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2010-08-23T01:38:00.001-07:00

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A Wild Fact

2009-01-27T10:35:00.000-08:00

There used to be a black coloured Cat at my place called Amavasye ( The dark/No moon night ). She gave birth to 5 cute kittens. Tragecally she died even before the kittens could open their eyes to see the outer world. We took care of these kittens , thought them to drink milk and soon they were all out of their confinement, playing all over my house.
One night as our Labby ( Labrador retriever ) started barking, everyone woke up at around 2 midnight and found a stranger Male Cat running away out of the window as soon as the lights were lit.
Shockingly , it had killed a kitten by grabbing the neck and surprisingly four others had managed to escape to safety.

After this incidence, My Parents were left with one question unanswered " Why should a cat come and kill another cat? that too a baby cat ? " I too was a lil curious about this until i realized these are cats , afterall. We've leart and seen that big cats like Tigers and Lions may even kill the young ones if they are born to another male. This ensures that the female will come into Oestrus and bear the new male's Offsprings.

This is a known behaviour amongst all Cats, with Tiger being the largest of all. They might differ in sizes, but share a many of the common characteristics and behaviours.

However, the remaining kittens are now safe. Interesting fact is, Labby is looking after them ! :)

Bangalore Bird Race 2009

2009-01-27T04:06:00.000-08:00

Introduction
India Bird Races, have been inspired by the Hongkong BirdRace, with lil modifications.
These Bird Races are sponsored by HSBC and are organised in cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai etc every year.
BirdRace is a dawn to dusk event where teams of bird-watchers ( 4 in each group )will spend the entire day birding in and around Bangalore. The participants will try and record as many species of birds as possible, learn about the finer points of bird-watching from the experts & the experienced, and then later in the evening, all teams will meet at a suitable venue over dinner and an interactive tête-à-tête. While there are strict rules there is a fun element to this exercise, which has helped stimulate enormous interest in bird-watching as a highly popular hobby. The event has given a good idea of the nature of this region’s birdlife and helped to build support for environment and nature conservation. One such event concluded in bangalore on 18th of January this year.
With a team of four called the " TEAM BLUE JAY ", we registered for this event. But two had to give it a miss. We were short with two pair of eyes. However, its all about the joy of Bird Watching. Myself with a partner raced for our winged folks. Unlike the idea of covering all birding spots of bangalore, we decided to stick to one area and cover as many species as possible. With Common Crow as the starter for the day, We started at around 6.05 in the Morning and headed straight to Manchinabele. Most of our count and many lifers for me ( like the woolly necked stork ) came from this region.The most common birds of the day were the swallows ( Red Rumped and Bard ). I must ve seen about hundreds of em. A Crested Serpent Eagle in Manchinabele , Common Buzzard and Common Kestral at TG Halli added to our joy.
We might have missed out on so many commoners like the spotted owlettes and mottled wood owls of Lalbagh ( since we dint get to visit lalbagh ), many of the new species were added to our list like the thick billed flower pecker, Rosy Paster, wooly necked storks etc. A few of the birds includin many warblers went unidentified ( missed our teammate Anaconda Ashwin here ). These are the areas of improvement which are marked for the next year.
Herez the list of Birds that were recorded.
Bangalore Bird Race 18th Jan 09
Common Crow
Blue Rock Pegion
Asian Koel
Rose Ringed Parakeet
Plain Prinia
Common Kite
Black Drongo
Large Pied ( White Browed ) Wagtail
Cattle Egret
Median Egret
Pale Billed Flower Pecker
Thick Billed Flower Pecker
Shikra ( Female )
Common Sparrow
Pied Bushchat
Barn Swallow
Brahminy Kite
Indian Robin
Greater Coucal
Laughing Dove
White Brested KingFisher
Spotted Dove
Red Rumped Swallow
Jungle Babbler
Small Green Bee Eater
Large Grey Babbler
Common Babbler
Red Wattled Lapwing
Wooly necked stork ( white necked )
Black winged Stilt
Open Billed Stork
Yellow Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
Common Coot
Red Vented Bulbul
Purple Rumped SunBird
Black Cormorant
Crested Serpent Eagle
Oriental Turtle Dove
Long tailed Shrike
Ashy Bellied Drongo
Oriental Magpie Robin
Baya Weaver
Little Cormorant
Indian Roller
Paddy field Pipit
Indian Bush Lark
Great Tit
Dab Chick
Ashy Drongo( Differs from Ashy Bellied)
Common Kestrel
Red Whiskered Bulbul
Oriental White Eye
Ashy Prinia
White Cheacked barbet
Eurasian SparrowHawk( id confirmed by Judges )
Asian Brown Flycatcher
Spot billed Ducks
Little Grebe
Blue Beared Bee Eater
Yellow eyed babbler
Common Sandpiper
Eurasian Collored Dove
Common House swift
Common Kingfisher ( small blue )
Grey Jungle Fowl
Common Buzzard
Long billed vulture
Perigrene Falcon ( Shaheen ? )
Egyptian Vulture
Bay backed shrike
Purple moorhen
White brested Waterhen
Darter ( snake Bird )
Indian Cormorant
Rosy Paster ( starling )
The Team which won the 1st place recorded some 147 odd species.

