tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44204420674107362622024-03-12T22:51:34.767-07:00PrakruthiPrajwal KMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11655642580681600281noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420442067410736262.post-49352412543937915662015-12-12T08:32:00.001-08:002015-12-13T19:54:25.983-08:00Andaman - The wild side<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
"Heavy rains lash Chennai, airport closed" screamed the headlines in the news. My mind went back a a few days, when I had been in Chennai on my way to Port Blair. A silent prayer was on my lips, thanking God that I had made it.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>My journey began on a late night flight from Bengaluru. After spending a few hours in Chennai airport, amidst the pitter patter of rain, I caught an early morning flight to Andaman. As though reluctant to reveal their secrets, the clouds parted slowly to give brief, glorious, glimpses of the emerald islands as I neared my destination. At last, the air-hostess announced that we were landing in Veer Savarkar airport, Port Blair and, after sometime, I set my foot on the Andaman islands.<br />
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Made infamous as kala paani (black water) during the freedom struggle, Andaman is the eastern most part of India. Port Blair is the capital and is located in South Andaman island. There are daily flights from Kolkata and Chennai to here.<br />
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In the evening we headed to Chidiya Tapu. Famous for its view of the sunset, Chidiya Tapu has a biological park and a beach. The road from port Blair winds its way next to the sea and through rain forests. On reaching Chidiya Tapu,we were greeted by white headed starlings and long tailed parakeets.<br />
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On entering the biological park, the trees start to tower majestically overhead. Used to the shorter trees of south Indian jungles, it was a pleasant surprise for me to be surrounded by giants in excess of a hundred feet. Andaman Padauk, state tree of Andaman, has buttress roots which are about two to three feet high. It seems Jarawas, an indigenous tribe, drum on these roots to communicate with one another. A little way into the biological park, Andaman shama and Andaman drongo came out of their hiding and sat on low hanging branches. Even a crake started calling from nearby. But, after a long wait, we had to leave without seeing it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifW_aeHt0UzEs-8eLUw3EVkndKIDeS32ZB06x8ucfnq-mGHlIWD8je0tm1atlUOwpebmSrydkzXxsD81eIxHNTbrZKVKj37ERmimuChjcPI7KW5nJZTf8sNsUA4yZ-TWO0ZzCcw5M7AiPQ/s1600/C45H7140.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/AVvXsEifW_aeHt0UzEs-8eLUw3EVkndKIDeS32ZB06x8ucfnq-mGHlIWD8je0tm1atlUOwpebmSrydkzXxsD81eIxHNTbrZKVKj37ERmimuChjcPI7KW5nJZTf8sNsUA4yZ-TWO0ZzCcw5M7AiPQ/s320/C45H7140.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andaman Shama</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andaman drongo</td></tr>
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It was around 5:30pm and the sun had long since set — sunset happens around 5pm in Andaman. It was time to look for the owls. And, what sightings we had! Within an hour we had seen and photographed Oriental Scops owl, Humes hawk owl and Andaman hawk owl.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Humes Hawk Owl</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8lflVNZJs7zzV_2Fh87LrStFAmZl2gb8-VF8kc-QLiDZSgnE5lNnFz-WBqMQmv-cAa7qeCqWYu7pFJGvYaZi8cS9NlBKbohhUaHACferWCUJkCr0h9iUaKK9-fGuN4gj1iqnp20AFhXUu/s1600/656A4204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8lflVNZJs7zzV_2Fh87LrStFAmZl2gb8-VF8kc-QLiDZSgnE5lNnFz-WBqMQmv-cAa7qeCqWYu7pFJGvYaZi8cS9NlBKbohhUaHACferWCUJkCr0h9iUaKK9-fGuN4gj1iqnp20AFhXUu/s320/656A4204.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andaman Hawk Owl</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ8OlVYNuuRAq1Ew6sWh9C6brlPWQCl5BQ_rrlXkqTpuYsQV1DlR4pofigjeM6almZ5fu4rEGp2Ugm5svgtfl3_6tUehbBI7UqmPC6hCoKgZF4XNCfmnq1kFdnMwG8mkAZMARaWJPU2N_p/s1600/656A3144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ8OlVYNuuRAq1Ew6sWh9C6brlPWQCl5BQ_rrlXkqTpuYsQV1DlR4pofigjeM6almZ5fu4rEGp2Ugm5svgtfl3_6tUehbBI7UqmPC6hCoKgZF4XNCfmnq1kFdnMwG8mkAZMARaWJPU2N_p/s320/656A3144.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oriental Scops Owl</td></tr>
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Finally, it was time to call an end to the eventful first day.<br />
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The next morning we started for Little Andaman. The ship which we took was a refurbished Chinese vessel and our bunks were in a dormitory. We couldn't get a cabin as the residents are given preference over tourists. There was no air conditioning and it was unbearably hot, with small portholes providing inadequate ventilation. So, I took a cue from the others and spent most of the time on the deck.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Port Blair harbour</td></tr>
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So, here I am on the deck, with the sun beating down my shoulders, when I spot something like a wagtail take off from the prow of the ship. I am surprised on seeing a small bird, usually found around inland water bodies, this far into the sea. But, on closer observation, I see that it is not a bird, but a fish! A flying fish! Our ship's passage had disturbed a school of them and they were doing what they do best — fly. With their pectoral fins acting as a glider's wings, they could easily glide for a hundred feet. Sometimes, as they are landing, they beat on a wave's crest with their tail and take off again, nearly doubling their flight path. Every few minutes a group of flying fish would take off and keep me entertained.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjI0G7lZetwWaRCD-rx3wtxOCe9QtKFy3H9ME5Du4tUeX6nExwPf7nOua81C8RnNNl0KUqzEGiWw7UqtaijjKMwR2bHbdrIz3FldhapcPY4copwiUC-pXUMcer9Ioixarry9w_7GFNLZz/s1600/656A4038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjI0G7lZetwWaRCD-rx3wtxOCe9QtKFy3H9ME5Du4tUeX6nExwPf7nOua81C8RnNNl0KUqzEGiWw7UqtaijjKMwR2bHbdrIz3FldhapcPY4copwiUC-pXUMcer9Ioixarry9w_7GFNLZz/s640/656A4038.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying fish</td></tr>
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After around 6 hours, the ship covered the distance of 120 kilometres and reached Little Andaman. Ship schedules are notoriously bad in Andaman and it is better to keep some buffer time. It is not unheard of for ships to be cancelled or rescheduled by a day. Tickets are sold only 3 days in advance.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indoor mushroom</td></tr>
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As soon as we stepped on Little Andaman it started pouring cats and dogs. We loaded our luggage into our vehicle, had a quick bite to eat and checked into our hotel. <br />
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Little Andaman is a small island to the south of South Andaman. Rarely visited by tourists, it has a lush cover of tropical rainforest. Almost all of the island is marked as a reserve for the Onge tribe, with no access to anyone. Tourists are allowed to visit a thin strip of the island towards the south, known as Hut Bay. The facilities for tourists are quite basic. Food was simple but tasty and had to be ordered in advance. The room was air conditioned, with some photo opportunities within it — there was a mushroom growing out of the bathroom door.</td></tr>
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By night, the rains had subsided and we went looking for owls. Because of the rains, the snakes had come out in force and we saw two keelbacks. Sadly, this count was overtaken by the number of road kills which we saw. We also spotted another owl endemic to Andaman — the Andaman Scops owl.<br />
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<img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-NDak2FTtZBVNrHdXPOgdVaJ5f3GJjDHiBR7xBH-WfVSU6_iVDwwjoYYSBNUx7OLhfmGK2OelY9XSYLMq8sUYeUiwUOk7P8zzaLrI_zPOWrZnPapgbM0wAQjDzIp8Bjq0u7LdLOePUQX/s200/656A2782.jpg" width="200" />
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<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keelback</td>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andaman Scops owl</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtUWhfpQW_wWQvWvM5Wu1UShyphenhyphen1Z0wBnduCAfTHPcNXMtP6ZHGudZYU_im8Y9d15ZzOwEIAQh64bj7bNW1RYcDPUDCBYw082AyS71DYLFmT9Ou0qZZWqARyYV1Kgmutg7pEOhPSgz12Bsw/s1600/656A3049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtUWhfpQW_wWQvWvM5Wu1UShyphenhyphen1Z0wBnduCAfTHPcNXMtP6ZHGudZYU_im8Y9d15ZzOwEIAQh64bj7bNW1RYcDPUDCBYw082AyS71DYLFmT9Ou0qZZWqARyYV1Kgmutg7pEOhPSgz12Bsw/s200/656A3049.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masked palm civet<br />
(<i>P.l.tytleri</i>) </td></tr>
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The other places which we visited in Little Andaman were a light house and a water falls.<br />
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The light house is near the southern tip of the island and the way to it passes through coconut plantations, beaches and rainforest. A tree had fallen across the road and the last few kilometres had to be covered on foot. I once tried to make this journey with a long lens mounted on a tripod and it is a mistake that I am not likely to make again. The road was slushy due to the recent rains and it was a miracle that I made it without slipping. A lift from a friendly tractor driver saved me some of the agony.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tidal pool on the way to light house</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Path to the light house</td></tr>
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</td><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjs9ILtI_9qeb9hkPNuc4vGS7HPhIwWIMmCW4u4hSlvuonuZokbutdRS9KWp4NWhN3HlvrnuBuRA3sn2mcc0tsYYORHlRgVAUQE20C7Zph9wtGdYWP-nMxQGoSN85L99w_p1YvhJ8uUTDf/s1600/656A3630_1_2_3_4_fused.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjs9ILtI_9qeb9hkPNuc4vGS7HPhIwWIMmCW4u4hSlvuonuZokbutdRS9KWp4NWhN3HlvrnuBuRA3sn2mcc0tsYYORHlRgVAUQE20C7Zph9wtGdYWP-nMxQGoSN85L99w_p1YvhJ8uUTDf/s200/656A3630_1_2_3_4_fused.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I found the new canon 100-400 lens ideal for the rain forest. Having a minimal focus distance of around 3 ft, I was able to use it for shooting macro images and it has reasonable reach on a crop body.<br />
<br />
Sunset is the best time to be at the light house. The sun illuminates the forest in golden light and the red clouds are reflected in the sea, making it ideal for landscape photos. After sunset, we had a surprise in store for us. As the sun dipped over the horizon, dozens of Nicobar pigeons flew over the light house and into the sea. We couldn't fathom where they were going as there was no other island in sight.<br />
<br />
<table align="center"><tbody>
<tr><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXp3jwfaJ4NFaNI2kBVAlN8p3i6sUNASdBCvgY_-1pjFVxWVlUpmz_e6c-tyWfxvMP75n-6-IDmCJ_5qVKmpcOcw3Z_-xqn0GtIszasSp4HxDt4BgBOWC79P9sFwqljCJVv8WEsPJFzWve/s1600/656A3816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXp3jwfaJ4NFaNI2kBVAlN8p3i6sUNASdBCvgY_-1pjFVxWVlUpmz_e6c-tyWfxvMP75n-6-IDmCJ_5qVKmpcOcw3Z_-xqn0GtIszasSp4HxDt4BgBOWC79P9sFwqljCJVv8WEsPJFzWve/s200/656A3816.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andaman bronzeback</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6t-HMEmd2uEpbFJZj0kvoD7dme7ClefwPp0tLrlOHQQhHoKY7iwY_FMUBIAJDakQFkhhTzIVlnivtQTtzD8h7gKAAsao8bDjRu_qS7tZvMBozQboHwArm0QNqErnGmp7OLdbMyJJbFzfk/s1600/656A3693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6t-HMEmd2uEpbFJZj0kvoD7dme7ClefwPp0tLrlOHQQhHoKY7iwY_FMUBIAJDakQFkhhTzIVlnivtQTtzD8h7gKAAsao8bDjRu_qS7tZvMBozQboHwArm0QNqErnGmp7OLdbMyJJbFzfk/s200/656A3693.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicobar pigeon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipB-gE74Gm823iith6bZ9fio_IDBmPg2EcV7Ng-kYmOdfsZGKaolIA6cFBLPkKpZOtDe46KNkP9alG0_VAvtPfDruNrYIUY0FgeRcRA7uU0u_EYNuH_mwecSkFbCO9OpVcDSl3mGd-PWm3/s1600/656A3510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipB-gE74Gm823iith6bZ9fio_IDBmPg2EcV7Ng-kYmOdfsZGKaolIA6cFBLPkKpZOtDe46KNkP9alG0_VAvtPfDruNrYIUY0FgeRcRA7uU0u_EYNuH_mwecSkFbCO9OpVcDSl3mGd-PWm3/s200/656A3510.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from light house at sunset</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
While returning from the light house, it was dark with the moonlight faintly illuminating the path and owls hooting from nearby trees. The roots and trunks of trees formed ghostly shapes on either side of the path. I was walking with my torch and trying to avoid slipping in the slush, gratefully thinking that I am in Andaman, not in mainland India where there would have been a very real threat of being chased by elephants at this time. Suddenly, Shreeram, my travel companion, turns to me and asks me to scream loudly if a wild boar charges! So went my illusion of safety! Thankfully we met no pigs on that night, though one did squeal loudly and run away on the next day.<br />
<br />
<table align="center"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjGa7X6iUfJKwDAZjmMbSBa9wiU3suUCLuGujjqAUQgdH_PWD8JF5oX-rLepFgoYs-kUnbcq6ipLaDnpmSD5149ukV_b1c5YqdN8F54mvy_E13XhLaJy5pgeNb93DpkPBrFo1Bc4NHpEi/s1600/656A3948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjGa7X6iUfJKwDAZjmMbSBa9wiU3suUCLuGujjqAUQgdH_PWD8JF5oX-rLepFgoYs-kUnbcq6ipLaDnpmSD5149ukV_b1c5YqdN8F54mvy_E13XhLaJy5pgeNb93DpkPBrFo1Bc4NHpEi/s200/656A3948.jpg" width="132" /></a>
</td><td style="margin-left: 1em;" valign="top"><br />
<br />
The waterfall, which we visited, was known as White Surf falls. It is around 25 feet high and can be accessed by vehicle. I was sitting in front of the falls and composing my shot when Shreeram asked me to turn around. A snake, maybe a keelback, had swum to within 4 feet of me! I was staring, surprised, at the snake for a few seconds when it occurred to me that it would make a good wide angle image. But, by the time I turned the camera around, the snake had swum away.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Now it was time to bid adieu to Little Andaman. This time we managed to get an air conditioned cabin in an overnight ship and sailed back to Port Blair.<br />
<br />
Havelock was the next island in our agenda. Unlike Little Andaman, Havelock is in every tourist's list and can be reached by ship in around 2 hours. <br />
<br />
With azure seas, white beaches and overhanging mangroves and palm trees, Havelock is the poster boy for Andaman Islands. Havelock's Radhanagar beach is rated as one of the best beaches in Asia. Scuba divers, beach lovers and nearly every tourist throng to this island. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnlGDTxFRZJ6VRwY_mlgwj8NKIUq2HKUhPOfRb3EH71FwF0za59iAXuEgva7ouN40SJT6YqVdhwqlsTOPSQspyIdpYdALCBmUvPKWoTCg6vKY4V58bww7_k59pGIrmtirQ88lxav0GyDIp/s1600/C45H8243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnlGDTxFRZJ6VRwY_mlgwj8NKIUq2HKUhPOfRb3EH71FwF0za59iAXuEgva7ouN40SJT6YqVdhwqlsTOPSQspyIdpYdALCBmUvPKWoTCg6vKY4V58bww7_k59pGIrmtirQ88lxav0GyDIp/s640/C45H8243.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Radhanagar beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center"><tbody>
<tr><td><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5d_EQ3ujfF173zo7qwB6DXmtqLiD-1oOXIA1CV-lPCFgcnJm5_Myrv_veGGAZb-LeM2vKOgPo7jsGoSDgBuII_fHjbiLdzzboimjNkvlAj2iGX1b9grzKT4ohIRFaF4fL1i90Im4LxpcW/s1600/C45H8228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5d_EQ3ujfF173zo7qwB6DXmtqLiD-1oOXIA1CV-lPCFgcnJm5_Myrv_veGGAZb-LeM2vKOgPo7jsGoSDgBuII_fHjbiLdzzboimjNkvlAj2iGX1b9grzKT4ohIRFaF4fL1i90Im4LxpcW/s200/C45H8228.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burrow of sand bubbler crab</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td valign="top"><br />
<br />
There is another, wilder, side to this island. Look closely at the white sand and you will see small sand globules arranged in neat circles with a deep hole in the centre. This the handiwork of sand bubbler crabs, which come out of their burrows during low tide and filter out organic matter from the sand. The little globules are what is left after all the organic matter is filtered out.
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center"><tbody>
<tr><td>Near the mangroves, one can see brightly colored crabs with a disproportionately large right claw, which they keep waving about. You take a quick step towards them, and they vanish into their burrows in the blink of an eye. These are male fiddler crabs and they use their large claw to warn off other males. The larger the claw the more attractive it is to a female.
</td><td><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyf_GGm5rBkXJjq8rL7VAoHbrR0axpkepXHHoMMPyKMvrAni5jMPjAaqzatW1lep0Fc38Kn3mCoUbvWbSGGhpeHgcbGyj-T1ttunW316AVLVmeRkC4k0pOeLeZ9_-qwI9p3LQKBNd_GVl/s1600/C45H8322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyf_GGm5rBkXJjq8rL7VAoHbrR0axpkepXHHoMMPyKMvrAni5jMPjAaqzatW1lep0Fc38Kn3mCoUbvWbSGGhpeHgcbGyj-T1ttunW316AVLVmeRkC4k0pOeLeZ9_-qwI9p3LQKBNd_GVl/s200/C45H8322.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fiddler crab</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center"><tbody>
<tr><td><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8oJqpIabGnCQV1mcKSfB0_kzdFeTirTEMTpDaGr6STsghN4DRmdTPL4NgKcq4xIzH6TRz9q18yE2mRsFZgiN6UYdwUnSycDaMVUs0wQ5GadFKskVUOjnrqbruNuDDxwWRrE0BgrMwp5M/s1600/C45H8388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8oJqpIabGnCQV1mcKSfB0_kzdFeTirTEMTpDaGr6STsghN4DRmdTPL4NgKcq4xIzH6TRz9q18yE2mRsFZgiN6UYdwUnSycDaMVUs0wQ5GadFKskVUOjnrqbruNuDDxwWRrE0BgrMwp5M/s200/C45H8388.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mudskipper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td valign="top"><br />
Next to the fiddler crabs, on half submerged rocks, you can find tiny fish, clinging on to the exposed surfaces. Disturb them and they skip on the water and move to a more secluded rock. Hence they get their name — mudskippers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center"><tbody>
<tr><td>Don't forget to observe the palm trees. You could be lucky enough to spot the Andaman day gecko. Unlike the drab geckos which we see at our homes, this lizard is colored bright green, with red spots on its back and head. </td><td><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9i_x9A70-v21bEPA3EeBQgZxyGD2yx-1htQcuNgAI8cxjE8fdlY6iZXuClfDWb6FoCKRRteuWaNyU0TkL_Jau0_so2DecN6vInvXm2DDPRNJv7LpfOwN5gINvdjRNqKGGhi1cM7TJ4XKp/s1600/656A4176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9i_x9A70-v21bEPA3EeBQgZxyGD2yx-1htQcuNgAI8cxjE8fdlY6iZXuClfDWb6FoCKRRteuWaNyU0TkL_Jau0_so2DecN6vInvXm2DDPRNJv7LpfOwN5gINvdjRNqKGGhi1cM7TJ4XKp/s200/656A4176.jpg" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andaman Day Gecko</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Back at Port Blair we visited Mt Harriet and Sippy Ghat.<br />
<br />
Mt Harriet can be reached either by ferry, in around half an hour, or by road, in around one and half hours. We took the ferry. It is a large boat capable of transporting 4 to 5 cars. In the morning, it was relatively empty with only a few fisher women who were transporting their catch. The ferry dropped us at a place called Bamboo Flat and we drove from there to Mt Harriet.<br />
<br />
<table align="center"><tbody>
<tr><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2E__czMZ-zNsP4vOiKl1g2Z1ouDOfgagtYJE82UDhwI_5KFyDVyKKykIXB_M__XeGQMataAOk7UHz3oTZRMt8vU-jEWYE8COgEUxPI0oLu9LgzXmVR9PDotqN76mUsRiJxaVvgq5rMRM/s1600/656A4402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2E__czMZ-zNsP4vOiKl1g2Z1ouDOfgagtYJE82UDhwI_5KFyDVyKKykIXB_M__XeGQMataAOk7UHz3oTZRMt8vU-jEWYE8COgEUxPI0oLu9LgzXmVR9PDotqN76mUsRiJxaVvgq5rMRM/s200/656A4402.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of houses at Bamboo Flat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKKYtCtGmlhb9Yirju6Az_CVPQJoqHrrWMczIpVEtUk4Pd4ElzrVA2B72gIXbFomkNnOBD3NuI0c03UHbuCBdczfLmkQTtHXkty4yu-Ax_DPDwHtMUF3PV5iwESew8OKtkv25T-oGE2Hv/s1600/656A4670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKKYtCtGmlhb9Yirju6Az_CVPQJoqHrrWMczIpVEtUk4Pd4ElzrVA2B72gIXbFomkNnOBD3NuI0c03UHbuCBdczfLmkQTtHXkty4yu-Ax_DPDwHtMUF3PV5iwESew8OKtkv25T-oGE2Hv/s320/656A4670.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the light house en route to Mt Harriet. <br />
A similar image of the same light house is <br />
printed on the 20 rupees note.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dKnLub7KTaSuHV2TfjWG_X9euLnbhkdP_Mwj7zXZI3gjrf9jlwTMSNni-Xkmd4dVOoj-Or_Llj2arDmnRoLBPrExkZuuNno9G4ra7jAvhSSzBifhd1G73y9AYYD0jB96PV8AucuBDxVg/s1600/WP_20151205_09_04_41_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dKnLub7KTaSuHV2TfjWG_X9euLnbhkdP_Mwj7zXZI3gjrf9jlwTMSNni-Xkmd4dVOoj-Or_Llj2arDmnRoLBPrExkZuuNno9G4ra7jAvhSSzBifhd1G73y9AYYD0jB96PV8AucuBDxVg/s200/WP_20151205_09_04_41_Pro.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
At around 400 meters, Mt Harriet is the third tallest peak in the Andamans and one can drive all the way to the top to get a panoramic view of the island. When we visited, the road was closed for repairs and we walked a short way up. Though the bird sightings were a bit less, it was a haven for butterflies. Clippers, sailors, commanders, leopards and yam flies flitted about in the under growth.<br />
<table align="center"><tbody>
<tr><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8pCEWpaBrCH5-20iZ_wx_jk98hQso09WH4iHbKqi_E0_D1Xj1xfCwnp8-ypyQvX07-WappeeKz7mOKakVTQ4JkHNd7k8kb8B7r26nlAtMUbyOZUFnbwl7dMw3QyxSNWqNQHGhI_jOz1Vi/s1600/656A4597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8pCEWpaBrCH5-20iZ_wx_jk98hQso09WH4iHbKqi_E0_D1Xj1xfCwnp8-ypyQvX07-WappeeKz7mOKakVTQ4JkHNd7k8kb8B7r26nlAtMUbyOZUFnbwl7dMw3QyxSNWqNQHGhI_jOz1Vi/s200/656A4597.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yam fly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNWFYuN6Ipuo0uQa2whEO8vEKtnRYMpRDJf6t4onL1GmzYR_BeEGn8w8xQCltOh1cxEfMt7VFxmEN3yCOA7XllMbMetR7p5Msf9ULt9QYL6_7BtMukPnfQeVV5T6QklWmZJcN8ne1SFOoS/s1600/656A4461.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNWFYuN6Ipuo0uQa2whEO8vEKtnRYMpRDJf6t4onL1GmzYR_BeEGn8w8xQCltOh1cxEfMt7VFxmEN3yCOA7XllMbMetR7p5Msf9ULt9QYL6_7BtMukPnfQeVV5T6QklWmZJcN8ne1SFOoS/s200/656A4461.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clipper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasWis5EeW5A_NTpyDcwAhX8mFxjdIEYepNr5Lsf82SHPUoyQ89sUiAKqUJuimyI4Y1SL9INMQx5SYPqP2O6tSMzkZirDwAHUr2ziPGcTNyoHaXcr4OaIlvRiHWyYH38JCuJahQildc1Fx/s1600/656A4430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasWis5EeW5A_NTpyDcwAhX8mFxjdIEYepNr5Lsf82SHPUoyQ89sUiAKqUJuimyI4Y1SL9INMQx5SYPqP2O6tSMzkZirDwAHUr2ziPGcTNyoHaXcr4OaIlvRiHWyYH38JCuJahQildc1Fx/s200/656A4430.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sailor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Unfortunately, Mt Harriet has one thing in common with the mainland — leeches. When I went off the road to photograph some fungi, I was rewarded with around 10 leech bites on each leg.<br />
