrbzFTIppZobMHdWP1pttoNkQb1gri2A3a6ZmsjGEKt-ZvdjKNqms3A3/s640/IMG_4969-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
A Baby Indri Riding on its Mother's Back (Mantidia National Park)</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">According to one of the popular stories, a boy ventured into the forest and when he did not return after a long time, the father decided to look for him, only to find that the boy had transformed into the 'Indri'. The distress call of babokoto is believed to be resembling the wailing of the father looking for his lost son. The scientific name 'Indri indri' also has a funny story. In local Malgasy, the word 'indry' means 'here it is!'. It is said that the French naturalist Pierre Sonnerat first went looking for this lemur accompanied by a local guide who after spotting the animal, shouted in Malgasy ' Indry indry!', or 'here it is, here it is!' Pierre mistook this to be the name of the lemur, somewhat in the same fashion as naming of the kangaroo in Australia. The first sailors who caught a kangaroo in Australia went back to the native aborigines to ask for its name and were told -- kangaroo. It was learnt many years later that the aborigines were not naming the caught animal but were merely asking -- 'kanga--roo' or 'what did you say?' There are others who disagree with the Indri story and say the word originated from another Malgasy name for the lemur-- <i>endrina.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were fortunate to hear Indri calling or wailing in its famous three note call. The first is a loud roar, followed by a long middle note and finally a descenting wail. As one Indri calls, many others in the family join in to provide a musical choir which can be heard for miles. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7EKs8frao6s3xEuxVoSC_mYfyuf6yUwqIdINcKD_JZDvi1lNw5axA3xMXlBF3C3lZPJ8pOIbBsywtKqhWb4TXcrV3O3nYgriwsKAfiNIH-ZPhhmUTcOmSgv2kg8opNxNreEhm7bVR4ont/s1600/IMG_4912-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7EKs8frao6s3xEuxVoSC_mYfyuf6yUwqIdINcKD_JZDvi1lNw5axA3xMXlBF3C3lZPJ8pOIbBsywtKqhWb4TXcrV3O3nYgriwsKAfiNIH-ZPhhmUTcOmSgv2kg8opNxNreEhm7bVR4ont/s640/IMG_4912-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Critically Endangered Indri Lemur</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Indri is today on the list of critically endangered animals, fighting for its existence under close monitoring and supervision. Though regarded as a sacred animal in Madagascar, there are also reports of its killing for meat-- that is regarded as a delicacy in some regions. No Indri has survived in captivity for more than one year and none has bred in captivity. So the chances of seeing a live Indri in the forest, in the coming years, look grim. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">From Indri, we move to a different part of Mantadia to see yet another magnificent resident of the Park-- the Diademed Sifaka. Measured from the top of the head to the tip of the tail, Diademed is one of the largest lemurs. With a luxury soft coat, black face, a 'diadem' or a crown over the forehead and a combination of several shades of grey and golden markings over the body, Diademed is indeed a beautiful primate that reminds you of the golden langurs of North East India.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtqvw2Lx_tEv3NYG-zACBXs0Y5UXbqTkkqwIHXJ4is0psmMvJWx3SDKeK8MjbNXcUbriNLud-aYK8pkC9Ju68SHESTx-zkQuSG7Dy_UkAg11o7ecWG5rHTJVuaNJ6c6FD-Jvpk3eweYI-/s1600/IMG_4480-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtqvw2Lx_tEv3NYG-zACBXs0Y5UXbqTkkqwIHXJ4is0psmMvJWx3SDKeK8MjbNXcUbriNLud-aYK8pkC9Ju68SHESTx-zkQuSG7Dy_UkAg11o7ecWG5rHTJVuaNJ6c6FD-Jvpk3eweYI-/s640/IMG_4480-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
The black faced Diademed Sifaka (<i>Propithecus diadema</i>)</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Diademed Sifaka is also critically endangered, though its numbers are somewhat higher than those of Indri.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were blessed with a clear sky the next morning and the chirping on the trees around the resort quickly got us back to our birding instincts. Almost instantly, we were able to spot and identify the three commonest members of the Vanga family-- the Blue Vanga, the Chabert's Vanga and the White Headed Vanga. The Vanga, now regarded as a unique bird group, has 22 different species (varying from 13 cm to 30 cm in size), each quite different from the other. Scientists now claim that these birds are more diverse than the Darwin's finches and this diversification happened over a relatively shorter span of time. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaE7tHjCFEZpRmSa74fP-8vFDkPT6y5faDq3rVxyuX6Lbxbqcp4MG0r5UV42dhGBOvPIxjKPDYmEn-cUMj38CZMEBdCojneT4xIrJHWF4qtbxybUXHueVOweFuTjQJutJlvhUeQPSR51t/s1600/IMG_5192-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaE7tHjCFEZpRmSa74fP-8vFDkPT6y5faDq3rVxyuX6Lbxbqcp4MG0r5UV42dhGBOvPIxjKPDYmEn-cUMj38CZMEBdCojneT4xIrJHWF4qtbxybUXHueVOweFuTjQJutJlvhUeQPSR51t/s640/IMG_5192-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Chabert's Vanga (<i>Leptoterus chabert</i>) with its prominent blue circle around the eye</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were not fortunate enough to see the rarer species of vangas such as the sickle billed and the red shouldered but a short walk into the forest led us to a close look of another endemic--the Forest Rock Thrush.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngXvMvOfaQ_goERs1K88fRA8-b7stxqm_URAHxL4AjW2XYLFJqaXQGZioz98xJLVHDq4RYARf2ch2oIZmU9DM9n-Hq2VR1Z1YoFm_0jnMsZgxE_CYjrsatgLT34k9bvLWEmj6gOYYW-_R/s1600/Forest+Rock+Thrush++IMG_5359-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngXvMvOfaQ_goERs1K88fRA8-b7stxqm_URAHxL4AjW2XYLFJqaXQGZioz98xJLVHDq4RYARf2ch2oIZmU9DM9n-Hq2VR1Z1YoFm_0jnMsZgxE_CYjrsatgLT34k9bvLWEmj6gOYYW-_R/s640/Forest+Rock+Thrush++IMG_5359-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Forest Rock Thrush (<i>Montocila sharpei</i>)</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had begun the day in Mantadia checking out the two largest lemurs of the land--the Indri and the Diademed. The eventful day ended with an exciting night safari before dinner, looking for the smallest lemur of Madagascar--The Pygmy Mouse Lemur. The mouse lemur exists in Madagascar in 22 distinct species, the smallest one of which is the Pygmy. Incidentally, the pygmy mouse lemur is also the smallest primate in the world. It rarely exceeds the size of a large mouse (50 cm). Being a nocturnal animal, nature guides in Madagascar take visitors on a night safari to convenient spots to see this fascinating animal. Food kept on the edge of the forest soon attracts the pygmy, which can then be photographed under artificial light. To say the least, the methodology is questionable and may not be kind to the poor animal which is being forced to lose its natural way of searching for food though its nightly feeding under the floodlight. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwNENs-elhs9pmtKccaMgkHiENSwgIbIc4fR_PqlJkx-m_p_TdHUKgcEl_5HH2BmGUloFG8iuR_MQa0pwv5_g_Vym3sqUGFlql40V_vYSrhI1OO9tAwljVZgPimvbdkaDWUnSytuoyL7Y/s1600/IMG_6670-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwNENs-elhs9pmtKccaMgkHiENSwgIbIc4fR_PqlJkx-m_p_TdHUKgcEl_5HH2BmGUloFG8iuR_MQa0pwv5_g_Vym3sqUGFlql40V_vYSrhI1OO9tAwljVZgPimvbdkaDWUnSytuoyL7Y/s640/IMG_6670-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
The Pygmy Mouse Lemur (<i>Microcebus myoxinus</i>)</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As we walked back to the waiting vehicle taking us back from the forest to our resort, we realised that we had completed the first leg of our journey to this fascinating island. Next day, we were to return back to Antananarivo where a short flight would take us to the southern-most tip of the country. But more of this later!</span><br />
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<b style="font-size: x-large;">(</b><b>to be continued</b><b style="font-size: x-large;">)</b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(Part 3: Re-living the Dead & Other Fantasies)</span></b></div>
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<em><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Jitendra Bhatia</span></strong></em></div>
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copyright 2015 Jitendra Bhatia</div>
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jb.envirotekindia@gmail.com<br />
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Jitendra Bhatiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872266309661669977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950913127516406719.post-89356280760851774372015-06-30T02:08:00.002-07:002016-01-17T06:19:36.785-08:00(PART 1) MADAGASCAR-THE HIDDEN LABORATORY OF NATURE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>PART 1</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>COLONIAL BACKLASH & THE FIELDS BEYOND</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Several years ago, I knew a charming accountant of Indian origin who came from Madagascar. Her ancestors were probably 'jahajis'-- or immigrants who left India by ships to seek gainful work in distant lands. Women immigrants, by the gender specific nomenclature of Indian vernacular, were 'jahajins' or 'women of the ship'. My linguistic author friend Peggy Mohan beautifully captures the cultural diaspora of these 'jahajins' in her English novel of the same name. Replete with Bhojpuri phrases mellowed by the pidgin-creole linguistic influences of the far off Caribbean, 'Jahajin' could easily be the story of a large number of Indian settlers not only in the West Indies, but also in Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, Africa and of course, Madagascar. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But my 'Jahajin' friend from Madagascar did not know a word of Gujarati--the language of her ancestors, though she spoke French, the lingua-franca of Madagascar, fluently. I was intrigued to learn that her aunts and grandmothers, very much like the women of 'Jahajin', had left their remote villages in Saurashtra on small sailboats more than a hundred years ago to seek opportunities in this French island, then known as Malagache. Most of them took up menial jobs, some became small time traders and a few even competed with black Africans to work as labourers on agricultural estates of this large island. Lives of a few enlightened women like my accountant friend have since changed dramatically. She today works for a chartered accounting firm in Singapore and her clients represent a large multi-national conglomerate of German origin. Many others, the Gujarati Khojas, Ismailis and Daudi Bohras have prospered in trade, but for many others, mostly illiterate, life is still a daily struggle.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
<b>Human Machines--Man drawn Rickshaws in Madagascar </b></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As a nature enthusiast, my interest in Madagascar was second only to places like the South American Rain Forests, the Galapagos or perhaps Borneo. So an opportunity to spend a couple of weeks in this pristine island was hard to resist. As a writer of sorts, I was also keen to get a close feel of the people and places of this unknown land. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My knowledge about Madagascar was limited to what my accountant friend had told me. Later, I chanced to see the TV series on Madagascar made by BBC and narrated by David Attenborough. Admittedly, it is impossible to create in a static blog, the sheer magic of Madagascar's unique wild life, as depicted in this wonderful three part documentary, which must have taken several months or maybe years to complete.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Geologists tell us that several million years ago, when the mainland Gondwana commenced its shift east-northwest towards what is now India, a large piece of land broke off and formed the present island of Madagascar. This separation from the mainland allowed Madagascar to evolve its fauna and flora in a manner uniquely different from the mainland Africa or Asia. Madagascar on one hand has no large predators or apes and on the other, it is endowed with its own evolved species of lemurs, chameleons, birds, flora and trees not found anywhere else. It is indeed a unique laboratory or observatory of mother earth and nature.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy38JkaE4LszIdSKpVqO35xHhhce-k7DtMmvzbg-RBHpk-Op4NkudAL1XmXiJnml6uH5oXQy3E3GHXfV2rd-dy_Yo5Yt7q7O1tQN0JM0Zdlb7d3mcDcvta-V3vZYTnvKR1rzuBqPcHbp1h/s1600/IMG_5295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy38JkaE4LszIdSKpVqO35xHhhce-k7DtMmvzbg-RBHpk-Op4NkudAL1XmXiJnml6uH5oXQy3E3GHXfV2rd-dy_Yo5Yt7q7O1tQN0JM0Zdlb7d3mcDcvta-V3vZYTnvKR1rzuBqPcHbp1h/s640/IMG_5295.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
<b>One of the Succulent Plant Species at Arboretum d'Antsokay in South West Madagascar</b></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We arrived at Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar completely exhausted from a long flight via Mauritius. Antananarivo airport reminds you of small Indian airports as they existed in the eighties and the nineties. Ditto the town, though Antananarivo does have its own prosperous localities complete with neat shops, food stores and recreation parks. A bird's eye view of the city from top of a hill, including the artificial lake Anosy and the Mahamasina stadium actually looks beautiful.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kSym2lWXMvPX0yPhGPSWtGr4qwCXNtFmpsqYntg3KC0BGFZcH3lGFlgcNWZ_HbVeEr71vd7Q-RMc_DP7ALCL0zBJNpSFlSimV92ddFFWJYyTYyYtNKqb77QD1EAjjEgmP6OctiTa9SAY/s1600/IMG_4193-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kSym2lWXMvPX0yPhGPSWtGr4qwCXNtFmpsqYntg3KC0BGFZcH3lGFlgcNWZ_HbVeEr71vd7Q-RMc_DP7ALCL0zBJNpSFlSimV92ddFFWJYyTYyYtNKqb77QD1EAjjEgmP6OctiTa9SAY/s640/IMG_4193-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<b>Antananarivo- The Capital of Madagascar</b></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But suburban areas outside the downtown are made up of shanty structures and nondescript wooden shacks with a few shops or food stalls here and there. As in India, tourists, irrespective of the colour of their skin, are perceived as highly privileged, gullible people. On arrival, we were handed out statutory warnings not to venture into the streets un-escorted, to 'never-ever' loiter outside after dark and to never attempt taking pictures of the royal palaces. Discarding these somewhat colonial perceptions, we promptly found ourselves surrounded by a motley group of locals as we stepped outside the hotel. But they were a harmless lot, curious to know where we came from and keen to explore possibilities of acting as our local guides (of course at a nominal cost, to be settled preferably in US dollars). Language was a problem as they knew very little English and their French accent was difficult for us.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9vbk0f3QfdibpzOZm0H67H1Bj1kIRu-uZpWM2dJrpX8AcVFL2Hv5MUqi-ngzeHJ4h5b9RTpD1jejJC2zfV9aX42zMWWb57nrSBjIEdPYO0K1j7JgRERT4ypsA1uu1YjKOPe9_YRE15kD/s1600/IMG_4208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9vbk0f3QfdibpzOZm0H67H1Bj1kIRu-uZpWM2dJrpX8AcVFL2Hv5MUqi-ngzeHJ4h5b9RTpD1jejJC2zfV9aX42zMWWb57nrSBjIEdPYO0K1j7JgRERT4ypsA1uu1YjKOPe9_YRE15kD/s640/IMG_4208.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