Wild Dog Safari

2008-11-10T08:35:00.000-08:00

After Kgudi, Bandipura has been my favorite place for a very long time now. I have fair number of reasons though. At Bandipura,

* I had my first ever Tiger Sighthing

* Had a first look at the wild Dogs

* First encounter with a Wild Tusker

* First good look at a Leopard

* A 4 yr old elephant - Krishna ( Kitty ) has accepted me as a Friend.

I have another real special reason to fall in love with this place. The safari along with the company of a pack of wild dogs .. going where they go, seeing what they see and trying to understand their behaviour was indeed special

Sighted these two, the very moment i entered the forest. At first, they were a lil non-cooperative. They ran and disappeared in the undergrowth. As we waited patiently, they came out to the open but this time with the entire pack. One by one 8 dogs followed the leader and headed in search of their early morning breakfast.

As they explored their territory for any prey, we followed them quitely . As they moved on, the Leader of the pack used to go and have a closer look off the roads, while the rest of the hunting party waited on the track.
The wild dogs are very Agile hunters and hunt in packs, with their hunting success rate measuring close to 98% . I always wanted to see their game plan while they are on a hunt. well this was my chance. If the wild dogs accept our presence as friendly, we stand a great chance to witness a kill.
The Dogs however kept an eye on us all the time. we dint cross their comfort zone and maintained distance. I wanted to shoot them from the front, so moved half a km further and waited for them near a waterhole. The dogs dint take long to arrive and i made some good Portraits.

The party got a lil playful when they reached the water hole and started playing in water. we were busy recording the act and suddenly i heard some movement right next to me.. I turned around to see a sambar deer with a soar coming out of the bushes.. My heartbeat gathered momentum as the dogs diverted all their attention towards the guest. The dogs were with us for more than two hours now and i was hoping that our presence wont distract them. My hopes were turning out to be true as the leader of the pack began its stealth apprach towards the prey followed by another dog. Well, this was it.
I quickly checked all the settings on my camera.. This was the moment i was waiting for. I dint wanted anything to go wrong. The two dogs quietly approached the Sambar. The moment the deer realized that it was in the danger zone, it was too very close to danger and had no escape..
The atmosphere got steamed up and my forefinger trembled to rest on the shutter release button, while i wathced the action through the view finder on my camera.
I was expecting the dogs to circle their prey in their same old fashion and go for the kill. But something happened. Something really strange indeed !! The rest of the pack refused to cooperate with the hunt. The two dogs on the lead called for the pack.. but the pack dint really seemed to be interested. The leaders looked at us and backed off !!! Abandoned their hunt !!!
I immediately took the eyes off the camera and wondered what was happening.. The dogs were searching for a prey for more than an hour and now that they have their food right in front of em, they are giving up !
The guest who was with me in the JLR jeep, Mr Narayanan Nair asked me why did they abandon the hunt ?
All i could say at that time was " Well, i dont know .. its either because the prey is too big for the dogs or they just arent interested " . But i, myself was not convinced with the answer. This was a very strange behaviour the dogs displayed.
Soon after they let the sambar pass away to safety, it seemed like they dint like our presence anymore. The leader indicated the pack to leave us and move on. This fella kept on staring at me until the last member of the pack disappeared off our sight, into the forest. The look said so many words... She was not pleased to meet me. This was the last time he/she looked at me and vanished inside.
We headed back to the camp and that night i couldn sleep as this strange behaviour was all over my mind. I took my camera and previewed the images that i had shot. I was trying to find an answer.
A thought struck my mind and i was Terrified !!!
Mr. Krupakar & Senani's wild dog dairy came into my mind. In the movie, Mr Krupakar comes across a similar situation where the dogs abandon the hunt.
Krupakar gives us a very important clue to understand this behaviour. He says " The tribals in the forest used to wait for these dogs to make a kill. They would then chase the dogs away and steal their kill for meat and skin. The dogs ve seen this happen on numerous ocassions and started abandoning their hunt eversince , if the Humans are seen anywhere near them."