<br />
Sippy Ghat has several water bodies, some formed during the tsunami. One can still see half constructed houses, now overrun by weeds.<br />
<br />
<table align="center"><tbody>
<tr><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtDzxYMmhqu23zQyebKY47SRAD1DywtJYvVKFVjQeocb5S4NpJoEy57oMdgGRXuEdUwyOPl2njM0c9ZqDhqz-yloLnnOMxlkH1KZ14rENvF_PJ_e1nmYgbuf8KtzpA3rS9oQ2n7uwwdPg/s1600/WP_20151122_06_30_43_Smart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtDzxYMmhqu23zQyebKY47SRAD1DywtJYvVKFVjQeocb5S4NpJoEy57oMdgGRXuEdUwyOPl2njM0c9ZqDhqz-yloLnnOMxlkH1KZ14rENvF_PJ_e1nmYgbuf8KtzpA3rS9oQ2n7uwwdPg/s200/WP_20151122_06_30_43_Smart.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A house overrun by weeds. We spotted two <br />
bitterns next to this house.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDehApU_mp3dGTbtpYG7gbLf60G1JopI_18RieGdUE3JhWJdtz8RvzSENpTx1MwzJZ17eirVFmsbQqIJJGkpnTkeBR1q0U7jI68jMAk7a_T5XHf1yKgfm1lCa5-ks0YEOWK73o0RvzG8T/s1600/C45H8471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDehApU_mp3dGTbtpYG7gbLf60G1JopI_18RieGdUE3JhWJdtz8RvzSENpTx1MwzJZ17eirVFmsbQqIJJGkpnTkeBR1q0U7jI68jMAk7a_T5XHf1yKgfm1lCa5-ks0YEOWK73o0RvzG8T/s200/C45H8471.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mangrove saplings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7gjqGG9Qn1A2MJfi3cjouMgthYOfsBD6AtM6f1sRJTqC475cYHJhXLW-8RBhdnL-nCGoeMWnsl6xOG0mh_5T2kbOXXKVUQm3CFiAIoDQyGNnHI9erx-YsrfWCYSucD2fCtYCdY-DwMsq/s1600/656A4699.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7gjqGG9Qn1A2MJfi3cjouMgthYOfsBD6AtM6f1sRJTqC475cYHJhXLW-8RBhdnL-nCGoeMWnsl6xOG0mh_5T2kbOXXKVUQm3CFiAIoDQyGNnHI9erx-YsrfWCYSucD2fCtYCdY-DwMsq/s200/656A4699.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fishermen near Sippy Ghat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Sippy Ghat is one of the best places to see the Andaman teal, the only duck endemic to Andaman. Previously found only in remote forest pools, these ducks can be now found out in the open, in water bodies next to the road. Maybe they were displaced from their previous habitat due to the tsunami. This place is also a good spot to photograph other birds which are elusive in the mainland like bitterns and snipes.<br />
<br />
<table align="center"><tbody>
<tr><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixuApEKTaOhlLQ12lJipqBv5634OHgCOHpS17IPfjA5gGm1kcJPlRMkWl35ArVgeoAcHfFmFWrn5Ok4i0tghMpN4jZA0XK7Fnl35I6MY6wZ2bTrbUHJyqTHEn-vVxbyihAApIK_a8S0d4W/s1600/656A4803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixuApEKTaOhlLQ12lJipqBv5634OHgCOHpS17IPfjA5gGm1kcJPlRMkWl35ArVgeoAcHfFmFWrn5Ok4i0tghMpN4jZA0XK7Fnl35I6MY6wZ2bTrbUHJyqTHEn-vVxbyihAApIK_a8S0d4W/s200/656A4803.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andaman Teal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelSE3Gvuca1fBRKAOPCWFPugiobBnRM4fYsCEZ6emIBI3e9OIOlbN_L8wSeG57f4el6S4ugD8cjwAKotAJPPdbwjjgufT4Wzz9yTGYvDulyr8CXyYubghx6EzjPjGLiA3dWUbKHNs0k11/s1600/656A5062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelSE3Gvuca1fBRKAOPCWFPugiobBnRM4fYsCEZ6emIBI3e9OIOlbN_L8wSeG57f4el6S4ugD8cjwAKotAJPPdbwjjgufT4Wzz9yTGYvDulyr8CXyYubghx6EzjPjGLiA3dWUbKHNs0k11/s200/656A5062.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cinnamon Bittern</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJfPFbNhABgfu3ksrC6bWF2JM1MOo1bq79Vo-B5ErBDexKWpNJ71QRSWKznY4N3qVVaJxABkQzAnntkMtAKEB0gySsyUPEZLoNVn0czQ803pMj-xI6we5RajQofgn7zwlrFOBYzqjMKwh/s1600/656A5026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJfPFbNhABgfu3ksrC6bWF2JM1MOo1bq79Vo-B5ErBDexKWpNJ71QRSWKznY4N3qVVaJxABkQzAnntkMtAKEB0gySsyUPEZLoNVn0czQ803pMj-xI6we5RajQofgn7zwlrFOBYzqjMKwh/s200/656A5026.jpg" width="128" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow Bittern</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
After a visit to the cellular jail and paying our respects to the freedom fighters incarcerated there, our visit to Andaman came to an end.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VgR5yIY8dur2kRLqcKWDRcTy2BVcQBDNN1So_SQOkehBZaPFnrOsXn7hbsB8IXsPrjAFz2tvfK-xCjJ0N0vld-UfSOHjf8jI92Pu0tnrHjMCYbM477FRQsJsA_kyZnWWQ2UOnqkkG_Df/s1600/656A5149_50_51_52_53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VgR5yIY8dur2kRLqcKWDRcTy2BVcQBDNN1So_SQOkehBZaPFnrOsXn7hbsB8IXsPrjAFz2tvfK-xCjJ0N0vld-UfSOHjf8jI92Pu0tnrHjMCYbM477FRQsJsA_kyZnWWQ2UOnqkkG_Df/s320/656A5149_50_51_52_53.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swatantrya Jyoti (Flame of independence) at Cellular jail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
~~ o ~~</div>
<br />
<b>Bird list:</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8h7lMxm9eJjnIgp_oaslwnTPSlMyXPDiJajvOLKBSG_ywpogsKbcLkjaehc3YZYy0YH317WnfdG37z0x7edbF2sijMn3xKeJpkdCNi8YZlpwqPciiI-g6UM1_cGM7RwiWiIRI2L8y7J4v/s1600/BirdList.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8h7lMxm9eJjnIgp_oaslwnTPSlMyXPDiJajvOLKBSG_ywpogsKbcLkjaehc3YZYy0YH317WnfdG37z0x7edbF2sijMn3xKeJpkdCNi8YZlpwqPciiI-g6UM1_cGM7RwiWiIRI2L8y7J4v/s640/BirdList.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks to Shreeram for compiling this.<br />
<br />
<b>Acknowledgements</b><br />
<br />
I would like to thank Shreeram, from <a href="http://www.darter.in/">darter</a>, our local birding guide Vikram Shil (9434262681) for organizing the trip, and other participants in the tour - Kamakshi, Rohini and Anne - for their companionship.<br />
<br />
<b>Some more images:</b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBHseTTGVik6rLFf902ebpqd5VFUnZOkVvaK14K0rK_-X5LJLX6Kfz3gQgChft_Z6LSSOOgGL5bHXB6gg76WcV0gzSsFLGqWulLQQwkGEVD7gwbxAlFETIK4-KuShzpp4WwWR_Ega7Xeh/s1600/C45H8036_Pan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBHseTTGVik6rLFf902ebpqd5VFUnZOkVvaK14K0rK_-X5LJLX6Kfz3gQgChft_Z6LSSOOgGL5bHXB6gg76WcV0gzSsFLGqWulLQQwkGEVD7gwbxAlFETIK4-KuShzpp4WwWR_Ega7Xeh/s640/C45H8036_Pan.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset at Chidiya Tapu</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center"><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRTV5PDtJFv9MHyMBOv-Dlo2p0Cd-xgX6K7a-KNR6LZKWrZQ5VdItiwAV6d6CtJBcWYrL87q3lP6oD61Qbf-oaFpQ9qwSG0OBro2zPXuYTIJxsq36BB-7BQKSVIyZ5g59ALhB8MFI-CAQ/s1600/C45H7647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRTV5PDtJFv9MHyMBOv-Dlo2p0Cd-xgX6K7a-KNR6LZKWrZQ5VdItiwAV6d6CtJBcWYrL87q3lP6oD61Qbf-oaFpQ9qwSG0OBro2zPXuYTIJxsq36BB-7BQKSVIyZ5g59ALhB8MFI-CAQ/s200/C45H7647.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White bellied sea eagle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td valign="top"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDV3sKIO4Flqrjuhdh3A5zz14QjqqV1m3DaUJLu-Xzy-0uaQk5sgN3zyrCgI63pNxbjq35N0kFaNQF7yBhDyFus6XLntgwgTs9oh_zYNPavmEktVCEZZWwLl0fRg1EQhkwrvQ-I-4ttaJ2/s1600/C45H8270.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDV3sKIO4Flqrjuhdh3A5zz14QjqqV1m3DaUJLu-Xzy-0uaQk5sgN3zyrCgI63pNxbjq35N0kFaNQF7yBhDyFus6XLntgwgTs9oh_zYNPavmEktVCEZZWwLl0fRg1EQhkwrvQ-I-4ttaJ2/s200/C45H8270.jpg" width="133" /></a>
</td><td valign="top"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAIkWoo0kH9wHtkdXqtjaPFPlWdLzPer607vo7SPL8hzk1ximGV3_t3i3za4iHJi0zzV5I665kn8yJt-XAdOgRG-zWbIkKoEr-pYs0Cm-waHEHKAV3cZ7slD6eCce1caIERNTZ5_w0xsC/s1600/656A3831.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAIkWoo0kH9wHtkdXqtjaPFPlWdLzPer607vo7SPL8hzk1ximGV3_t3i3za4iHJi0zzV5I665kn8yJt-XAdOgRG-zWbIkKoEr-pYs0Cm-waHEHKAV3cZ7slD6eCce1caIERNTZ5_w0xsC/s200/656A3831.jpg" width="133" /></a></td>
<td valign="top">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggph-q4ULGCp2jjCy91hA8TEF-TxkNhJrwOk13ULx3Mg6sHLTirXgiBAgJUrIFUm3NoXe-s0UByMl8kXpQoj8QHH8u0lPNIr3hzeDbuxMG-XanG4onO7-6-6OnVPSu3cm9Frj8ZMzo9quu/s1600/C45H7425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggph-q4ULGCp2jjCy91hA8TEF-TxkNhJrwOk13ULx3Mg6sHLTirXgiBAgJUrIFUm3NoXe-s0UByMl8kXpQoj8QHH8u0lPNIr3hzeDbuxMG-XanG4onO7-6-6OnVPSu3cm9Frj8ZMzo9quu/s200/C45H7425.jpg" width="128" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andaman woodpecker</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center"><tbody>
<tr><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wSoSJk9tK6kYoYWHDxwtZsbBGPlLGSrmI34wcQi06KBjXJzrIT4hfHXX618LcbxGtzz5K-rdcKmg-qCMLi4rlvdw-YesgJMFcymI9V4nL-CYSwcZFKcPoiZLGFMcO_nscJjo828ctQfY/s1600/C45H8233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wSoSJk9tK6kYoYWHDxwtZsbBGPlLGSrmI34wcQi06KBjXJzrIT4hfHXX618LcbxGtzz5K-rdcKmg-qCMLi4rlvdw-YesgJMFcymI9V4nL-CYSwcZFKcPoiZLGFMcO_nscJjo828ctQfY/s200/C45H8233.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset at Radhanagar Beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2znymapH3i2dbf-cHVaG8aQxSSb3ViROtYwFfQf95hZKoPIsOVzCufK8reBVCdbHHpzvUXoOaYftQI_gKez0G6wzoH6yy16kRYlgvTjERV7EHPIw8OpbONSU-TYNpsVmBcWyH5zIn8MQ/s1600/C45H8204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2znymapH3i2dbf-cHVaG8aQxSSb3ViROtYwFfQf95hZKoPIsOVzCufK8reBVCdbHHpzvUXoOaYftQI_gKez0G6wzoH6yy16kRYlgvTjERV7EHPIw8OpbONSU-TYNpsVmBcWyH5zIn8MQ/s200/C45H8204.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue eared kingfisher</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilSAfbPHYq40yd5tH2on6HXqQ2l_9vwlE4gWqFw9IsbncX3bu-SmrgT6LM1gpZu1DiRdzrKNJpiAOI-cF8-6JqflNl_aNS3llHYTsE43IIFH41F_uqI_c_AlOA87M5mmJws4ZoPNlXNsa/s1600/C45H7527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilSAfbPHYq40yd5tH2on6HXqQ2l_9vwlE4gWqFw9IsbncX3bu-SmrgT6LM1gpZu1DiRdzrKNJpiAOI-cF8-6JqflNl_aNS3llHYTsE43IIFH41F_uqI_c_AlOA87M5mmJws4ZoPNlXNsa/s200/C45H7527.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andaman Bulbul</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
<tr><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKCjwhfFC4fmD8Bezddoz3qQqmxrlP-_rfSYBRkkZSAp8q-hBvHo6e01I6hvJDZJUhQaRexDTg2eypcPVTEzriedXTE1gK8lu5ja_F7bUBOUg-I5ClLvtIkVUApp2EDOs-qTnlEryMcpW/s1600/C45H7375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKCjwhfFC4fmD8Bezddoz3qQqmxrlP-_rfSYBRkkZSAp8q-hBvHo6e01I6hvJDZJUhQaRexDTg2eypcPVTEzriedXTE1gK8lu5ja_F7bUBOUg-I5ClLvtIkVUApp2EDOs-qTnlEryMcpW/s200/C45H7375.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andaman (Brown) Coucal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhyphenhyphenNCzwsueoYdAT3BHHqMXC-e8Z1nfcMv-a4WzId1DoSyWNLv2qregs7Zr_3E4wkJI_Lf78Tpqjb47DYyhsQXDWRoX65zDngrcykbT0sYAvMB4diDRizDuyk1BJnLVjSp__4Y2x7vujYT/s1600/C45H7129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhyphenhyphenNCzwsueoYdAT3BHHqMXC-e8Z1nfcMv-a4WzId1DoSyWNLv2qregs7Zr_3E4wkJI_Lf78Tpqjb47DYyhsQXDWRoX65zDngrcykbT0sYAvMB4diDRizDuyk1BJnLVjSp__4Y2x7vujYT/s200/C45H7129.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collared kingfisher</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnLldRjv64Pk5HcrSi92nYqwzDi6nS2YPaSbDtEsA4RulEJZ5vDIVStb4w7q0YEe8OHKLPITj7-se_-bxsY6fbl8ajCSVqQUshjnINDn-8L7XcJe27B0TstXwQep2YSxqmeoxLIMKJ3xJ/s1600/656A4125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnLldRjv64Pk5HcrSi92nYqwzDi6nS2YPaSbDtEsA4RulEJZ5vDIVStb4w7q0YEe8OHKLPITj7-se_-bxsY6fbl8ajCSVqQUshjnINDn-8L7XcJe27B0TstXwQep2YSxqmeoxLIMKJ3xJ/s200/656A4125.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hermit crab</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
<tr><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5SS60zNVTM4LDOF3E-slNE8v9Li6FKjaTpRepbuccHKUNPDM9jdnAxdCRYNPPDumT4gSmfWZXuo6659cdYRzcWD9pAZSHM2vNp_igPXT2Nj21KnLfL1jXjRBwwAf2c-V2Qk0HzHBbnFH/s1600/656A3333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5SS60zNVTM4LDOF3E-slNE8v9Li6FKjaTpRepbuccHKUNPDM9jdnAxdCRYNPPDumT4gSmfWZXuo6659cdYRzcWD9pAZSHM2vNp_igPXT2Nj21KnLfL1jXjRBwwAf2c-V2Qk0HzHBbnFH/s200/656A3333.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White bellied sea eagle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Yrxpwn85U5jeTZ5pAlDPP_BerVfQeWT3NSgfmHbxoSzT3m2zt35fecWaF11bIhQu6b_O3_BTEWSGmXkupkKGeDhWiRwn1INUQm16eYogC1A1vl1oQSKrMadRa_7D-jPA32vuTh52cR-T/s1600/656A3718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Yrxpwn85U5jeTZ5pAlDPP_BerVfQeWT3NSgfmHbxoSzT3m2zt35fecWaF11bIhQu6b_O3_BTEWSGmXkupkKGeDhWiRwn1INUQm16eYogC1A1vl1oQSKrMadRa_7D-jPA32vuTh52cR-T/s200/656A3718.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andaman flowerpecker</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>Prajwal KMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11655642580681600281noreply@blogger.com1India11.609193407938941 92.680664062511.484776407938941 92.5193025625 11.73361040793894 92.8420255625tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420442067410736262.post-82005653410928313052013-08-03T23:18:00.000-07:002013-08-04T08:20:19.608-07:00Ladakh – Where Heaven and Earth meet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07iXQIVz89cc-l8wGqJjdOE4qyLm5UtO3D2OCaoeHY0GRmKdcXe5aV_mTqd9vvHm7hFZj0rozxssviJs5NWxlqUgoDOChGL4lvYxGsFsXowejN6H_J25EJnLP87051wL0cxzA0F1br_Fs/s1600/00_road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07iXQIVz89cc-l8wGqJjdOE4qyLm5UtO3D2OCaoeHY0GRmKdcXe5aV_mTqd9vvHm7hFZj0rozxssviJs5NWxlqUgoDOChGL4lvYxGsFsXowejN6H_J25EJnLP87051wL0cxzA0F1br_Fs/s640/00_road.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Ladakh - A land of extremes, one of the few places on
earth where one can get sun burnt and frost bitten on the same day , where sand
dunes meet snow capped peaks and the hills defy gravity<a href="#magneticHill">*</a>.</span></i></div>
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My journey begins from Leh, home to one of the highest
airports in the world. As the plane
approaches Leh the land reaches up to the sky and mountains compete with clouds
for space. Situated at 10,682 ft
above MSL, the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Kushok</st1:placename>
<st1:placename w:st="on">Bakula</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Rimpochhe</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Airport</st1:placetype></st1:place> in Leh is
operated by the military and has one of the strictest securities.<br />
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<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrY3rkqyFVypoMN5y8f7mgbaEnKQrm4EN5_73JS2x6gABEjfDL-1ZrI30eaSlYyykwHat_Eh0W7TxVukM48lrfQg33K8Q1NdLnwNvNMIVAE4gkHOwenhb6ffeeyJ_r7iUv_74GjBZvH6Q/s1600/01_air.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrY3rkqyFVypoMN5y8f7mgbaEnKQrm4EN5_73JS2x6gABEjfDL-1ZrI30eaSlYyykwHat_Eh0W7TxVukM48lrfQg33K8Q1NdLnwNvNMIVAE4gkHOwenhb6ffeeyJ_r7iUv_74GjBZvH6Q/s320/01_air.jpg" height="120" width="200" /></a>
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<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUiZKH9dxW_MpRPXWaWuAJgl7-9oyFcEmRe-E1WnBmuFN_Hv_bH00mr4zgAPBPcQihux3NolWe06EdC-kmQaslzYmE5LkUFBwKEYCjmr8JkRztWWZHBsDGPliFfff99EEyfn-MppOHxlF7/s1600/02_air.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUiZKH9dxW_MpRPXWaWuAJgl7-9oyFcEmRe-E1WnBmuFN_Hv_bH00mr4zgAPBPcQihux3NolWe06EdC-kmQaslzYmE5LkUFBwKEYCjmr8JkRztWWZHBsDGPliFfff99EEyfn-MppOHxlF7/s320/02_air.jpg" height="120" width="200" /></a>
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<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1bt6JXZtVObELLNPZdE4VcQXZaBLHHd8GHLt0KsPl7CDA2AOKvBi1plG9PEVCFZxHM8IiQ1SAiMJ-JZmIpFYROi-NBAc2ikz5lMezeI35RjhXOHdlWfRHVSPi1U7hkOeWkX9tpnehWGh/s1600/03_air.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1bt6JXZtVObELLNPZdE4VcQXZaBLHHd8GHLt0KsPl7CDA2AOKvBi1plG9PEVCFZxHM8IiQ1SAiMJ-JZmIpFYROi-NBAc2ikz5lMezeI35RjhXOHdlWfRHVSPi1U7hkOeWkX9tpnehWGh/s320/03_air.jpg" height="127" width="200" /></a>
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<td></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial views</td>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKh8uwVSpfve1CVcESVD_Ng5KrhjBseKp2MjaZmDzWc1gPKEUEiF5aERCMpET5cd4a5M9sXzeEgYiWFXTeFW521y5mvMW1Mjeb8Ffejy29k_vY1WyWuGbB6_pSRg4bdttR_-RyT-MMP_Q/s1600/05_room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKh8uwVSpfve1CVcESVD_Ng5KrhjBseKp2MjaZmDzWc1gPKEUEiF5aERCMpET5cd4a5M9sXzeEgYiWFXTeFW521y5mvMW1Mjeb8Ffejy29k_vY1WyWuGbB6_pSRg4bdttR_-RyT-MMP_Q/s320/05_room.jpg" height="209" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the room</td></tr>
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The first day is spent resting and getting acclimatized
to the high altitude and low oxygen.
Altitude sickness – symptoms include nausea, head aches and vomiting -
is one of the main worries and hence providing the body time to adjust is
important. Taking acetazolamide tablets
like diamox can help combat this.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTci4cqpARF1mnJ_MIZbKMD8RqxriiqEmMHgD-2VYd4cAHlgqLX_TcuwJYHzfMjIopI8S39RQvK8jqpNV-cr179YbQuU10cQHB4Lo6yGRmOmzk2uewnUSo5Auwks-X95FpQeTbfbKcHhV/s1600/07_thokse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTci4cqpARF1mnJ_MIZbKMD8RqxriiqEmMHgD-2VYd4cAHlgqLX_TcuwJYHzfMjIopI8S39RQvK8jqpNV-cr179YbQuU10cQHB4Lo6yGRmOmzk2uewnUSo5Auwks-X95FpQeTbfbKcHhV/s320/07_thokse.jpg" height="206" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thikse monastery</td></tr>
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Leh is surrounded by places of cultural interest. The Hemis monastery, at a distance of 45 km
from Leh, is one of the largest monasteries.
Though photography is prohibited within the monastery, the location
makes it a place worthy of a visit.
Other places include Thikse monastery, shanti stupa, Leh palace...</div>
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The next day I make an early start to Diskit in Nubra
valley. The road to Diskit passes
through Khardung La, one of the highest motorable passes in world. </div>
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Travelling is a pleasure in these parts as the minerals
and ores paint the mountains with unimaginable colours. Pinks and greens give way to yellow and
purple with patches of white scattered in between. Wildlife encountered during these journeys
comprises of Himalayan marmots, pika and blue sheep or bharal. Sighting the legendary phantom cat of the <st1:place w:st="on">Himalayas</st1:place>, the snow leopard, is extremely rare during the
summer as the cat would have followed its prey to the higher slopes.<br />
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<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtobMqnzzVmk52eyzefrqdVrd5TvgTel0GWnPzWeptiTN7_KWpkbd3RtZznJPrZRe6b5iLrs9p5Ho4jrH_Kcce470j3wNgD4OMo1zxC8B6K63bpGsNxRfHtwCplkMI4VUbnBNNo_jPShs2/s1600/10_marmot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtobMqnzzVmk52eyzefrqdVrd5TvgTel0GWnPzWeptiTN7_KWpkbd3RtZznJPrZRe6b5iLrs9p5Ho4jrH_Kcce470j3wNgD4OMo1zxC8B6K63bpGsNxRfHtwCplkMI4VUbnBNNo_jPShs2/s320/10_marmot.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>
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<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheIt3mPliZ2IpLPv3rYSWTbRST41vKq93t-3g0PplKPWRRFQ6wR-gxwa-zX9Twy_95YOyx0u8MRY-CTuDQnYtETYa8sLmsgl6YH0npZANQfYbH_IHsF3EbjBHEz_iyH7BTU1OPmcA9qvwS/s1600/11_sheep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheIt3mPliZ2IpLPv3rYSWTbRST41vKq93t-3g0PplKPWRRFQ6wR-gxwa-zX9Twy_95YOyx0u8MRY-CTuDQnYtETYa8sLmsgl6YH0npZANQfYbH_IHsF3EbjBHEz_iyH7BTU1OPmcA9qvwS/s320/11_sheep.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>
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<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0D_bcCTt_KFEzHjK33mlX5ZKCrVOd0LdUrBE9T5DBUCn9eQpxGhlOBhvBIf6Nl1Rbxx5raKzgHA5-sonXLzNOBDebe8uaHqFbzm9Bzx74YabBvTQzd-twK687gJEmWFD2tBebYvV854e/s1600/12_chukar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0D_bcCTt_KFEzHjK33mlX5ZKCrVOd0LdUrBE9T5DBUCn9eQpxGhlOBhvBIf6Nl1Rbxx5raKzgHA5-sonXLzNOBDebe8uaHqFbzm9Bzx74YabBvTQzd-twK687gJEmWFD2tBebYvV854e/s320/12_chukar.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>
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<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Himalayan marmot</td>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bharal</td>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chukar</td>
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After crossing <st1:place w:st="on">South Pullu</st1:place>,
the last town before khardung la, the paved road gives way to mud roads where
half cleared rock falls are a common sight.
The winding, single lane road with steep precipice on one side and
towering mountains on the other will test any driver’s skills. </div>
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As I approach Khardung la, I get my first glimpse of
snow. At the pass, it is common to see
hordes of tourists taking pictures of the board which claims Khardung la as the
highest motorable road in the world. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FuBwdG3BvgMEUjVa8r3EZTgKsnlMRBM882Q9SbzveYbUf4IbWimKM77bM7L4xi47VCMU69M5vBbBtOK6rbJvFduwF_bhWC6csFj_0L7jObXqgRvV4BKQYJ_Xx-xKFzIRW56eqX_PcaZI/s1600/13_khardung_pan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FuBwdG3BvgMEUjVa8r3EZTgKsnlMRBM882Q9SbzveYbUf4IbWimKM77bM7L4xi47VCMU69M5vBbBtOK6rbJvFduwF_bhWC6csFj_0L7jObXqgRvV4BKQYJ_Xx-xKFzIRW56eqX_PcaZI/s640/13_khardung_pan.jpg" height="184" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Khardung La</td></tr>
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As though to justify the featuring of this road in
Discovery as one of the most dangerous roads, a few boulders fell right in
front of my car as I was leaving <st1:street w:st="on">Khardung
La.</st1:street></div>
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The journey to Diskit will take between 6 to 7 hours
depending on the number of stops in between.<br />
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In the evening I head towards the famed sand dunes of
Nubra. Just a few kilometers from
Diskit, the sand dunes create a mini desert environment amidst towering
mountains, where Bactrian camels ply eager tourists. This is a place where some unique pictures
can be taken as the setting sun illuminates and lends a golden sheen to the
sand dunes and the mountains beyond.</div>
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The nearby Diskit monastery and Buddha statue are also
good places to visit. The next morning,
armed with an 800mm lens, I decided to explore the wilder side of Nubra. Yellow wagtails, red munias, house sparrows
and redstarts are the commonly seen birds, with the surrounding fields
attracting the maximum amount of birds.