<b>A Local Butcher Selling his Wares in Antananarivo</b></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Majority of migrant population in Madagascar is a mixture of Austronesian, Bantu, Indian, Arab and Somali settlers. Add to these the numerous persons of mixed blood originating from the colonial British and French ruling class.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArAb0GaTLWffx-4Rnzie5ffVt2GIbe8EH6RnYG4Ai_qqCJsMDLmDwf4Fp0ePPMOKSDKXJnvscm2dDW9P4xtGM4BrdNvVFVMmjRIJuoyqrYo2x3qNk0dHNHOkq6tfi7XBCZPgaOwbCC8XS/s1600/IMG_4207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArAb0GaTLWffx-4Rnzie5ffVt2GIbe8EH6RnYG4Ai_qqCJsMDLmDwf4Fp0ePPMOKSDKXJnvscm2dDW9P4xtGM4BrdNvVFVMmjRIJuoyqrYo2x3qNk0dHNHOkq6tfi7XBCZPgaOwbCC8XS/s640/IMG_4207.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
Nothing Like A Free Ride on Mom's Back: A Hen with her admiring audience in Antananarivo</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From a mere 5 million in 1960, the population in Madagascar has grown by 450 percent to 23 millions in the last 55 years, with a low GDP rate of 2.4 percent. Contrasts in Antananarivo are to be seen everywhere, from well stocked food stores to beggars seeking to scrape a meal somehow. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDBlOcTD7cpk3jevqG2S1DCl1PfJYhztoJfQvEV-Z9HfKMbZQgImlPA4yqyRlhyZJIY2xrDmbNNqhMF0ugz7kSh03YpBAv331XrA-KEXfnRFSKqimfpOL2nAwUwkB5Wy3QZEHEPfxubqY/s1600/IMG_6882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDBlOcTD7cpk3jevqG2S1DCl1PfJYhztoJfQvEV-Z9HfKMbZQgImlPA4yqyRlhyZJIY2xrDmbNNqhMF0ugz7kSh03YpBAv331XrA-KEXfnRFSKqimfpOL2nAwUwkB5Wy3QZEHEPfxubqY/s640/IMG_6882.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
A Man Pulled Rickshaw Behind a Limousine on a Street in Antananarivo</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From the neat downtown you can actually touch the underprivileged, all pervasive ghost town. Once you cross the urban boundary, you are amidst rich vegetation surrounding the bright green rice fields, which offer a glimpse of one aspect of the country's rich avian diversity.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX2JZJk-UTOsyyV9LSYDjpoVO2ypXKXTiCx5VVmr42h-YyjJ13LgQcznX_FR46qR9Q_Ls0tHCbtqKk2GgxTmS0Qk7kN7FgAHvm6OharMxYemBuo4NFKnk7DjE7lK0E-FsUUGZRxLzuyw3Q/s1600/IMG_6782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX2JZJk-UTOsyyV9LSYDjpoVO2ypXKXTiCx5VVmr42h-YyjJ13LgQcznX_FR46qR9Q_Ls0tHCbtqKk2GgxTmS0Qk7kN7FgAHvm6OharMxYemBuo4NFKnk7DjE7lK0E-FsUUGZRxLzuyw3Q/s640/IMG_6782.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
Children Playing Hopscotch Across Paddy Fields near Antananarivo</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Water birds in and around rice fields are easy to spot. During our sojourn we immediately snapped the dark grey morph of the Dimorphic Egret. It exists in grey as well as white morph and is endemic to Madagascar (it extensively breeds here), though it is also seen in the nearby Comoro islands, Seychelles and the coastal belts of Kenya and Tanzania.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYeGv1RBi9Metn7KZMUlEIpsdxDrgcq042pGRWStGC7DX0YxV-W4CdQ8P7okUaK0YYoa8WRcwuIwt8oxQi3M2BttChoGucWQAd5kWzIRleSHWS91cDEFcboegHnFVjao81rT0Ld3SX7NAP/s1600/IMG_6080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYeGv1RBi9Metn7KZMUlEIpsdxDrgcq042pGRWStGC7DX0YxV-W4CdQ8P7okUaK0YYoa8WRcwuIwt8oxQi3M2BttChoGucWQAd5kWzIRleSHWS91cDEFcboegHnFVjao81rT0Ld3SX7NAP/s640/IMG_6080.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
<b>The Grey Morph of Dimorphic Egret (<i>Egretta dimorpha</i>)</b></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We spotted the white morph several days later. Experts are of the view that the Dimorphic Egret is a close relative of the Little Egret which is more universally distributed.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrHXqIogL8Z6lat3XSw0n_oXVsw2sxv-xzkAbPHgGe1G0Rczfz13l0YxIwzgW9uLmAIoghPhAPfcS_Lty0sBq_Br8xl4RcDDAlrUz6L3nCUPWN-JSqHcmiLJ9jK-ofcWcJsR5AGVkicDT/s1600/IMG_6816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrHXqIogL8Z6lat3XSw0n_oXVsw2sxv-xzkAbPHgGe1G0Rczfz13l0YxIwzgW9uLmAIoghPhAPfcS_Lty0sBq_Br8xl4RcDDAlrUz6L3nCUPWN-JSqHcmiLJ9jK-ofcWcJsR5AGVkicDT/s640/IMG_6816.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
The White Dimorphic Egret- Near Antananarivo</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In a country of rice eaters where an average person eats over 100 kg of rice every year, productivity in rice fields is of vital importance. Once a net exporter of rice, Madagascar today imports 20 percent of its requirements. This deficit is attributed to poor productivity in rice fields, lack of modern agricultural methods and also, naturally, to sharp increase in population. Much of the cultivatable area lies in the mountain highlands terrains where terrace method of rice cultivation is prevalent. On roads leading out of Antananarivo, you see rice fields grown in narrow terraces along the road. On one such stretch, we were lucky to see a solitary Madagascar Squacco Heron (often also known as Madagascar Pond Heron), a stocky white heron with a characteristic blue bill.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNFYJe6A_fPuzaGoO3EC8YzhupuCWdf6Abm2bqzE4q4IXeAk_scEMAgnvX2it4LjcIsSvh5M3tK4MaLU4R5eAh_oav_fd3mh3B8qqCAfcrRXqI-64-QMZB3UcHxz6J0R5dWWmv7WI7WcQ/s1600/IMG_6152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNFYJe6A_fPuzaGoO3EC8YzhupuCWdf6Abm2bqzE4q4IXeAk_scEMAgnvX2it4LjcIsSvh5M3tK4MaLU4R5eAh_oav_fd3mh3B8qqCAfcrRXqI-64-QMZB3UcHxz6J0R5dWWmv7WI7WcQ/s640/IMG_6152.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
Madagascar Squacco Heron (<i>Ardeola idae</i>)</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Madagascar Squacco Heron is an endangered bird that breeds in Madagascar and the surrounding islands. Not more than a few thousand birds survive, due to as rapid erosion of habitat and lack of conservation efforts. Our guide tells us that once upon a time, Magagascar Squacco was as abundant in these wetlands as its cousin the (European) Squacco Heron. Sadly,not any more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Talk of rice fields and can a kingfisher be far away?. Easily the most adorable bird of any respectable wetland and a darling of all bird photographers, kingfishers exist in more than 90 'avtaars' all over the world. What we had in front of us was a gorgeous Madagascar Kingfisher, a worthy member of the family and endemic to the island.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1qkPaTvd8unZQJNZsfZrFSLBWDmqZ2n9YHulU7cjyAd8nRbni6kEAx8COofXz6MaIHloWFowYc-6mvEPsfgUuxG2kmUbRwQWHZDITh0dWrMPDsgB5ufsWhROUQ_EmIIY82e0VL1C0-Uz8/s1600/IMG_6194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1qkPaTvd8unZQJNZsfZrFSLBWDmqZ2n9YHulU7cjyAd8nRbni6kEAx8COofXz6MaIHloWFowYc-6mvEPsfgUuxG2kmUbRwQWHZDITh0dWrMPDsgB5ufsWhROUQ_EmIIY82e0VL1C0-Uz8/s640/IMG_6194.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
Madagascar Kingfisher (<i>Alcedo vintsiodes</i>)</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Madagascar Kingfisher is closely related to the Malchite Kingfisher found all over the African mainland. During the course of our travel, we were also to see the Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher, the other kingfisher commonly found in Madagascar.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YjUFDMUhE7Qfpmvpwv_IujxRRdv9qRcaaIr5UUYkpWIjVkYWmNBJpTvEcP-yfHgPnfUfBh5ZMyc1hXMkb86OlprnqCtuMTVy_EO-UNZ1Og0Mf9zlsAZlazkoxa3NAzqFIgOOc-xTvv7g/s1600/IMG_6608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YjUFDMUhE7Qfpmvpwv_IujxRRdv9qRcaaIr5UUYkpWIjVkYWmNBJpTvEcP-yfHgPnfUfBh5ZMyc1hXMkb86OlprnqCtuMTVy_EO-UNZ1Og0Mf9zlsAZlazkoxa3NAzqFIgOOc-xTvv7g/s640/IMG_6608.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
Madagascar Wagtail (<i>Motacilla flaviventris</i>)</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were to learn that most common wetland and garden birds of the African mainland have endemic Malagiche equivalents with clearly different distinctive features. Likewise, we have a Madagascan Hoopoe and a Madagascar Magpie Robin, both endemic to the island.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilpxhxpTAXAzIcBCSv1W88-mrZTZmu1EsAWq6NU-OVMTNgQV_b_nGaq46NndtosDoAb7By82aeEAD44QRCYTLsHrmAhekBg5TYFlrkxva_3vZZoJaLekdhuM35cDqRtSyY-KkxDkPROPcc/s1600/IMG_5165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilpxhxpTAXAzIcBCSv1W88-mrZTZmu1EsAWq6NU-OVMTNgQV_b_nGaq46NndtosDoAb7By82aeEAD44QRCYTLsHrmAhekBg5TYFlrkxva_3vZZoJaLekdhuM35cDqRtSyY-KkxDkPROPcc/s640/IMG_5165.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
Madagascar Magpie Robin (<i>Copysychus albospecularis</i>) with Broader White on Wings</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The chirpy grey wagtail of Africa turns up here as Madagascar Wagtail with a white breast and a prominent black necklace around the neck, the Oriental White Eye here is the Madagascar White Eye, endemic to the island and identified quite easily with its very prominent white around the eye.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2AaV3GYJ0SQ1nHiR-juQ_MaytXc01aMwXK6hiBdA3OdKQs8QAkm-VybbKV93QNSXfIIVQW9hyphenhyphenQOl1eeOFk7hn28YV0BX8XKgBmIA9E86bxlmzsDmzBHW38ee4RWnW4lYQ6xq6_FF2xYYc/s1600/IMG_6560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2AaV3GYJ0SQ1nHiR-juQ_MaytXc01aMwXK6hiBdA3OdKQs8QAkm-VybbKV93QNSXfIIVQW9hyphenhyphenQOl1eeOFk7hn28YV0BX8XKgBmIA9E86bxlmzsDmzBHW38ee4RWnW4lYQ6xq6_FF2xYYc/s640/IMG_6560.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
Madagascar White Eye (<i>Zosterops maderaspatanus</i>)</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As we turned back to the hotel, a strange, peculiarly shaped black bird flew over us. This was the Hammerkop, seen commonly in Madagascar as well as in mainland Africa.</span><br />
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Hammerkop( <i>Scopus umbretta</i>)</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hammerkop derives its name from its anvil shaped head and a long beak and is also sometimes named as the Anvilhead. The bird, unlike other birds, participates in strange rituals and builds a very large nest which can be as much as 1.5 metres in diameter. It is made up of ten thousand or even more sticks. It is a 'compulsive nest builder', making upto 2-3 nests in a year, not all of which are actually put to use. Because of its strange appearance and peculiar habits, Hammerkop is regarded as an evil bird in Africa as well as in Madagascar where its presence near a house is not very welcome. Several traditional stories exist about misfortunes resulting from destroying an Hammerkop's nest. Amongst African tribesmen, it is believed that the destroyer gets struck by lightening while in Madagascan folklore, as narrated by Fox Leonard in his book 'The Traditional Poetry of Madagascar', destroying the nest could result in leprosy and other ailments. Thankfully, these beliefs provide a certain degree of protection to this harmless and highly social bird whose abandoned nest provides shelter not only to homeless birds but also to many small animals.</span><br />
<b style="font-size: x-large;">(</b><b>to be continued</b><b style="font-size: x-large;">)</b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Part 2: The Land of Chameleons and Lemurs)</span></b></div>
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<em><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Jitendra Bhatia</span></strong></em></div>
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copyright 2015 Jitendra Bhatia</div>
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jb.envirotekindia@gmail.com<br />
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Jitendra Bhatiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872266309661669977noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950913127516406719.post-52917949615046084222015-05-12T10:20:00.000-07:002019-10-16T08:19:32.610-07:00JAISALMER-DAYS AND NIGHTS OF THE DESERT <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Magic of Sand Dunes</b></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Born not too far away from where the sand dunes begin, I could say that I have a little bit of desert in my blood. My early childhood memories were made up of sand dunes, arid bushes <em>of keekar,</em><em> ber</em> and the bitter-sour fruits <em>of dansra</em>. Catching <em>a teetar</em> (grey francolin) underneath a semi spherical basket was a favourite pastime with the older boys. Bajra seeds were laid out below the propped basket to entice the unsuspecting bird, that was invariably set free after a little bit of harmless fun, or even earlier, if an unapproving elder happened to be passing by.</span><br />
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Grey Francolin</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> We were a village of strict vegetarians and meat eating was taboo, though on one occasion, an uncle of mine dared to cook mutton on a slow fire in his backyard. In the fields, choicest bean-like fruits that hung from the tall thorny bushes were reserved for the camels, who deftly nibbled at them, carefully avoiding the thorns. These were <em>khokhas </em> which had a flat, slightly acrid taste and once inside you, caused flatulance in decibels to the power of n. Domesticated camels roamed free, but had their front feet tied with a rope, so that they did not graze too far away.</span><br />
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Domestic Camel with its Front Feet Tied Up</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Despite so many years spent in different parts of Rajasthan, this was only my second trip to Jaisalmer. The first one had been with my family.After a gap of barely three years, sand dunes of Barna had enticed me once again. This time I was with Adesh and his 'Nature India' team.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As we travelled from Pokhran to Jaisalmer, the dusty terrain brought back a number of random images, long forgotten, from my childhood. In a way, Jaisalmer was the land of my ancestors, who, several centuries ago, moved from Rajasthan to Lahore in search of a livelihood. My grandmother, with a trace of pride, often reminded us that we were warrior Rajputs and not Punjabis. The adjunct 'warrior', though, was a bit of a misnomer. In reality, our ancestors, <em>the Bhatis</em>, were court singers who performed in front of captive audiences. I learnt from my mother that her maternal grand-uncle was a full time singer who also excelled in the popular dance <em>'swaang'</em> dressed as a woman. In distant rural Bihar, they call it '<em>Chhokra Naach' </em>or 'Boy Dance'.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On my first visit, as we approached the outskirts of Jaisalmer, a familiar sense of belonging had overtaken me. As an urban Satyajit Ray fan, I also remembered several mesmerising images from the movie 'Shonar Kella' (The Golden Fortress). Simple sketches in coloured crayons, bright courtyards embellished with peacocks and yes-- the unforgettable sight of the metre gauge train with Feluda chugging across the desert at midnight. Expectations soared high as we entered the outskirts of the city. But the first sight of Jaisalmer filled us with disappointment and a touch of sadness. The town was dusty, uneventful and nondescript, like any other small town of Rajasthan.</span><br />