Its unbelievable, but a fact indeed how much we humans have interfered, creating an imbalance in the eco-system.
This is just my thought, my way of analysing this situation. If what i feel is right, ill be terribly disappointed and wil have to think thrice before entering the forest again.. Its a gut feeling.. Im unsure what i should be doing. Stop going to the forests ?? I dont know :(
This might seem like a very ordinary story to many. But its an emotional day to me.
Im sure many of you have better knowledge than me and can help me in finding an answer for this critical situation. What should we do ??
Id request you people to please reply to this post with your thoughts on this.

Id specially request Karthik sir and all you Naturalists and wildlife Enthusiasts out there to gimme your reviews on this.
Thanks !

After a Small Interval

2008-08-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

After a small break, spent a couple of days in KGudi . Though rainy season is not the best time for photography, you never know.. If lucky enough, one can get to click some rarest photographs.

Im talking about the Spot Bellied Eagle Owl ( prirorly called the Forest Eagle Owl ). I got to see this bird for the First time in DayLight.

Apart from what i call " MY CATCH ", found other birds of Prey as well. The Changeable Hawk Eagle ( Prirorly Crested Hawk Eagle ) and the Crested Serpent Eagle are always a treat to watch

As I was returning from Kgudi , I saw this Shikra hopping on the ground. Surprisingly it got so friendly wid me that i could stay close to it for about 15 mins, even get out of the car ... take out ma equipment and shoot a few frames :-)

Though one of the commons in BRT, for the first time i could get a closer look at the behaviour of Jerdon's Lark

Playing with the Deadliest !

2008-07-04T00:33:00.000-07:00

King Cobras ( Ophiophagus hannah ) are one of the most deadliest snakes in the world, commonly sighted in and around the Evergreen Forests of Western Ghats. Its genus name, Ophiophagus, literally means "snake-eater", and its diet primarily consists of other snakes, including sizeable pythons and even smaller members of its own species.

The venom of the King Cobra is primarily neurotoxic, and the snake is fully capable of killing a human with a single bite.

And the worst part, there isnt an Anti-Venom for a King Cobra bite YET ! So, playing around with it... could be Fatal !

The guy here in this video is trying to touch the head of a wild King Cobra and photograph it.

My all new Nikon D200 !

2008-06-10T07:56:00.001-07:00

The striker, Nikon D300 was on my mind ever since it was released in the market. I was constantly looking forward to upgrade to this model, but several issues forced me to keep the D300 on hold and had to settle with its younger Brother the Nikon D200.

The Nikon D200 fitted with a power pack MB-D200 is a great cam and a good value for money.

I bought it this saturday and had been to Bandipura National Park on sunday to innagurate my new cam in the wild.

Here are the first few shots i took with my new cam :-)
Current Mood : Excited !

The Last ( lost ) Tears !!!