Since all the fields are surrounded by fences, birding is restricted to
walking on the main roads.<br />
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<tbody>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZoq4WStbIgfI5XdrWYt-V3fZLWeOr6TsLb0woAUtrcEgz-8_n9LhddU_scTeKGp-Pz0qf8krp6oFgqNnLvs4tJNZcGa-LQnN4rFec3JuZtxVeJQY9_P1cVbfZbHtGHBGoUBbCx_-s3LH/s1600/17_thrush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZoq4WStbIgfI5XdrWYt-V3fZLWeOr6TsLb0woAUtrcEgz-8_n9LhddU_scTeKGp-Pz0qf8krp6oFgqNnLvs4tJNZcGa-LQnN4rFec3JuZtxVeJQY9_P1cVbfZbHtGHBGoUBbCx_-s3LH/s320/17_thrush.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>
</td>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEf-0irIeRjVcX5Ih4_IEd-k-wwrI0pyQWt5Jyuy-bek8t-fwDQp_lSXO-Litvb1nTPq-Kw9KziQCh_xdZvicrk_kTwPdOfzY1PNlUubW6k337bLS5tal44J7QNgqbpMxZEQGEVTm4jRw/s1600/18_fields.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEf-0irIeRjVcX5Ih4_IEd-k-wwrI0pyQWt5Jyuy-bek8t-fwDQp_lSXO-Litvb1nTPq-Kw9KziQCh_xdZvicrk_kTwPdOfzY1PNlUubW6k337bLS5tal44J7QNgqbpMxZEQGEVTm4jRw/s320/18_fields.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>
</td>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_wxg1orkGhkK9EAo03wefQylwSc_SiE24dVvroPCE1TDwyGZE5AYPBoPnUkK_EK_HCpEU53pNmAyWvPpCT6Ki9QOYmfVjCmv8ZLXDwPHbuwyX85e1NSKfxbuJqcFljmFtUSK26_Dv0CP/s1600/18_redstart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_wxg1orkGhkK9EAo03wefQylwSc_SiE24dVvroPCE1TDwyGZE5AYPBoPnUkK_EK_HCpEU53pNmAyWvPpCT6Ki9QOYmfVjCmv8ZLXDwPHbuwyX85e1NSKfxbuJqcFljmFtUSK26_Dv0CP/s320/18_redstart.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue rock thrush</td>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fields around Diskit</td>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red start</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
After Nubra valley it is time to explore the lakes that
Ladakh is famous for. Though Ladakh is
thousands of metres above the sea it still abounds with salt lakes. The first lake that I head to is Tso moriri.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ODoyZOQKdWBtzIv-2x6m-SrD9LLzLxRuSIm-OZdTtxbN1QVAVV5VmEji427mTTCGAVvKIVDOhjiWYw1sUxCSr0_6rglXz3fEp6tWyjCn4WFhlTO-HG4ChSdc94oZto7xBnYz6mKNnzEp/s1600/22_tso_mor_pan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ODoyZOQKdWBtzIv-2x6m-SrD9LLzLxRuSIm-OZdTtxbN1QVAVV5VmEji427mTTCGAVvKIVDOhjiWYw1sUxCSr0_6rglXz3fEp6tWyjCn4WFhlTO-HG4ChSdc94oZto7xBnYz6mKNnzEp/s640/22_tso_mor_pan.jpg" height="106" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tso moriri</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
With a length of 19 km, Tso moriri is designated as a Ramsar
site because of the rich bio diversity that it supports. It is the only known nesting site of bar
headed goose in <st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region>. Other aquatic birds like ruddy shelducks,
brown headed gulls and greater crested grebes can also be seen. On the lake shores, horned larks, golden
eagles, plovers and other terrestrial birds can be found.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyarZ-lW7dXTx_6JQCEPz-nTimPUJCj_9Nf9T177jcGlsvwy-zys7Q66WXW1m5S5U5ueicbNQoESvjPI74aSU7ZeVUtHpwOS6y-9nZNhvoxq5UH5eS_5Kw7yL8JFgP_5Y5EdyKjFU1Y7rh/s1600/19_bar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyarZ-lW7dXTx_6JQCEPz-nTimPUJCj_9Nf9T177jcGlsvwy-zys7Q66WXW1m5S5U5ueicbNQoESvjPI74aSU7ZeVUtHpwOS6y-9nZNhvoxq5UH5eS_5Kw7yL8JFgP_5Y5EdyKjFU1Y7rh/s320/19_bar.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>
</td>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLoCISA5EvbqcBLv2dXfWgZDUd-FwZ5IjsLTbIyAYSxwArJgTUFeW0ccY83oAXuXBH3c34XLYwWYmI2J1qzHSyuPQh1KfsxPT3trVkErgAJm03rEzBryW02Y-kPEhq07cyR_JLDiRfTWvx/s1600/20_duck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLoCISA5EvbqcBLv2dXfWgZDUd-FwZ5IjsLTbIyAYSxwArJgTUFeW0ccY83oAXuXBH3c34XLYwWYmI2J1qzHSyuPQh1KfsxPT3trVkErgAJm03rEzBryW02Y-kPEhq07cyR_JLDiRfTWvx/s320/20_duck.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>
</td>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbUtWJZbj2sjfiNY6PwhQgtKanGKsl-uRzDloVZXasjxCVOPRU5GzRXTPzmxQNvg1unaXdixyIyOoMTX1lHvTZv5JQFsszh1n3Gh9hPpMTo5qVl3iZH5lry2pkJ-9qesmnHWeNYC3GyY8/s1600/21_h_lark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbUtWJZbj2sjfiNY6PwhQgtKanGKsl-uRzDloVZXasjxCVOPRU5GzRXTPzmxQNvg1unaXdixyIyOoMTX1lHvTZv5JQFsszh1n3Gh9hPpMTo5qVl3iZH5lry2pkJ-9qesmnHWeNYC3GyY8/s320/21_h_lark.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bar headed goose</td>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruddy shelduck</td>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horned lark</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
During the day, even if it is cloudy, the lake waters
shine with a brilliant blue colour. At
night, the stars rule the sky, with the Milky Way bifurcating the sky from
north to south. The brilliance of the
stars is sufficient to make one forget the biting cold – the temperature
can plummet to 3<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt;">°</span> C even during summer – and the heavy winds.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JNQ2dwGnBA86IcckKQcrd_hb9S0HAn5pGO5Ena2uCdk6Kktqd1X1dL6KNJHLik-_k_y46Ot_2bN4ZYBtBMpjuyPulOm0wb2X2KNwi3kGqfrYEgiYZFsvQARadhishQMEV0EXetg073yz/s1600/24_milky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JNQ2dwGnBA86IcckKQcrd_hb9S0HAn5pGO5Ena2uCdk6Kktqd1X1dL6KNJHLik-_k_y46Ot_2bN4ZYBtBMpjuyPulOm0wb2X2KNwi3kGqfrYEgiYZFsvQARadhishQMEV0EXetg073yz/s640/24_milky.jpg" height="324" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tso moriri at night</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
The next lake that I head to is Tso Kar. This is a good place to spot the Tibetan wild
ass, or kiang, and the critically endangered black necked cranes, which nest in ladakh.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbSW_kB-d90MGhxzDBfOJvSweTvJnwmGZ07w0Covs9r6gHu83e729DR5bIU8mEtID3O9mXfqjcCs2rvrhWbUgkv3UF8eo4vhBtHeRpcnBgNlRwOxS-yG9XN5YVNLbxhrxCaLgGd1aSseR/s1600/25_kiang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbSW_kB-d90MGhxzDBfOJvSweTvJnwmGZ07w0Covs9r6gHu83e729DR5bIU8mEtID3O9mXfqjcCs2rvrhWbUgkv3UF8eo4vhBtHeRpcnBgNlRwOxS-yG9XN5YVNLbxhrxCaLgGd1aSseR/s320/25_kiang.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a>
</td>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SNF8BB1EO2XdgiiCeGWiFL2o0-WC16zAfeTDzslPOj4SAJYzTtP-DOp0rZaqcSrt4c3JbpMuEhCTh_FyyFN4ltFrJ0OCww3JcQMA0fk-NvV3RNBvozJQ_8qPfzOhgnBL4TAzsBb4fNMU/s1600/26_grass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SNF8BB1EO2XdgiiCeGWiFL2o0-WC16zAfeTDzslPOj4SAJYzTtP-DOp0rZaqcSrt4c3JbpMuEhCTh_FyyFN4ltFrJ0OCww3JcQMA0fk-NvV3RNBvozJQ_8qPfzOhgnBL4TAzsBb4fNMU/s320/26_grass.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a>
</td>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeq9aidRbtCPF2uKNFG87EmFaDarkVCbpbIiFHvX77DHTiKizlZfk-U0ALwZrxKvQaV7Gp32TjXEsznTn3rbiJFqQWcxNqBDU_sycTy_hNQNnC6uU1KhnSmb8fUoCLA96u5vt4ApURiDRV/s1600/27_crane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeq9aidRbtCPF2uKNFG87EmFaDarkVCbpbIiFHvX77DHTiKizlZfk-U0ALwZrxKvQaV7Gp32TjXEsznTn3rbiJFqQWcxNqBDU_sycTy_hNQNnC6uU1KhnSmb8fUoCLA96u5vt4ApURiDRV/s320/27_crane.jpg" height="200" width="300" /></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kiang</td>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vegetation around Tso Kar</td>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black necked crane</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br />
<br />
After Tso kar, it
is back to Leh via the Rohtung pass.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrknvy40hG1-LLKM_9HRKwwEVPRzgY1CAVcT10HU10vzlSVuUB0taNzMaSMGBjqdPIoiTCGu5dpdJrFOGHFByfFxZ7B0ajMJ5w7mZEWKxhxaPc4B1p_lFRNFi2dad3RypHqSTmxqO9e-3/s1600/27_1_rohtung.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrknvy40hG1-LLKM_9HRKwwEVPRzgY1CAVcT10HU10vzlSVuUB0taNzMaSMGBjqdPIoiTCGu5dpdJrFOGHFByfFxZ7B0ajMJ5w7mZEWKxhxaPc4B1p_lFRNFi2dad3RypHqSTmxqO9e-3/s640/27_1_rohtung.jpg" height="169" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rohtung pass</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQ4Dvi_9VnGCpuI01Ps4knStu2nkmMhE1ulamjfBTD0mw_KOdXnP9aa9L8hmwvSt_TldXhXf_1hgpqCH8GsNqKVDBOlnrXhD_VkqNdFCxZIToUlCDrrXGwJTK90fuLCdWOl4wOtAS0UC1/s1600/30_board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQ4Dvi_9VnGCpuI01Ps4knStu2nkmMhE1ulamjfBTD0mw_KOdXnP9aa9L8hmwvSt_TldXhXf_1hgpqCH8GsNqKVDBOlnrXhD_VkqNdFCxZIToUlCDrrXGwJTK90fuLCdWOl4wOtAS0UC1/s320/30_board.jpg" height="225" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
My final destination is the renowned <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Pangong</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Tso</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Lake</st1:placetype></st1:place> where many films
like <i>Three Idiots, Jab Tak Hai Jaan</i> were shot.
As the road approaches Pangong Tso, there is a stretch where it is
forbidden to stop the vehicle. The story
behind this is that the marmots here were being fed by tourists. The marmots got so used to this that they
started approaching vehicles. After 8 –
10 road kills, this stretch of road was made as a no stop zone.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQ4Dvi_9VnGCpuI01Ps4knStu2nkmMhE1ulamjfBTD0mw_KOdXnP9aa9L8hmwvSt_TldXhXf_1hgpqCH8GsNqKVDBOlnrXhD_VkqNdFCxZIToUlCDrrXGwJTK90fuLCdWOl4wOtAS0UC1/s1600/30_board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Around 130 kilometres in length, Pangong Tso is shared
between <st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region>. This lake is quite popular among tourists and
the gulls here certainly appreciate this.
Frequently fed, the gulls are quite adjusted to humans and allowed me to
approach surprisingly close.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3AEdCrI7898ZS5gmmllUAilYOuZA0liE62O6ttmXtRnWs8vHqPoMz5J2cYVAM9gz9MAjjjkmvaTLJPZJjalhnHKIqLItfChG8DF0nOABfgEhCQ08Rs_IvVup-UNbGLccHHdTe9-d7308/s1600/31_idiot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3AEdCrI7898ZS5gmmllUAilYOuZA0liE62O6ttmXtRnWs8vHqPoMz5J2cYVAM9gz9MAjjjkmvaTLJPZJjalhnHKIqLItfChG8DF0nOABfgEhCQ08Rs_IvVup-UNbGLccHHdTe9-d7308/s320/31_idiot.jpg" height="133" width="200" />
</a></td>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySHX86mrD4jWndzUCrgdcTbZpz_fIl-2wwdOMnCT8yyPz0rXQXywC20_ex1WA7rIXzNi54RGON1eH64RK8NcJHO28D5taOfjdd1PkxhjXgSSyzz6B3maOhJQH3J-0wZc01f2KEA89t2n6/s1600/32_gull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySHX86mrD4jWndzUCrgdcTbZpz_fIl-2wwdOMnCT8yyPz0rXQXywC20_ex1WA7rIXzNi54RGON1eH64RK8NcJHO28D5taOfjdd1PkxhjXgSSyzz6B3maOhJQH3J-0wZc01f2KEA89t2n6/s320/32_gull.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>
</td>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinllZphoYHuaxxuxYYz23n5yFd_JN8ZyYxJ7sLJ-PvFxDHPPthdfVDvbMBBXUn3FcJteYbdKKtHTnI_Hmm1BuPXHgiCBM_5Nry-L_sRoCbjhyAEFoOBbehaohVklEN-WWk9hMJWPfc1fUZ/s1600/33_struct.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinllZphoYHuaxxuxYYz23n5yFd_JN8ZyYxJ7sLJ-PvFxDHPPthdfVDvbMBBXUn3FcJteYbdKKtHTnI_Hmm1BuPXHgiCBM_5Nry-L_sRoCbjhyAEFoOBbehaohVklEN-WWk9hMJWPfc1fUZ/s320/33_struct.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three Idiots</td>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brown headed gull</td>
<td></td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
After this, it was back to Leh to catch an early return
flight.</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Thanks to the meticulous planning done by Philip and
Sachin of Toehold, the tour was both comfortable and productive.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
~ 0 ~<br />
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Some more photos:</h4>
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resultPicLinks[i]=this.formulateImageInputType(this.picLinks[i]);
};
this.curId=0;
if (navigator.appName == 'Microsoft Internet Explorer'){
picBar.innerHTML="<table align=\"center\" style=\"text-align:center;\" width=\"260\">"+searchAndReplace(outHtml, resultPicLinks)+"</table>";
}else{
picBar.innerHTML=this.searchAndReplace(outHtml, resultPicLinks);
}
}
this.showNext = function showNext(){
var picBar=document.getElementById(this.id);
var outHtml=this.formulateOutHtml(this.numOfPics,1);
var resultPicLinks = new Array();
var numPicsToMove = this.numOfPics;
if((numPicsToMove+this.numOfPics+this.curId )>this.picLinks.length){
numPicsToMove=this.picLinks.length-this.curId-this.numOfPics;
}
//alert(numPicsToMove);
for(i=0;i<(this.numOfPics);i++){
resultPicLinks[i]=this.formulateImageInputType(this.picLinks[this.curId+numPicsToMove+i]);
//alert(resultPicLinks[i]+"i="+i);
};
//alert("done");
if(this.curId+this.numOfPics != this.picLinks.length){
this.curId=this.curId+numPicsToMove;
}
if (navigator.appName == 'Microsoft Internet Explorer'){
picBar.innerHTML="<table align=\"center\" style=\"text-align:center;\" width=\"260\">"+searchAndReplace(outHtml, resultPicLinks)+"</table>";
}else{
picBar.innerHTML=this.searchAndReplace(outHtml, resultPicLinks);
}
};
this.formulateImageInputType=function formulateImageInputType(imageDetail){
return "<a href=\""+imageDetail.url+"\"><img src=\""+imageDetail.th_url+"\" width=\""+imageDetail.t_width+"\" height=\""+imageDetail.t_height+"\" title=\""+imageDetail.description+"\"></a>"
}
this.searchAndReplace=function searchAndReplace(inS,strings){
for(i=0;i<strings.length;i++){
inS=inS.replace("%s", strings[i]);
};
return inS;
};
this.formulateOutHtml=function formulateOutHtml (columns, rows){
var outHtml=this.outHtmlStart;
for(j=0;j<rows;j++){
outHtml+=this.tableRowStart;
for(i=0;i<columns;i++){
outHtml+=this.tableCol;
}
outHtml+=this.tableRowEnd;
};
outHtml+=this.outHtmlEnd;
return outHtml;
}
this.buttonMouseOver=function buttonMouseOver(obj, sel_img){
obj.src=sel_img;
}
this.buttonMouseOut=function buttonMouseOut(obj, desel_img){
obj.src=desel_img;
}
this.initialize=function initialize(){
this.curId = 0;
this.showInitial();
}
this.changeImages=function changeImages(imageArray){
this.picLinks=imageArray;
//alert(imageArray);
this.initialize();
}
}
var imageBarNumOfPic=2;
var rollingPicBarTable="picbar";
var rollingPicBarDiv="picBarDiv";
var mammalsImageDetailsArray=new Array(
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9WmmtDJxUKb-ADMeMmNWvweYJlG0JFWKR1PWzZQeJZuIKvJkxzWt12QiQt1p2YEDKZjQToxJQNKaWjl7uvNwzJto7bB5-Px6eN8kK0Nvs0jI8g_DELdMqXd-EOb6XkJjSxMW1MK59OB2/s320/04_trail.jpg",
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"Star trail in Leh"),
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdLt_2olpdh6J8pPW_VqtPC5RTZhNDXvNpYhb7n63dZDCjd0t8s-OBQMyBU0hn4UizooUfP92CBmje4gc7E5JJUeqEnG7D5gwjFDuChA0mbUbjhkyPQtrdq5M4ky2EhHfvvXlfHxucSTg/s1600/34_Add_horse_2.jpg",
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160,213,690,460,
"A horse rider at Tso moriri"),
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlYTziu1R2ltWBJrCsDsbXsQalj8rsv8w0TlxPp5mGsalYOpXrR_wyK6blnFuYC-AMO5NaC8qoDXwOYTJscJc3m5zhQnem74K81DZRtgC_H_B_V5GkLje2JrUzTgsUtz81YfRxyXL770U/s320/14_rays.jpg",
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320,213,690,460,
"Sand dunes near Diskit"),
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2TZy7e9F4KZgg7QA33YxgctDott5d7HJs5yP4eBtUsM8OB8CatNPqVeBYmdx-zLOPvkYW3KGpjcs7jU5jr37_nO508Rq92Jc0dUSqGqu7uHOCOwt9BMOZhecbOTtGWmWch3zB4u3bEF8/s320/34_Add_horse.jpg",
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160,213,690,460,
""),
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbtvCb5p5ckvzvTrRMyOvnCZwPLVHwNc7MipvP5RFFfJ6pgScn-fEFJUxomqpyi7y-eZc-7VKDcVZZ8YtfMCY_JxzPLzt9luPTTPhPuqyoPkr1uNajckbXBvPbAA_mXSCa5_qsNr0WdiXj/s320/16_bush.jpg",
"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbtvCb5p5ckvzvTrRMyOvnCZwPLVHwNc7MipvP5RFFfJ6pgScn-fEFJUxomqpyi7y-eZc-7VKDcVZZ8YtfMCY_JxzPLzt9luPTTPhPuqyoPkr1uNajckbXBvPbAA_mXSCa5_qsNr0WdiXj/s1600/16_bush.jpg",
320,160,690,460,
"Sun set in Diskit"),
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVFNHQW8ynq1joPLUHKuDL6CH3rbAufnsNaRdJOzgnn2uz6Sa8BsZQTvgqil_FzYXGRXWoBx7M4zZNEIrCEjgmJqDiQdasZ8JMXmJ-1Px5X2UYtSbxbW7EJpVRbuL58Jyavpsn72QHAbp/s320/34_Add_rays.jpg",
"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVFNHQW8ynq1joPLUHKuDL6CH3rbAufnsNaRdJOzgnn2uz6Sa8BsZQTvgqil_FzYXGRXWoBx7M4zZNEIrCEjgmJqDiQdasZ8JMXmJ-1Px5X2UYtSbxbW7EJpVRbuL58Jyavpsn72QHAbp/s1600/34_Add_rays.jpg",
320,200,690,460,
"Sand dunes near Diskit"),
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjTGIM3433O1QMS-ojpAr6yKng9UckJ2EnYvCfgTLiz1sOlSiBmY_II8Ln2l4m4DjvD9R6jbc_ctsNRvVeWAR2thhqRb0mz5HRCprbmY4OpwC-NAyC3YH72i11jg5a4X1ATgBEcKPYQ8J/s320/23_tso_mor_flag.jpg",
"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjTGIM3433O1QMS-ojpAr6yKng9UckJ2EnYvCfgTLiz1sOlSiBmY_II8Ln2l4m4DjvD9R6jbc_ctsNRvVeWAR2thhqRb0mz5HRCprbmY4OpwC-NAyC3YH72i11jg5a4X1ATgBEcKPYQ8J/s1600/23_tso_mor_flag.jpg",
320,213,690,460,
"Tso moriri"),
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPO2u7lAz3ce78sJC9AhHRVeFTPpnSQgtEZ0RWpefSkRK5ePEo114hjlLukdVI-Die2ADmlxmpLcTv0n_cguwpYYf_J3GPus2CB5qSt4-yRHLDeHlEzaNazb8S8NhsZiT3zUGvDw2VVkT3/s320/34_Add_white_paint.jpg",
"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPO2u7lAz3ce78sJC9AhHRVeFTPpnSQgtEZ0RWpefSkRK5ePEo114hjlLukdVI-Die2ADmlxmpLcTv0n_cguwpYYf_J3GPus2CB5qSt4-yRHLDeHlEzaNazb8S8NhsZiT3zUGvDw2VVkT3/s1600/34_Add_white_paint.jpg",
320,78,690,460,
""),
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBIKNN-KwSKfu8MhNAKmf75UjTTj6bha5USztLqS57B0YDLtrfjuHs4ektlyZ4rVjYZ9lfNvovlQ2JFb9rsHEuLiFJ3sAF9zWD2gjXgwsvS1YCr76Wv-y-MT1HYtN8u4rdWPCHVdpmCAx/s320/28_flower.jpg",
"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBIKNN-KwSKfu8MhNAKmf75UjTTj6bha5USztLqS57B0YDLtrfjuHs4ektlyZ4rVjYZ9lfNvovlQ2JFb9rsHEuLiFJ3sAF9zWD2gjXgwsvS1YCr76Wv-y-MT1HYtN8u4rdWPCHVdpmCAx/s1600/28_flower.jpg",
320,213,690,460,
"Chang La"),
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW4FY6V1Vee3rZ9Ivbc_M3Lo5JE29NETgV6PAwQ-icCBhvJUnzVuRniAaE778m8jjjdNvZoe8ElPfO3f4xGFELEXHT66ubK9tbY4i1phW6erD3NyNTrX3oan8PgPjN2csQRY5ELfD_qeA3/s320/29_monastry.jpg",
"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW4FY6V1Vee3rZ9Ivbc_M3Lo5JE29NETgV6PAwQ-icCBhvJUnzVuRniAaE778m8jjjdNvZoe8ElPfO3f4xGFELEXHT66ubK9tbY4i1phW6erD3NyNTrX3oan8PgPjN2csQRY5ELfD_qeA3/s1600/29_monastry.jpg",
320,213,690,460,
"Monastery"),
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRmxowmj2Ceoboy5ys6mddt-DJc1TXgye6dvgxakEdCFiJdPdoHI0h_Q8HpREVVBRSrPB7YXNdp9RzBTcAQv96hRk1RhRJGmWvVp8u1UxGPTho1aFcxrpYR7jQavhN-oGpOITelr2COzj/s320/34_Add_blls.jpg",
"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRmxowmj2Ceoboy5ys6mddt-DJc1TXgye6dvgxakEdCFiJdPdoHI0h_Q8HpREVVBRSrPB7YXNdp9RzBTcAQv96hRk1RhRJGmWvVp8u1UxGPTho1aFcxrpYR7jQavhN-oGpOITelr2COzj/s1600/34_Add_blls.jpg",
320,213,690,460,
"Thikse monastery"),
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoXnB2kICSH1ZsyN7QPUzEMlXQ5k_qW0Zk9TwZXArX2fMsWxGCtoRsV0sKxf2sAXe9YLYOFpCC_kXpxEWL2hlU7JMrDuwrvvXcuKwMAV1V8k8KlK51m9sghz7W14zb2dPwVzijFNxDRYK/s320/34_Add_cliffs.jpg",
"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoXnB2kICSH1ZsyN7QPUzEMlXQ5k_qW0Zk9TwZXArX2fMsWxGCtoRsV0sKxf2sAXe9YLYOFpCC_kXpxEWL2hlU7JMrDuwrvvXcuKwMAV1V8k8KlK51m9sghz7W14zb2dPwVzijFNxDRYK/s1600/34_Add_cliffs.jpg",
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""),
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDPiiU88NNlVFub8X3bvBtYUBq30D2-V4MXW-e4U9z0KIxKzBFE3IVpAZUZVdXNYXII70taa4RmBTtiOLbjbmjkdnz8J8MueqmtMkuUZFLS8SljgZxbm-Tr2plp95KACMIEurIbPr1CP3/s320/34_Add_gathering.jpg",
"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDPiiU88NNlVFub8X3bvBtYUBq30D2-V4MXW-e4U9z0KIxKzBFE3IVpAZUZVdXNYXII70taa4RmBTtiOLbjbmjkdnz8J8MueqmtMkuUZFLS8SljgZxbm-Tr2plp95KACMIEurIbPr1CP3/s1600/34_Add_gathering.jpg",
320,213,690,460,
"People gathered to celebrate Dalai lama's birthday"),
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlr4xBnhTAe2Mruq4ACsqOhb4cHRPCI628nA0GhfQ1k5MCUMpL33PBCHfwEZT0rHmGvFomAW4NB_nuL1CEJ0kVFcW80JxT5JzeZdZZNcMPGHyYor6y088lqTdW3y-M8wD5PES53jC_vS3v/s320/05_terrace.jpg",
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320,213,690,460,
"A view from the lodge in Leh"),
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7th7R-lCelDTRHVfAEEaJGtT3ZO-HIA8NI41Mvmjh1Fm9JZ0CK_JQoeJ5bqhpPAbNBanWEQBjHriRhmBrPiFioNoMVhb83gBdtAUBJcb31TujT-ofUlsLVwIuphmi1Qo2nw03jvjwSpEh/s320/08_palace.jpg",
"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7th7R-lCelDTRHVfAEEaJGtT3ZO-HIA8NI41Mvmjh1Fm9JZ0CK_JQoeJ5bqhpPAbNBanWEQBjHriRhmBrPiFioNoMVhb83gBdtAUBJcb31TujT-ofUlsLVwIuphmi1Qo2nw03jvjwSpEh/s1600/08_palace.jpg",
160,213,690,460,
"Leh palace"),
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2CFg1baNCPRpM0zdoBd0C_sTAZ4TJV1xf7mOk9SL0VOUH3lQ-wXOxlCdbv3YMjQqQZh7Esri0ewwmPvFQZ8XLvxZk_xJCUpZaOZe3JF5s2yUNFny2GuZ-xXEs30Sk6h5HAxkZj269b9Lm/s320/34_Add_plants.jpg",
"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2CFg1baNCPRpM0zdoBd0C_sTAZ4TJV1xf7mOk9SL0VOUH3lQ-wXOxlCdbv3YMjQqQZh7Esri0ewwmPvFQZ8XLvxZk_xJCUpZaOZe3JF5s2yUNFny2GuZ-xXEs30Sk6h5HAxkZj269b9Lm/s1600/34_Add_plants.jpg",
320,213,690,460,
"On the way to Diskit"),
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMx_sN1OVqPGYaWYNOuDssWEh4Z824sKIGyv3qOf6-LC60M8l4_ysAIaLbMOtFd17iVTTA0wkIknaE-lQJQ9yESTwN2R3uaU0NNUCFrLwzmS61d5pv9eurS9QCUtKhqaAsjxx4DwRVt3h/s320/34_Add_road.jpg",
"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMx_sN1OVqPGYaWYNOuDssWEh4Z824sKIGyv3qOf6-LC60M8l4_ysAIaLbMOtFd17iVTTA0wkIknaE-lQJQ9yESTwN2R3uaU0NNUCFrLwzmS61d5pv9eurS9QCUtKhqaAsjxx4DwRVt3h/s1600/34_Add_road.jpg",
320,213,690,460,
""),
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoIDBTIfZIOa42pJxA_-U_iwkNqtUFPxkyJK8SaTs5Qe34v13hHAAiLvc0GSRa6Of9Hs8YGTdGPNW1IoYRfNndNZhAmDxkOQmeI7_dmNCofjRkz_Ea_s5C0MuJuQHS80xrr_-VenxfuMq/s320/34_Add_sand_plover.jpg",
"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoIDBTIfZIOa42pJxA_-U_iwkNqtUFPxkyJK8SaTs5Qe34v13hHAAiLvc0GSRa6Of9Hs8YGTdGPNW1IoYRfNndNZhAmDxkOQmeI7_dmNCofjRkz_Ea_s5C0MuJuQHS80xrr_-VenxfuMq/s1600/34_Add_sand_plover.jpg",
320,213,690,460,
"Female sand plover at Tso Kar"),
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinr9xF53t6_i1pTgkz2NmlwBTyeBUeA_k9NR2qcQKZxsNKEaUxHA-M-aSVBXd0tpSs5bCcfrxLwqTllxJZefJLl966WloZXDVf7OS45p2aYJAkslsYofplBf1997xg72eB0Lw2lp3KJLKp/s320/34_Add_siachjin.jpg",
"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinr9xF53t6_i1pTgkz2NmlwBTyeBUeA_k9NR2qcQKZxsNKEaUxHA-M-aSVBXd0tpSs5bCcfrxLwqTllxJZefJLl966WloZXDVf7OS45p2aYJAkslsYofplBf1997xg72eB0Lw2lp3KJLKp/s1600/34_Add_siachjin.jpg",
160,213,690,460,
"On the way to Khardung La"),
new ImageDetails("https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFNhHxrT8avFYJliwWTF2wEhli4g4iPnIvLx-qVAG4mwwS2wPi7o9taeke-tWGHo9Jov8akBwhHox63-bV3FCMxXLK5xsGEyhnvlSfxasiweI5QoT9PvuWyNYkmCtAbB8y0mCxZ7x2FK8/s320/34_Add_zoom_b.jpg",
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160,213,690,460,
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
A time lapse video of Ladakh:</h4>
<br/>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/71616581?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b>Notes:</b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>It is better to book the flight tickets early as summer
is tourist season in Ladakh.</li>
<li>For photography a wide angle lens is a must and an ultra
wide angle lens coupled with a full frame camera will be a boon. I was using canon 24-105 f4 L lens for
landscapes and a canon 800mm f5.6 for wildlife.