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<b>Approaching the Jaisalmer Town</b></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The magical Golden Fortress, made of the famed yellow stone of Jaisalmer, is as deceptive as the <em>'chhokra naach</em>' or the '<em>swaang</em>' that my great maternal grandfather once danced. Like the Hawa Mahal of Jaipur, the Golden Fortress is only a beautiful façade. There is nothing worthwhile behind it. If anything, the backside, or the reality behind the mask is crass, very commercial and jolting, somewhat like a make-believe set being constructed in the backyard of a film studio.</span><br />
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The Beautiful Facade of 'Golden Fortress'</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As with the fort at Chittorgarh, the Jaisalmer 'Kella' too is a 'living fort' with dwellings, dirty pathways, dumps of garbage and unkempt shops & stalls inside its boundary. As a tourist, you are better off clicking the majestic yellow-golden structure from outside and believing in its grandeur, instead of tearing the mask and witnessing the entrails on the other side. In my view, more than the Fortress, a trip around the famed Hawelis of Jaisalmer (particularly Nathmalji Ki Haweli) can certainly be more rewarding and worthwhile.</span><br />
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Nathmalji Ki Haveli</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thankfully, this time over, we were not in Jaisalmer for sight-seeing. As our vehicle turned left, away from the hum-drum of the city, the familiar sight of undulated sand dunes, '<i>aak</i>' shrubs and thorny bushes of wild berries sprang into view. In the distance, a row of windmills turned their giant blades menacingly. It is learnt that the windmills do not auger well for the terrain and under their influence, the beautiful undisturbed sand dunes are already turning into flat stretches of sand and dust.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On our way to the hamlet of 'Khuri', a large, unfamiliar raptor perched on a bush on one side of the road, took off as we adjusted our cameras. Experts in the group considered the possibility of it being a golden eagle, though no one was really sure. Golden eagles do sometimes travel this far from their Himalayan abode in winter but spotting one in this arid terrain is rare, if not impossible. In the silhouette of the evening, a desert fox, resting behind a clump of shrubs, bolted off on seeing us, but stopped several times on its track to look back, before finally disappearing behind a sand dune. The desert has its own variants of foxes and cats which are endemic to the region. Last winter at Tal Chhapar (in Churu District of Rajasthan), we had chanced upon a family of foxes with three cubs.</span><br />
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Mother Fox</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The mother went hunting during the day while the cubs stayed behind, never venturing far from the den and disappearing into the depths of their home at the slightest sign of danger. In the evening, the mother fox returned with the kill of a rat, but the cubs were still too young and hungry for mother's milk. On the fourth day, the entire family disappeared. We were told that for reasons of safety, the desert fox changes its home two or three times before the cubs grow up.</span><br />
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Cubs of Desert Fox Outside the Den</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was almost dark by the time we reached our destination. Our resort, set in the backdrop of golden sand dunes, consisted of a row of tents with a cluster of rooms with a large courtyard in the centre.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A few arranged chairs and a small platform at one end with a harmonium and a pair of tablas placed in the middle, indicated a musical evening of some sort in the offing. A food counter with a provisional bar at the other end completed the scene.</span><br />
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Waiting for the Evening of Music & Dance</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While our resort was fairly well organised, we learnt that more than 100 makeshift resorts operate in the hamlets of 'Khuri' and nearby 'Sam' offering packaged deals for a 2 or 3 day 'Sand Dunes' holiday. Almost every other house of the village has a tourist lodge of dubious stature in winter. According to one local, the breathtakingly beautiful giant sand dunes used to be upto 60 metres in height at one point of time. Today they are, sadly, mere shadows of that majestic past, carrying deep in their guts, an unspecified junk of broken beer bottles, metallized plastic 'namkin' wrappers and hordes of empty 'bisleris' recklessly abandoned. Most of the tourists who come here have little or no interest in wild life or nature and come to the desert solely for revelry, food, drink and fun. Environmental impact of these mushrooming resorts (not always with minimum optimal arrangements) on the fragile ecology of the adjoining Desert National Park is a question no one wishes to answer, as long as the cash boxes keep ringing.</span><br />
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How Long Before They Vanish?</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As a vegetarian meal under the stars got underway, the musicians on the dias started tinkering with their tablas and the harmonium. A young boy with miniature cymbals provided additional support to the beats. Starting with the mandatory '<i>Padharo Mhare Des</i>' (Welcome to my country!), the robust singer moved on to some local semi-classical songs which were quite well rendered. This was followed by the entry of a male dancer from the wings. Reminiscent of the '<i>Chhokra Naach</i>', the dancer was dressed and heavily made-up as a woman in traditional Rajasthani attire. As the evening wore on, the dancer performed a number of items, including the traditional '<i>kalbelia</i>' (snake dance), dancing on hot embers and manoeuvres while balancing a number of pitchers on the head. The audience generously clapped.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2s_jJfNlI247NLDz_TaDUCL7kGY9fAIj70XRgLEbEgRNChdQDxQA2pAL31qW2puxdvF7a-aLco4ERnh7nNrHPDpPJuxJH5WDSJlss8PWO-uVfhyYWGyzkygteehDK00ERu6BOlrJyVfEi/s1600/BDSCN2558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2s_jJfNlI247NLDz_TaDUCL7kGY9fAIj70XRgLEbEgRNChdQDxQA2pAL31qW2puxdvF7a-aLco4ERnh7nNrHPDpPJuxJH5WDSJlss8PWO-uVfhyYWGyzkygteehDK00ERu6BOlrJyVfEi/s640/BDSCN2558.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
Male Dancers Dressed as Women</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I remembered that during the last visit, some of us had been dragged on to the shop-floor by the dancer and a colourful, energetic number had been performed with active audience participation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Desert National Park is one of the larger wildlife parks of the country covering an area of over 3000 kilometres but regrettably, little has been done to preserve the sensitive eco-system of the park. As with many other parks like Sariska in Rajasthan, and Tadoba in Maharashtra, a road, with regular traffic of vehicles and buses cuts across the park. The park's most spectacular inhabitant, the greatly endangered Indian Bustard is gradually getting pushed out into the interior core zone of the park. Maharashtra (Nannaj) and Kutch in Gujarat have already lost nearly all its bustard population. As things stand, this unique species (ironically the state bird of Rajasthan), is also destined to be wiped out from its last sandy abode, unless appropriate preservation measures are taken on war footing. We learn from Adesh that more than protection, breeding of this extremely shy bird is an issue preventing increase in numbers. During the last trip, we had seen a number of bustards, some of them close to the dwellings.Three years ago, if you drove along the road bifurcating the park early in the morning before the first bus made its noisy journey, you were sure to get a sighting of a couple of bustards at more than one location. Sadly, not any more. Within a matter of 3 years, spotting a bustard has become that much more difficult.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSs-UNvH8N0Ez8IkgVXiM-_buWsSySzJYsQJwQt-Zxj1Mf5tV0M-ydgLF0RgEqXDURUese-WMu-WHe-nq8tdSjiOZRybx0UYsX63nbNNsDsnHc0l-wZUj02z2b1WifLHIb9ex-JlZvUjdv/s1600/_MG_8834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSs-UNvH8N0Ez8IkgVXiM-_buWsSySzJYsQJwQt-Zxj1Mf5tV0M-ydgLF0RgEqXDURUese-WMu-WHe-nq8tdSjiOZRybx0UYsX63nbNNsDsnHc0l-wZUj02z2b1WifLHIb9ex-JlZvUjdv/s640/_MG_8834.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
The Great Indian Bustard-- Facing a Grim Future</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This time over, on our first morning at the park, we slowly moved in our jeeps with the first rays of sun emerging from behind the sand dunes. Graceful chinkaras, a flock of bimaculated larks blending with the dull ground and a sole long legged buzzard on top of a thorny tree completed the all too familiar desert scene.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">A Chinkara in the Desert</span></b></h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">Our search for the Great Indian Bustard had just begin, when a speeding milk van overtook our jeep and recklessly hit a chinkara trying to cross the road. As the animal fell down, the van sped away before we could stop it. The chinkara had been fatally hit and withing seconds, it collapsed in the middle of the road, stone dead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The audacity of the whole act had shaken us up.We informed the forest authorities about the accident, but the guy at the other end of the phone line was sleepy and outright bored. There was nothing more that we could have done.We decided to drag the carcass of the dead chinkara away from the road, so that it did not get run over by another speeding car. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">News of a freshly killed animal spreads fast in the desert. Sure enough, within a few minutes, there were vultures circling the air space above the dead animal. As our presence was a deterrent for them, we moved away to a vantage point with our cameras.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first to arrive were a pair of Egyptian vultures with a juvenile. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48N5TaWvqFr-lPbuFZMtBVpLk62692MRMAQqZHIRa95-SzJ4den3DWLQl5m1X5UAM0OvcSW_GXEfkBxnBgizhlVPCljJT5cQZb3bep3r33dfSAcjzUGK5v8Qe8hBg9oIdgX93Hw3zM8QP/s1600/IMG_1066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48N5TaWvqFr-lPbuFZMtBVpLk62692MRMAQqZHIRa95-SzJ4den3DWLQl5m1X5UAM0OvcSW_GXEfkBxnBgizhlVPCljJT5cQZb3bep3r33dfSAcjzUGK5v8Qe8hBg9oIdgX93Hw3zM8QP/s640/IMG_1066.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">A Hovering Egyptian Vulture</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">They were followed by Eurasian Griffons who promptly pushed away the three smaller egyptian vultures to the side line. It was interesting to see that raptors as well as animals descended on the fresh carcass according to a hierarchy system based on might and strength. Anyone trying to break the pecking order was promptly shooed off. As the morning wore off, we got a close glimpse of a pair of Punjab Ravens gorging on the juiciest parts of the carcass and the eyes. The evening was to attract foxes, wild cats and even eagles to the same spot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Punjab Ravens feasting on the Dead Chinkara</b></span></div>
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I<span style="font-size: large;">t was ironical that the tragic death of the chinkara was now providing us an opportunity to witness and capture the raptors of Jaisalmer at such close quarters.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLrYt0vJgTW-8BLqy6avd5onULJMgXmJYceH1GHB3EuGnuOX38cZRI2k5ZEn-DIziVgbk276LjwQCHcBdQigoRpNBoCwOEBPsReM1SmIZuD_IDmm3AYsC5x0ypwZQbPgkVCXIkv9zJSli/s1600/IMG_1748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLrYt0vJgTW-8BLqy6avd5onULJMgXmJYceH1GHB3EuGnuOX38cZRI2k5ZEn-DIziVgbk276LjwQCHcBdQigoRpNBoCwOEBPsReM1SmIZuD_IDmm3AYsC5x0ypwZQbPgkVCXIkv9zJSli/s640/IMG_1748.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
A Cinereous Vulture Swooping on the Carcass</h2>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The vast area of the Desert National Park encompasses nearly 70 villages and many traditional settlements called ढाणी which have existed for several hundreds of years. Threat to the sensitive and unique eco-system of the desert comes not so much from these traditional establishments, but from the rampant growth of irresponsible tourism and crass commercialisation of human activity in the area. Communities like the 'Bishnois' have lived for long in complete resonance with the plant and animal life of the arid region. They are not only protectors of wild life (remember the ongoing Chinkara shooting court case involving Salman Khan vs. the Bishnoi community) but also worship and revere the 'Khejri' trees abundantly found in the region.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A Stone Hide in the Park</b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">During the last trip, we had gone around the park in a painfully slow and mighty uncomfortable camel cart, just to get a flavour of the local life. Around the park, we had also found a number of circular stone hides, presumably for watching animals and birds at close quarters. Sadly, most of them were abandoned and in a sorry state of upkeep. A local told us that trappers sometimes use these hide-outs for catching the extremely shy sandgrouse which fly and settle in hundreds, completely camouflaged against the sandy background.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Painted sandgrouse are more difficult to locate, as compared to the widely occuring chestnut bellied sandgrouse which fly all over the desert in large flocks.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-bVwGm5keaO2NHshB6VowCUk6oLBt_bBobqqHe7yHlv8up3srnondaM9tOe5klJEuOkjpm-mfAKvfjIZ3h4M9F36MuhF6XQWSIqObDEB_NOaAOGjh0lKL04QfJUTDbukbkid4cx9M8dtL/s1600/IMG_0761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-bVwGm5keaO2NHshB6VowCUk6oLBt_bBobqqHe7yHlv8up3srnondaM9tOe5klJEuOkjpm-mfAKvfjIZ3h4M9F36MuhF6XQWSIqObDEB_NOaAOGjh0lKL04QfJUTDbukbkid4cx9M8dtL/s640/IMG_0761.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
Chestnut Bellied Sandgrouse- Female</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Amongst the other birds endemic to the region is the upright standing Cream Coloured Courser, which is paler than its 'common' counterpart found in Gujarat and elsewhere.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9maNQKw4PwwbdJlnQoACQ_HGtzTKoOBlOuBoMOHyWvDSV-mOq_iReZFhfTayBy3CvSHokQr72pm8ttiFdmXBRybPVJoBEn8EmoozYGuX2wbdCylo8COao7wBXLPpIxXeFxivMaNzLEPe/s1600/IMG_1087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9maNQKw4PwwbdJlnQoACQ_HGtzTKoOBlOuBoMOHyWvDSV-mOq_iReZFhfTayBy3CvSHokQr72pm8ttiFdmXBRybPVJoBEn8EmoozYGuX2wbdCylo8COao7wBXLPpIxXeFxivMaNzLEPe/s640/IMG_1087.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