2008-06-05T03:02:00.000-07:00

My cousin Shreenidhi shot this picture in Kanha National Park recently and asked me to comment on this. I was dumbstruck to utter any word. This is one the most difficult pictures to comment on, and rather one of the raw most acts of Nature, unfolded.
As the photographer says : " This is the most cruelest scenes ive witnessed in the wild so far. The deer was still alive while it was being eaten by a pack of Dholes ( Indian Wilddogs ). The Deer had tears in its eyes and looked at me helplessly, hoping for miracle. This was a judgement call for me. My brother whispered ' All i need now is a gun to shoot this 3 foot 2 inch thingy into peices '
Being a Naturalist, all i could do was to respect the law of nature, record this moment in my camera with a heavy heart and drive off. Just in a matter of 40 mins, Nothing except bones were left at the site. My mother had tears in her eyes and everybody were silent. Though we saw a Tiger later in the safari, none of us were excited to see it or to click any photographs. This was indeed one of the most difficult moments for me in the wild "

I posted this photograph in one of the leading Nature firms in this country and this was what many people had to say about this photograph.
http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=50035

The purpose of me posting this image on my blog is simple. Many of us think the way Shreenidhi's brother think. But a fact is, this is nothing but a law of nature.. The food chain. If not for this Chital ( spotted deer ) , many predators like the wild dogs, leopards and Tigers would've become extinct in the wild. Its a balance well crafted by Mother Nature. The image delivers a powerful message to understand this theory for any Nature/wildlife Lover.
Like many in the firm, I cant call this a 'wonderful image', but this will surely stay in my mind for a long long time.

When you are out Birdwatching

2008-06-04T05:49:00.000-07:00

I found these keypoints very interesting and thought of sharing with my fellow Bird Watchers
I hope you find it useful

* Don't look for birds in a forest. Just let your eyes wander to detect movement where nothing else is moving.
* Edges or ecotones, where one type of landscape merges into another, are usually sites of greater activity, especially at dawn and dusk, rather than inside the habitat.
* Birds need water and streams, ponds, fountains, especially with nearby protective cover are all excellent spots.
* Forest birds tend to move in mixed flocks. One of the best tactics to catch sight of these is to determine the flocks' direction, get ahead of them and wait for them to follow you. This way, you don't disturb them and you have maximum time to get the field marks.
* Most birds can distinguish colours very well and you scare them off (or at least alert them) It's a good idea not to wear blue or red! Dress in mute greens and browns.
* Noise is an absolute no. Don't chat on the trails and try and wear fabrics that don't make much of a sound. A noisy camera shutter is inexcusable.
* Enjoy all your birds - there aren't any 'better' or 'more exotic' species and if the birds are where you are, stay and watch for you may not see any more that day!
* Carry a notebook in which to record your observations. Important details that you might wish to keep a record of would include the date, time and place, species observed, sex of the bird, unusual behaviour, if any, type of habitat (thick or sparse forest, hilly terrain, dense undergrowth).
* Carry a good bird book with you, which would help you identify the birds you see. The more enthusiastic might even want to go equipped with a micro-cassette recorder or video recorder.
* Either way don't miss out on capturing the joy of the sights and smells in your memory.

Happy Bird Watching :)
Reference : Santuary Asia

Egret Compositions

2008-05-17T06:29:00.000-07:00

Many of the wildlife and Bird Photographers go in search of Endemic species, to places thousands of miles across. Even i was in the same concept of photographing only the rare birds unless I saw this Very common cattle egret in the evening light. I was soon to realize that i never had made an attempt to patiently sit and photograph this bird. Saw this while coming from a family trip to mantralaya, pulled over to the side and spent some good 30 mins on this Bird.

I liked this photograph and the very next morning, went in search of Egrets and tried a few more Compositions.

As the name says, Cattle Egrets are most commonly found pecking the insect on the cattle, hence developing a mutual relationship. During the Breeding Season, the Cattle Egrets develope this golden brown coloured plumes which makes it one of the most beautiful birds to look at.

Cattle Egrets normally nest near the swamps or water bodies. Its global population estimated to be 3.8–6.7 million individuals.

Though they take the name Egret, mostly resembles the Herons with a 88–96 cm (35–38 in) wingspan; it is 46–56 centimetres (18–22 in) in length and weighs 270–512 grams (9.5–18.1 oz).[11] It has a relatively short thick neck, sturdy bill, and a hunched posture. The non-breeding adult has mainly white plumage, a yellow bill and greyish-yellow legs.

spotted owlets - Athene brama

2008-05-12T05:05:00.000-07:00

These spotted owlets of lalbagh have never disappointed me. Every time i go there, i make it a point to see them and come. Very friendly creatures.