For time lapse and star trails an intervalometer is required for canon
cameras.</li>
<li>It is necessary to take prior permission to visit the
lakes. Hence a photo Id is necessary.</li>
<li>At the lakes, it gets very cold during the night. Do carry adequate warm clothing. The accommodation at the lakes is a temporary
tent. This makes it very easy for the
guests to become one with the elements as the tents seem to have a liking for
the wind and allow it to flow freely within!</li>
<li>During the day, the sun is quite harsh. So, sun glasses, cap and sun screen are
essential.</li>
<li>While returning it is better to reach the Leh airport
early because of the heavy security.</li>
</ul>
<br/>
<br/>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4420442067410736262" name="magneticHill"></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">* Around 50 kilometers from Leh, there is a hill known as Magnetic Hill. Apparently vehicles move uphill without any power here.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>Prajwal KMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11655642580681600281noreply@blogger.com5Ladakh34.225429015241396 77.563476562533.3852355152414 76.2725830625 35.065622515241394 78.8543700625tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420442067410736262.post-55766688262501100052013-05-13T08:59:00.000-07:002013-05-13T09:31:02.814-07:00Bhadra in Action - A photo essay<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<i>kuk kaya kaya kuk ...</i><br />
<br />
The call of the grey jungle fowl welcomed us to the River Tern Lodge at Bhadra wildlife sanctuary. <br />
<br />
Situated right next to the Bhadra dam, the rooms in the lodge have a spectacular view of the backwaters. River terns (the presence of which has given the lodge its name), striated swallows, doves provide ample opportunities for "arm-chair birding" from the room. On the farther shores, an elephant or even a black panther may make a surprise appearance <br />
<br />
<table><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqAOkIWrqCJc_o6Iluojq3kuJmhtw7i42BUtyT83twYqvTygkylvzV6zHymZP7g1FLhEd-_jHjhBx7o2RiswyPGVvUWejbDahl2Cb931g8c9oDpWT4AqMk0CFxgPjnH4DIcl_cXp50x1o/s1600/DSC04174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqAOkIWrqCJc_o6Iluojq3kuJmhtw7i42BUtyT83twYqvTygkylvzV6zHymZP7g1FLhEd-_jHjhBx7o2RiswyPGVvUWejbDahl2Cb931g8c9oDpWT4AqMk0CFxgPjnH4DIcl_cXp50x1o/s320/DSC04174.jpg" width="320" /></a>
</td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibNLaU84Ux_6QUvJVqfTSFfdmpkogTs4IHqGPOLVPHIIRYhHXq4-fDlAEXBkHiivYYl5FIYYDkeC9SuMUALJl34PJrOrONtV8MvHc7l_EMz7OGFfcASUKC6b_jjgh7nc0oTeyLKgT_29W/s1600/C45H0929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibNLaU84Ux_6QUvJVqfTSFfdmpkogTs4IHqGPOLVPHIIRYhHXq4-fDlAEXBkHiivYYl5FIYYDkeC9SuMUALJl34PJrOrONtV8MvHc7l_EMz7OGFfcASUKC6b_jjgh7nc0oTeyLKgT_29W/s320/C45H0929.jpg" width="366" /></a>
</td></tr>
<tr><td><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Room with a view
</b></span></div>
</td><td><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Striated swallow
</span></b></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Boat and jeep rides into the sanctuary give an opportunity to view the wildlife up close. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b><i>The avian fauna:</i></b><br />
<br/>
The overwhelming number of river terns can make photography difficult as one doesn't know which bird to photograph. But, focusing on a chick and waiting will produce good action images.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlta0KYrF83beDgKdaihI6f2KVZvc2tWOxMBkq_XplfUvQsskcYNvTfXTdZCsbfgaI3SigXeVsLZkpyhzhdO3P3Llc2qsYianLeAUEJ4Yt4tJXQ61QDwE_5ynZhcx_pDF4jqV-4sjAQYg3/s1600/C45H0622_1x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlta0KYrF83beDgKdaihI6f2KVZvc2tWOxMBkq_XplfUvQsskcYNvTfXTdZCsbfgaI3SigXeVsLZkpyhzhdO3P3Llc2qsYianLeAUEJ4Yt4tJXQ61QDwE_5ynZhcx_pDF4jqV-4sjAQYg3/s200/C45H0622_1x.jpg" width="200" /></a>
</td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFThmhcHkVVNsqyTNB-NpItAV3-pCibAGFJuZjamloGQPTYUBPAXNzI45LOf09zQV56kNVf6q7B-r-hYxHu-7abKoTW8lP43fk5SSlLBR-qh4W9LXwWVUmIcHfkb5Y-h9Qjj82R1vw3i3v/s1600/C45H0662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFThmhcHkVVNsqyTNB-NpItAV3-pCibAGFJuZjamloGQPTYUBPAXNzI45LOf09zQV56kNVf6q7B-r-hYxHu-7abKoTW8lP43fk5SSlLBR-qh4W9LXwWVUmIcHfkb5Y-h9Qjj82R1vw3i3v/s200/C45H0662.jpg" width="200" /></a>
</td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuYGIxQIOJ2CdZEEeNR8i7YQyBl1TAnjwm4iWsxy2v8fBoz0o6qh0Ldr5vnfd0GtqRNwObr2V2mLMpH7kvJc-gMTdVsMrLXUMOHfsarljwdKtAD9knB_r2uw8ySYkQeoYoxr_08mbkPtMj/s1600/C45H0026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuYGIxQIOJ2CdZEEeNR8i7YQyBl1TAnjwm4iWsxy2v8fBoz0o6qh0Ldr5vnfd0GtqRNwObr2V2mLMpH7kvJc-gMTdVsMrLXUMOHfsarljwdKtAD9knB_r2uw8ySYkQeoYoxr_08mbkPtMj/s200/C45H0026.jpg" width="200" /></a>
</td></tr>
<tr><td><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Conversation
</b></span></div>
</td><td><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Argument
</span></b></div>
</td><td><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">River tern chick regurgitating fish
</span></b></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Any raptor approaching the nesting sites triggers a mass exodus, with all the terns taking to the wing and trying to chase the threat away. The sight and sound of thousands of birds flying all around the boat is one which will remain etched in one's memory forever.<br />
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<table><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVJBsK9VLvzxBZ5qOua_y1DHcZccHniM4lIZEzShudoIYTYjoF1cNXpPpb74kwTo40NMHSbM2XsJwEj6KnDQFVWTXVthwXlb93ZGgPI5HLqWE1Dsut6xsw2fCKUu1QN37F4GN0jDAk1ID/s1600/C45H9466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVJBsK9VLvzxBZ5qOua_y1DHcZccHniM4lIZEzShudoIYTYjoF1cNXpPpb74kwTo40NMHSbM2XsJwEj6KnDQFVWTXVthwXlb93ZGgPI5HLqWE1Dsut6xsw2fCKUu1QN37F4GN0jDAk1ID/s320/C45H9466.jpg" width="270" /></a>
</td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkfp-HwCJyHxpTT03HSMBCztriyLU8wjltRjFcOUGMlcQct72WjD1vTNpVha-gfoNKz56kcqKJz9yRPjVjDgSKm4UkiuIO3W3Udj1o0Ww_ZtcKvH4zMeQIR_NF9h6lXH_us6HL0abl7w7Q/s1600/C45H0282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkfp-HwCJyHxpTT03HSMBCztriyLU8wjltRjFcOUGMlcQct72WjD1vTNpVha-gfoNKz56kcqKJz9yRPjVjDgSKm4UkiuIO3W3Udj1o0Ww_ZtcKvH4zMeQIR_NF9h6lXH_us6HL0abl7w7Q/s320/C45H0282.jpg" width="360" /></a>
</td></tr>
<tr><td><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Sometimes even the best defenses can be breached. When two Bonelli's eagles attacked, one of them managed to capture a chick.</b></span></div>
</td><td><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">River terns agitated due to the close approach of a woolly necked stork..
</span></b>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Amidst the river terns a few pranticoles can also be seen.<br />
<table><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTtSVYC7pKcr-IoSfomlUkbFyyS6Vt5__EP6YOcb-6nJTDgXzbK18eJnysPGXkmCXWnoFdPnrh9ox-c_H7lShGLmbyO5aMEcFyj04oCQp3E5GDZlkkdyoETApJtEGO3TJRLedHk4KjeCta/s1600/C45H9440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTtSVYC7pKcr-IoSfomlUkbFyyS6Vt5__EP6YOcb-6nJTDgXzbK18eJnysPGXkmCXWnoFdPnrh9ox-c_H7lShGLmbyO5aMEcFyj04oCQp3E5GDZlkkdyoETApJtEGO3TJRLedHk4KjeCta/s320/C45H9440.jpg" width="320" /></a>
</td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPNS9CQSfxNYoPLP7iv_iVG9raR60yFUlQwU33oznongZ945U_gGtySZQd2gdkHB1Amcgb0bGvpOk37k8I-vy4aGDBEu-AvwV39bO8DWxrYbXtIVYt5zog4bqZY2gx8vmrVl600W8nQoZx/s1600/C45H9456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPNS9CQSfxNYoPLP7iv_iVG9raR60yFUlQwU33oznongZ945U_gGtySZQd2gdkHB1Amcgb0bGvpOk37k8I-vy4aGDBEu-AvwV39bO8DWxrYbXtIVYt5zog4bqZY2gx8vmrVl600W8nQoZx/s320/C45H9456.jpg" width="320" /></a>
</td></tr>
<tr><td><div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Pranticole chick.</b></span></div>
</div>
</td><td><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Small Pranticole
</span></b>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
Raptors like ospreys, grey headed fish eagle, white bellied sea eagle can be commonly seen.<br />
<br />
<table><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh0fGQ4wvWWnswEZdysWbvO6Onfo47cwAYHbjZPEl_fA9HbbDF5OzzOdj2qlqMnXHZgSbASM9ImXkPUUdYyJmehc5PMbn_UlaRChxNbLr-KE1OgkfckmNnrN5Ql5dvXMWpbtVnzNifNKgK/s1600/C45H9708.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh0fGQ4wvWWnswEZdysWbvO6Onfo47cwAYHbjZPEl_fA9HbbDF5OzzOdj2qlqMnXHZgSbASM9ImXkPUUdYyJmehc5PMbn_UlaRChxNbLr-KE1OgkfckmNnrN5Ql5dvXMWpbtVnzNifNKgK/s200/C45H9708.jpg" width="180" /></a>
</td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNLSoZeI1-Tn30e73MFNy47ihqH9WN3AzReYZpSDOaz2LVGEc7h1-xzLIS9TgRsN5VCAshK0TqqbfJDR3nJ8NR7czW2muvOAJSwYM12yPhxr5wOKzCXzZnIr_yrqIVzayZeXY_7lwKQBH/s1600/C45H9833.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNLSoZeI1-Tn30e73MFNy47ihqH9WN3AzReYZpSDOaz2LVGEc7h1-xzLIS9TgRsN5VCAshK0TqqbfJDR3nJ8NR7czW2muvOAJSwYM12yPhxr5wOKzCXzZnIr_yrqIVzayZeXY_7lwKQBH/s200/C45H9833.jpg" width="180" /></a>
</td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4YwiQme2_g-9KncK2MHr06hwH-m5rKGjPVJR-fBxGfh_2QKAe1lOsVrKA7yK1n8XqITnIoRh9xLXs3CGsthFgCoHE5oEZ2ExgoS1sPlpX5EvWT9kN-MvDSKuY6bDeE-eK0-iTb2VCErk/s1600/C45H0900.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4YwiQme2_g-9KncK2MHr06hwH-m5rKGjPVJR-fBxGfh_2QKAe1lOsVrKA7yK1n8XqITnIoRh9xLXs3CGsthFgCoHE5oEZ2ExgoS1sPlpX5EvWT9kN-MvDSKuY6bDeE-eK0-iTb2VCErk/s200/C45H0900.jpg" width="180" /></a>
</td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-kkmHWKDSobj4vSlIROdQ1oT1QvvOI3CW2StMwVjJPoP0mNLmyENrnIoxzWd1jQvCsnB0qpuqE2a5dpSSeMAaR5AFQMcW5L8e1f3vvD7RKav-Mau5HbfDHuLqtZBTy-hgO_18E8EiWtY/s1600/C45H0084.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-kkmHWKDSobj4vSlIROdQ1oT1QvvOI3CW2StMwVjJPoP0mNLmyENrnIoxzWd1jQvCsnB0qpuqE2a5dpSSeMAaR5AFQMcW5L8e1f3vvD7RKav-Mau5HbfDHuLqtZBTy-hgO_18E8EiWtY/s200/C45H0084.jpg" width="90" /></a>
</td></tr>
<tr><td><div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Osprey with kill.</b></span></div>
</div>
</td><td><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Osprey take off</span></b></div>
</td><td><div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Grey headed fish eagle.</b></span></div>
</div>
</td><td><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">White bellied sea eagle
</span></b>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<img border="0" height="11" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rlpgl6AONstl6msgqlOnJupyPGhHxqgJ82990d5Nq67c3tsJ1w7ncE3uZEfa5EKOPfcT0f47mMc-cbQL3gt3oTdluBx7BbJsLVroUjpD8NWAxxLAM0-RxNkqqZpSN-5RXPBTFxK29WUR/s400/divider.gif" style="background-color: #151515; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px;" width="400" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i><b>The elusive tiger:</b></i><br />
<br />
Near the end of one of our boat rides, a tigress decided to bask in the glory of the setting sun.<br />
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<table><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgreJ3znEcQ3CyhM_4GR8GBl_gd8rtxYFRuDYgqrjcF29GG0cspuUbiIShK9XCiTwuB69UOQHdOlMqe1HTu5Kqrd7rNLHnn3TGyNZYqr6JaVmBNphkxfhZQcEJyZHEdEODX31omQR286Wjh/s1600/C45H0016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgreJ3znEcQ3CyhM_4GR8GBl_gd8rtxYFRuDYgqrjcF29GG0cspuUbiIShK9XCiTwuB69UOQHdOlMqe1HTu5Kqrd7rNLHnn3TGyNZYqr6JaVmBNphkxfhZQcEJyZHEdEODX31omQR286Wjh/s320/C45H0016.jpg" width="270" /></a>
</td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7vxcCkqEs3wdVd7byyWncoUOxiwhvMkjmoj7R2ilJr1_j66-3do5Atp9NYl-SgCny6SAHrpOPT_NMYe2uRO1PRyG_o3coKHfjxvNyWY2iHsP_7r6lZU8nCAkqISwPMM_5BuHwsJ4YqZh/s1600/C45H9858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7vxcCkqEs3wdVd7byyWncoUOxiwhvMkjmoj7R2ilJr1_j66-3do5Atp9NYl-SgCny6SAHrpOPT_NMYe2uRO1PRyG_o3coKHfjxvNyWY2iHsP_7r6lZU8nCAkqISwPMM_5BuHwsJ4YqZh/s320/C45H9858.jpg" width="344" /></a>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="11" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rlpgl6AONstl6msgqlOnJupyPGhHxqgJ82990d5Nq67c3tsJ1w7ncE3uZEfa5EKOPfcT0f47mMc-cbQL3gt3oTdluBx7BbJsLVroUjpD8NWAxxLAM0-RxNkqqZpSN-5RXPBTFxK29WUR/s400/divider.gif" style="background-color: #151515; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px;" width="400" /></div>
<br />
<b><i>The elephant that played dead:</i></b><br />
<br />
<table><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWir5HmS4ONs60Sc0531cLEKOkv9RWz88jQZ8KGEG4oBG8vynwM9nvs63dImjo7lCxlq1biB6Q4m1E3znCuMQWGTB-ohRVlzUANAVkoiZXswH_hfMkYxsIxEw2EgPE7HxUQTGIO6P5miOu/s1600/C45H9558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWir5HmS4ONs60Sc0531cLEKOkv9RWz88jQZ8KGEG4oBG8vynwM9nvs63dImjo7lCxlq1biB6Q4m1E3znCuMQWGTB-ohRVlzUANAVkoiZXswH_hfMkYxsIxEw2EgPE7HxUQTGIO6P5miOu/s200/C45H9558.jpg" width="200" /></a>
</td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28eWwcs5mdSnpuBTuVsBJXKcPrOY5bNoXcJrt-NJr85V4Pa_c9s4lru6_5X7XFuWJC4Pm3EE5ZvSHebNdcraKa_X5jCuztRGLOmU72yEZ_Txbh3W_e7ZW-12pzvUJo2_T9sZLpfp8EYR6/s1600/C45H9562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28eWwcs5mdSnpuBTuVsBJXKcPrOY5bNoXcJrt-NJr85V4Pa_c9s4lru6_5X7XFuWJC4Pm3EE5ZvSHebNdcraKa_X5jCuztRGLOmU72yEZ_Txbh3W_e7ZW-12pzvUJo2_T9sZLpfp8EYR6/s200/C45H9562.jpg" width="200" /></a>
</td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLXXNFLBL5IWQCPW6LQHvpkJunLbcnPOQ1G8Xm3wfMTOvDXYqviphq5wDdt0JtC5rkIPSFimqtRh5mPs7usxrMvbg6G1SuUVz8yvb28oOYdpTtoRkZsN1xNkRs6_V27JAe6ZWcor9pKeK/s1600/C45H9647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLXXNFLBL5IWQCPW6LQHvpkJunLbcnPOQ1G8Xm3wfMTOvDXYqviphq5wDdt0JtC5rkIPSFimqtRh5mPs7usxrMvbg6G1SuUVz8yvb28oOYdpTtoRkZsN1xNkRs6_V27JAe6ZWcor9pKeK/s200/C45H9647.jpg" width="200" /></a>
</td></tr>
<tr><td><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Tusker, lying as if dead, at the water's edge
</b></span></div>
</td><td><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Resurrection ...
</span></b></div>
</td><td><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">...ending with a dust bath
</span></b></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="11" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rlpgl6AONstl6msgqlOnJupyPGhHxqgJ82990d5Nq67c3tsJ1w7ncE3uZEfa5EKOPfcT0f47mMc-cbQL3gt3oTdluBx7BbJsLVroUjpD8NWAxxLAM0-RxNkqqZpSN-5RXPBTFxK29WUR/s400/divider.gif" style="background-color: #151515; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px;" width="400" /></div>
<br />
<b><i>Night Life:</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
At night, the absence of light pollution allow the stars to make an appearance.<br />
<table style="margin: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgaFz9YDLFZ86hu3uyyFD28h3wNsZbufyl_TtAT_QA_G-ZToDrrj5mzBvVG4r0cfbUGtXtKfS2exXUyfNMdn6zO8LlMLbhS2eHWko5Psff8uxSYT-nLyYd2bS1hdU0wTg2vK_1GtUmTy8/s1600/C45H0583.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgaFz9YDLFZ86hu3uyyFD28h3wNsZbufyl_TtAT_QA_G-ZToDrrj5mzBvVG4r0cfbUGtXtKfS2exXUyfNMdn6zO8LlMLbhS2eHWko5Psff8uxSYT-nLyYd2bS1hdU0wTg2vK_1GtUmTy8/s320/C45H0583.jpg" width="213" /></a>
</td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipP9Ey7eWLWMLFxDJS-1XHfEVuoWgD21LlJghEfy6BxsohQBlhg-HUV8zbsNCdlVG7Sc9zaKNzjZx4rC7tXI_vP93FLzCIzR75YMq63hEvg954CRYhXrq9586eq7klBY7qXt0jCQM0CvVl/s1600/C45H0588.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipP9Ey7eWLWMLFxDJS-1XHfEVuoWgD21LlJghEfy6BxsohQBlhg-HUV8zbsNCdlVG7Sc9zaKNzjZx4rC7tXI_vP93FLzCIzR75YMq63hEvg954CRYhXrq9586eq7klBY7qXt0jCQM0CvVl/s320/C45H0588.jpg" width="203" /></a>
</td></tr>
<tr><td><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Star rise over the backwaters</b></span></div>
</td><td><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Our rooms</span></b></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="11" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rlpgl6AONstl6msgqlOnJupyPGhHxqgJ82990d5Nq67c3tsJ1w7ncE3uZEfa5EKOPfcT0f47mMc-cbQL3gt3oTdluBx7BbJsLVroUjpD8NWAxxLAM0-RxNkqqZpSN-5RXPBTFxK29WUR/s400/divider.gif" style="background-color: #151515; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px;" width="400" /></div>
<br/>
<i><b>Some more photos ...</b></i><br />
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Click on the Next/Prev buttons to go through the photos.