The Upright Standing Cream Coloured Courser</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">An important part of the food cycle of the desert is the spiny tailed lizard which burrows in flat ground and forms the regulation diet for buzzards, harriers and their young ones. In the nearby Churu, on a flat bushy ground, we had found thousands of burrows of these lizards, while the adjoining trees were dotted with nests of buzzards and eagles, with an endless supply of food right at their doorstep!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICzf-rA6z04iyewiU1THtJSWoZnzsf6MdPWTViBX0vd4b2vTAhFIE9lGalVF3nm_AoiVTXMdIyF06MVjqOXQU9AbigiSRmw8Czuf21dCtoThzJXmvlLePaeYIt1xNThBCgNaMVlc5zoA6/s1600/IMG_3156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICzf-rA6z04iyewiU1THtJSWoZnzsf6MdPWTViBX0vd4b2vTAhFIE9lGalVF3nm_AoiVTXMdIyF06MVjqOXQU9AbigiSRmw8Czuf21dCtoThzJXmvlLePaeYIt1xNThBCgNaMVlc5zoA6/s640/IMG_3156.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
Hardwicke's Spiny Tailed Lizard</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> The intricate and extremely fagile eco-system of the Desert National Park, with all its birds, animals, reptiles, insects and plant species is unique and fascinating. During the course of the day we saw buzzards, tawny and steppe eagles and falcons.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEoailtJeyIOwZitB81_C56QJ0RxQGSUdJbdecNh0vxvE6FsVqSF5u1uNjSxx1qOT5vAarzhKRanuExiwfel9UKKn-P1gGfM2hW52Yp8Q-AljnzWhLHzQnKLB82Yb5ZGa-6WqpbGIxW5VN/s1600/IMG_1514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEoailtJeyIOwZitB81_C56QJ0RxQGSUdJbdecNh0vxvE6FsVqSF5u1uNjSxx1qOT5vAarzhKRanuExiwfel9UKKn-P1gGfM2hW52Yp8Q-AljnzWhLHzQnKLB82Yb5ZGa-6WqpbGIxW5VN/s640/IMG_1514.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
Laggar Falcon</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sparrow larks sand short toed larks can be seen on the ground almost everywhere in the park, and if you look up, you will always find a couple of vultures soaring high in the blue sky.Two other endemic species we saw were sand lark and the desert bush warbler. Wolves were abundant once upon a time but have since been hunted down, mainly due to their unreasonable reputation as cattle lifters. In a small '<i>dhani'', </i>we found the skin of a wolf hung on a tree outside the hamlet. The wolf had apparently killed three of the village sheep.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our search for bustards almost drew a blank till we ultimately found a group of four birds almost half a mile away. A number of agencies are today working on preservation of the bustards. But the population shows no sign of multiplication.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As the day drew to a close, we took mandatory shots of the sunset and then drove past the dead chinkara back to our resort.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTb8CiloJghH9fTPXt7gLHSbylbjv4NK8S1tOKKhPDQCCLENLfGKv18Zo5WzJ6fhOZBZDoU-T9TA6o-n7Dq4CQpdD36eTOH3RuZpzoGN5GrvKgHsF1U97VjHxGLzQFzssFy_o27DZtjaZ/s1600/_MG_8910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTb8CiloJghH9fTPXt7gLHSbylbjv4NK8S1tOKKhPDQCCLENLfGKv18Zo5WzJ6fhOZBZDoU-T9TA6o-n7Dq4CQpdD36eTOH3RuZpzoGN5GrvKgHsF1U97VjHxGLzQFzssFy_o27DZtjaZ/s640/_MG_8910.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
The Resort in the backdrop of the Receding Desert</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The carcass had already been reduced to a bare skeleton. In another day or two, it would vanish without a trace and the bones would mingle with the bright sands of the desert. As I chanced to look out of the rear window of my resort into the ugly heap of plastic bottles and other trash, I wished these would also vanish as seamlessly as the dead carcass left behind in the desert. While the chinkara, even in its death had fed the eco-system before becoming 'dust unto dust' with the winds blowing over the sand dunes, science tells us that plastic waste in contrast stays put endlessly for another eight hundred years or even more</span>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And a sobering thought rang through my mind-- which out of these two would I rather leave for the next visitor and for myself and for the children, grandchildren and their grandchildren of this fabulous desert wonderland where my ancestors once sang and danced? </span><br />
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<em><strong><span style="font-size: large;"> Jitendra Bhatia</span></strong></em></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">From Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, 2015</span></strong></div>
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copyright Jitendra Bhatia<br />
jb.envirotekindia@gmail.com</div>
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Jitendra Bhatiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872266309661669977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950913127516406719.post-74387485639956251692012-10-20T11:21:00.002-07:002016-01-17T06:14:52.685-08:00BIRDING STORIES FROM MANSAGAR JALMAHAL JAIPUR<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A Panoramic View of Mansagar & Jalmahal</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jaipur Mansagar Jalmahal, like so many other spots in the country, is under threat. Control of the famous palace in the water is now subjudice and the environmentalists are fighting a desperate battle against a powerful lobby of builders that wants to convert it into a money spinning tourst hub with boat rides, shopping arcade and the paraphernalia. Boating at Mansagar is on the cards. Future landlords have already served a notice on the resident/ migrant birds, animals, insects and the amphibians that throng the grasses, bushes and trees around the edge of the lake. The clock is slowly, but surely ticking and as we say in Hindi, बकरे की माँ कब तक खैर मनाएगी? If it happens, it will be a sad end to an oasis in this othewise crowded city. A recluse that has never ceased to fascinate the bird and nature lovers alike. For a regular like me, the cemented path around the lake, leading to the ruins of another era is arguably the most beautiful spot in this historical city.</span><br />
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Beautification of Historical Monument by JDA at Mansagar</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When the last migrant has flown away and the placcid surface of the lake is still, save for the quivering, gasping hoards of fish along the coast, rows of black crowned night herons and cormorants, and the flapping of a stray moorhen, Mansagar still offers streaks of the unusual. A brown crake, a brahminy kite that has lost its way or the blue tailed bee-eaters on the way up north and of course, the resident stars of Mansagar!</span><br />
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Cormorants Lined up at the Water Dining Table at Mansagar</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Beginning of the dry season for the resident birds of Mansagar has been good this summer. The rains were plentiful last year, the lake is still full and fish are there for the asking. Black Crowned Night Herons (<em>Nycticorax nycticorax</em>) and Spot Billed Ducks (<em>Anas poecilorhyncha</em>) breed here and food is so good that a few stray migrants cancelled their return flights almost till Mid May. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The all too familiar animals of Mansagar are a friendly lot.</span> </div>
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Mongoose at Mansagar</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The little mongoose, normally a shy animal, comes out in the open and there are lizards basking in the sun.</span> </div>
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The Lizard at its Artistic Home</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A family of langoors catching the first rays of sunlight make a pretty picture. Everyone is relaxed and the young ones are playful.</span></div>
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Langurs on the parapet of the fortress</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZPq_BkikNOUhwuFyJCLDFA5HCwLoOFbRNhrwHGBxQFzTDDDA7042iqZYk0loN7at_DUjEz303rLSu-thJxvsp0TwDZZpuNyqagOJyxdW4qLsm0fceaJfkL5zYI81ftoGJ01VL9xFsDUZ/s1600/IMG_0370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZPq_BkikNOUhwuFyJCLDFA5HCwLoOFbRNhrwHGBxQFzTDDDA7042iqZYk0loN7at_DUjEz303rLSu-thJxvsp0TwDZZpuNyqagOJyxdW4qLsm0fceaJfkL5zYI81ftoGJ01VL9xFsDUZ/s640/IMG_0370.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Back from exotic birding trips to Bhutan and Sikkim, I still find the ordinary commonplace animals and birds of Mansagar equally fascinating. I share a few shots of the common and the unusual.</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: large;"><u>The Couple That Stayed Back For Dinner</u> </span></em></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Northern Shovelers (<em>Anas clypeata</em>) descend on Mansagar in large numbers during the winter months and take up most of the shallow waters everywhere. I found a couple that stayed on long after others had left. Here's a Walt Disney cartoon strip featuring Dad and Mom! </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJruyFlScopKZUiFLxSxVphH4dTUzyBtDyqKITIEcD7DjZP-8Fu4BI9jprZ42vJGmg1Bqjg-KilReAKydvJWrbH3jgfBMsuvOT5B_imY_VXJCMgLS808zk36X0fKkqTHFBqs9f-028t96Q/s1600/IMG_3899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJruyFlScopKZUiFLxSxVphH4dTUzyBtDyqKITIEcD7DjZP-8Fu4BI9jprZ42vJGmg1Bqjg-KilReAKydvJWrbH3jgfBMsuvOT5B_imY_VXJCMgLS808zk36X0fKkqTHFBqs9f-028t96Q/s640/IMG_3899.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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They decided to stay back for the Fish Dinner. Life was plentiful but lonely!</h2>
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For a while, they were happy on their private island, till Mom started complaining, leading to a face-off.</h2>
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Dad Tried to ignore her, but her 'yakkity-yakk!' was quite shattering! </h2>
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Unable to take it any more, Dad called it a day! Mom, unaffected, carried on relentlessly!</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <u><em>Size Does Matter</em></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Black Crowned Night Herons are night feeders but a late sunday morning all-fish breakfast is difficult to resist.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6YePasWpbjw8WCcu9ATBCFyIDwNNwPza19yf9SEwEis2an3xU-DSowQ8w7vaxCURzKMWPcgGODSWEeLYX7dHafj3EHf6j6lkHIHtiH87kVi05QGccN7uAtWkbcPnX5pjbJhn1Ld5C6Wkj/s1600/IMG_0337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6YePasWpbjw8WCcu9ATBCFyIDwNNwPza19yf9SEwEis2an3xU-DSowQ8w7vaxCURzKMWPcgGODSWEeLYX7dHafj3EHf6j6lkHIHtiH87kVi05QGccN7uAtWkbcPnX5pjbJhn1Ld5C6Wkj/s640/IMG_0337.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This bloke, blissfully unaware of the warning on the board in Hindi, decides to take a plunge into the fish buffet in the water.</span></div>
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Fish are so many that it is difficult to choose!</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><strong>t</strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBkWqIAYAcpxTUHr-Nhq4c0H-XawuLixTyxHY4GrjR7ip06jG4By9notWr7G-kgRSEbarUmq6PqKJs1N1xusTbJ1mZqAckVJMYz66NNXLBvccMOnjowl5ZTIl2p-sGzyy2Uxf4yuishA0/s1600/IMG_3886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><strong><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBkWqIAYAcpxTUHr-Nhq4c0H-XawuLixTyxHY4GrjR7ip06jG4By9notWr7G-kgRSEbarUmq6PqKJs1N1xusTbJ1mZqAckVJMYz66NNXLBvccMOnjowl5ZTIl2p-sGzyy2Uxf4yuishA0/s640/IMG_3886.JPG" width="508" /></strong></a></td></tr>
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The juicy fish he finally selects is a little bigger than expected and a little difficult to handle. Not to mention the thousand greedy eyes watching your every step! </h2>
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He finally decides to move to a secluded grove where he can savour the fish at leisure away from intruders!</h2>
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<em><u><span style="font-size: large;">Learning To Swim</span></u></em></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This one is about Spot Billed Ducks and has nothing to do with story of the same name by Booker prize winning author Graham Swift.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_rNNAYHKhDHsZcXsdDjzF_fnacdTd3ISTmdyvA1ajHNb0wmWKCcPr1KGk97XgUgqkYdG-I1ZzH6SKPFUhHdV8tiZCeu5SHuH10PP5L8p0knSO1pqZkcuDDEqfImsvnFPpUCkM-s8LzYgE/s1600/IMG_7935-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_rNNAYHKhDHsZcXsdDjzF_fnacdTd3ISTmdyvA1ajHNb0wmWKCcPr1KGk97XgUgqkYdG-I1ZzH6SKPFUhHdV8tiZCeu5SHuH10PP5L8p0knSO1pqZkcuDDEqfImsvnFPpUCkM-s8LzYgE/s640/IMG_7935-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fleets of Spot Billed Ducks are a permanent feature of Mansagar. They move about freely and do not hesitate to pick up grain meant for pigeons. Small islands in Mansagar are their favourite breeding ground. This one is about a Spot Billed Duck family.</span></div>
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"Come on Lazybones!" Mother duck calls her two day old chicks! " It's time for school!"</h2>
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"Come on children, follow me closely and be careful!" She seems to say.</h2>
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"Now the difficult part. We have to go down the slope to the edge of water. Don't rush, just follow me!"</h2>
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"See how I do it. Move one step forward at a time, OK?"</h2>
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"Don't be afraid. It's very easy!"</h2>
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"Now into the water! Don't be afraid. Just do it!!" </h2>
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"Don't be a sissy! Just take the plunge!! Whoever heard of a duck drowning in water?"</h2>
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" That's better! All in?"</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> At this precise moment, a sly crow decides to take his chance with a juicy new-born chick. A snipe nearby annxiously watches the action. But the Mother Duck successfully thwarts the evil designs of the crow. And the class goes on....</span><br />
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Everybody in?... So Company let's onward march one-two, one-two!</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And they happily swam thereafter!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So who says, commonplace birds don't have stories to tell?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At least at Mansagar, Jaipur it's happening all the time!</span><br />
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<em><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Jitendra Bhatia</span></strong></em></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">From Mansagar, Jaipur, May 2012</span></strong></div>
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copyright Jitendra Bhatia</div>