Spotted Owlet is a common resident bird in open habitats including farmland and human habitation. It nests in a hole in a tree or building, laying 3-5 eggs.
The Spotted Owlet is small (21cm) and stocky. The upperparts are grey-brown, heavily spotted with white. The underparts are white, streaked with brown. The facial disc is pale and the eyes are yellow. There is a white neckband. Sexes are similar.

This species is nocturnal but is sometimes seen in the day. It can often be located by the small birds that mob it while it is perched in a tree. It hunts a variety of insects and small vertebrates. The call is a harsh chirurr-chirurr-chirurr.

Checked your name in the voter's list ??

2008-05-08T01:31:00.000-07:00

I was told about this link by one of my good buddies.
http://164.100.80.122/Search/
Its needless to say how important a single vote can be in building a strong democratic Nation.
Ive checked and verified my name in the latest voters' list, and ve cancelled all my trips on the coming weekend :)
Kindly make use of the link to check your names in the voters' list and please dont forget to vote in the karnataka polls.

A quick trip to Bandipura

2008-04-21T06:49:00.000-07:00

Made a quick trip to the forests of Bandipura and Mudhumalai as a Naturalist [;)] this saturday with my cousin harsha and his collegues. Though the morning session was not all that good for mammals, I was glad that the company enjoyed birding around the forest. As rookies, they were quick and smart in identifying around 25-30 odd species of Birds.

These guys had something much more exciting in store than what they had expected out of this one day Nature Trail. During the evening safari, A huge male tusker gave a mock charge and everyone in the jeep started screaming ! I had a tough time in calming them down. But they really dint take a lot of time in realizing that it was a mock charge and enjoyed the show as they learnt the science behind it. It starting raining and the hopes of seeing anything else almost faded as we decided to head back towards the camp. But on the way, something crossed the road in a giffy and entered the bushes. My instincts told me that it was a Tiger. we drove quickly to the bush and got lucky enough to see a Big cat standing and giving us a fierce stare. It was a Tiger Indeed ! What can the First timers ask for ? A Tusker charge, A tiger, Ruddy and Striped necked mangooses, Peafowls, Sambars, Lots of spotted deers, all in the time span of 2 hrs !

It was one of the best wildlife trips ive made offlate ! Here, i leave you guys with a picture of an elephant playing in the water hole behind the bandipura Range office, shot with my cousin's Fujifilm digital camera (max zoom ( 10x )). Alhough i took a few pictues of the tiger, couldnt really manage to get a sharp one.. Ill have to wait till the next time.

The Great Horned Owls of Chennai

2008-03-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

Had been to chennai this weekend, keeping the Sea Turtles in mind. But the unexpected rains ruined the Turtle walk Program. Never Mind, All thanks to my friend Ramnath who took me to this small patch of shrub Jungle amidst the busy city of Chennai where I could see these great Horned owls for the First time and photograph it.
Scientific name : Bubo virginianus
An average Great Horned Owl is 55 cm (22 inches) long, has a wingspan of 124 cm (49 inches) and weighs about 1400 grams (3.1 lbs).

Barn Owl on the Road

2008-03-11T14:39:00.000-07:00

I was speeding at 90's on the Hunsur Main Road on my way to Nagarhole at around 3 AM. I had to come to a screeching halt when i saw this lovely barn owl sitting happily on the main road. I wasted no time in taking a few eye level shots of this bird from a safe distance, not wanting to disturb the Bird. I was done with a few frames but this guy refused to move. I had to navigate a few KSRTC Buses and Trucks away from running over this Bird. It looked to me like this fella was on a Suicide kinda Mood.

With No much options left, I walked straight upto it and tapped its head, signalling it to move. He responded to my touch, looked at my face for about 15 secs and decided to fly away to safety. This certainly did put a smile on my face but then when my mind started probing the incidence and questions like " Why an Owl has to sit so close to the danger zone,even if its not injured or wounded ? " started raising, i could conclude on some scientific facts.

1. Owls are noctornal creatures and are sensitive to Harsh Lights.
2. Its a known fact that Owls cant see clearly during a bright sunny day, and they rest in shady places like inside bark of a hollow tree etc.
3. Their eyes are designed in such a way that even a single beam of harsh light when focussed directly into their eyes, can do some severe damage to the bird.