<br/><br/><br/>
<div style="text-align: center;">
~ 0 ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ 0 ~</div>
<br />
<b>Route:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The River Tern Lodge (<a href="http://www.junglelodges.com/index.php/resorts/river-tern-lodge.html">http://www.junglelodges.com/index.php/resorts/river-tern-lodge.html</a>) is near Tarikere - approx 5 hrs from Bangalore - in the Bangalore-Shimoga road. Take a left turn towards Lakkavalli after Tarikere (clearly marked with a sign board). The lodge is very near to Lakkavalli</div>Prajwal KMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11655642580681600281noreply@blogger.com4Bhadra Dam, Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka 57712813.7 75.6399999999999865.7631535 65.3128515 21.636846499999997 85.967148499999979tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420442067410736262.post-17159703130913583732012-12-08T02:39:00.000-08:002012-12-10T08:46:33.052-08:00Tadoba – Into the Forests of Kipling’s Jungle Book<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhU9pBoJlUcbDjUHIK1DFPgOwjrOhR-IhVKEnBi1jqDjQ2AbU2_RYSd0ggJfAnZGBk8-ozC7WFhksq4Sp_Usd0v_-qtoeS23ny1w11VKCuzNFewHTFSL4XBiX4XFqzlLws5nO_26QEufUy/s1600/C45H5925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhU9pBoJlUcbDjUHIK1DFPgOwjrOhR-IhVKEnBi1jqDjQ2AbU2_RYSd0ggJfAnZGBk8-ozC7WFhksq4Sp_Usd0v_-qtoeS23ny1w11VKCuzNFewHTFSL4XBiX4XFqzlLws5nO_26QEufUy/s1600/C45H5925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhU9pBoJlUcbDjUHIK1DFPgOwjrOhR-IhVKEnBi1jqDjQ2AbU2_RYSd0ggJfAnZGBk8-ozC7WFhksq4Sp_Usd0v_-qtoeS23ny1w11VKCuzNFewHTFSL4XBiX4XFqzlLws5nO_26QEufUy/s400/C45H5925.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Telia cubs in water</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
“Welcome to the Real Land of Tigers” – so proclaims the
banner at the Moharli Gate of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Tadoba-Andheri</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">National Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>. Our first safari justified this
statement. We saw more tigers – five, in
fact - than any other animal.</div>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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During winter, the safari experience in Tadoba is quite
different from other National Parks. As
majority of the park is closed due to road repairs (the roads get damaged and
water logged during monsoon), most of the safari time is spent driving on the
main tarred road, with a few diversions to visit the water holes within the
forest. The tigers oblige by frequenting
the main road and the few accessible water holes. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijm48uzvlJlwz2vlLnl7dTbsesAz1gmKcypGUBIuaqSqAPAoO3D7XJCv5sj8KJ6GzUGEHiSvFImBHJci0xvmgV3B8Ndu-SkufBbd3IV0BRmBOrYFEeE2OWfDT_d9A80jHeRpE4Jnuy3Xin/s1600/Telia_lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijm48uzvlJlwz2vlLnl7dTbsesAz1gmKcypGUBIuaqSqAPAoO3D7XJCv5sj8KJ6GzUGEHiSvFImBHJci0xvmgV3B8Ndu-SkufBbd3IV0BRmBOrYFEeE2OWfDT_d9A80jHeRpE4Jnuy3Xin/s640/Telia_lake.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Telia lake within Tadoba</td></tr>
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After an exciting start, the next few safaris proved an
anticlimax. No tigers, and bird life was
conspicuous by its scarcity. In fact, we
saw more birds during our drive from the resort to the park entrance than within
the park. As the resort – Serai tiger
resort- was situated near the shore of a large lake and surrounded by
grassland, both aquatic and grassland birds could be seen nearby. We regularly saw bronze winged jacanas, open
billed storks, buzzards (white eyed and honey), kestrels, prinias, bushchats …<br />
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<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUogw3CNAov5LWC2N68MgXfledN69qdSJNP9LggHcx6DmoPjtK3GdYeBmEgVqiCs0ZLhOtarzcL4eJGj9w5HlUY6VvlBfoLXRtFs1imGv4sSzBDp52KARAAVdrTdwpUEAk88Wnc5aoJHL/s1600/C45H6510.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/AVvXsEjEUogw3CNAov5LWC2N68MgXfledN69qdSJNP9LggHcx6DmoPjtK3GdYeBmEgVqiCs0ZLhOtarzcL4eJGj9w5HlUY6VvlBfoLXRtFs1imGv4sSzBDp52KARAAVdrTdwpUEAk88Wnc5aoJHL/s320/C45H6510.jpg" width="160" />
</a>
</td>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNHZrtqeu5L_XkBS_kx_kY2cgsjk4q7dAYf8SV5M8bGErfC4NTJH6hQ3Kp08mM6PCnl1zRznPuoTBu-EBQvgBTQuJonCCffzA6DwUTxYJoONS4W3dS0FnOF0WQTmA2t82Nuk3DuD9lD_y/s1600/C45H6085.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/AVvXsEiWNHZrtqeu5L_XkBS_kx_kY2cgsjk4q7dAYf8SV5M8bGErfC4NTJH6hQ3Kp08mM6PCnl1zRznPuoTBu-EBQvgBTQuJonCCffzA6DwUTxYJoONS4W3dS0FnOF0WQTmA2t82Nuk3DuD9lD_y/s320/C45H6085.jpg" width="360" /></a>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2RQXkkdrzP5MMAA-AkD67sqF8U4SUhpG76P0Szu83BMjjjvb1FsVuXnJcOepYUqirZqL0YlhKHls7UiQkbIm9zPPinksSX_em0opRII0AHeBnNxXWTKzziH_duAHkZS5sW5jAo5Jo4KQK/s1600/C45H6045.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/AVvXsEh2RQXkkdrzP5MMAA-AkD67sqF8U4SUhpG76P0Szu83BMjjjvb1FsVuXnJcOepYUqirZqL0YlhKHls7UiQkbIm9zPPinksSX_em0opRII0AHeBnNxXWTKzziH_duAHkZS5sW5jAo5Jo4KQK/s320/C45H6045.jpg" width="160" />
</a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Scaly breasted munia
</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Predator and prey:</b> plain prinia and</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">insect on same grass stalk.
</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Plain prinia feeding its chick
</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
On our penultimate day, the photogenic Telia cubs<a href="#naming">*</a> decided
to put up a show. Armed with the
knowledge that the cubs had been tracked near the MTDC resort (a government
owned resort situated near the Moharli gate) the previous evening, we headed in
that direction during the morning safari.
And there the cubs were. Right
next to the road was a small clearing in the forest, beautifully lit by the
rising sun. In this clearing, two of
the cubs started playing without a care in the world – running up trees and
jumping down, sharpening their claws, coming close to inspect the forest ranger’s
bike and scaring the wits out of the people in nearby jeeps…<br />
<br />
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<tbody>
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</td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFW6C8RMZglTr24h6S4yhyyQbiwbQEG7CON3Wlu9ofWbKAaQmkRapx8v4eV5zClREHHpRl4aVFssQ81OBcGFRxErMv-6XA_hxwhm_Z3QV3myiz_Z-wlJNGobhVf5mfmgXyFjT1qLuXdgwM/s1600/C45H6286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFW6C8RMZglTr24h6S4yhyyQbiwbQEG7CON3Wlu9ofWbKAaQmkRapx8v4eV5zClREHHpRl4aVFssQ81OBcGFRxErMv-6XA_hxwhm_Z3QV3myiz_Z-wlJNGobhVf5mfmgXyFjT1qLuXdgwM/s320/C45H6286.jpg" width="280" />
</a>
</td>
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</a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Telia cubs
</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
But, even after all these safaris we had not seen the father
of the Telia cubs, the legendary Wagdoh male, reputedly one of the biggest
tigers ever seen. Before our last safari,
we got the news that the Wagdoh male had killed a bull in the buffer zone of
the park. Apparently, the bull had
successfully deterred an attack by the mother of the Telia cubs, only to be
taken down by the father, right in front of its horrified owner. Since the kill had occurred in the buffer
zone, the owner would be reimbursed by the forest department. The tigers dragged the carcass to a secluded
spot within the park and we could not get a sight of the kill.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mouse litter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
After finishing the last safari we had a surprise waiting for
us, back at the resort. While packing
our suitcases, we found a mouse hiding between clothes. We somehow got the mouse out of the suit
case, only to find that it had given birth to a litter of three young amidst
the clothes. We left the young ones
covered in some clothes. Hopefully the
mother would have returned and moved them to a safer spot.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Thus, our stay in Tadoba came to an end, starting with the
animals at the top of the food chain and ending with the ones at the bottom.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Photos:</h3>
<br /></div>
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<br/><br/>
<b>Video:</b>
</p>
<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/55151642?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&badge=0" width="600" height="337" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br/><br/><br/>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Some more information
regarding our trip to Tadoba:</span><o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Route:</b> <st1:city w:st="on">Bangalore</st1:city> to <st1:city w:st="on">Nagpur</st1:city> by flight; <st1:place w:st="on">Nagpur</st1:place>
to Tadoba by road.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Stay: </b>We stayed at Serai Tiger lodge, which is about 4
kilometers from Moharli gate.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Safari: </b> The safari
timings are 6:30 to 10:30 in the morning and 2:30 to 5:30 in the evening. The sun sets at around 5 pm, hence there will
be little light by the end of evening safari.
All our safaris were arranged by Manish Varma.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Temperature:</b> Our trip
was in the month of November. The
mornings were chilly, requiring the use of jackets, and the afternoons were
sunny.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a name="naming">* Cubs of the female whose territory includes the Telia
lake. In Tadoba, the tigers are named
after the regions which they inhabit.</a></span></div>
</div>Prajwal KMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11655642580681600281noreply@blogger.com1Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project, Maharashtra, India20.199057 79.41467319.9606235 79.098816 20.4374905 79.730529999999987tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420442067410736262.post-82669163060141209092012-10-27T10:39:00.000-07:002012-10-30T09:52:59.770-07:00Gudavi – Malnad’s Hidden Wonderland<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black headed ibis</td></tr>
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<br />
Deep within <a href="#Malnad">Malnad *</a>,
where the district of Shimoga meets Uttara Kannada district, there exists a
seasonal lake surrounded by dense forest.
Every year, from August to November, this lake plays host to hundreds of
nesting ibises and egrets. The lake and
a portion of the surrounding forest form the Gudavi Bird sanctuary.<br />
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Our journey to this place started at 6:30 am from
Shimoga. The road to Gudavi winds its
way through open countryside covered with paddy and maize fields, scrub
forests, with the mist covered mountains always looming in the distance. Through out the journey, you will see various
birds like black winged kites, kingfishers, francolins, doves, parakeets and
swallows.</div>
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We reached the sanctuary just when the gates were being
opened. Unlike other sanctuaries, Gudavi
opens only at 9:30 am. So, if you are
interested in photography, better choose a cloudy day or stay until evening. From the gates, it is around a kilometer to
the lake and the parking lot.<br />
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Starting at the parking lot, there is a path
circumambulating the lake. Along the
path, towering bamboos form a canopy overhead.
If you look up, your eyes will be greeted by huge webs constructed by
giant wood spiders and black wood spiders.
Keep looking, you may see a flash of gold, which is a wood pecker taking
flight, or a patch of white, which is a langur hidden in the foliage. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black headed ibis feeding its chick</td></tr>
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The trees within the lake are dotted with white – the pure
white of egrets and ibis chicks, and the dirty white of adult ibises. A word of caution in case you are
photographing the ibises, the camera tends to over expose the bright white of
the chick’s body as the background and the chick’s head are dark. In order to compensate for this, it is better
to under expose the photograph a little.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common coot with chick</td></tr>
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Now, for a moment, we will take our eyes off the tree tops,
and look at the reeds and the surface of the lake. There! Can you see the coot, followed by its
unbelievably bright colored chicks? Or,
the little grebe swimming in front of us?<br />
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Half way through the path, there is a watch tower which
gives a bird’s eye view of the entire lake.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the watch tower</td></tr>
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After walking all the way through the path, it will be time
for lunch. You can either have it in the
canteen within the sanctuary or have it on the way back. We did not have food in the canteen, and
hence cannot comment on its quality.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Some More Pictures:</span><o:p></o:p></b><br />
(Click the buttons on either side of the images to view next/previous image)</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Some Information regarding
the sanctuary:</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Entry Fees:</b> Rs.
50 per person, no fees for still cameras</div>
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<b>Opening time:</b>
9:30 am. </div>
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With luck, you may find someone to open the gate
earlier. Otherwise, the birds and
butterflies in the forest surrounding the sanctuary can keep you occupied.</div>
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<b>Route:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Shimoga -> Savalanga -> Shikaripura -> Shirala
koppa -> Soraba -> Gudavi.</div>
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The road is quite good, going bad only in a few places (this
is being repaired too). It took us
around 3 hours to cover the distance of around 100 km to Gudavi from
Shimoga. </div>
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<b>Food and
refreshments:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Reasonably good hotels can be found in Shikaripura, Shirala
koppa and Soraba. There is a canteen
within the sanctuary too.</div>
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<b>Bird List: </b></div>
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<o:p> </o:p>For those who are interested, the following are the list of birds which we spotted:</div>
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<li class="MsoNormal">Purple heron</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Pond heron</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Large egret</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Small egret</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Cattle egret</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Whistling teal</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Small Blue kingfisher</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">White breasted kingfisher</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Red wattled lapwing</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Bronze winged jacana</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">River tern</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Small green bee eater</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Chestnut headed bee eater</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Drongo</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Pea hen</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Spot billed duck</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Red whiskered bulbul</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Flame back woodpecker</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Black headed ibis</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Little egret</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Common coot</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Little Grebe</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Night heron (juv)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Open billed stork</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Purple moorhen</li>
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<a name="Malnad">*</a> Malnad, approximately translated as the Abode of Mountains
(<i>Male</i> = Mountains + <i>Nadu</i> = Abode), is the name given to the
region where the <st1:place w:st="on">Western Ghats</st1:place> passes through
the state of Karnataka.</div>
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Prajwal KMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11655642580681600281noreply@blogger.com0Gudavi Bird sanctuary, near Soraba, Karnataka, India14.384801899447286 75.0778198242187514.354038899447286 75.038337824218743 14.415564899447286 75.117301824218757tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420442067410736262.post-83891044933550610492012-08-04T05:48:00.003-07:002012-10-27T01:14:21.632-07:00Tiger Tiger Burning Bright<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cub making its way to mother</td></tr>
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Imagine a heavily wooded valley with you on one side and a
family of tigers, feeding on a kill, on the other. This was the scene which greeted us on our
first safari into Bandhavgarh. A few
minutes later, the mother tigress’s call reverberated through the jungle,
making the cubs – which had wandered off – to move back towards the kill and
reminding us of where we were. We were
in Tiger Country.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A statue of God Vishnu in the <br />
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Bandhavgarh is quite different from the rain forests of our <st1:place w:st="on">Western Ghats</st1:place>. The
thick forests are interspersed with grasslands and scrub lands. Remnants of human habitation, long abandoned,
can be seen throughout the park. <br />
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Home to such legendary tigers as Sita, the park has
played host to many wildlife documentaries.
Even during our visit, a BBC team was shooting a documentary.</div>
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As we had chosen to visit during high summer, the
temperature was in the high forties. The
few remaining waterholes, scattered across the park, were a haven for parched
animals.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYKfVBE5ZO4-5KXF5hFAMC3ESIzHYmKAHEbQOENVvBExrhgJOaYtW5IAhVkqGYHNQaQY8NYxQzO_fH6U9AasNPic4MQQ6CBYMMPcwEfB2xIArRIe9yNSLgRYN76fyK90m6jp829SuGohKc/s1600/Panorama1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYKfVBE5ZO4-5KXF5hFAMC3ESIzHYmKAHEbQOENVvBExrhgJOaYtW5IAhVkqGYHNQaQY8NYxQzO_fH6U9AasNPic4MQQ6CBYMMPcwEfB2xIArRIe9yNSLgRYN76fyK90m6jp829SuGohKc/s400/Panorama1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the last remaining water holes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCSgkI0qiDQLEC-fXYe5sdAaAzTaAFQbyvlRpMf-pTaqEDurB2GOj7e1Ovxe-0m5XWWR2BGPX-n3NFvkJ8ZWY0erW48vFCZVTYhGECLR5_7Vzt58YhzDedN5ugncoAXxjGfTGhiMza2CE/s1600/C45H3704.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/AVvXsEgCCSgkI0qiDQLEC-fXYe5sdAaAzTaAFQbyvlRpMf-pTaqEDurB2GOj7e1Ovxe-0m5XWWR2BGPX-n3NFvkJ8ZWY0erW48vFCZVTYhGECLR5_7Vzt58YhzDedN5ugncoAXxjGfTGhiMza2CE/s320/C45H3704.jpg" width="207" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigXaEHHmfuAE2zj8Pvc7Gt0i9iMDBNHAFikw0l0l54S5i0efXUDHhD8pT3Ya1yV3bTnPCWJ6oNDlRUn5h5D9Ctob-FT-dmeHdJqiQNuTnMmP8FxEaYF_u927shaNuRS7uUU3IiE-idcdZ5/s1600/C45H3719.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/AVvXsEigXaEHHmfuAE2zj8Pvc7Gt0i9iMDBNHAFikw0l0l54S5i0efXUDHhD8pT3Ya1yV3bTnPCWJ6oNDlRUn5h5D9Ctob-FT-dmeHdJqiQNuTnMmP8FxEaYF_u927shaNuRS7uUU3IiE-idcdZ5/s320/C45H3719.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Chital and langurs</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"> quenching their thirst</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The second day proved to be an anti climax. A family of tigers was resting in a water
hole, next to but not visible from the road.
Strong alarm calls from chitals kept us rooted to the spot. But after
more than an hour of waiting under the scorching sun we didn’t see even the
hair of a tiger. During all this time
the antics of a family of white breasted king fishers kept us entertained. Finally, we headed back to the resort
slightly dejected, but happy to know that there were at least two tigresses
with cubs in the park.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The days quickly rolled by with a lot of birding – lesser
adjutant storks, king vultures, shikras, shamas, tree pies, woolly necked
storks, ibis… - but no tigers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_lf_1QpjgZkKA4OLkqW0lbCfha0so25Y4gyiVMVKRv3ljq7nWRpNPn4xjEFLm-0whPvJEJ4TmgoEt0RtkrLXNxW-RP3Uak1O0K5w9oBfYHoJVMzZYkJayZTEgoSUgz63-tMAFjEpmQG0/s1600/C45H3088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_lf_1QpjgZkKA4OLkqW0lbCfha0so25Y4gyiVMVKRv3ljq7nWRpNPn4xjEFLm-0whPvJEJ4TmgoEt0RtkrLXNxW-RP3Uak1O0K5w9oBfYHoJVMzZYkJayZTEgoSUgz63-tMAFjEpmQG0/s320/C45H3088.jpg" width="320" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTBI7IerY3cEoMIT0OkF11ZAUUjGAGsw4qnUks_jy2B1Lihh-18msbKT8K6ZfAEUyvt9MaBykIKHJpJK62_DknF9bYpir_GiTIY69yakJ1RCoIsbdKpc9wwKXec1iHiuMCTz3oPx2tydM/s1600/C45H3897.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTBI7IerY3cEoMIT0OkF11ZAUUjGAGsw4qnUks_jy2B1Lihh-18msbKT8K6ZfAEUyvt9MaBykIKHJpJK62_DknF9bYpir_GiTIY69yakJ1RCoIsbdKpc9wwKXec1iHiuMCTz3oPx2tydM/s320/C45H3897.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black ibis</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King vulture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Alas, it was now time for the penultimate safari in
Bandhavgarh, but what a safari it was to be!
The cubs of the tiger family which had welcomed us to the park were now
resting in the open. We spent more than an
hour with the frisky cubs.</div>
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJbrIBbkNmLLpyKOUe0gceYOpnjnYr0pjxyKS8rMToS6AwAC2w1DcD1UvCYFKO2Yi0Qgus-zK60Ljv-mkU1vrb5qKhSgBzjUvRvP-Gw9qICrB3yAb5x8AOcqUMSnwrA_3d8gFMCbvo68K/s1600/C45H3238.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/AVvXsEgPJbrIBbkNmLLpyKOUe0gceYOpnjnYr0pjxyKS8rMToS6AwAC2w1DcD1UvCYFKO2Yi0Qgus-zK60Ljv-mkU1vrb5qKhSgBzjUvRvP-Gw9qICrB3yAb5x8AOcqUMSnwrA_3d8gFMCbvo68K/s320/C45H3238.jpg" width="160" />
</a>
</td>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMvkybCVCWRiMgLYlQcQZ-NNij2Glz3ENfBSlOZNG6ppq0NRS5MEaaN2BbORpfoLhyphenhyphenXFvUhE_ToV3kaY9kiXZqiU4dyh3DaLqgD6D6ZDOw3qJxcVTG81FrTsDmP5TvXZFc5fdkymhLEIe/s1600/C45H3262.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/AVvXsEimMvkybCVCWRiMgLYlQcQZ-NNij2Glz3ENfBSlOZNG6ppq0NRS5MEaaN2BbORpfoLhyphenhyphenXFvUhE_ToV3kaY9kiXZqiU4dyh3DaLqgD6D6ZDOw3qJxcVTG81FrTsDmP5TvXZFc5fdkymhLEIe/s320/C45H3262.jpg" width="360" /></a>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpGuis2fm3Tj0wRGRBgpbnEku2YeleBMWX8olAIu549YAl7rPPal3WOsFdKdByDZ7CZVoAU2QARuZkc4XNqwUUrnGlVijva2xB7qIKxhaSE6lNGo-F6TZ7cPeTQicZ2-nWtcqENOMYAdX/s1600/C45H3349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpGuis2fm3Tj0wRGRBgpbnEku2YeleBMWX8olAIu549YAl7rPPal3WOsFdKdByDZ7CZVoAU2QARuZkc4XNqwUUrnGlVijva2xB7qIKxhaSE6lNGo-F6TZ7cPeTQicZ2-nWtcqENOMYAdX/s320/C45H3349.jpg" width="260" />
</a>
</td>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZI_YyrJRM1kaGvC3oO17SevPWucUGrVjOiFydJfPL2db8Gf2tJQuJ3bXxyU9tLI4ZDZVPr_tN_8SiIzANnXzk6Umm6xKZZwtOZ3RLuSuf2FazlNNcvnoHHm0j4skDnDbUnt8sboYdQsgI/s1600/C45H3582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZI_YyrJRM1kaGvC3oO17SevPWucUGrVjOiFydJfPL2db8Gf2tJQuJ3bXxyU9tLI4ZDZVPr_tN_8SiIzANnXzk6Umm6xKZZwtOZ3RLuSuf2FazlNNcvnoHHm0j4skDnDbUnt8sboYdQsgI/s320/C45H3582.jpg" width="260" /></a>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The last safari was comparatively uneventful.<br />
<br />
As all the parks in Madhya Pradesh are closed
on Wednesday afternoon, we decided to utilise this time in travelling to Kanha.<br />
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Kanha:
</span></b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAovChqChHEJuaWN5ozgIpWVDZ4bXwNVdcyrz5vOtBZ2iRaCut6-wXSUShxhMUrNMGEycb3bGOx6lvsI76-eHHzF4JHx2bqO5eJ09eGbrRPsU-LiVudjQp2L4ehDo-Qthxa3eMhKoanNF/s1600/C45H3798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAovChqChHEJuaWN5ozgIpWVDZ4bXwNVdcyrz5vOtBZ2iRaCut6-wXSUShxhMUrNMGEycb3bGOx6lvsI76-eHHzF4JHx2bqO5eJ09eGbrRPsU-LiVudjQp2L4ehDo-Qthxa3eMhKoanNF/s320/C45H3798.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chital fawn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There is but one word to describe Kanha – <i>beautiful</i>. As you move on safari paths you are
surrounded by lush green forests dominated by <i>saal</i> trees and populated by woodland birds like wood owls, wood
peckers, shamas and pittas. As you move
further, the forests give way to grasslands inhabited by grassland birds such
as francolins, pipits, and prinias.