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<a href="mailto:jb.envirotekindia@gmail.com">jb.envirotekindia@gmail.com</a></div>
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Jitendra Bhatiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872266309661669977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950913127516406719.post-73653850832690349192011-07-11T05:22:00.000-07:002016-01-17T06:11:38.956-08:00BIRDING IN LANSDOWNE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">An unexpected break in a business trip left us stranded in the sizzling heat of Delhi, desperately looking for a secluded cool retreat somewhere not far from the Capital. Ashok, my semi-Delhi'ite friend sympathetically quipped that such dream places do not exist any more. Given the exodus of rowdy vacationers to Mussoorie, Nainital, Ranikhet et al., all the so called 'hill stations' of India were a big 'no-no' for us. In the end, we were at the Old Delhi station, waiting on a hot evening for the Mussoorie Express to pull up to the platform. The place was already teeming with holiday crowds bound for Haridwar, Dehradun and thereon to Mussoorie or Rishikesh. Mercifully, we were part of half a train, not so crowded, which detaches itself from Mussoorie Express somewhere along the way, taking overnight passengers to a quaint destination called Kotdwara, surprisingly a district town, not very far away from Haridwar. Our co-passengers were mostly routine travellers who either lived in Kotdwara, or were visiting relatives there. The platform of Kotdwara, at a dead end, lies in a sort of a trench and you have to climb a steep flight of stairs like a tube station to get out. As we panted our way out, waiting jeep drivers immediately pounced upon the handful passengers that had emerged from the train. Striking a bargain was not difficult and before we realised, our bags were atop a rickety bright 'traffic yellow' painted jeep nicknamed 'Kotdwar ki Raani'. Our dream destination was an eminently British sounding hill town --Lansdowne! My sole familiarity with this name is a prominent road in Kolkata which has since been renamed Sarat Bose Road. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As the 'queen' panted and puffed its polluting diesel engine over the steep mountain toad, we plucked on the not so ripe bunch of first lichis of the season that we had picked up from the Kotdwara market. A few kilometres up, we passed the town of Dugadda, which connects to Haridwar and is also known for the famous elephant corridor connecting Rajaji National Park with the Corbett National Park on the right. Most of the pachyderms, we were told, had already moved on to Corbett for the summer. A pamphlet from Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam had informed us that Lansdowne is a quiet Cantonment town with lush forests and a cool climate. Located barely 40 km from Kotdwara at a height of 1780 metres above sea level, it perfectly answered our dream calls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">First View of Lansdowne</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Named after the British viceroy Lansdowne in 1890, this area was earlier known as Kaludanda. The Britsh, enamoured by the Rhodendron, Oak and blue pine (Cheed) forests and the beautiful mountain views, established a cantonment here. This tradition continued after independence and Lansdowne remains the headquarters of the famous Garhwal Rifles of the Indian Army.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Garhwal Rifles at Lansdowne, an Association of 150 Years</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thankfully, Lansdowne is a little known place on the tourist map and in absence of the usual 'hill station' 'attractions', has very few visitors even at the peak of season. Cantonment management and restrictions have ensured that there is no mushrooming of hotels and resorts. For a nature and bird lover, it is a virtual paradise with fascinating views, winding mountain roads, vast oak forests, old churches and bungalows from the British era. During the last 100 years, most of the two hundred odd bungalows have been acquired by the army. Interestingly, almost all the bungalows have their own tales of friendly spooks and ghosts. And the signboard for each bungalow recalls its history as also all the stories associated with it.</span> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtxauKpCrIsRQpoiyXMZrA81euwUt9p04Oo5d0bxlB3DXzmVcIYfQN7eiFH9rrToIOtLmeypZe2nppdvmwkfZtd1F3NARb2b73CA6wal9cjIF6OE745EIwh_vFaQVHtC9A1VzzFctM9xTv/s1600/IMG_0384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtxauKpCrIsRQpoiyXMZrA81euwUt9p04Oo5d0bxlB3DXzmVcIYfQN7eiFH9rrToIOtLmeypZe2nppdvmwkfZtd1F3NARb2b73CA6wal9cjIF6OE745EIwh_vFaQVHtC9A1VzzFctM9xTv/s640/IMG_0384.JPG" true="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The Old Charm Bungalows of Lansdowne</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were delighted to find that our makeshift cottage type rooms were located at the most vantage point of Lansdowne called 'Tip-in-Top' which offered a panoramic view of the Northern part of Lansdowne. The establishment did not have a kitchen, but a canteen opposite, adequately catered to our basic needs. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYXVjC36VmDTalvfIl9AzIfkRvz3HY_lEGKEmJx2wYMWgSa0rnaXNGjtoaKfqgZIfrUR_b-YVaXns9KyZFtdl8ikvPeEjX5cJ-zexM1KvyRF2Xc5O3kfIyk4TixM9HTnMwlprCMWAckPt/s1600/IMG_0674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYXVjC36VmDTalvfIl9AzIfkRvz3HY_lEGKEmJx2wYMWgSa0rnaXNGjtoaKfqgZIfrUR_b-YVaXns9KyZFtdl8ikvPeEjX5cJ-zexM1KvyRF2Xc5O3kfIyk4TixM9HTnMwlprCMWAckPt/s640/IMG_0674.JPG" true="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">A View of the Valley from Tip-in-Top</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A quick fresh wash in the room and we were ready for a birding tour. The ridge below the hotel seemed a prospective place to start with and we were amazed to find brown fronted woodpeckers on virtually every oak tree in the valley. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSEm2U5MiXWezapUzz6E3gVC-CC58qgiv0xB7_8f1YuWh4MadcZoU3eeGgdnn0Wi-p0mf8CSl4fetf5gSmzTx9IzamtHHkkYFOLDX5kNdS8O7VBIrl8mAHrIMT2Ess9O3ncwm76Ctm_LP/s1600/IMG_0333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSEm2U5MiXWezapUzz6E3gVC-CC58qgiv0xB7_8f1YuWh4MadcZoU3eeGgdnn0Wi-p0mf8CSl4fetf5gSmzTx9IzamtHHkkYFOLDX5kNdS8O7VBIrl8mAHrIMT2Ess9O3ncwm76Ctm_LP/s640/IMG_0333.JPG" true="" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Brown Fronted Woodpecker at Lansdowne</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We almost mistook some of the woodpeckers to be 'Yellow Crowned', but the black moustache and and barred back (against spotted in Yellow Crowned) cleared our doubt.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHw_DtvBaq8LfQacQXz2EmFJtsNPMHZh0wtRvBsTWuI8_N1xXwYfl44t0c3rGPWq4bSIHKGKKOMeap1Je2K9IfWIDvQX5Raojhndw2uNbJ4K1Cc0JyTNnp3qoxPssr5gZuanWvgG6OnQG/s1600/IMG_0490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHw_DtvBaq8LfQacQXz2EmFJtsNPMHZh0wtRvBsTWuI8_N1xXwYfl44t0c3rGPWq4bSIHKGKKOMeap1Je2K9IfWIDvQX5Raojhndw2uNbJ4K1Cc0JyTNnp3qoxPssr5gZuanWvgG6OnQG/s640/IMG_0490.JPG" true="" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Juvenile Brown Fronted Woodpecker</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Female Brown Fronted W.lacks the red crown behind the forehead and is a little duller in appearance. Abundance of these woodpeckers in Lansdowne seemed logical. With some of the finest woods of oak, pine and deodar, these woodpeckers thrive on the fluffy trunks and crevices of trees, where plenty of food is available. As we zeroed in on a clump of trees, a group of Bronzed Drongos flew fearlessly close to us.</span> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIAfVceaKJsBRqDoxF3l7LxfcYtGZEHWRrOyt6xOwST1B2vzf6kxO48laQDPV0MUaEsZUTO-RzxMy7OAu8NrHQjdF9YeWqyMbldWG0J57Kv09TkUbBjegrdMJODeeEimfKaU8uoFqiABx/s1600/IMG_0797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIAfVceaKJsBRqDoxF3l7LxfcYtGZEHWRrOyt6xOwST1B2vzf6kxO48laQDPV0MUaEsZUTO-RzxMy7OAu8NrHQjdF9YeWqyMbldWG0J57Kv09TkUbBjegrdMJODeeEimfKaU8uoFqiABx/s640/IMG_0797.JPG" true="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Bronzed Drongo</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As the sun shone on the moist oak trees, a solitary Lesser Yellownape in all its glory, joined the party. Russet sparrows chirped happily.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoN0MR7emg8oLElWfDcYtt16nIt-xeMtkQMfOUyWUJvx8BDRsUyq3xuSgaJ_h9qEhfjzDSUl-lBjh-uR_9mDX9stSL182DUuIdyZhTSo8XIp4fPtZuZGTB6S00vby5NrQ72BmSLw5FvYnN/s1600/IMG_0217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoN0MR7emg8oLElWfDcYtt16nIt-xeMtkQMfOUyWUJvx8BDRsUyq3xuSgaJ_h9qEhfjzDSUl-lBjh-uR_9mDX9stSL182DUuIdyZhTSo8XIp4fPtZuZGTB6S00vby5NrQ72BmSLw5FvYnN/s640/IMG_0217.JPG" true="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Lesser Yellownape Male</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And in the distance, we heard the persistent 'meowing' of the Great Barbet. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lansdowne as a destination is practically unknown to birders in India, although the rich forests of Oak which abound in the area ( known as <span style="font-size: small;">बांज़</span> (<em>Baanz</em>) in Hindi) deserve a greater attention. It may however be mentioned that the name of the place has an oblique connection with birds on the international scene. Canadian writer and bird artist James Fenwick Lansdowne is famous for his three volume treatise, 'Behaviour of Birds' and the later masterpiece 'Rare Birds of China'. Apparently, he also wrote a book called 'Lansdowne's Birds of the Forest' which covered some birds of North America with paintings by the famous bird artist John A Livingston. Obviously, none of these had anything to do with the Garhwal Lansdowne that we were now visiting.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBxLUu5kCheUL9TKAhv7CpEDAKEKdIVcqln4E67tYSogZXt-7F9oMItliuLhet9Y-TJLieMmx6dRkp0M5XS8Jx9KsBV0669n5fL8Cu4pcg6tb6Yf7oG6PyyoU1qYdDsYN5TaKENfcQn5x/s1600/IMG_1179-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBxLUu5kCheUL9TKAhv7CpEDAKEKdIVcqln4E67tYSogZXt-7F9oMItliuLhet9Y-TJLieMmx6dRkp0M5XS8Jx9KsBV0669n5fL8Cu4pcg6tb6Yf7oG6PyyoU1qYdDsYN5TaKENfcQn5x/s640/IMG_1179-1.JPG" true="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The Forest Landscape of Lansdowne</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The canteen had no dining room. So the chef cum waiter cum manager Virender served for us in the open, the staple, but delicious 'rajma-chawal' with hot 'phulkas' and a made to order egg curry, which we ate till the kitchen ran out of 'atta'. In the garden, we discovered the beautiful Indian Tortoiseshell butterfly which posed for us without any fuss.</span> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhut4ybbmbAjZ_Y1pAK6tec6Yg1ppal919hW15wlG6qqyimC3H9xr34Uob3xflmWeMbGTzf9jlXpIHlquHOtSSY9Piv5TcS7i1lrya7d4XI0sV44FYf-H_rcFpPZKjFn5CFiSNNITBQzbLj/s1600/IMG_0860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhut4ybbmbAjZ_Y1pAK6tec6Yg1ppal919hW15wlG6qqyimC3H9xr34Uob3xflmWeMbGTzf9jlXpIHlquHOtSSY9Piv5TcS7i1lrya7d4XI0sV44FYf-H_rcFpPZKjFn5CFiSNNITBQzbLj/s640/IMG_0860.JPG" true="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Indian Tortoiseshell, the Common Himalayan Butterfly</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the afternoon, we decided to follow the 'wail' of the Great Barbet and were pleased with ourselves to ultimately spot a pair in thick foliage. Apparently, the birds had been responding to one another. A colourful bird of the foothills, the repeatedly <em>'pee-lioo...'</em> sound by the male, is sometimes heard over long distances. It is usually followed by the 'tuk-tuk-tuk' of the female. I had heard this sound for the first time in Mussoorie from my hotel room some years ago. Known as '<em>Treho</em>' or '<em>Bhayho</em>' in the local language, the Great Barbet is one of the most spectacular birds of the lower Himalayas.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Great Barbet -- Lansdowne</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">No visit to a Himalayan location is complete without the early morning visits by the Streaked Laughingthrush which can be seen foraging titbits around houses, railings or garbage dumps or the Blue Whistling Thrush that throngs around forest streams.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Blue whistling Thrush--Lansdowne</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the late afternoon, we went down along the ridge road where two beautiful protestant and catholic churches, St. Mary's and St. John's warranted a stop-over. Constructed over a hundred years ago, these churches are still active as worshipping places.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">St. Mary's Church - Lansdowne</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A little further down the road, we were greeted by one of the sweetest bird song we had ever heard. It was the Grey-winged Blackbird with its full repertoire of rich fruity notes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Grey-winged Blackbird Male -- Lansdowne</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Male and female of the species look quite different and the juvenile has yet another scaly appearance. The olive-brown of the female with its rufous wing panel is in contrast with the grey wing panel of the male. Grey-winged Blackbirds are commonly encountered in forests above 1800 ft. in the Himalayan terrain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Grey-winged Blackbird Female-Lansdowne</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a bracing walk through the wooded forest, we turned back. We were past the season of bright red rhodendron flowers. Only a few residual flowers remained on trees. In the backyard of the canteen, a pair of Red Billed Blue Magpies greeted us. These birds invariably turn up near habitated locations early in the morning or late in the evening. The Red Billed Blue Magpie, apart from the red beak, is distinguished from its cousin, the Yellow Billed Blue Magpie by its more extensive white hindcrown.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEuSJ2mhiOdGnw1MMTABVugLA65l1cEGVAruKE24auGeoy4zNJJoVtqQy_2x5RmoicNqdXqTYzBft0CU7vli4ESRduKTuVTfke7xd_-Rd3xqtwgWov71U00u1YqG3DFAQxJTaEFbNlSGY/s1600/IMG_0612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEuSJ2mhiOdGnw1MMTABVugLA65l1cEGVAruKE24auGeoy4zNJJoVtqQy_2x5RmoicNqdXqTYzBft0CU7vli4ESRduKTuVTfke7xd_-Rd3xqtwgWov71U00u1YqG3DFAQxJTaEFbNlSGY/s640/IMG_0612.JPG" true="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Pair of Red Billed Blue Magpies - Lansdowne</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the evening, the weather suddenly changed. A strong wind accompanied by torrential rain lashed our cottage made of thin temporary material. With lightning roaring and flashing all over the sky, the cottage virtually shuddered and shook with every gust of strong wind. To make matters worse, power suddenly blew out, leaving us in pitch darkness in torrential rain. All of us had a sleepless night and were able to catch a few winks only towards the morning. When the first rays of morning lit up our window, the storm had virtually subsided. As I opened the door, a gust of chill, fresh air greeted me. A fantastic morning had already lit up the mountains. I suddenly remembered the lines of an old Sahir Hindi film song that goes:</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: large;">रात जितनी भी संगीन होगी </span></em></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><em>सुबह उतनी ही रंगीन होगी </em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Roughly translated, it meant, 'more dire the darkness of the night, more colourful shall be the morning'. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And a colourful and glorious morning it surely was, despite no tea, no electricity, no nothing! </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJgFnMVXeRe0PUc_kp1Q6KkIGEcZPl0vDk2fMKWRFicIxABQ82ZPZbRhsWi3hUrzKs9Uzjv-NOjowoOwI9K6W_4ADTVa8hkFtqB9dY5BjbtWLzH-oSxzjjPBXHsSDZgtmU7-AWjWu5juT/s1600/IMG_0675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJgFnMVXeRe0PUc_kp1Q6KkIGEcZPl0vDk2fMKWRFicIxABQ82ZPZbRhsWi3hUrzKs9Uzjv-NOjowoOwI9K6W_4ADTVa8hkFtqB9dY5BjbtWLzH-oSxzjjPBXHsSDZgtmU7-AWjWu5juT/s640/IMG_0675.JPG" true="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">First View of the morning after the Storm</span> </h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As the sun slowly peeked from behind the mountains and the town slowly limped back to normalcy, we were treated to one of the most fantastic view of the snow clad Himalayan range virtually from our doorstep.</span> <br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;">Lansdowne- Himalaya at our Doorstep</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSf-VRb9ZCLxwtWZCqLTvE7NPhuuJu_LL0goE7yWRjbMhp8_k0isdZHjKkAXzmFa_6pXUTbSyNHnIBwKMi09w-6qdqFIrL4j1ylJYY9Kc-Aa8V_4zk8UyNZEqiO-N20HwjXKz7W2XbjSE/s1600/IMG_0988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSf-VRb9ZCLxwtWZCqLTvE7NPhuuJu_LL0goE7yWRjbMhp8_k0isdZHjKkAXzmFa_6pXUTbSyNHnIBwKMi09w-6qdqFIrL4j1ylJYY9Kc-Aa8V_4zk8UyNZEqiO-N20HwjXKz7W2XbjSE/s640/IMG_0988.JPG" true="" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a little while, as the sun shone on the rain soaked oak trees, we decided to come down in search of birds. To our surprise, virtually every tree could be seen buzzing with activities of small and bigger birds. A whole squadron of Chestnut Bellied Nuthatches was scampering up and down the tree trunks, first in search of food, and later, to deal with their territorial concerns.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">A Hungry Chestnut Bellied Nuthatch</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Chestnut Nuthatch inspecting a Prospective Home</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHsle_EzhMdgmTczBFJohFNHaoNGcXjpk8bd08XGxulyGb9ziJwPJ7uLScQ3lKnOXrz8Sm4NMySVW65-AzxYvM1tIrr66h2ESSewBBU9ktlwkOygOfO9dNfk-yWcfxXu3qMisNr3JIHXGU/s1600/IMG_0932-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHsle_EzhMdgmTczBFJohFNHaoNGcXjpk8bd08XGxulyGb9ziJwPJ7uLScQ3lKnOXrz8Sm4NMySVW65-AzxYvM1tIrr66h2ESSewBBU9ktlwkOygOfO9dNfk-yWcfxXu3qMisNr3JIHXGU/s640/IMG_0932-1.JPG" true="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">A Nuthatch Defending its Territory</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> At the middle storey of bushes and shrubs, a group of Green-backed Tits was active.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJXfdEFnT-TrF6_RT94CIwzY3jUUs_oGc8mCUS34yd6N4YAjxMkKNeTcxB_Hw2xZPAzxirjxOOHteJUtRHdoixOjyJT7PLUZ__OAufKybvWtXSaRH-z5a7cmQcipzfM00E6GVTL-M_FGf/s1600/IMG_0657-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJXfdEFnT-TrF6_RT94CIwzY3jUUs_oGc8mCUS34yd6N4YAjxMkKNeTcxB_Hw2xZPAzxirjxOOHteJUtRHdoixOjyJT7PLUZ__OAufKybvWtXSaRH-z5a7cmQcipzfM00E6GVTL-M_FGf/s640/IMG_0657-1.JPG" true="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Green-backed Tit-- Lansdowne</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We also found a Black-lored Tit feeding along with the nuthatches.</span> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDaj_4wJ9WygT0IOLzJk_IFmH2WuYu0AbHBZOzxVlh2RW29deX4JNxQGw6tuuS5FMhVuGB8z8dJFp3H3nPfCQxfDpcvQQgQ4Rli6NfyFZNTAEd20v_gdCKu9FmYsidBYQahqW8_f8-5hOL/s1600/IMG_1128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDaj_4wJ9WygT0IOLzJk_IFmH2WuYu0AbHBZOzxVlh2RW29deX4JNxQGw6tuuS5FMhVuGB8z8dJFp3H3nPfCQxfDpcvQQgQ4Rli6NfyFZNTAEd20v_gdCKu9FmYsidBYQahqW8_f8-5hOL/s640/IMG_1128.JPG" true="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Black-lored Tit - Lansdowne</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And amongst the nuthatches once again, we were delighted to find a Bar-tailed Treecreeper.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSg1ewXg243NJCaoXlYdATqVcJTeMPXFcBrTpLyEmsJezstfBLGLN3QpU1FnWiPDsR2H1xfmyiTNG0Ui7xyht5Sf4qjke45Qla7cefJPym3b102Rt0-7bk7gqJxPH1qyZKHf1SfrYwH1-5/s1600/IMG_0813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSg1ewXg243NJCaoXlYdATqVcJTeMPXFcBrTpLyEmsJezstfBLGLN3QpU1FnWiPDsR2H1xfmyiTNG0Ui7xyht5Sf4qjke45Qla7cefJPym3b102Rt0-7bk7gqJxPH1qyZKHf1SfrYwH1-5/s640/IMG_0813.JPG" true="" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Bar-tailed Treecreeper-- Lansdowne</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another common, but very beautiful bird was the Black-headed Jay. But surprisingly, we did not find its counterpart, the Eurasian Jay there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Black-headed Jay-- Lansdowne</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We would have loved to carry on birding for a few more hours, but were scheduled to get back in the evening. Amongst the various places of interest around Lansdowne, we decided to visit the highly recommended Shiva Temple at Tarkeshwar Mahadev for its unique setting amongst the Deodar trees. Situated 38 km away from Lansdowne, the temple is surrounded by a cluster of tall Deodar trees and is popular as a picnic spot. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQlGbuMYFYntrwH4yzuEOlHEY-S-N7Tj8NzkLlSOSGFuYNfTE1aUHG_Ca3owYbey8d_YO-aiIKGiShyphenhyphenITEyGSLVBMjKfWyqY4CcziBr1UKCbOSRV4kZWU4lUpQrXqg8NZxXtukfr9UcI8h/s1600/IMG_0560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQlGbuMYFYntrwH4yzuEOlHEY-S-N7Tj8NzkLlSOSGFuYNfTE1aUHG_Ca3owYbey8d_YO-aiIKGiShyphenhyphenITEyGSLVBMjKfWyqY4CcziBr1UKCbOSRV4kZWU4lUpQrXqg8NZxXtukfr9UcI8h/s640/IMG_0560.JPG" true="" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The Tarkeshwar Dhaam- Set Amidst Tall Deodar Trees</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is an irony that branches of Deodar trees are rampantly used in worshipping of Shiva. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The authorities of the Temple have now put up signboards everywhere, urging worshippers not to destroy the beautiful Deodar trees, some of which are several hundred years old. </span><span style="font-size: large;">On a dead deodar trunk, we found a large colony of Plum Headed Parakeets, that had made their nests on a dead deodar trunk. Interestingly, the entire colony of parakeets consisted only of females and not a single male parakeet was to be seen anywhere around. Soon, we realised our mistake that these were grey headed parakeets where males and females look similar. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The beauty and serenity of the place was overpowering. Situated at 1800 ft., it must rank as one of the unique Shiva temple in the world.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXY5Eiah4Cgy18bfMgNVXltOvQO6YJEQU1Cnv8ug5Up4TLsWgzJKWN3Fcus_echyouR7vX8lKROUJaI0memn4GlrVqgNGKL4EeJBcpwS7t3AA2VqZoMDrm3zaVnlKbDKAKV5YyC-WMJbs7/s1600/IMG_0579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXY5Eiah4Cgy18bfMgNVXltOvQO6YJEQU1Cnv8ug5Up4TLsWgzJKWN3Fcus_echyouR7vX8lKROUJaI0memn4GlrVqgNGKL4EeJBcpwS7t3AA2VqZoMDrm3zaVnlKbDKAKV5YyC-WMJbs7/s640/IMG_0579.JPG" true="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Nest of Grey Headed Parakeet on Deodar Tree Trunk-- Tarkeshwar Dham</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dUm5UQyUiqNO4j1o0ctCCDO9rVBKC-11iOECTYY_FQnHH5oxLb3oB3lTviWvusJx1n0wXGLovs4RVkFWd9AsvQubHS4PhhnGKH4tWTw1ygd9yIJGfBMSLkEX2LWLJEhKtmU3b3l8MZ9f/s1600/IMG_0587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dUm5UQyUiqNO4j1o0ctCCDO9rVBKC-11iOECTYY_FQnHH5oxLb3oB3lTviWvusJx1n0wXGLovs4RVkFWd9AsvQubHS4PhhnGKH4tWTw1ygd9yIJGfBMSLkEX2LWLJEhKtmU3b3l8MZ9f/s640/IMG_0587.JPG" true="" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Deodar Trees at Tarkeshwar Dham</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the way back,we stopped at </span><span style="font-size: large;">Deriakhal </span><span style="font-size: large;">which offers a </span><span style="font-size: large;">panoramic view of the </span><span style="font-size: large;">valley.We were also </span><span style="font-size: large;">tempted to </span><span style="font-size: large;">follow a</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">recommended 8.5 km </span><span style="font-size: large;">trek </span><span style="font-size: large;">from the place </span><span style="font-size: large;">back to </span><span style="font-size: large;">Lansdowne.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But lack of </span><span style="font-size: large;">time </span><span style="font-size: large;">prevented us</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">from doing </span><span style="font-size: large;">so. </span><span style="font-size: large;">T</span><span style="font-size: large;">he road beyond Lansdowne takes you to Pauri, an </span><span style="font-size: large;">important </span><span style="font-size: large;">junction and yet another beautiful stopover </span><span style="font-size: large;">point. </span><span style="font-size: large;">But our yellow painted </span><span style="font-size: large;">'Kotdwar Ki Rani' was </span><span style="font-size: large;">now waiting to take us </span><span style="font-size: large;">back to the earthly </span><span style="font-size: large;">world of Kotdwara and beyond. We </span><span style="font-size: large;">stopped for a short while at Lansdowne, only to catch the harsh buzzing of a group of Verditer Flycatchers.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBu1dvxikDt2AfkSzca6t9cYhVyqP3mrnLW5cB1g4sEqKqgknc0HTsTjx7aaPjulZZauG0QC0KzU1t0Tf-xeUeWU0ylBFpxXsm0k7r2lr3W6ElR16a8P2kYnGmjjgHcOeAWmY2VmwEbHO/s1600/IMG_0787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBu1dvxikDt2AfkSzca6t9cYhVyqP3mrnLW5cB1g4sEqKqgknc0HTsTjx7aaPjulZZauG0QC0KzU1t0Tf-xeUeWU0ylBFpxXsm0k7r2lr3W6ElR16a8P2kYnGmjjgHcOeAWmY2VmwEbHO/s400/IMG_0787.JPG" true="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Verditer Flycatcher - Lansdowne</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The old charm world of Lansdowne was a revelation in itself. As driver Kailash chugged his jalopy to take us back, each of us decided to return to the valley for a longer time and with space on hand. For the present, we had to be back to the cruel realities of Delhi and Ghaziabad. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UffU_RMHzBVtpD1QjUm2OJiOFsg4bwYwvukQsXzkxolhjUWh8Xg0QLV3WraDA_GG7PK3uC-5o42dsXS9mT_7tyfpAPieEyEb-BIXdEthyWF9aTqxHwq45w7gBLxehwkCk8mU2tyPFvqI/s1600/IMG_0992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UffU_RMHzBVtpD1QjUm2OJiOFsg4bwYwvukQsXzkxolhjUWh8Xg0QLV3WraDA_GG7PK3uC-5o42dsXS9mT_7tyfpAPieEyEb-BIXdEthyWF9aTqxHwq45w7gBLxehwkCk8mU2tyPFvqI/s640/IMG_0992.JPG" true="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
<span style="font-size: small;">Picturesque Town of Lansdowne</span></h2>
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<em><strong>Jitendra Bhatia</strong></em></div>
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<strong>May 2011 at Lansdowne</strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">copyright Jitendra Bhatia</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="mailto:jb.envirotekindia@gmail.com">jb.envirotekindia@gmail.com</a></span></div>
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Jitendra Bhatiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872266309661669977noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950913127516406719.post-57892736351867808532011-04-01T11:50:00.000-07:002016-01-17T06:13:24.584-08:00AN EVENING WITH CRAKES<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I have been breaking parts of my camera with notorious regularity. At the last count, a freak accident mercifully spared my camera and the lens, but I still managed to smash the LCD Monitor. If you do not understand the totality of this damage, try driving the car with its bonnet pulled up across the front windscreen. Ironically, the accident in question occured during an unsuccessful trip to Nahargarh, Jaipur in search of the elusive White Naped Tit. My good friend Tej Kumar Sharma of the Animal Rescue Centre, who was accompanying me, turned profusely apologetic, as if he had ordained a secret role in my own clumsiness. Local camera experts in Jaipur were cautiously vague, but fortunately, I was travelling to Mumbai the very next day. Garima, my daughter, who also doubles as my photographic mentor, informed helpfully that the monitor is the most sensitive part of the camera and I should of course take a second opinion, but at the worst, should be prepared to throw away the entire camera as junk. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">So here I was in Mumbai, looking absently at the office laptop screen, but my mind repeatedly mulling the events that led to the fateful rolling of the camera from the car back seat onto the floor of the vehicle. I had deposited the camera at the Canon repair centre, and was advised to check the feasibility of repair after one week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">On that eventful day, two things happened in quick succession. Garima phoned up to enquire about my camera and then asked me whether while in Mumbai, I had managed time to see the crakes. I had never seen a crake in my life, to be honest, and was obviously quite surprised. It seemed someone had seen four different types of crakes at a single location in Mumbai. Garima promised to send me details. As I put down the phone, it occured to me that I was without my camera. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">By the time I got details from Garima, it was already afternoon. In desperation, I phoned up Canon again to enquire about my camera, only to be told that the mechanic had not come to the office so far. But barely one and a half hour after my call, as if on cue, there was a call from Canon and I was in astounding luck! My camera was ready and could be picked up the same evening!! By eight that evening, I had the camera with me. It was then that I decided to follow the lead on Crakes seriously.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">It was Pradnyavat Mane, a birder from Dombivli near Mumbai who first located presence of four different crakes near a housing society in Thane and posted this finding on birdsofbombay yahoo group. He also reported presence of Greater Painted Snipe there. Soon, there were hordes of birders flocking to Mumbai to see these rare and elusive birds. I believe a few of them even flew in from Delhi and other locations just to get snaps of these migrants.