So, Its quite possible that the Bird might ve gone blind for a few mins due to a powerful headlight of any other vehicle passing by and waited there to get adjusted to its normal light sensitivity.

Id like to take this Opportunity to key in a few very important do's and Dont's of Night Photography.

1. Never approach a noctornal creature very close while photographing it.
2. Avoid using powerful External Flash Packs.
3. Even the built in flash can do some damage, if shot from a close range.
4. A mild Torch or a lamp can do the job for your camera, and wont disturb the Birds.
5. The atmost priority of Wildlife Photography is not to disturb the animals or the birds, we are photographing. Try to adhere.

Expert comments on the behaviour of the Bird is most welcomed.

Happy Clicking !

A colourful Drink

2008-01-31T09:48:00.000-08:00

Our New year guests are here finally. A huge flock of Painted storks have arrived and nesting at the Famous Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary. Its always fun to shoot Painted storks, which are one amongst the most photogenic birds around. The adult Painted Stork can Grow upto 95-100cm tall.

Drinking can be a task sometimes.. Due to their beak position, these birds have to take a dip inside the water and raise their head up to swallow the water collected in their long beak.

During the process, my camera caught this wonderful pearl formation.

Here, the Painted Stork is watchful enough to keep a safer distance from its Opportunist / Natural Predator, The Marsh Crocodile.

Amy Castle Cuppy Cake :-)

2008-01-31T09:35:00.000-08:00

I finally managed to find the Original Video of Amy Castle's Cuppy Cake song which is one of my Favorites :-)

In Search of my First Tiger !

2008-01-20T12:52:00.000-08:00

Its a hard feeling that, inspite of experiencing many close encounters, i never happen to see a Tiger in the Wild till date ! It reminds me of that board in Bandhavgarh National park ( ive never been there though ! ) which says " You might not have seen me, But dont be disappointed.. IVE SEEN YOU ! " .Thats always true when you are out there in the Jungle.

I spent four days in Bandipur, 8 visits inside the forests every morning and evening, hoping to see a Tiger ! Starting the safari 15 mins late, waiting for msgs from other jeeps, accompanied by experienced Naturalists and Trackers, tracing Pugmarks, tracking Alarm calls, huh yielded nothing much !

At the end of my evening safari on the Third day, there were alarm calls along side the Range Office.. Two Jeeps, one from JLR and one from Tusker Trails waited on the main road in anticipation. Very Dim light, surprisingly no traffic, Pin drop silence except for the Alarm call.. I was cautiously looking on either sides and before my mind said " This could be it ! " A silhoutte of a Huuge Cat appeared out of the bushes, crossed the road slowly and disappeared into the thick bushes on the other side, less than 10 yards from me.. Our Trackers said it was a Tiger, Tusker trail fellows said it was a Leopard, By its lazy elegance it surely appeared to me as aTiger... But im not too sure.. Not too sure if I can claim that Ive seen a Tiger ! But i enjoyed every moment i spent in there.. Sighting a Forest Eagle owl was really special.

Had a good encounter with this female elephant which tried to chase us off by giving a couple of False chases.

Got lucky with the Peafowls this time..

A Hanuman Langur - Backlit

Came across this male Indian Peafowl who was trying hard to impress one of the females in the flock,but she never seemed to be impressed. She'd probably be one of those " Attitude Kinda" girl ;-)
This could have been an Award Winning Photograph, if the light was good. Tried hard to produce a manageble Photograph. But this is surely a moment worth Sharing !

Black WoodPecker (Dryocopus martius)

My search will constantly be on until I spot a tiger in south Indian Jungles, and even after that ;-) Coz, as one of my fellow Photography friend says "My love for Wildlife is far more than what it was yesterday and much lesser than what it will be tomorrow".

A well accomplished Birthday :-)

2008-01-10T10:54:00.000-08:00

Made a quick visit to Manchinbele on the eve of my Birthday. Its about an hour's drive from my home.This is one of the places which is Untouched by times. I really dont remember since when i started visiting this place. I had attended an Ncc camp here while i was in my JD ( Junior Division, High School ). Im glad that the place looks exactly the same even today ! The place is rich in bird life. Apart from Prinias, Bushchats, Warblers and Bablers, the common birds of the region are Swallows ( barn, red rumped ), Lapwings, Wagtails, Bulbuls, River Terns and few other water Birds.