Further along the grasslands are replaced by scrub lands dominated by
bamboo. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifF1090DvNZ7JMoDy3VefDnVBmiwN0IwoEvyYJrioIjoeAnb7bB-ravS6CPR6dqLixkoRO4rgIilRcsT8U3rPJd_ppbT0AGinry7udABPaekPBA7OSJfukQ9fhZtYKNWNbaZU6Je7qVebk/s1600/C45H4995.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/AVvXsEifF1090DvNZ7JMoDy3VefDnVBmiwN0IwoEvyYJrioIjoeAnb7bB-ravS6CPR6dqLixkoRO4rgIilRcsT8U3rPJd_ppbT0AGinry7udABPaekPBA7OSJfukQ9fhZtYKNWNbaZU6Je7qVebk/s200/C45H4995.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jg1Hf4L2i0xnQkI9kL65Nlnc950ArjdA1v9zEC4ar1fJw06HaUGlB5oNYW6e_euxdX6N2yWwZtwAjdgXFX20nRLqqWY9FhqOERqbYNRW2KX2hn3zWZ2XDgDxcw6XqExRxCpZmV6bYX4f/s1600/KanhaPanorama1.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/AVvXsEh4jg1Hf4L2i0xnQkI9kL65Nlnc950ArjdA1v9zEC4ar1fJw06HaUGlB5oNYW6e_euxdX6N2yWwZtwAjdgXFX20nRLqqWY9FhqOERqbYNRW2KX2hn3zWZ2XDgDxcw6XqExRxCpZmV6bYX4f/s320/KanhaPanorama1.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"> Kanha landscapes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The one bird which is abundant and found in all these
habitats is the Indian peafowl. These
magnificent birds are quite bold here and willing to pose for the camera.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMryuWq-C_04NFgWJkrynehSnp9GXCMY_bG7OWzKmJlcicFI-bKPEifgP_Fgb9jGQcnUcKBKUjrfNO6FZI9M6T9KhwlDZUW-AaaPrcTTKuL6N56OHD6x6xtNHN3Pnu4oW0lSFMMDfGapix/s1600/C45H4344.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/AVvXsEgMryuWq-C_04NFgWJkrynehSnp9GXCMY_bG7OWzKmJlcicFI-bKPEifgP_Fgb9jGQcnUcKBKUjrfNO6FZI9M6T9KhwlDZUW-AaaPrcTTKuL6N56OHD6x6xtNHN3Pnu4oW0lSFMMDfGapix/s320/C45H4344.jpg" width="213" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfJjQZ0S7eWxF646IpjoQPh_hUSU3Xr-iDZ8Z_oR6wCn1Pf-CvDgSHmo831LiXTNIlnJ9kKUxxFuXBXHkAbpvrt-7SQ23uvbzro_Re8Z6AfJEEkhV7ovHxqwjavOe0QSiL06f8C3JbZRac/s1600/C45H4380.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/AVvXsEgfJjQZ0S7eWxF646IpjoQPh_hUSU3Xr-iDZ8Z_oR6wCn1Pf-CvDgSHmo831LiXTNIlnJ9kKUxxFuXBXHkAbpvrt-7SQ23uvbzro_Re8Z6AfJEEkhV7ovHxqwjavOe0QSiL06f8C3JbZRac/s320/C45H4380.jpg" w="w" width="213" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1DfEXEqEbN_tyoMABLSyjVibrFLHOiAAHyrS9q04aw14yjJX0546R7P-UQaSTSOmKwCRhkuyvPwH__FAV5BlwgyLSnCwiWpuUSG0Fb-NzsASP2ryT08s5QHukhYpueIL56QdDguqHxtco/s1600/C45H5075_INW.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/AVvXsEi1DfEXEqEbN_tyoMABLSyjVibrFLHOiAAHyrS9q04aw14yjJX0546R7P-UQaSTSOmKwCRhkuyvPwH__FAV5BlwgyLSnCwiWpuUSG0Fb-NzsASP2ryT08s5QHukhYpueIL56QdDguqHxtco/s320/C45H5075_INW.jpg" w="w" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On our first safari, we were greeted by a pack of dhole,
which seemed content to rest on a far off mound, and by a herd of
barasingha. Hard ground barasingha (<i>Cervus duvauceli duvauceli</i>), a subspecies of
barasingha, are unique to Kanha. These
endangered ungulates tend to stay and feed near water bodies, living up to
their other name – swamp deer. Breeding
and relocation program for these deer is currently ongoing in Kanha <a href="http://escapetothewild.blogspot.in/2012/08/tiger-tiger-burning-bright.html#Ref_1"><sup>[1]</sup></a>.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_oCKVLPfkM-U60rT0i-88CGYE4LtL_Hn0WuqLq9Ly_vwZ73xZLPkfXWkWl1YCBcnThFSfI3qGOUmJSjq2E53c9wJr9wIcRpO5fP-GR1n8VESbtEXKpec0UOacwwitGBe8cPLTPUeLfvU/s1600/BS_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_oCKVLPfkM-U60rT0i-88CGYE4LtL_Hn0WuqLq9Ly_vwZ73xZLPkfXWkWl1YCBcnThFSfI3qGOUmJSjq2E53c9wJr9wIcRpO5fP-GR1n8VESbtEXKpec0UOacwwitGBe8cPLTPUeLfvU/s320/BS_c.jpg" width="142" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLudVgsuTjISluk0MqvnVnfeuV-kRYgPpZxf_dJMLalEUODxdqosHfrmz9qqs1ty-ZvAI3lRwzsr2StmvOSTBBXnVm3s6MjkSMUd2KG5Q5rj-vojYzLMUpNrUUYTiFrC0FXDF04bHhYLMX/s1600/C45H3881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLudVgsuTjISluk0MqvnVnfeuV-kRYgPpZxf_dJMLalEUODxdqosHfrmz9qqs1ty-ZvAI3lRwzsr2StmvOSTBBXnVm3s6MjkSMUd2KG5Q5rj-vojYzLMUpNrUUYTiFrC0FXDF04bHhYLMX/s320/C45H3881.jpg" w="w" width="142" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ldSuaWgPVRK_5CE8TguiFwF5wSrEfWXGSxbrGLAwOLLBBW79tNDssEwmw1VixSzB2GjkKL7lItD355kq6Ye_JJYMM2arji4OqzOYTmfmelM_NmLaK0q7XLcOH_q-bYOGRwD0gOVfK-NQ/s1600/C45H3888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ldSuaWgPVRK_5CE8TguiFwF5wSrEfWXGSxbrGLAwOLLBBW79tNDssEwmw1VixSzB2GjkKL7lItD355kq6Ye_JJYMM2arji4OqzOYTmfmelM_NmLaK0q7XLcOH_q-bYOGRwD0gOVfK-NQ/s320/C45H3888.jpg" w="w" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Barasingha stag</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Grazing barasingha </span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Barasingha grazing on underwater vegetation</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The drivers and guides in Kanha are knowledgeable and
dedicated, spouting information about the wild denizens and also stopping to
pick up any litter. On one occasion,
both our driver and guide were so engrossed in trying to locate a chital -
which was giving an alarm call - that they failed to notice that the jeep in
front of us had stopped. Since, by the
laws of physics, no two objects can occupy the same place at the same time
there resulted a bone jarring crash and a bent fender. It was all we could do to hold on to our
cameras and lenses.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Though the tiger sightings in Kanha were not as good as in
Bandhavgarh – we did see a male and a female tiger on separate occasions, both
of which left in a hurry – the scenic beauty and abundant bird life more than
made up for it.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULm5K9qGr-CxrRoTCJCOIDYFlKDW2HPrU6kSQcAZsVUMQzyVEUEGysHST1zYvsbOjh7_aMZRDN8YxIbnaLjruDWnOAUdBhDV9bBysrtcZf8Cu41FwN1-VnYY9pQRpAjhwLElmYNOefr-f/s1600/C45H4171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULm5K9qGr-CxrRoTCJCOIDYFlKDW2HPrU6kSQcAZsVUMQzyVEUEGysHST1zYvsbOjh7_aMZRDN8YxIbnaLjruDWnOAUdBhDV9bBysrtcZf8Cu41FwN1-VnYY9pQRpAjhwLElmYNOefr-f/s640/C45H4171.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tigress crossing the road</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As I wind up this post, I can still see, in my mind’s eye,
the vast grasslands with herds of gaur and chital, beautifully lit by the
setting sun as we drove out of Kanha.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG00xOkV0FmfLhkF_r8o7p_R031PmMPLfmjuB7YIHu7xtFQOOTtPbJN1qXDTMnr0yCuMaKjyDqnEHuT5uaUe5XZ6at4N27ENWIKIf7XoxxXRJmsG19Mua0JGQcczQ0GKWtfYJ8KJPJ5iZk/s1600/C45H4670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG00xOkV0FmfLhkF_r8o7p_R031PmMPLfmjuB7YIHu7xtFQOOTtPbJN1qXDTMnr0yCuMaKjyDqnEHuT5uaUe5XZ6at4N27ENWIKIf7XoxxXRJmsG19Mua0JGQcczQ0GKWtfYJ8KJPJ5iZk/s320/C45H4670.jpg" width="320" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLu3uE7yPMkQHaNZPfge5zhi4Rjq-YGWdIEoSWtqJjwgWDdVlgoMBcO3tBrJpfkCIT4gQyYMgz1GqbFGc36iQQftY3gGaglIHIzLdjszcae_vFAlwNxmRJ0Dm8M4kC9-chWdcWY4LHyLg4/s1600/SD_1x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLu3uE7yPMkQHaNZPfge5zhi4Rjq-YGWdIEoSWtqJjwgWDdVlgoMBcO3tBrJpfkCIT4gQyYMgz1GqbFGc36iQQftY3gGaglIHIzLdjszcae_vFAlwNxmRJ0Dm8M4kC9-chWdcWY4LHyLg4/s320/SD_1x.jpg" w="w" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Gaur bulls relaxing at the end of day</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A spotted deer stag lit by the setting sun</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Children of a Lesser God
</b></span><br />
<b>- The not so glamorous denizens of tiger country</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFaESDgfFd_Tuhyml_uKKdNHAW4TVaZ9mfF97tKrf93kLeQk4s3FtgKwYJz0Nxh7KNKqaWn_GPEIRyqODdT1RO5i36NLqu7XBsZi3QUpnh9dwT6TucXGbsigDAN-BjQ0V5mIj84ul0IqA7/s1600/C45H4044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFaESDgfFd_Tuhyml_uKKdNHAW4TVaZ9mfF97tKrf93kLeQk4s3FtgKwYJz0Nxh7KNKqaWn_GPEIRyqODdT1RO5i36NLqu7XBsZi3QUpnh9dwT6TucXGbsigDAN-BjQ0V5mIj84ul0IqA7/s200/C45H4044.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWYkeMC07IrHUravlcuSi3aEbGu9zj8veYi5w0ZCyVM06NDMNxY0_TTeE5fkrpvZHXZWRqFLBLC4HlLy1eEc9Tm6iwVfMHdFmoVTiyhBsL6kz9US5C4RjrLzRFSXMchD-HzsiFdKDvSUe5/s1600/C45H4056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWYkeMC07IrHUravlcuSi3aEbGu9zj8veYi5w0ZCyVM06NDMNxY0_TTeE5fkrpvZHXZWRqFLBLC4HlLy1eEc9Tm6iwVfMHdFmoVTiyhBsL6kz9US5C4RjrLzRFSXMchD-HzsiFdKDvSUe5/s320/C45H4056.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4RyfefLyHkav4IQdcMlfi08tW0U0hanZGsnO3ZYsTV0N6bjCEMBnmRk-RpXMoONQU1cbdDyib80zjXY_fIdUHkjBva-ncaQ4iriSVqRb21CBc8s4fM2sxHe4OdUIbFrqT3MMhnH49fMd/s1600/pitta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4RyfefLyHkav4IQdcMlfi08tW0U0hanZGsnO3ZYsTV0N6bjCEMBnmRk-RpXMoONQU1cbdDyib80zjXY_fIdUHkjBva-ncaQ4iriSVqRb21CBc8s4fM2sxHe4OdUIbFrqT3MMhnH49fMd/s320/pitta.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
</tr>
<tr><td style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Female white rumped shama</td>
<td style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Male white rumped shama</td>
<td style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Indian pitta</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDdhyphenhyphen29MZm4gIcruK-EquFuRUzy0oDKD1o4vCB-lyB_J6tWeScHVLasTYoC3HqXstGWwaBwy4iWNMbgTG_sw_BI8bJzYpSQLs4ygBUuUt5Sv29ryPHsEZxYpGmpRPAhYGpsd1laNKO77d/s1600/C45H3642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDdhyphenhyphen29MZm4gIcruK-EquFuRUzy0oDKD1o4vCB-lyB_J6tWeScHVLasTYoC3HqXstGWwaBwy4iWNMbgTG_sw_BI8bJzYpSQLs4ygBUuUt5Sv29ryPHsEZxYpGmpRPAhYGpsd1laNKO77d/s320/C45H3642.jpg" width="147" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrta1YeCSdqjtvKxJIMfPk_ktdQbUix544JHIF0KKudZh_ycmLrbdOosDYGCH0JXtfgWImS-hRaXuTA9twXzKJrVA1R60OD1BA6-u3rC6BIY5Ulcr3YAxv2Wvcw1PBVPsNzyL8hizG1Er/s1600/C45H4018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrta1YeCSdqjtvKxJIMfPk_ktdQbUix544JHIF0KKudZh_ycmLrbdOosDYGCH0JXtfgWImS-hRaXuTA9twXzKJrVA1R60OD1BA6-u3rC6BIY5Ulcr3YAxv2Wvcw1PBVPsNzyL8hizG1Er/s320/C45H4018.jpg" width="147" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_aVWJEmSpf6b7yl3VYz9l0NHRekXG8kwSfJ6aSoJ8YOLu8VRxuI_6z0basLdfR9AepeRPHY260jSExM2M-C7TOIYQvapV53zHW-2hCEaY-FsqHqUCs78C_fkqV1-pjdj8hrU7UiBkLSE/s1600/C45H4965_INW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_aVWJEmSpf6b7yl3VYz9l0NHRekXG8kwSfJ6aSoJ8YOLu8VRxuI_6z0basLdfR9AepeRPHY260jSExM2M-C7TOIYQvapV53zHW-2hCEaY-FsqHqUCs78C_fkqV1-pjdj8hrU7UiBkLSE/s320/C45H4965_INW.jpg" width="147" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyB_uC10mzTrSnynKEWNxeImsnGFhY5iS_HA-k1YRTujG2UmA4ybZDNbfT8mkURxhNcBaBDQySFzKgQ28a-3XAJy63wu_AnrXYHHGE3Hk3D2kMVm6eFfKX8M6LI9CsGGZwa7CE4iqrlEV/s1600/Shikra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyB_uC10mzTrSnynKEWNxeImsnGFhY5iS_HA-k1YRTujG2UmA4ybZDNbfT8mkURxhNcBaBDQySFzKgQ28a-3XAJy63wu_AnrXYHHGE3Hk3D2kMVm6eFfKX8M6LI9CsGGZwa7CE4iqrlEV/s320/Shikra.jpg" width="147" /></a></td>
</tr>
<tr><td style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Chital doe</td>
<td style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Spotted owlet</td>
<td style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Painted francolin</td>
<td style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Female shikra</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLEnFZ1yUMMRSSLE4H9h0Tbuew5FqMZi1-JLK2FA8HY5mWJLbrahWN_o0PSk97LEj2Lh3SDlA_jKSXafoc_ri0h2xufEIwadu35oQ8Rh6E57dRGjoihUnIHugCgqLBmxP2WwhY-0h6F8P/s1600/C45H4396.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLEnFZ1yUMMRSSLE4H9h0Tbuew5FqMZi1-JLK2FA8HY5mWJLbrahWN_o0PSk97LEj2Lh3SDlA_jKSXafoc_ri0h2xufEIwadu35oQ8Rh6E57dRGjoihUnIHugCgqLBmxP2WwhY-0h6F8P/s320/C45H4396.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhVErHLhJX6YdT_holXZib4LEHwk-YZ_OMouDOxpT1Z3zrD5UW0UgRKnbBSQwtBLNdM43QsTmkKw-3MngtX_Ct-kIPH_-vOW4UkCDXYus-sItra2aYjAUl3CwoLGg3fjAX0KedKACbuSJ/s1600/C45H4475.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhVErHLhJX6YdT_holXZib4LEHwk-YZ_OMouDOxpT1Z3zrD5UW0UgRKnbBSQwtBLNdM43QsTmkKw-3MngtX_Ct-kIPH_-vOW4UkCDXYus-sItra2aYjAUl3CwoLGg3fjAX0KedKACbuSJ/s320/C45H4475.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj051HyYbzcWXcVnhUoRvCkfGH2KmHj7bFTJbTfcoc4-0Uz4GwkSYBVIvL89vgcQhzbVK1HLisRyVO-A9yPsjrhvdOrLCEtRZW9UOo6x7gX1winuC-QK03iYJw1FXIjLk9jPziX2cOLPVB0/s1600/C45H4733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj051HyYbzcWXcVnhUoRvCkfGH2KmHj7bFTJbTfcoc4-0Uz4GwkSYBVIvL89vgcQhzbVK1HLisRyVO-A9yPsjrhvdOrLCEtRZW9UOo6x7gX1winuC-QK03iYJw1FXIjLk9jPziX2cOLPVB0/s320/C45H4733.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
</tr>
<tr><td style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Blue jay</td>
<td style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Langurs</td>
<td style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Common kukri snake</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1j54-xNHWl4Fit57zeSEH6QhDCjGxjY30pvrOetwjfsC3-I6Zk52FQpBU0rKoLcoRyQqubhkWY92vA6vgi_GsjSrfViEwDCavp4BeyXW4BVI_LxSUv0fPHN7vzQyl3hWUagLlECxgcm9k/s1600/C45H4102.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/AVvXsEg1j54-xNHWl4Fit57zeSEH6QhDCjGxjY30pvrOetwjfsC3-I6Zk52FQpBU0rKoLcoRyQqubhkWY92vA6vgi_GsjSrfViEwDCavp4BeyXW4BVI_LxSUv0fPHN7vzQyl3hWUagLlECxgcm9k/s320/C45H4102.jpg" width="318" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaJTuqlxucOhj0mYjdR4WJMQaEYlyjJBSGRbChPRGxGaIm4-lFRcDgknYbJo5tRbLvxqfmt1KvhROanvf13_0jzWRiCgyGiLAGrKNoiFZ4MGNV6CrK6rjxSL2p2p5Q5vheSsQnfCIozlk/s1600/C45H4607.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/AVvXsEjmaJTuqlxucOhj0mYjdR4WJMQaEYlyjJBSGRbChPRGxGaIm4-lFRcDgknYbJo5tRbLvxqfmt1KvhROanvf13_0jzWRiCgyGiLAGrKNoiFZ4MGNV6CrK6rjxSL2p2p5Q5vheSsQnfCIozlk/s320/C45H4607.jpg" width="141" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2sGAGHb7UpZSPqlIfubbowyLc9e9QdXf_4_ezJXa91TShq2ChtOHkCu_ialWOuf8NUmXFZzJBtF4VjA3_YMF55IoO1nLbNDffPkh5ojlROZygg4zNKNz5_Y_bytdB_2skrutUtbW70CW/s1600/C45H4827.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/AVvXsEig2sGAGHb7UpZSPqlIfubbowyLc9e9QdXf_4_ezJXa91TShq2ChtOHkCu_ialWOuf8NUmXFZzJBtF4VjA3_YMF55IoO1nLbNDffPkh5ojlROZygg4zNKNz5_Y_bytdB_2skrutUtbW70CW/s320/C45H4827.jpg" width="141" /></a></td>
</tr>
<tr><td style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Sambar</td>
<td style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Orange headed thrush</td>
<td style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Black-rumped<br />
flameback woodpecker</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqc3jRtNoYIkVNF7Fiu2aqILEPqHA-DRMMtrMaJh-IEWMl-CYpkW1vVzlmsX5M1QfbVgIYpXyaER8fyOKpJzQuQGYZ7mVLBsvlApdJn9V01C6_uOrtdlQ5Yf_LaDTJ1TT4nxmXKv0w1__/s1600/C45H4956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqc3jRtNoYIkVNF7Fiu2aqILEPqHA-DRMMtrMaJh-IEWMl-CYpkW1vVzlmsX5M1QfbVgIYpXyaER8fyOKpJzQuQGYZ7mVLBsvlApdJn9V01C6_uOrtdlQ5Yf_LaDTJ1TT4nxmXKv0w1__/s320/C45H4956.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrn6jFrlhKJJb8zmrMEaEgCdx2oMcgZPkWdXOHmqht9s0QF3KCCBmFG5StbuKJBHJIsaTvuYb0I-5fXhbIJupbgY-1J0sVb-J_vRBlLe8qFSNJlyMhINH3XN5o145C4tQoYRRDstggrMV/s1600/C45H3840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrn6jFrlhKJJb8zmrMEaEgCdx2oMcgZPkWdXOHmqht9s0QF3KCCBmFG5StbuKJBHJIsaTvuYb0I-5fXhbIJupbgY-1J0sVb-J_vRBlLe8qFSNJlyMhINH3XN5o145C4tQoYRRDstggrMV/s320/C45H3840.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfIrlQ-YVLyFuE8U8f6uFwelsRCS1fS6Y-NTjo6qaw4BDK0uIQN7qMxWX9yRAQwZLKbwmOP4sq745_akvvPymXWwbptEW2FHJwGVsJpGOVXJwjsAwC4JdDZ-_VOmWkKwQ8E_sL2ZHdgEu/s1600/C45H5050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfIrlQ-YVLyFuE8U8f6uFwelsRCS1fS6Y-NTjo6qaw4BDK0uIQN7qMxWX9yRAQwZLKbwmOP4sq745_akvvPymXWwbptEW2FHJwGVsJpGOVXJwjsAwC4JdDZ-_VOmWkKwQ8E_sL2ZHdgEu/s320/C45H5050.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
</tr>
<tr><td style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Ashy prinia</td>
<td style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Wild boar</td>
<td style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Red wattled lapwing</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A short video clip regarding the wild inhabitants of central India:<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Acknowledgement:</h2>
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I wish to thank Janardhan and Vijay of Embark photography (<a href="http://www.embarkphotography.in/">www.embarkphotography.in</a>)
for organizing this trip, others who joined this trip for their good company,
drivers and guides of Bandhavgarh and Kanha for the great safaris and the flora
and fauna of both the parks for the joy which they gave us.<br />
<br /></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Reference:</h2>
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<a href="http://www.andbeyond.com/carlisle_on_conservation/62/reintroduction-of-barasingha-kanha-national-park-satpura-tiger-reserve/" name="Ref_1">[1]</a> <a href="http://www.andbeyond.com/carlisle_on_conservation/62/reintroduction-of-barasingha-kanha-national-park-satpura-tiger-reserve/">http://www.andbeyond.com/carlisle_on_conservation/62/reintroduction-of-barasingha-kanha-national-park-satpura-tiger-reserve/</a></div>
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<br /></div>
</div>Prajwal KMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11655642580681600281noreply@blogger.com0Bandhavgarh National Park, Umaria, Madhya Pradesh 484661, India23.6185662 80.965002323.3857932 80.6491453 23.8513392 81.280859299999989tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420442067410736262.post-68186111783415695732012-04-12T10:14:00.001-07:002012-10-27T01:19:34.860-07:00Ranganathittu - A Birder's Paradise<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On the banks of river Cauvery lies a gem of a bird sanctuary. Though less than a square kilometer in area, Ranganathittu has a very high bird count, both in species and in numbers. In spring and summer, aquatic birds like spoonbills, river terns, open bill storks, pelicans, painted storks nest in small islands in the river, while terrestrial birds like Tickell's blue fly catcher, fan-tail flycatchers, peafowls, tailor birds flitter about on the river bank.<br />
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Easily accessible from both Bengaluru and Mysore, Ranganathittu is a haven for both bird watchers and photographers. While a boat ride will get you close to aquatic birds, spending some time in the garden near the boat boarding area will yield assured sightings of flycatchers. All birds are adjusted to human presence and will allow close approach.<br />
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Enough of description, I will let the pictures do the talking.<br />
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<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">River tern chicks - little celebrities of Ranganathittu</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td> </tr>
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<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A river tern feeding its chick</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An alarmed chick lies flat as a kite passes over head</td> </tr>
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<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stone plover</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spoonbill</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An open bill stork searching for food</td> </tr>
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<a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5036/7071107167_a2b2cbc892_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5036/7071107167_a2b2cbc892_b.jpg" width="300" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pelican landing</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A group of spot-billed pelicans taking off with<br />
bamboo sticks for building their nest</td> </tr>
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<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Muggers keeping us company during the boat ride</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td> </tr>
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<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/6925031336_081bc93643_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/6925031336_081bc93643_b.jpg" width="177" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hover fly living upto its name. The ability of these little insects <br />
to hover at nearly the same spot is astounding.</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tickell's Blue Flycatcher</td> </tr>
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One of my Ranganathittu pictures even got selected to National Geographic's daily dozen:<br />
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If watching so many birds makes you hungry, there is an excellent restaurant near the parking area. The rest rooms are also clean and well maintained. Appropriately placed sign boards make sure that you don't get lost.<br />
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One tip from my side is that if you are serious about bird watching/photography, make sure you reach the sanctuary atleast by 7 am. Access into the sanctuary will not be a problem as the ticket counter at the gate will be open by this time. If boat men are not available, you may not be able to take a boat ride immediately. But, you will still have a good time observing the terrestrial birds.<br />
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I will wind up this post qouting Dr. Salim Ali, who was instrumental in creating this sanctuary:<br />
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"<i>People say that you can't make a living from bird watching. That is probably true, but it is also true that man does not live by bread alone. Just look at the people who have no such hobbies and spend all their time solely on earning a living. After 60, when they retire from official chair, they don't know what to do with all the time in their hands and just spend it watching the clock! If they had cultivated a hobby like bird watching, perhaps they would have lived longer to enjoy their pension. </i>"<br />
<br />
<b>Related Post:</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://escapetothewild.blogspot.com/2012/03/dodging-and-burning-overview.html">http://escapetothewild.blogspot.com/2012/03/dodging-and-burning-overview.html</a></div>Prajwal KMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11655642580681600281noreply@blogger.com5Ranganathittu, near Mysore, Karnataka, India12.421153813342467 76.67444229125976611.925310313342468 76.042728291259763 12.916997313342467 77.306156291259768tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420442067410736262.post-90221856048725328302012-03-09T22:25:00.002-08:002012-08-05T00:33:04.331-07:00Rann of Kutch: Desert of Life 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Greater Rann of Kutch</span></b><br />
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A journey of around 6 hours from Rann Riders brought us to Nakhatrana where our stay was arranged in Centre for Desert and Ocean. Our days here were to be spent exploring the Banni grasslands.<br />
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The Banni grasslands of Greater Rann of Kutch are very different from the dried up landscape of Little Rann of Kutch. Due to volcanic activity in the distant past, a few rocky hills litter the land. There is even a rock, by the name of bird rock, where one can find red-tailed wheat ears. Most of the grassland is covered by pock marks caused by thousands of cranes digging the ground for dried tubers. <br />
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<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A truck makes its way through<br />
the Rann amidst a cloud of dust</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A family of common cranes</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A flock of common cranes taking off</td> </tr>
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In our first morning safari, we came across an interesting bird known as Stoliczka's bushchat or white-browed bushchat. The bird put up quite a display for us. This territorial display, commonly known as Puff and Roll, begins with the bird sitting on a small twig or branch. Suddenly, it swoops down to the ground, puffs up its chest and struts about like a prize hen. I have no clue if this display reached its intended audience, but it provided us with an interesting and amusing spectacle.<br />
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<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stoliczka's Bushchat sitting on a twig</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stoliczka's Bushchat display</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stoliczka's Bushchat display</td> </tr>
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We ended this safari with a drink of camel's milk. Though a bit salty when compared to cow's milk, it is still quite tasty to drink. Since the Banni grasslands are not part of any sanctuary yet, one can see a few herds of goats and camels. The camel herders here have mastered the art of removing dirt with dirt. As water is in short supply, they use soil to wash their vessels. <br />
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<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A herd of dromedary camels</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A juvenile common crane flying past a herd of goats</td> </tr>
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We had exciting news waiting for us on our return to the resort. About a million flamingos had gathered near Khadir, which is about a few hours journey from Nakhatrana. After a quick re-planning session, we decided to spend a day in Khadir.<br />
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In the afternoon we headed for Naliya grasslands. The Naliya Grasslands is part of Lala Great Indian bustard sanctuary. It is also famous for the presence of black francolins. Though we didn't see any black francolins, this turned out to be the best safari in Greater Rann of Kutch as we saw a group of 5 Great Indian Bustards! This amounts to nearly 3% of the total population of these bustards. The bustards were very relaxed and we spent a memorable hour with them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6800400796_ac3e7df71a_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6800400796_ac3e7df71a_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZD9M-k1gDEQk5HtTI8JZptJVwXEY-EPErBewJM3T-OBQhvLZB0c0p2IcSV5-WCn8q1RRgsAf_sdpbT0Vn2BefsbxPOC-zvYTaJ-nyg4vGg3YZCUpJBUsTe9Y0GoYrM0Ohr9C95avs_Xz/s1600/GIB2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZD9M-k1gDEQk5HtTI8JZptJVwXEY-EPErBewJM3T-OBQhvLZB0c0p2IcSV5-WCn8q1RRgsAf_sdpbT0Vn2BefsbxPOC-zvYTaJ-nyg4vGg3YZCUpJBUsTe9Y0GoYrM0Ohr9C95avs_Xz/s320/GIB2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Indian bustard</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four out of the group of five bustards which we saw</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Khadir</b></span><br />
<br />
A portion of Rann is flooded in the Khadir region. In this wetland, numerous aquatic birds like greater and lesser flamingos, reef egrets, spot billed pelicans, spoonbills, Caspian terns, gulls ... gather in huge numbers.<br />
<br />