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Information on crakes on the net is quite sketchy and one invariably bumps into the famous novel 'Oryx & Crake' by Margaret Atwood, which obviously has nothing to do with crakes. Crakes are small and secretive marsh birds with short bills and 'laterally compressed' body. Rails look similar to crakes, except that they have much longer bills. According to Peter Slater, 'crakes flick tails constantly and fly with dangling legs'. They also swim well like moorhens. Spending most of the time in reeds and thick water vegetation, crakes emerge from reeds if they are not disturbed and feed along water's edge. They eat frogs, some plants and seeds. Besides rails, crakes are similar in pedigree to coot, swamphen and watercock. Nearly all crakes are winter migrants from Europe and Central Asia, though Harvey, Devsar and Grewal of Delhi Birds mention that there is a possibility that Baillon's crake could be breeding in the Gangetic plains. But this has not been confirmed as at the slightest interference, the birds vanish into the depths of inaccessible reeds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The site mentioned by Pradnyavat was an abandoned salt pan in Thane. I decided to make a visit to the place in the morning and checked this up with Pradnyavat who, despite being constantly pestered by over-enthusiastic birders, was cool and extremely cooperative. After apologising for not being able to join me, he gave me detailed instructions on the phone for reaching the exact spot. An invaluable tip was that the morning sun will be unfavourable, making photography after 8 AM virtually impossible. Based on this information, I decided to postpone the trip to late afternoon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">In the office that afternoon, I was greeted by a flurry of urgent e-mails and queries that demanded immediate attention. Finally, at 4.30, with great determination, I put the computer to sleep and ventured out with my camera.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I had been warned not to travel by car, and this again proved to be extremely useful advice. Getting off the local train at Thane East, I headed straight for the </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">New English School, which was barely at 5 to 7 minutes walk from the station. </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">As you get to the side gate of the college, a clump of elephant grass or tall weeds greets you. You go around the clump, find a place to sit and concentrate on the base of the tall weeds. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">And there I saw, to my delight, the first Spotted Crake, slowly emerging from the weeds and gradually becoming more confident to come out in the open. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcdhTYzfCuZbsdLKEYLJHyXzly7MHkZ3DLXl8eSAYEaQvVfBVntkM3qIwb6nJbYMqMauTXl8Hg7hJRrmflctfa-29h2mH4mfICI6an2nudwrlRrl5L9Gb-W1Ko5QQDnm2xZqA-YnfltIQ/s1600/IMG_7324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcdhTYzfCuZbsdLKEYLJHyXzly7MHkZ3DLXl8eSAYEaQvVfBVntkM3qIwb6nJbYMqMauTXl8Hg7hJRrmflctfa-29h2mH4mfICI6an2nudwrlRrl5L9Gb-W1Ko5QQDnm2xZqA-YnfltIQ/s640/IMG_7324.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>The Tall Reeds Clump at Thane</strong></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The reeds clump at Thane is part of a small unconstructed grass land. It is unique that the crakes have chosen to take residence at this location thousands of km away from their origin in Central Asia. Photographer Vivek Arun, who lives close by, informs that the land has already been sold and a year later in the next season, the place may already be unavailable for these birds. As such, it is a unique coincidence to find them here. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">As we took our position on the ground, the Spotted Crake moved in front of us and we were able to click some pictures.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DD0iWWFfuu_Hojlh0fbODnHdqnJfn6qFUuzVGqPmUH_6XM4PIXOtNmHlaKnYRsy3hOvhNE-QxbWgjhQdF0XUh-JzogX0coTnFQnP8_feK8D_osZRSngNwGy3jE27XVLzlxNzOogEdN_Q/s1600/IMG_7341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="482" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DD0iWWFfuu_Hojlh0fbODnHdqnJfn6qFUuzVGqPmUH_6XM4PIXOtNmHlaKnYRsy3hOvhNE-QxbWgjhQdF0XUh-JzogX0coTnFQnP8_feK8D_osZRSngNwGy3jE27XVLzlxNzOogEdN_Q/s640/IMG_7341.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">Spotted Crake</span></strong></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Spotted Crake (<em>Porzana porzana</em>) is not a widely spread visitor to our country and its sightings have also been relatively few. In Mumbai, it has been sighted at Kalyan, Powai and Wada in the last 25 years. Vivek informed that there are three or four males and females at the present location.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIDEf3liEsYB_tx9lrLhZ_wduJzt9bPr5uqU8UAOQDdgdWG_qbHo7HzRHpwGDtxpT2y0OXrhquPy7yCpnAMGrf_DnJ2o5344WOw3DCBNlvs-_Hl6VQlBHJow7qojt1zXvmkxsk7qdkG4R/s1600/IMG_7368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIDEf3liEsYB_tx9lrLhZ_wduJzt9bPr5uqU8UAOQDdgdWG_qbHo7HzRHpwGDtxpT2y0OXrhquPy7yCpnAMGrf_DnJ2o5344WOw3DCBNlvs-_Hl6VQlBHJow7qojt1zXvmkxsk7qdkG4R/s640/IMG_7368.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Spotted Crake</strong> </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">However, on this occasion, we only saw a solitary male, which was not disturbed by the noise made by the casual passers-by. A group of boys returning from their game of cricket paused, mildly amused, and then carried on, while the crake went on patrolling the fringe of reeds. In a few days, the remaining water will dry up and it will be time for the crakes to make their return journey to Central Asia or wherever they have come from.</span> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgI2BmgUCe1dDSHyyLIqtceawUFJcZ5xIhn2JolNXhJVW4mIVsCK3YNsSWzcWJN2pNDI3CyZYswa79zJllXafrldsvcgYFCKDbttx4KzdfaRujAKjS4zJMauliIDvBioAZfxRfW0vgKMl/s1600/IMG_7412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="475" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgI2BmgUCe1dDSHyyLIqtceawUFJcZ5xIhn2JolNXhJVW4mIVsCK3YNsSWzcWJN2pNDI3CyZYswa79zJllXafrldsvcgYFCKDbttx4KzdfaRujAKjS4zJMauliIDvBioAZfxRfW0vgKMl/s640/IMG_7412.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">Spotted Crake</span></strong></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">As the evening approached, our Spotted Crake was joined by a Baillon's Crake <em>(Porzana pusilla</em>)<em>,</em> but the same was relatively shy. It was clear that the Spotted Crake was more assertive and perfectly at home as the original tenant while the Baillon's was a later visitor. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRGjbnrhPRKjAKbENBEAS7bIVe5Wg1yjgUcW8PHxTPQOSyGW1qr9jQRDzTq7Dlr4PFFwECLa5N8MK0ev797IqNiGv3lz0Ry-NTK9Cv4jaPdQPnRmDJJQiSuC8Q_tyDMdzsxp3A1hbywr8/s1600/IMG_7424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRGjbnrhPRKjAKbENBEAS7bIVe5Wg1yjgUcW8PHxTPQOSyGW1qr9jQRDzTq7Dlr4PFFwECLa5N8MK0ev797IqNiGv3lz0Ry-NTK9Cv4jaPdQPnRmDJJQiSuC8Q_tyDMdzsxp3A1hbywr8/s640/IMG_7424.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">Spotted Crake</span></strong></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">And almost at the end of the wait, we had an appearance by the Ruddy Breasted Crake <em>(Porzana fusca</em>)<em>.</em> Both Baillon's and Ruddy Breasted Crakes are relatively smaller in size as compared to the Spotted Crake. The Ruddy Breasted Crake was much darker red than what is usually reported in the literature. We waited for the reportedly fourth member of the team, the Slaty-legged Crake (<em>Rallina canningi</em>) but apparently, it had decided to give us a miss. We heard voices in the reeds, which were difficult to identify.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">Ruddy Breasted Crake</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Vivek on the previous evening had been able to take pictures not only of the Slaty Legged Crake but also Greater Painted Snipe and Cinnamon Bittern. I had to be satisfied with what we saw. As the light deteriorated, it was time to leave. Vivek informed that the spot has been visited so far by nearly a hundred keen bird watchers. Pradnyavat, as the pioneer and custodian of this important location, makes sure that the photographers do not disturb the birds by going too close. He does not take pictures himself, but is happy that the birds have chosen this place as their temporary abode. As we took leave, we were almost certain that this was going to be our solitary sighting of these birds for a long time. Inevitably, the next time around, a tall concrete building will find its place at the very spot where the clump of reeds presently stands. Good bye crakes. Welcome Concrete Jungle.</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Jitendra Bhatia</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">at Thane, March 2011 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">© Jitendra Bhatia</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><a href="mailto:jb.envirotekindia@gmail.com">jb.envirotekindia@gmail.com</a></span></div>
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Jitendra Bhatiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872266309661669977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950913127516406719.post-72373758898034669402011-01-14T00:25:00.000-08:002016-01-17T06:10:32.676-08:00NOTES FROM DUDHWA<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">A FOGGY BEGINNING</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The day started on an ominous note, with mist descending on the streets and the light rapidly deteriorating. Lucknow, with streets dug out for laying drain pipes was bad enough without the mist. Fog made it almost un-motorable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had planned a road trip to Dudhwa National Park, a good 240 km away from Lucknow, close to the Nepal border.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">By the time we packed luggage and loaded our gadgets into Suresh's brand new Wagon R, visibility had dropped to less than 20 metres. We were accompanied by Suresh's younger son Amitabh, an engineer from MIT, amateur film photographer and above all, an able backseat driver, guiding and warning his dad, as he negotiated the vehicle through misty turns and diversions. We ventured cautiously, almost by intuition, contending bravely with UP's reckless truck fraternity that operates religiously without tail lights or fog signals. A welcome halt for breakfast after two hours of treacherous driving found us at a wayside Reliance Cafe, barely 50 kilometres away from Lucknow. It was a bleak morning, frightfully cold, with no sign of any bird activity anywhere. But as Saramago says, you never cease to marvel the turns of life or weather. With a hot breakfast inside us, we were able to consider a more positive view of the weather. Fog on the road seemed thinner and a lot more easier to negotiate. By the time we crossed Sitapur, a run down district town, feeble sunlight had already set in . Our first stroke of luck was with a glorious pair of Sarus cranes in a half cut sugarcane field. Amitabh quickly unstrapped his movie camera for action. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Oblivious of Our Presence, the Cranes Seemed to be Talking to One Another</span></strong></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Indian farmers love Sarus cranes, as they are considered to be harbingers of a bumper crop. On a rational plane, they rid the field of insects and miscellaneous pests. Meat of Sarus is considered taboo in Hindu scriptures. A story, <em>Kronchwadh, </em>probably from the Mahabharat, narrates the misfortunes of killing a Sarus crane. Sarus cranes are usually seen in pairs, and folklore has it that if one of a pair dies, the other one also dies soon. Amitabh tells me that on his previous trip, he saw more than a dozen birds together in a field. A recent report says that numbers of Sarus, the state bird of Uttar Pradesh, which had dwindled to about 1000 birds some time ago, are now up to a few thousand in the state.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We are passing through lush sugarcane fields, some of them partially cut. Water streams and small ponds run along the road. We are delighted to see a group of pied kingfishers, who for our benefit, perform the familiar dance of hovering still against the wind and then suddenly diving into the pond below to catch a moving fish in a flash.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span> </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Waiting for Action.....</span></strong></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Action !!</span></strong></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mission Accomplished !!!</span></strong></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">ON WAY TO DUDHWA</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A little ahead, we pass bigger, lake-like wetlands on either side of the road. A flock of roosting lesser whistling ducks, a few spot billed ducks and some pheasant tailed jacanas happily swimming in the shallow waters. A solitary muddy grey-white juvenile openbill tries to win over a group of lethargic egrets. A pair of Sarus cranes flies off, before we can record its action. We are passing through prime sugar cane country. Every now and then, a small sugar factory emerges from behind the hamlets, with the road getting blocked by overloaded bullock carts carrying a bumper crop of canes, ready for crushing. The Road further down brings us to the dusty town of Lakhimpur-Kheri, where we are intrigued by the number of liquor shops advertising chilled beer with adjectives like <em>Maha Thandi </em> or <em>Ghanghor Thandi</em> and at one place, even <em>Darun Thandi, </em> the typically Bengali expression. Obviously, no one here likes to sell beer less colder than the cryogenic temperatures suggested by these adjectives. A bridge across the meter gauge railway track gives a glimpse of the local railway station, with a packed train, bound for Lal Kuan puffing out. Little do we realise that this very train, overtaking us, would stop our way at several level crossings later during the same day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was intriguing to see the numerous signs in Punjabi Gurumukhi script on the road. Suresh, who was born in these parts, informs that several Sikhs bought land and settled in the area a couple of generations ago. The fertile land returned rich rewards, and many of the farmers now own palatial farm houses, with their children studying abroad. The land here offers three or even four crops during the year. We step down to inhale the intoxicating smell of blooming mustard flowers in the yellow fields.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The road from Lakhimpur is virtually a straight line. I have never seen such a long stretch of straight road. When we eventually turn right, the first sign for Dudhwa National Park shows up. We are at Bhera, and further on at Palia. The metre gauge railway track has been faithfully following us on the left. Ahead of Palia we need to cross the river Sarada, by a solitary narrow bridge that is common for the railway track and the road. We patiently wait for the train to pass, as the queue of trucks and cars builds up. A group of monkeys is stealthily inspecting tops of stalled trucks, probably in search of food. It zeros in on a truck packed with puffed rice. One monkey manages to tear one of the bags. Before the cleaner of the truck can drive the thieves away with a long stick, the monkeys, their cheeks filled with puffed rice, have scampered off. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We consider ourselves lucky for being able to cross the bridge in less than an hour. Traffic from the other side patiently waits for its turn on the one way bridge. On our right are the unfinished spans of a new bridge that will end this ordeal. But no one knows when the new bridge will be completed.</span> </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Unfinished New Bridge on Sarada</span></strong></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Palia is a relatively larger town with petrol pumps, ATMs and well stacked grocery shops. Activity is spurred by the large sugar factory of Bajaj Hindustan at Palia. Northern boundary of Palia is only 10 km from Dudhwa. On the way, we cross the picturesque streams of Suheli, where the Mahauts of the park are busy scrubbing the tame elephants of the park.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elephants Getting their Daily Wash at Suheli River</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On a treetop overhanging the river, a serpent eagle sits enjoying the afternoon sun, while on the rocks below, terrapins, crocodiles and birds are in blissful co-existence.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">A Serpent Eagle over Suheli River</span></strong></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Terrapins, Egrets, Crocodile and Pond Heron on Suheli River</span></strong></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> By the time we reached the forest lodge at Dudhwa, it was almost evening. Tall sal trees overlooked the lodge, while the reception hall had some enlarged pictures of birds and animals. A graceful grey wagtail posed for us on the lawns. We return to the car to find that monkeys have stolen all the food packets through the half open window-pane.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Grey Wagtail at Dudhwa Forest Lodge</span></strong></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The huts of forest lodge were modestly equipped with all facilities except running hot water. A watch tower on the premises offered a panoramic view of the Suheli river. As darkness fell, it was time to retire after an eventful day.</span> </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Suheli River in the Evening</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">ELEPHANT SAFARI</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We got up to a cold morning with a light mist in the air. A racket tail drongo was calling from top of the sal tree in front of the row of huts. One of the big attraction of Dudhwa is its gorgeous sal forests, which are arguably the best in the world. Sal forests are best seen in the first rays of dawn and we dressed up to face the chilly winds of the morning.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">First Rays of the Morning Sun touching Dudhwa </span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dudhwa Tiger Reserve is the name given to the integrated forest area in Dudhwa spread over an area of 884 square kilometres. It consists of two parts, i.e. Dudhwa National Park (which has a core zone of 490 square km and a buffer zone of 190 km) formed in 1977 and the older, but smaller Kishanpur Wild Life Sanctuary (with an area of 204 square km) formed in 1972. Dudhwa National Park is spread with the Suheli river as its natural boundary in the south and Nepal as its boundary in the north. Kishanpur WLS is south of Dudhwa National Park around the Sharda river which we crossed on our way to Dudhwa.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Splendour of Sal Trees</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dudhwa is 60 percent sal forest, the rest being made up of other varieties of sub-Himalayan trees. We are headed for Salukhapur, the starting point for the famed Elephant safari. The trip on the animal's back is not a staged 'elephant show' like Bandhavgadh, but a real ride into the deep interiors of the forest on the elephant back where you can expect the unexpected to happen. Most of Dudhwa consists of Sal clusters, long stretches of tall 'elephant grass' and flat lands by the side of the rivers. The trained elephants romp through paths which are uneven and almost inaccessible. On the flip side, from the point of view of bird photography, it is a rough ride, offering little scope for camera adjustment and even less for keeping it still, as Amitabh discovered quickly and wisely decided to leave some of his heavy paraphernalia back in the car, despite there being free space on the <em>howdah , </em>with only the three of us on the<em> </em>elephant back. Our elephant, <em>Chhibli </em>(an unusual name for a tame elephant) was a cool animal, very obedient to the mahaut.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elephants Getting Ready for the Safari at Salukhapur</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We pass through tall grass, onto a path that leads to the riverside. In addition to a few migrant ducks, cormorants and herons dominate the scene.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Suheli Riverbank Dudhwa</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Every now and then, the elephant stops to gnaw at the tall grass. Amitabh is suddenly animated by a loud growling sound behind us and gets excited at the prospect of seeing a tiger at close range. But the mahaut sheepishly informs that the terrific rumbling emanates from the elephant breaking wind! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Encountering a tiger on elephant safari is rare, though not impossible. All mahauts are in the habit of showing fresh pugmarks of the tiger to the vistors. It is always exciting to learn that a tiger has passed the same path a little while ago. Some guides even specialise in showing you the tiger shit as a consolance for not spotting the animal. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This time around, the mahaut suddenly hushes us up. We are approaching a female Rhino with a cub close behind. Rhinos can sometimes charge at intruders.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rhino at Dudhwa</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is a majestic animal, with the cub hidden in the bushes. Rhinos were natural habitants of Dudhwa, but lost the last of their tribe due to indiscriminate poaching. Re-introduction of the Indian Rhino to Dudhwa (from Kaziranga in Assam) a couple of decades ago has been an eminently successful operation, with the park now boasting of nearly thirty rhinos. The female eyed us very cautiously for a few minutes, and after ascertaining our peaceful intent, quickly lost all interest.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Spotted Deer</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Further up, another rhino and an an inquisitive spotted deer male with tantlers crossed our path. Dudhwa is also known for its swamp deer and the rare hispid hare, but we were not fortunate enough to get a glimpse. A lesser adjutant in the thick foliage surprised us. We were told that there are quite a few around.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lesser Adjutant Stork</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">SURPRISES IN THE SAL FOREST</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A hearty breakfast and vegetarian fare for lunch saw us waiting impatiently for another ride into the forest. We were immediately rewarded with a jackal out on an afternoon stroll. When we stopped our vehicle, the Jackal also paused and sat back on his haunches, like a true guardian of the pristine forest.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">A Jackal Watchfully Guarding the Forest </span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jackals are usually very shy and run away instantly on seeing people. This jackal stood his ground for a long time, before deciding to run.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Jackal that stood his Ground</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were headed for a watch tower by the side of a small stream beyond Sonaripur. Beyond it lies the buffer zone of the forest which has its Northern boundary touching Nepal. The last stop on the Indian side is Chandanchowki, a small village, where the road ends.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hog Deer or 'Pada' in the Local Language</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A pair of hog deer were cautiously grazing by the side of the watchpost, which offered a good view of the river and the land beyond. A variety of ducks, cormorants and herons were busy in and around the waterfront. A group of lesser whistling ducks flew away at the slightest sound in the breeze.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ever Vigilant Lesser Whistling Ducks</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the way back, paths of the forest were once again lit by the evening sun. As the darkness descended, the cold, crisp air of the forest filled our lungs.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dusk at Dudhwa</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> At the Forest Guest House, they tell stories of the legendry Billy Arjun Singh who had tamed a tiger that had to be eventually let off in the forest, where it turned a killer because it did not know how to hunt. Dudhwa, despite its open spaces, is being encroached from all sides by prime agricultural land that will surely surround and dissolve it one day like a huge amoeba. Nobody has the will to stop the metre gauge train that cuts along Dudhwa forest, carrying hundreds of people, several times a day. People, with their lethal waste of plastic bags, pan masala foils and other unfriendly stuff. It is a miracle that Dudhwa has survived so far.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">ADIEU TO DUDHWA </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The last day at the Forest Rest House begins with the customary packing of bags. We have been advised to leave well before lunch. We are impatient to get back to the forest. We have decided to go to the river and the small pond. There is no dearth of water in Dudhwa and that means there is no congregation of animals and birds at the water holes or rivers.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Road to Eternity through the Sal Forest</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">By the side of the pond, we were lucky to see a pair of Great Hornbills. Our guide tells us that it is a favourite spot for these fabulous birds.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Great Hornbill at Dudhwa</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Nobody is quite sure about the tiger population at Dudhwa, but logistics of organised poaching cannot be ruled out here. Besides different types of deer, there are assorted animals like porcupines in the forest and at Salukhapur, the Forest Lodge inside the park, you can see them looking for food at the garbage dump in the dark.. On our night drive to Chandan Chowki, we see one on the road and it quickly disappeared into the foliage.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Innocent Eyes</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our enthusiastic street-smart guide Sonu (alias an impressive 'L.D. Singh Naturalist & Member of the BCN' on his visiting card) tells us that at this time of the year, the best location for birding is the Kishanpur Wild Life Sanctuary some 50 km from Dudhwa. We decide to look it up on our way back, but are in for disappointment. The Chief Justice of India is visiting these parts and the Kishanpur WLS has been closed to outside visitors for two days in honour of his visit. We have also been advised to vacate our rooms at Dudhwa asap. A massive painting drive is on at Dudhwa for the VVIP visit, after which, we are sure, everything will fall back to its normal lethargic pace. </span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">A Painter Giving Finishing Touches to a Board for VVIP Visit</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the way back on the Suheli river, we found a stork billed kingfisher looking for a catch and a lesser adjutant flying off. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqgqgESmkG9BI6drS_1QyLzMM-2Kp2ewbSkxepYdQLMXCDzKp2m1ERvq0BQEaXzlmisZY3NTJk8BlxEi0UZOZa7d1ae5oWLrlY_LD9fZ_PARNiXY38LnKRvyCiDwc2Fqg6ImdIDW4-_xkF/s1600/IMG_5984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqgqgESmkG9BI6drS_1QyLzMM-2Kp2ewbSkxepYdQLMXCDzKp2m1ERvq0BQEaXzlmisZY3NTJk8BlxEi0UZOZa7d1ae5oWLrlY_LD9fZ_PARNiXY38LnKRvyCiDwc2Fqg6ImdIDW4-_xkF/s640/IMG_5984.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Stork Billed Kingfisher at Suheli, Dudhwa</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As before, crocodiles were basking in the sun in the company of terrapins and an assorted birds. And an elephant was off to work.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5e-KzUr3EqcIvBEIK9ZmdS8nymYqFnXUTrXUL53V2NN_Vjldja38HgVtDgSZnFOtd7Fg4gNPqM2iM-27mZGDKUD4ZNRrvjgSDffDKgaJHGLXPkTsZ3m49U2O7uAhPvgdnsZFTIAKWIVKj/s1600/IMG_5737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5e-KzUr3EqcIvBEIK9ZmdS8nymYqFnXUTrXUL53V2NN_Vjldja38HgVtDgSZnFOtd7Fg4gNPqM2iM-27mZGDKUD4ZNRrvjgSDffDKgaJHGLXPkTsZ3m49U2O7uAhPvgdnsZFTIAKWIVKj/s640/IMG_5737.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elephant off to Work </span></strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_zuwlCY7zdIjT6EcZsT5mtuQFIIff_qMlUlFUbJM_dsDNK5uBaYiuCpunkBF30hLhKBKpT0MwuurZoI-GrU-1yy6_P2fUrSQMuB1XSrEVL2TMAp-tPLA6zJeSTfrErUV4Wj1333MjkbY/s1600/IMG_1632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_zuwlCY7zdIjT6EcZsT5mtuQFIIff_qMlUlFUbJM_dsDNK5uBaYiuCpunkBF30hLhKBKpT0MwuurZoI-GrU-1yy6_P2fUrSQMuB1XSrEVL2TMAp-tPLA6zJeSTfrErUV4Wj1333MjkbY/s320/IMG_1632.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhuhYBHoIs5wMRVlwMhq7Pnxmbsv3UuzNRBRumxUmjviG1zukShe8nQbhXQXm3AyUOLo7HcE4SChz0pDUoWudWbjqCTKgWF2nI609VfmVNTdg_whI9s4tajSAhNNzPlfNonM1EppSGTdp/s1600/IMG_5729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhuhYBHoIs5wMRVlwMhq7Pnxmbsv3UuzNRBRumxUmjviG1zukShe8nQbhXQXm3AyUOLo7HcE4SChz0pDUoWudWbjqCTKgWF2nI609VfmVNTdg_whI9s4tajSAhNNzPlfNonM1EppSGTdp/s320/IMG_5729.JPG" width="320" /></a><strong><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Dudhwa in Early Morning</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">Suresh & the Author</span> </strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As we returned, each one of us was recapitulating in his mind, the most enduring image of our visit. For me, it was definitely the morning sun touching sal trees of the mesmerising jungle that is Dudhwa.</span><br />
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<strong>--Jitendra Bhatia</strong> from Dudhwa</div>
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December 2010</div>
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Jitendra Bhatia</div>
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<a href="mailto:jb.envirotekindia@gmail.com">jb.envirotekindia@gmail.com</a></div>
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Jitendra Bhatiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872266309661669977noreply@blogger.com3