The road to Khadir bifurcates this wetland, providing numerous bird watching/photography opportunities on either side of the road. A high voltage power line runs parallel to this road. Though we never say any flamingo fly close to the power lines, a single flamingo wing hanging from one of the high voltage lines stood as a silent testament to the terrible destructive power of such lines.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtU6JcJxn5D9yYkuIVVBGMljJRztZuOwjLeB18eRBOfHbk5KuntIPhEUFhNSaCK1SyodH_-7GIbtUOklOssTqMltoiDbMcY4PraWZxBIQkBUCMK-rwZ4vVvYcPpt3f_nmnrRvfln9PnyG/s1600/Khadir+electric+lines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtU6JcJxn5D9yYkuIVVBGMljJRztZuOwjLeB18eRBOfHbk5KuntIPhEUFhNSaCK1SyodH_-7GIbtUOklOssTqMltoiDbMcY4PraWZxBIQkBUCMK-rwZ4vVvYcPpt3f_nmnrRvfln9PnyG/s1600/Khadir+electric+lines.jpg" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXr4AoA5JQk2xSXbV3CChbcSTZpsZVpr-6i3ACiohKb1D7f_Gzv4mhOapzVKBrUw039x1zTvb0gnbgDABaqTVd5mqxMgidCPoncJiFSQxIZn44MDQVpuXKD0nXdWVPKlnfT3Vkn6rTBxwM/s1600/Khadir+electric+lines2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXr4AoA5JQk2xSXbV3CChbcSTZpsZVpr-6i3ACiohKb1D7f_Gzv4mhOapzVKBrUw039x1zTvb0gnbgDABaqTVd5mqxMgidCPoncJiFSQxIZn44MDQVpuXKD0nXdWVPKlnfT3Vkn6rTBxwM/s1600/Khadir+electric+lines2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4aTXuEFaAppC6OL2ZnF1jBXwF9FppuCVcYhT2eRbQNbLGGLU1a7GeQ2EBzGLf7IyQdL6kv96GQu610bfjMwwsBuZbdocBKEZvc3cojTFSVbJbTomNLhaSl-8AmE9N_h84cQ6WdLEWL3nz/s1600/Khadir+electric+lines3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4aTXuEFaAppC6OL2ZnF1jBXwF9FppuCVcYhT2eRbQNbLGGLU1a7GeQ2EBzGLf7IyQdL6kv96GQu610bfjMwwsBuZbdocBKEZvc3cojTFSVbJbTomNLhaSl-8AmE9N_h84cQ6WdLEWL3nz/s1600/Khadir+electric+lines3.jpg" width="117" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Road and power lines running<br />
through the Khadir wetlands</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Flamingos behind bars</td> </tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
The cacophony created by a million flamingos, pelicans and other birds cannot be described in words. Because of the overwhelming number and variety of birds, it was difficult to choose what to photograph. Imagine a scene where on one side there is a Caspian tern diving for fish or two gulls fighting over another fish, on the other side you have a flock of spoonbills feeding or a group of pelicans taking off, while all over your head flocks of flamingos are flying.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/6968655695_b8471ce53a_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/6968655695_b8471ce53a_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A flock of pelicans</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCC4VOUynic6aQENPU7fhbcIbbcSToNZHBrdJ06glOYfmyacq9bXf4rC9lFu4tZRcNNIlOwmE8aX6gbM7EY_D8tnvlZkhiY4qIhRwQOQJVM6lUpJfy_2Z1fDD_h4fqJsHIzRmOIo3pp_rz/s1600/Gull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCC4VOUynic6aQENPU7fhbcIbbcSToNZHBrdJ06glOYfmyacq9bXf4rC9lFu4tZRcNNIlOwmE8aX6gbM7EY_D8tnvlZkhiY4qIhRwQOQJVM6lUpJfy_2Z1fDD_h4fqJsHIzRmOIo3pp_rz/s1600/Gull.jpg" width="117" /></a></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSgyWBHDvXmH6W-Y6RKRYdgdzvQGY03Kmef3gZGpGBaBtSTpp-CTLObUtxQbF2IExU_PIgA3HHB6U0v7kvf-biF6XmiRJiOhTuU2f_8P5DqGlgxSHS2ge7o_EQX_WGKbbBquplQzfcLqR/s1600/CaspTern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSgyWBHDvXmH6W-Y6RKRYdgdzvQGY03Kmef3gZGpGBaBtSTpp-CTLObUtxQbF2IExU_PIgA3HHB6U0v7kvf-biF6XmiRJiOhTuU2f_8P5DqGlgxSHS2ge7o_EQX_WGKbbBquplQzfcLqR/s1600/CaspTern.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_xRNkZGKvaZVT3qN65n9F7j3x98UTijb2iki1lTnia1Kwq_kPHZmN-bz3_VFnzbkbyDCWs2ot4ZZoZ71EWT2VfhE89F3_52Zeqv5AycqhnUkeXrJ1gec485WtoQpf1hHlMPLdObL8KMb/s1600/GF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_xRNkZGKvaZVT3qN65n9F7j3x98UTijb2iki1lTnia1Kwq_kPHZmN-bz3_VFnzbkbyDCWs2ot4ZZoZ71EWT2VfhE89F3_52Zeqv5AycqhnUkeXrJ1gec485WtoQpf1hHlMPLdObL8KMb/s1600/GF.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A gull preparing to dive </td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caspian tern</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A flock of Greater flamingos</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDuPLSjpbv5umTs1e3EYkQ-ZOoo8Bbl5KITUWf1yF4Hk9A2uF9p1aUV-P7szXloXNp4gY0n-EBjvsQ8SgmPmJy1qDW_9s9OPFZoWIQR5jOI3YPI_t_ZY6l7Cp0GO_J6fqWQzzsYWX1M5h/s1600/Pelicans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDuPLSjpbv5umTs1e3EYkQ-ZOoo8Bbl5KITUWf1yF4Hk9A2uF9p1aUV-P7szXloXNp4gY0n-EBjvsQ8SgmPmJy1qDW_9s9OPFZoWIQR5jOI3YPI_t_ZY6l7Cp0GO_J6fqWQzzsYWX1M5h/s1600/Pelicans.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxrgDyQQYQ-tYqxaeev2V57hAbfUnLdgqVXxWG9NEhcnjh-0wgXmq89Nh6YFaQ3EhXJFOU0_5AvwwzR3E4jym1LFFUjlHueFmcTs4P2bFMnvvP0K5J-hihQEn9mlzpQYLi27JDMeaeQrg/s1600/SB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxrgDyQQYQ-tYqxaeev2V57hAbfUnLdgqVXxWG9NEhcnjh-0wgXmq89Nh6YFaQ3EhXJFOU0_5AvwwzR3E4jym1LFFUjlHueFmcTs4P2bFMnvvP0K5J-hihQEn9mlzpQYLi27JDMeaeQrg/s1600/SB.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenUjgjYDneQQGG3ssdGqZcpiwtJcdasKGb6GENv745nb6m39j5j7hmM2t_UKoVeCn2B92OR9jixicxAgIz_8ycMMejEBcHhC0DpDBnJL2XxHEj69uznzKbTzH8FXgynYMGJyG4ZyXf4PO/s1600/Sunset1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenUjgjYDneQQGG3ssdGqZcpiwtJcdasKGb6GENv745nb6m39j5j7hmM2t_UKoVeCn2B92OR9jixicxAgIz_8ycMMejEBcHhC0DpDBnJL2XxHEj69uznzKbTzH8FXgynYMGJyG4ZyXf4PO/s1600/Sunset1.jpg" width="117" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pelicans</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spoonbills and Reef Egret</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset in Khadir</td> </tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After spending an evening and a morning in Khadir, we headed back to Nakhatrana. <br />
<br />
At last the day we were all dreading dawned. It was time time for the last safari into Banni. A desert cat burrow, with a lot of fresh pug marks nearby, had been discovered and we decided to spend some time near it. We hoped to sight the desert cat sunning itself in the morning sun. Though we spent nearly an hour near the burrow, we did not see even a whisker of the cat. All during this time we were kept entertained by the antics of a desert wheat ear. The way the wheat ear was hopping all over the cat's burrow it seemed as if the bird was as interested in sighting the desert cat as we were.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOljcbdI7dQkW6jJYoA6KuqbEF04-mSmQpNPRwzcewftHFKvDdpBD5HDVdltPTJTN4BS5KPxKiihIvxwRlo9dNf18tOCDgRow40gm7SDLshRqVQOU-zuMu_3MySLnlQ3rJ7gkBWXsAlzH/s1600/Desert+Cat+burrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOljcbdI7dQkW6jJYoA6KuqbEF04-mSmQpNPRwzcewftHFKvDdpBD5HDVdltPTJTN4BS5KPxKiihIvxwRlo9dNf18tOCDgRow40gm7SDLshRqVQOU-zuMu_3MySLnlQ3rJ7gkBWXsAlzH/s400/Desert+Cat+burrow.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A desert wheat ear inspecting the desert cat's burrow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After the safari, we bid adieu to Kutch and headed back to our mundane lives in Bengaluru.<br />
<br />
I wish to thank Giri Cavale (<a href="http://www.toehold.in/">http://www.toehold.in/</a>), Jigar Tiwari (<a href="http://cedobirding.com/">http://cedobirding.com/</a>) and other members of the group for the wonderful experience.<br />
<br />
I also wish to thank all the readers who made it this far. Do leave a comment if you like this post.<br />
<br />
<b>Some more photos:</b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7068/6800403054_8040689b42_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7068/6800403054_8040689b42_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/6946509715_bc6f905e5d_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/6946509715_bc6f905e5d_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6800403428_e6d0c0178b_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6800403428_e6d0c0178b_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merlin</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Variable Wheat ear</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isabelle Wheat ear</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7186/6800401552_5c33514697_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7186/6800401552_5c33514697_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7186/6946507713_440bedaa1e_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7186/6946507713_440bedaa1e_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7187/6800400634_2898dfcfb0_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7187/6800400634_2898dfcfb0_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steppe Eagle</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Short eared owl</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desert Wheat ear</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7200/6800401892_00d3a3d4be_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7200/6800401892_00d3a3d4be_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/6946506987_ed27a1b76f_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/6946506987_ed27a1b76f_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjtqByZLIh2v_Qvwq9m_sy08-u6D-zcD5Ur90ZvOOX1BaAlk9Fdts889ufRFePBMqZ-F_iRchQvPJJr8iJCShp2smG_0GB8LW1xHs5bf8Glfo9PkvYYMmtk5pjIvWJtsCXH6NUy0-OopI/s1600/RedTailedWT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjtqByZLIh2v_Qvwq9m_sy08-u6D-zcD5Ur90ZvOOX1BaAlk9Fdts889ufRFePBMqZ-F_iRchQvPJJr8iJCShp2smG_0GB8LW1xHs5bf8Glfo9PkvYYMmtk5pjIvWJtsCXH6NUy0-OopI/s1600/RedTailedWT.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crested Lark</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sand grouse</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Tailed wheat ear in bird rock</td> </tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b>And a video as well.</b><br />
<br />
<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=109786" height="300" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=00cdc1d690&photo_id=6821291278"></param>
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<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=109786" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=00cdc1d690&photo_id=6821291278" height="300" width="400"></embed></object></div>Prajwal KMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11655642580681600281noreply@blogger.com4Kutch, Gujarat, India23.346958 69.26086099999997722.372311 67.652737499999972 24.321605 70.868984499999982tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420442067410736262.post-35349073370351524052012-03-06T09:15:00.001-08:002012-08-05T00:34:04.947-07:00Rann of Kutch: Desert of Life 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Little Rann of Kutch</span></b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKjpuQYvmZ3n0Rqieg52U1KkoTC7Edt7-L-ELQp9hMEpZF_2FhSzHe5JTmKTBYzguWUjbhum3euFxaL0LFjH_fHsgU8mi5h4bX9c3erHR3buEMl2lYiaMlYkOL2qqNIopy9_Mam7vm6fn/s1600/Landscape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKjpuQYvmZ3n0Rqieg52U1KkoTC7Edt7-L-ELQp9hMEpZF_2FhSzHe5JTmKTBYzguWUjbhum3euFxaL0LFjH_fHsgU8mi5h4bX9c3erHR3buEMl2lYiaMlYkOL2qqNIopy9_Mam7vm6fn/s200/Landscape.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7cMEooFgWaj7fL7re90i289txLbVxnXZSTwn28H_IE6NEu4zJapqYeEfzvJPOwG7zd51P3AUFtM5Ll5fTU2FW9sKApRubMghH-92vZd4xLLMDCk3oYpF3Hf5451J79UeXY2xC9GErcrT/s1600/Landscape2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7cMEooFgWaj7fL7re90i289txLbVxnXZSTwn28H_IE6NEu4zJapqYeEfzvJPOwG7zd51P3AUFtM5Ll5fTU2FW9sKApRubMghH-92vZd4xLLMDCk3oYpF3Hf5451J79UeXY2xC9GErcrT/s200/Landscape2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSSP5VuhNgfyWKN5GPUeJjL6GwYSDEpYzmGF9rDEhj_J-SJK6Ecw5oWfCkd8cqN8PicAORXGJP3QExTmffBi-7KdrlEpk9PHTdbY1VI1JGhDkVU96t_lJLyI-vCh9bivrsRUoLPBml4ocM/s1600/Landscape3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSSP5VuhNgfyWKN5GPUeJjL6GwYSDEpYzmGF9rDEhj_J-SJK6Ecw5oWfCkd8cqN8PicAORXGJP3QExTmffBi-7KdrlEpk9PHTdbY1VI1JGhDkVU96t_lJLyI-vCh9bivrsRUoLPBml4ocM/s200/Landscape3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kutch Landscapes</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td> </tr>
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On first impression, the Rann of Kutch is a vast, arid landscape, apparently devoid of all life. As far as the eye can see, the sun baked landscape stretches out without a mountain or a hill to break the monotony. Only the mirages playing on the horizon give a false impression of the presence of life saving water. But, spend some time here, and that mirage may well turn out to be thousands of flamingos feeding in a still surviving lake.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_xvXKusA8YDUgypIS4NDibIRjOYmrHkqTq-pKE5Rsw9Uxbqk1843OjZFzE0K4rgQQPD7PT8DTLdA6OIgZsKE56i8h9OHipSDPv2BIEDEAlr4RWlK3kC9PzNm4IbV-B3y2qGX99Rpyssn/s1600/Flamingo_Panorama2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_xvXKusA8YDUgypIS4NDibIRjOYmrHkqTq-pKE5Rsw9Uxbqk1843OjZFzE0K4rgQQPD7PT8DTLdA6OIgZsKE56i8h9OHipSDPv2BIEDEAlr4RWlK3kC9PzNm4IbV-B3y2qGX99Rpyssn/s640/Flamingo_Panorama2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pink line on the horizon is formed by thousands of flamingos feeding in the lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-hSIK8G-roFP94i9xrOIysHeLX1lO0h7mKcShmZm2YluVb2VTmNMmZb5EprEqstESqVmCrQJUyBOfu5t1rRf4uDcNRVMWC_EuavfnJzEeV9C6TBRHJX9zr72j5OBiMw5utX_kRXbaGydC/s1600/Flamingos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-hSIK8G-roFP94i9xrOIysHeLX1lO0h7mKcShmZm2YluVb2VTmNMmZb5EprEqstESqVmCrQJUyBOfu5t1rRf4uDcNRVMWC_EuavfnJzEeV9C6TBRHJX9zr72j5OBiMw5utX_kRXbaGydC/s640/Flamingos.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A closer look at the pink line</td></tr>
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My journey began on a relatively warm winter day from Bengaluru and culminated at night in Rann Riders resort from where the foray into Little Rann of Kutch was to begin. Having met my fellow explorers at the resort, I went to sleep dreaming of the day that tomorrow was to be.<br />
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In spite of repeated warnings of cold mornings and even colder nights, the heady spirit of youth had made me neglect them and I had gone armed with only a sweater and a light jacket. But, the bone chilling wind - encountered during our first excursion into the Rann the following morning - took into account neither my sentiments nor my meagre "armaments". By the time we reached Rann and the sun was high enough to warm me up, I had wished a thousand times to be back in my cosy bed in Bengaluru. <br />
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However, when I started noticing the wildlife, returning to Bengaluru became the furthest thing in my head. From the greater short toed larks on the ground to the harriers and buzzards in the air, almost every bird was a lifer for me. The first ride into the Rann ended in high spirits having sighted a pair of Greater Hoopoe lark and the McQueen Bustard - a bustard which migrates to Kutch during winter.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7039/6800400894_5268b794ab_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7039/6800400894_5268b794ab_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greater Hoopoe lark</td></tr>
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The greater hoopoe lark is a ground nesting bird which nests in arid, desert and semi desert regions. Though not considered vulnerable under IUCN, it is still a rare bird and very difficult to spot and photograph. They move about either singly or in pairs scouring the ground for seeds and insects. When disturbed, they fly very low and for short distances.<br />
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The days flew by and our bird list grew - hoopoe lark, McQueen's bustard, greater short toed larks, steppe eagle, tawny eagle, kestrels, wheatears, marsh harrier, montague harrier, honey buzzard, greater and lesser flamingos, stilts ...<br />
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<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6800428448_e4015a0237_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6800428448_e4015a0237_b.jpg" width="136" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7202/6800401344_0ca74c690e_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7202/6800401344_0ca74c690e_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/6800401758_765318b909_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/6800401758_765318b909_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7187/6946506681_e5ff85c5e2_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7187/6946506681_e5ff85c5e2_b.jpg" width="136" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Short eared owl</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A group of lesser flamingos</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">common cranes</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">peregrine falcon</td> </tr>
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<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6946506433_ac142a0189_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6946506433_ac142a0189_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7183/6800399788_39eaca502b_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7183/6800399788_39eaca502b_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7195/6946506019_698db26a16_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7195/6946506019_698db26a16_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Asian wild ass</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desert fox</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Asian wild ass</td> </tr>
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Finally, it was time for the last safari in Little Rann of Kutch and we decided to the end the safari by taking silhouette shots of wild ass against the setting the sun. We are all in position - the asses and the photographers - and ready to take some great shots. All of a sudden a biker materialises out of nowhere and drives the asses away, just as the sun begins to set. Not to be daunted, we quickly shift our positions and are again ready within minutes. However, a little cloud - the first and only one which we sighted in Little Rann of Kutch - decides to play spoil sport and blocks the sun. In this way, our stay in Little Rann of Kutch came to a glorious, if somewhat cloudy, end.<br />
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<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7046/6959310293_736bc40793_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7046/6959310293_736bc40793_b.jpg" width="136" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7045/6959310425_eb4fea0873_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7045/6959310425_eb4fea0873_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7185/6813199260_60646bdf5f_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7185/6813199260_60646bdf5f_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our last sunset at Little Rann of<br />
Kutch</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td> </tr>
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In the next part, I will talk about my experiences in the Great Rann of Kutch, and my dear reader if you are not already bored to death by my ramblings, please do read the second part.<br />
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Finally, I wish to thank Giri Cavale from Toehold, our drivers from Rann Riders and other members who had joined this trip for the wonderful experience.<br />
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<b>Some information about Little Rann of Kutch :</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
The Little Rann of Kutch extends northeast from the Gulf of Kutch over 5,100 sq km. Once an extension of the Arabian Sea, the Rann ("salt marsh") has been closed off by centuries of silting. Even to this day, salt is being extracted from this region.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijig8xDRjKIr2EOx1jz0nRNuc_SdcQfRVsWMZqzlCE2fLK07lE4qawOhSq_Hy41gsjCN5kVxVJI0NpYB9lKtnkSBEa26PK5e8PBtzdIRQQoTdSQcWWUSTv-utq91eYawT9hCpZT-Z5Jolh/s1600/C45H6918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijig8xDRjKIr2EOx1jz0nRNuc_SdcQfRVsWMZqzlCE2fLK07lE4qawOhSq_Hy41gsjCN5kVxVJI0NpYB9lKtnkSBEa26PK5e8PBtzdIRQQoTdSQcWWUSTv-utq91eYawT9hCpZT-Z5Jolh/s640/C45H6918.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt extraction pit</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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It is famous as the world's last refuge of the Indian Wild Ass (Khur) for the conservation of which it has been declared as the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary.</div>Prajwal KMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11655642580681600281noreply@blogger.com6Dasada, Gujarat, India23.324081 71.83037890000002823.317815 71.821366900000029 23.330347 71.839390900000026tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420442067410736262.post-37808781990785583482012-03-05T07:05:00.000-08:002012-08-05T00:35:41.078-07:00How One became Many<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">A Photo Essay</span></i><br />
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This is the story of a single common mormon pupa that metamorphosed into many wasps – a tale of parasites and opportunists.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>The One</i></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6234/6318686312_664dfc52d8_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6234/6318686312_664dfc52d8_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Common mormon pupa hanging from coriander leaf</span></td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The Many</span></i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6031/6318164925_d8d56f3f6d_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6031/6318164925_d8d56f3f6d_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The first male wasps ( pteromalus puparum (?) ) emerging from the pupa</span></td></tr>
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<male on="" pupa="" the="" wasps=""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> The waiting game</span></i></male><br />
<male on="" pupa="" the="" wasps=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i><br />
</i></span></male><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6225/6318679768_9bee934286_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6225/6318679768_9bee934286_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Male wasps waiting for the queens</span></td></tr>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Make way for the queen</span></i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6045/6318680692_35e32009f0_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6045/6318680692_35e32009f0_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Queens emerging from the pupa</span></td></tr>
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<male on="" pupa="" the="" wasps=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i><br />
</i></span></male><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6116/6318681558_9b6b443201_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6116/6318681558_9b6b443201_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Male wasps making most out of the small time frame</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6102/6318682206_053f4f499b_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6102/6318682206_053f4f499b_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<male on="" pupa="" the="" wasps=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i><br />
</i></span></male><br />
<male on="" pupa="" the="" wasps=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i><br />
</i></span></male><br />
<male on="" pupa="" the="" wasps=""><i style="font-size: x-large;">The Opportunists</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i><br />
</i></span><male for="" queens="" the="" waiting="" wasps=""><males video="" waiting=""><queens emerging=""><mating> <mating video=""> </mating></mating></queens></males></male></male><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6116/6318684576_f5e3ae1a94_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6116/6318684576_f5e3ae1a94_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ants finishing the job the wasps had started</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6100/6318165957_29fe852b6a_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6100/6318165957_29fe852b6a_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Desecrated pupa </span></td></tr>
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<male on="" pupa="" the="" wasps=""><male for="" queens="" the="" waiting="" wasps=""><males video="" waiting=""><queens emerging=""><mating><mating video=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i><br />
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<ants><ants video=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>And life goes on …</i></span></ants></ants></mating></mating></queens></males></male></male><br />
<male on="" pupa="" the="" wasps=""><male for="" queens="" the="" waiting="" wasps=""><males video="" waiting=""><queens emerging=""><mating><mating video=""><ants><ants video=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i><br />
</i></span></ants></ants></mating></mating></queens></males></male></male><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6048/6318682898_be4a25875e_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6048/6318682898_be4a25875e_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A common mormon (form stichius) laying eggs</span></td></tr>
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<male on="" pupa="" the="" wasps=""><male for="" queens="" the="" waiting="" wasps=""><males video="" waiting=""><queens emerging=""><mating><mating video=""><ants><ants video=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i><br />
</i></span></ants></ants></mating></mating></queens></males></male></male><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Common mormon egg</span></td></tr>
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<male on="" pupa="" the="" wasps=""><male for="" queens="" the="" waiting="" wasps=""><males video="" waiting=""><queens emerging=""><mating><mating video=""><ants><ants video=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i><br />
</i></span> <br />
<eg laying=""><br />
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</the></eg></ants></ants></mating></mating></queens></males></male></male></div>Prajwal KMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11655642580681600281noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420442067410736262.post-6508893375353400942012-03-05T06:56:00.001-08:002012-08-05T00:36:24.256-07:00Dodging and Burning - An Overview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A while back, I had been to Ranganthittu to photograph the river terns. For those who don't know where Ranganthittu is, it is a bird sanctuary comprising of a cluster of islands in Cauvery river, near Mysore. A lot of birds - openbills, painted storks, pelicans, river terns ... - come here to breed. The river terns, in particular, nest on a small rock in the middle of the river.<br />
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The lighting conditions in Ranganthittu are not exactly optimum. One can never get all the elements in the image properly exposed. When the bird is exposed properly, the rocks, covered with guano, become hopelessly over exposed. When the exposure is based on the rocks, the bird becomes underexposed. To add to the complication, the river tern is a predominantly black and white (silvery grey to be exact) bird, making the exposure even more difficult.<br />
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I decided to base the exposure on the grayish white body of the river tern, allowing the rocks to be over exposed and the black head of the river tern to be under exposed. A word of caution, make sure the photograph is taken in RAW during these circumstances. This will result in a better image after post processing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_qr4Kcsn2mt4inzWGuGk2YlIONahkgwkotESlKTQy1UQjz7JJh9yVfQZXE7fkXbfGkteRG1yiiYXFKxvQ1w7TrtHcnyPorTtdwrQcyGKxoTCGSYcyiCCNet-II6InY8angaR0tTj9jN8/s1600/Orig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_qr4Kcsn2mt4inzWGuGk2YlIONahkgwkotESlKTQy1UQjz7JJh9yVfQZXE7fkXbfGkteRG1yiiYXFKxvQ1w7TrtHcnyPorTtdwrQcyGKxoTCGSYcyiCCNet-II6InY8angaR0tTj9jN8/s640/Orig.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original image of a river tern feeding its chick. Note the under exposed head of the river tern. None of the features are visible. The over exposed rock can be distracting.</td></tr>
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I will be using dodge and burn tools on the image above to get a properly exposed image. Put simply, dodging increases the brightness of the pixels and burning decreases the brightness. The advantage of these tools is that they can be used only on the required areas of the image.<br />
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First, I will use the dodge tool on the underexposed head. To do this:<br />
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1. Open the image in Adobe photoshop. I am using photoshop CS5.<br />
2. Select the dodge tool from the menu on the left hand side of the screen<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5zkKfwqLQ34a1wvh_6es8QB8Fo7tOyOINbhxFdNKw-UJjX1u74Xt2Xr9ARyyCmNDB9LEJMzpCPtqgZweJugHDkTexJEa7AH1ujU5Gpb3O_RwvGhWAcBTVdcWKyV3g87Zqum-RJRSobeo/s1600/Dodge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5zkKfwqLQ34a1wvh_6es8QB8Fo7tOyOINbhxFdNKw-UJjX1u74Xt2Xr9ARyyCmNDB9LEJMzpCPtqgZweJugHDkTexJEa7AH1ujU5Gpb3O_RwvGhWAcBTVdcWKyV3g87Zqum-RJRSobeo/s640/Dodge.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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3. Set the parameters of the dodge tool as desired.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_h4-2Yih7msTreR-NgNATG4jnvbV47H4egg183L2XDB1xX1WHHCAztFL2cUqPELcHgRBJoAAFNZS3s0_Pn7JTkQuyVBH5exA_ZiICeXc7sH5KkCjkKSMZJb_01k6CjmnprDKXHeNXovC9/s1600/DodgeAdjust.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_h4-2Yih7msTreR-NgNATG4jnvbV47H4egg183L2XDB1xX1WHHCAztFL2cUqPELcHgRBJoAAFNZS3s0_Pn7JTkQuyVBH5exA_ZiICeXc7sH5KkCjkKSMZJb_01k6CjmnprDKXHeNXovC9/s640/DodgeAdjust.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I have selected the brush size as 17 px, as the head is relatively small in the image. The hardness has been set to 0 so as to give a more natural look in the final image. The range has been selected as shadows so that the tool will affect only the shadow regions of the image. <br />
The exposure has been set 3%. Start with a small exposure and apply the dodge tool repeatedly over a certain region to increase the brightness. This will give a subtle effect and makes the dodging harder to detect.<br />
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4. While holding the left button pressed, move the mouse over the area of the image for which the dodge tool has to be applied - the head of the bird in this case. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmIMfMK9E80Th6VX-7kesZ1XTeRc3e2M-0HYHFM4QnatnvrLa1PxQUpEsoy3vc7gr_3Cy5WKsrQN32_G5sUIACeGZNpSLAgpnMr7rDdFgqhecJnUrGZU1e9ymUf1ar2z5lflYP19yhcsA/s1600/DodghedImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmIMfMK9E80Th6VX-7kesZ1XTeRc3e2M-0HYHFM4QnatnvrLa1PxQUpEsoy3vc7gr_3Cy5WKsrQN32_G5sUIACeGZNpSLAgpnMr7rDdFgqhecJnUrGZU1e9ymUf1ar2z5lflYP19yhcsA/s640/DodghedImage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image after dodging. The eye becomes more visible. </td></tr>
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Next, I will be applying the burn tool to the over exposed rocks. The steps are similar to that of dodge tool:<br />
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1. Select the burn tool from the menu on the left hand side of the screen<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXY02ASUJ48KqudWCNt33Xddu06j2Q6Yx0m35tEvlanFMZO18wHewdsGjndX0Bg6ty6rV0MtZNxRqG5JYA0YUHtSCp-89ooBAEo53U8-yW58efGGLq4WhA3n0XgxUrnqFXRjHpEzFHtiF/s1600/Burn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXY02ASUJ48KqudWCNt33Xddu06j2Q6Yx0m35tEvlanFMZO18wHewdsGjndX0Bg6ty6rV0MtZNxRqG5JYA0YUHtSCp-89ooBAEo53U8-yW58efGGLq4WhA3n0XgxUrnqFXRjHpEzFHtiF/s640/Burn.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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3. Set the parameters of the burn tool as desired.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSh8bj-A_k7uOlc4QaQX0FVfoQqN5Abl2bcw0-U3MDUCyhaBEOQanUn7IrUoTPOCNJej95UpotrrDG0pMGz4GxE1RmMGCIQUrGerxojEb5J-Ic0FK-PUQno3vDP1gkd1kmgW4diLKkDTtO/s1600/BurnAdjust.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="20" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSh8bj-A_k7uOlc4QaQX0FVfoQqN5Abl2bcw0-U3MDUCyhaBEOQanUn7IrUoTPOCNJej95UpotrrDG0pMGz4GxE1RmMGCIQUrGerxojEb5J-Ic0FK-PUQno3vDP1gkd1kmgW4diLKkDTtO/s640/BurnAdjust.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I have selected the range as Highlights and exposure as 4%.<br />
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4. While holding the left button pressed, move the mouse over the area of the image for which the burn tool has to be applied - the rocks in this case. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4gOmjnPc9GiQ4vkiY01Br-Hu8k7rQLNUXY1m9XbXXuQhagfIicW7qFMM7LepLZLWjPxBlrV4iNeikG9MSyJ04h7mE21oO0T_0dV6bvMrysWckj5YnQz8iZ83xP13STTL_0PkWFnxBzkzK/s1600/BurnedImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4gOmjnPc9GiQ4vkiY01Br-Hu8k7rQLNUXY1m9XbXXuQhagfIicW7qFMM7LepLZLWjPxBlrV4iNeikG9MSyJ04h7mE21oO0T_0dV6bvMrysWckj5YnQz8iZ83xP13STTL_0PkWFnxBzkzK/s640/BurnedImage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rock has become less distracting</td></tr>
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Finally, after a bit of sharpening and saturation adjustment, the image is ready.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseQlEhdZppSy6rD1zvdWUESHtlzSBzanqpeCkKCCHvVXXLK7p-4E1oz6eh7V_GBA5nj5PHLrWoshSRWZ_nbzR_3lF_cK7pqTFhXp2KkbvWph3JG4jqj_20kRIWZvGfunAbIG1Qc-1FBZo/s1600/FinalImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseQlEhdZppSy6rD1zvdWUESHtlzSBzanqpeCkKCCHvVXXLK7p-4E1oz6eh7V_GBA5nj5PHLrWoshSRWZ_nbzR_3lF_cK7pqTFhXp2KkbvWph3JG4jqj_20kRIWZvGfunAbIG1Qc-1FBZo/s640/FinalImage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>Prajwal KMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11655642580681600281noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420442067410736262.post-27672911081710067502011-05-26T07:54:00.089-07:002012-08-05T00:36:48.025-07:00Weaver Ants: From Nest to Nest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sometime back, a colony of weaver ants (<i>Oecophylla smaragdina</i>) decided to grace my home by constructing a nest on a hibiscus plant in my backyard. I spent many a happy hour observing these fascinating little creatures as they went about their daily business of constructing their nest, gathering food, maintaining their gardens of homopterans (sucking insects that feed on plant juices)…<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Marching ants</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Using silk, from larva, to stitch together the leaves</span></b></td></tr>
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Weaver ants are known for building nests by weaving together leaves of the host plant – hence their name. Initially, while constructing the nest, worker ants will hold the leaves together with their mandibles. Then, other workers use the silk from larvae, which are about to enter the pupal stage, to sew the leaves together. A gentle tap, from a worker’s antenna, encourages the larva to extrude silk from its salivary glands, which is then used to bind the leaves.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Nest</span></b></st1:placename><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></b><st1:placetype w:st="on"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Building</span></b></st1:placetype></st1:place><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">: Ants holding together leaf edges with their mandibles.</span></b></td></tr>
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Weaver ants have two kinds of workers –<br />
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<li>The larger, Major workers which leave the nest to hunt, defend the territory, ...</li>
<li>And the smaller, Minor workers which stay in the nest performing tasks such as maintaining the nest, taking care of the homopterans, ... </li>
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Just as humans take care of cattle, the Minor workers move the homopterans to good feeding grounds, guard them, and gather special droplets of sugar-rich syrup, known as honeydew, that the bugs excrete.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Minor workers harvesting homopterans</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Major workers exchanging chemical messages</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ants jumping off the leaf, in their eagerness to <br />
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Weaver ants defend their nests aggressively. So, it is better to leave a large nest alone. When I accidently got too close to the nest, the display the ants put up was impressive. I did not make the mistake of doing so again.</div>
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Female Kerengga Ant-like Jumper - a spider<br />
disguised as a weaver ant.<br />
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Due to the aggressive nature of the weaver ants, as well as the foul taste the ants have to some predators, some spiders mimic the weaver ants for protection. <br />
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Though these spiders stay in the vicinity of the ant colony, they avoid coming in contact with the weaver ants. During the entire period I was observing this spider, it never came close to a weaver ant.<br />
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But, alas, everything in this world must come to an end. The leaves, forming the nest, began to dry up. It was time for the ants to move to another nest.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nest starting to dry up.</b></td></tr>
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The ants started off with the difficult job of shifting all the larvae from the nest. Here, the ants faced a difficulty. The distance from the plant to an overhanging wire, upon which the ants found it convenient to move, was too great for a single ant to bridge. Not to be deterred, by intertwining their bodies, the ants formed an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ant-chain </i>to cross over the gap; demonstrating a quality of ants which makes them one of the most successful and widely distributed insects of our planet – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">strength in numbers</i>. The formation of such living chains is a common tactic used by weaver ants whenever they come across a gap too wide to cross – either while moving through the branches or during nest building.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Living chain of ants</b></td></tr>
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As though Mother Nature herself was sad at the hardship faced by her little children, it began to rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning. But, the ants, with the single minded purpose they are well known for, continued long into the evening, until the nest was completely empty and all the larvae safe.</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Shifting the Nest</span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The abandoned nest</b></td></tr>
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Finally, with the last larva safely carried away, my window into the rarely seen, private world of ants had closed. I keep checking the plant, hoping that, one day the same drama may be played again! </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;">~ o ~ ~o~</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"> ~o~</span></div>
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<b>UPDATE: 26-Oct-2011</b></div>
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Finally my wishes were answered. The ants constructed not one, but three nests in my backyard! Armed with a recently acquired SLR camera, I could get better shots this time. </div>
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<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7178/6800427322_8fc43d670e_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7178/6800427322_8fc43d670e_b.jpg" width="146" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6810224940_505e927149_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6810224940_505e927149_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7045/6956334013_bff77d8118_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7045/6956334013_bff77d8118_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weaver ants greeting each other</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kerrenga Ant-like Jumper male</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kerrenga Ant-like Jumper female</td> </tr>
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<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A weaver ant carrying a <br />
dead weaver ant which<br />
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a small brown ant.</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A group of weaver ants carrying a<br />
discarded gecko's tail to their nest.</td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weaver ant nest</td> </tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">For those still interested:</span></b><br />
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Some more photos:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/54927627@N06/sets/72157626804343262/detail/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FWOmokSTlTFGnySdMufRTh4N6BGbDZ4lQ8S5BHscUNqMKUMSGN0LlqEnm-rS875q4L6MM9pRX85l249ZLbveMyumC2zmpXKk1-CdCWUI6KIa2oO43lAQgCTgZIh-Yxgjiw_m36mlDEE6/s200/weaver+ants+album.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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The following links contain more information on weaver ants:</div>
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1. <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/05/weaver-ants/chadwick-text">http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/05/weaver-ants/chadwick-text</a></div>
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2. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaver_ant">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaver_ant</a><br />
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</div>Prajwal KMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11655642580681600281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420442067410736262.post-84715827609067423972011-04-09T03:16:00.000-07:002012-08-05T00:37:08.289-07:00A Weekend in the Rainforest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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From the polluted streets of Bengaluru, I decided to head out into the forests of Agumbe to attend the Rainforest Exploratory Workshop conducted by ARRS (Agumbe Rainforest Research Station). The research station is nestled within the pristine rain forests of the <st1:place w:st="on">Western Ghats</st1:place>.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>A View of the research station.</b></span></td></tr>
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Just before reaching Agumbe, a mud road, on the right of the main road, leads to the research station. </div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Day 1</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Our willing model – the bicolored frog.</b></span></td></tr>
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After a brief presentation regarding the research station and the conservation of wildlife in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">India</st1:country></st1:place>, we decided to head out into the wild to do some photography. We were lucky enough to spot, quickly, a model eager to be shot into stardom – a bi colored frog which was very willing to pose for us. Of course, we made the most out of the situation.</div>
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Getting back to the research station, we had a session on camera trapping by Siddharth, who has captured quite a few animals, from leopard, barking deer to otters and spur fowls on his camera trap. The camera trap has been designed by IISC and uses passive infrared (body heat of animals) to trigger the camera. The camera is an old <st1:place w:st="on">Olympus</st1:place> digital camera with a memory card capable of holding around 16 pictures. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>One of our camera traps.</b></span></td></tr>
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We headed out, armed with rotten bananas as bait, to try our luck with the camera trapping. On the way, we discovered the spoor of dholes (Indian wild dog) very close to ARRS. Finally, we set up 4 camera traps and baits , hoping to capture every species that has been seen – or not been seen – in the <st1:place w:st="on">Western Ghats</st1:place>. But, alas, for all our hopes and ambitions, only one of our camera traps managed to capture an image – that of a spur fowl.</div>
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After dinner, which was a scrumptious fare of native food, we headed out into the jungle for a night walk. For those of us who have never ventured out from the safety of civilization, the jungle at night provides a truly awe inspiring experience. A mysterious world awaits, just beyond the reach of our torch beams, with strange animals more often heard than seen. The animals that we did see included a pair of civets, a spider with its hatchlings, a scorpion with a fatal bite, ... </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Scorpion with a fatal bite</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVavuNZJcV1nXE8yjDLiLlAcphyphenhyphenqO9RahQNblYgT4j4ep8BADQnc7i6YmHY8SePzVqf9fDNj1tsIcdSEXNzN1SEwW3I4LWVovW_IPjJGzl06_ZAgFDfdSjFqLGaK-ZeRKO5ptL-qQXBv6/s1600/C45H3010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVavuNZJcV1nXE8yjDLiLlAcphyphenhyphenqO9RahQNblYgT4j4ep8BADQnc7i6YmHY8SePzVqf9fDNj1tsIcdSEXNzN1SEwW3I4LWVovW_IPjJGzl06_ZAgFDfdSjFqLGaK-ZeRKO5ptL-qQXBv6/s320/C45H3010.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Praying mantis</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIBbDsfhzRDvw83grCgAQ3KY6ly_kV_D_c4RjM0Zf4lsaDRgAViIYC2w1h7cV-5pa-_L1EiRFdwDpjZPqR5I83T6zEhlsV868pwuai2xnQeqGEp5qsghqJKQVKMApIIrLrwCJ1bcucF3R/s1600/C45H3029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIBbDsfhzRDvw83grCgAQ3KY6ly_kV_D_c4RjM0Zf4lsaDRgAViIYC2w1h7cV-5pa-_L1EiRFdwDpjZPqR5I83T6zEhlsV868pwuai2xnQeqGEp5qsghqJKQVKMApIIrLrwCJ1bcucF3R/s320/C45H3029.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>A spider with its hatchlings</b></span></td></tr>
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Here, I must digress to mention a fascinating fact about scorpions. When exposed to UV light, scorpions glow with a greenish blue color. This is the best way to find scorpions during the night. Many theories have been put forward to explain this florescence, but no one is quite sure why this occurs.<br />
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With our minds still on the scorpion with a fatal bite and on the cobra, which we were told was wandering freely within ARRS property, we decided to turn in for the night. A brief bout of suffocation made us realize, quickly, the futility of keeping the tent flaps closed. This led to a very interesting, but somewhat disturbing incident. In the middle of the night, we wore woken up by something crawling on our legs. Could it be the cobra? A brief, sleepy eyed search of the tent revealed nothing. Too sleepy to do anything more, we hit the sack and had an undisturbed sleep until the first rays of a rising sun heralded the beginning of a new day.</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Day 2</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Indian Golden Backed Three Toed Woodpecker</b></span></td></tr>
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The day started off with a birding trip among the forest giants, whose canopies were lost within the morning mist. A few birds took pity on us and decided to grace us with their presence. These birds included scarlet minivets (of late known as orange minivet), changeable hawk eagle, ioras, egrets, parakeets, woodpeckers, flowerpeckers, lapwings, orioles, bulbuls, …</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-YfX8Syz5I56rMig5jcDxuqwkUEStzfrfMGqoj3UFa_MVHoEc4wqjdRrb1TZVtsdZDc5CzDXGNALwIJlscT711stl5AtFASA4g-RuV5t5d1arue2HftMKXXXFZTW95exg9vHdP_uQmyYE/s1600/C45H3075.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/AVvXsEh-YfX8Syz5I56rMig5jcDxuqwkUEStzfrfMGqoj3UFa_MVHoEc4wqjdRrb1TZVtsdZDc5CzDXGNALwIJlscT711stl5AtFASA4g-RuV5t5d1arue2HftMKXXXFZTW95exg9vHdP_uQmyYE/s320/C45H3075.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Fishing spider(?) walking on water</b></span></td></tr>
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A walk in a nearby stream unveiled even more wonders of the jungle – a spider (fishing spider ?) which walks on the water to catch fish and tadpoles, otter scat (an interesting fact about otters is that they relieve themselves on almost the same spot every day), a frog endemic to western ghats …</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifURW2A0YTlK1SX8kbkYSPf16l5v-vxRRN6vCY29nhit67RzaDzjHw-Jty5Nb_YoHKiqDgrJx3B8WhNznBZ7SmMLLAf4HETgxoWWNUMq-0s9APcnNPZzzaoA3WFsy1NvpIOcDyvA21pZEw/s1600/C45H3100.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/AVvXsEifURW2A0YTlK1SX8kbkYSPf16l5v-vxRRN6vCY29nhit67RzaDzjHw-Jty5Nb_YoHKiqDgrJx3B8WhNznBZ7SmMLLAf4HETgxoWWNUMq-0s9APcnNPZzzaoA3WFsy1NvpIOcDyvA21pZEw/s320/C45H3100.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Black Torrent Frog</b></span></td></tr>
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A trip to Jogigundi yielded another forest dweller endemic to <st1:place w:st="on">Western Ghats</st1:place> – a black torrent frog. This frog lives near fast moving streams (torrents) and hence the name. Due to its selection of habitat, it would be futile for it to call during the breeding season to attract a mate. No other frog will hear it. To solve this problem, the frog has developed an unique way to attract mates - it climbs to the top of a rock and waves its front leg.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvGkwQZypattLBB43KI088KpWLgMm3JFjhSkKZI62OMSVnKtEtf5lbk0ATcRAwnEr3EtU3K8nrute83dkbobEOsKnB-s0oV4j0YOzmXjMp5jy4yymbW6qbHxefNXvn5piiGrPi-iG9K-u/s1600/C45H3096_small.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/AVvXsEgFvGkwQZypattLBB43KI088KpWLgMm3JFjhSkKZI62OMSVnKtEtf5lbk0ATcRAwnEr3EtU3K8nrute83dkbobEOsKnB-s0oV4j0YOzmXjMp5jy4yymbW6qbHxefNXvn5piiGrPi-iG9K-u/s320/C45H3096_small.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Jogigundi</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxq_9I4VF0XnFe9uG-wsZLS7losR5jTYdvYsKgiawz-RmwcN8HPO4Py3COgl-f-iA4L9BWKqjkp_mt6FsLpLUhz2E516FfcL_A4QNlr4J0HoUwhiVPDDWGwumEsxXqe3jmfaEtBwXrxeMl/s1600/Stream+Glory+Damselfly+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxq_9I4VF0XnFe9uG-wsZLS7losR5jTYdvYsKgiawz-RmwcN8HPO4Py3COgl-f-iA4L9BWKqjkp_mt6FsLpLUhz2E516FfcL_A4QNlr4J0HoUwhiVPDDWGwumEsxXqe3jmfaEtBwXrxeMl/s320/Stream+Glory+Damselfly+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Stream glory - a damselfly found near streams.</b></span></td></tr>
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<o:p> </o:p>After another night walk, in which we were lucky enough to spot a slender loris, we turned in for the night. This time we were determined to solve the mystery of previous night - the identity of the mysterious crawler who had so rudely disturbed our sleep. At midnight, a scream by one of my tent mates, alerted us to the return of the intruder. Torches were quickly put on and we glimpsed a rat running around in our tent. But, was this really the intruder of previous night? How did it get in (our tent flaps were open only at the top)? More importantly, how did it get out (after the initial glimpse, further searching yielded nothing)?</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Day 3</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Malabar Giant Squirrel</b></span></td></tr>
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A new day, new opportunities - this time in the form of a Malabar Giant Squirrel basking on a tree. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Juvenile Bedome’s Keelback</b></span></td></tr>
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A trip into the forest resulted in the sighting of the first and only snake of this trip – a juvenile Bedome’s Keel Back.</div>
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After seeing a documentary by Kalyan Varma – One Million Snakebites – it was time for us to pack up. With heavy hearts, we bid adieu to Agumbe, making a mental promise to return at the earliest opportunity.</div>
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My sincere thanks to the researchers – Siddharth, Naren, Neethi, Srikar, ..- in ARRS, my tent parners – Antony & Anirban - and all the other participants of the workshop for making this workshop into a pleasurable and informative experience.</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Some details about ARRS:</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The research station is located beside the Agumbe reserve forest. Hence even a stroll inside the ARRS campus is likely to be very fruitful.</div>
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The research station derives almost all of its electricity from the solar panels and mini hydel plant. It has a well stocked library and internet connectivity. </div>
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Only BSNL mobiles get the network connectivity inside the research station.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Where to stay:</b> </div>
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The research station has 2 cottages open for visitors. One can also stay in tents pitched within the ARRS property.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">How to reach: <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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From Bengaluru, reach Shimoga by train/bus. From Shimoga, there are lots of buses to Agumbe.</div>
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Also, there is a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rajahamsa</i> (deluxe) bus from Bengaluru to Agumbe every day.</div>
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From Agumbe, hire an Auto to reach ARRS.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Contact Details:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Website:</b> <a href="http://www.agumberainforest.com/">http://www.agumberainforest.com/</a></div>
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<b>Email:</b> arrs.india@gmail.com</div>
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<b>Phone Number:</b> 08181-223081 / 08181-233186</div>
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<b>Address: </b></div>
Suralihalla,Agumbe<br />
Thirthahalli Taluk<br />
Shimoga District - 577411<br />
Karnataka, India</div>Prajwal KMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11655642580681600281noreply@blogger.com2