Here are a few photographs i made. Enjoy, and lets try to keep this wonderful place as beautiful as its looking today.

I liked this image a lot, coz of so many reasons.

1. Its first of the kind ive experimented. Focussing on the eye and reducing the shutter speed to do the magic. It worked out well, for me.

2. This isnt the natural light. . The bird had settled down for the day. Time was almost 7pm and i had to use the external flash light to get this pic. Actually, with the flash on, its difficult to get the slow shutter speed. So, it was fun working on it ;-)

Photographing Black Bucks

2007-12-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

One has to be lucky enough to photograph the targetted subject in a Focussed trip.
Sundays doesnt get better than getting something like this accomplished.This time the focus was on Photographing the Black Bucks (Antelope cervicepra).

Maidenahalli(Jayamangali) Blackbuck Reserve is the second largest population of Blackbuck in Karnataka, after Ranibennur Blackbuck Sanctuary. It neighbours Maidenahalli, a small village in Madhugiri Taluk, at the north-eastern tip of Tumkur district of Karnataka state. This area is a part of the plains of Deccan plateau and borders Anantpur District of Andhra Pradesh. It is a 839 acre patch of grasslands, a perfect Habitat for Black Bucks. These are one of the most photogenic animals, when sighted in open Grasslands like Maidenahalli.

Climate :--> The climate varies greatly according to the seasons. The temperature varies between a minimum of 8 degree centigrade in winter to a maximum of 43 degree centigrade in summer.The rainy season is from late June to mid October. The average of rainfall is approximately 30 to 35 cm.The vegetation is mainly plain grassland

Flora and Fauna :-->More than 80 species of plants have been recorded from this area. Many of these plants have medicinal value.67 Species of Butterflies belonging to 7 families have been sighted in the area. Most of the species recorded are common throughout the Indian Peninsula and some are typical of the arid regions. According to the census, about 600 Black Bucks were recorded, but are difficult to locate as they travel upto 14 kms around.

The horns of the Blackbuck are ringed with 3 to 4 turns and can be as long as 28 inches. The Adult males can grow as tall as 32 inches and can weigh as much as 95 pounds. In the male, the upper body is black (dark brown), and the belly and eye rings are white. The light-brown female is usually hornless. Blackbucks usually roam the plains in herds of 15 to 20 animals with one dominant male. The Greatest threat to these animals is Poaching. Black Bucks are hunted for Sport, its skin and flesh. Im sorry to say one of my favorite Bollywood Actor is facing a charge of killing this beautiful creature, FOR FUN !! ??

Apart from Black Bucks, this place is so rich in Bird Life. About 125 species of birds belonging to 37 families have been recorded in the area, of which 22 are migratory. As expected of grasslands, the area is rich in ground birds, shrikes, larks and raptors. Ive managed to Photograph few of the commanly found Birds of the region ( Bushchats, Shrikes and Starligs )

Today's Moon looked Different !

2007-10-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, Today's Moon looked different indeed ! One of my good friends Rachana called me up in the Evening and asked " Have you tried Photographing the Moon? If not, try it today! "

The answer was simple.. NO. I had not tried photographing the moon till date, coz the idea hadn struck my mind.

I made my way up to the terrace and had a look at the moon. It was quite normal. White in color, looking bright and beautiful.. But yes i was a lil amazed to see the clear sky in bangalore today, after regular showers for more than a week !

It demanded lil skills to photograph the moon. Autofocus doesnt always work, had to play around for a while to get the desired Aperture and the Shutter speed matching their Ratios..

Finally i all I got was a white ball on my LCD screen !

As one can see, there are a few yellow patches on the left part of the moon. I thought of checking out what those patches were... UnderExposed the shot by 1 stop and clicked again.. I got this.

Reducing the Exposure Compensation a little more at 300 mm ,

I could see something like an Axis ( Right bottom half )

High speed crop, at 350mm.. The moon looked like this..

I can actually see two such spots on the surface.. which looks like some damage done by an Asteoroid !!
Any Scientific comments on this one ??? :-)

First look at the Wild Dogs

2007-10-22T05:40:00.000-07:00

The opportunity to spot these master Hunters came to me this sunday and it was quite unexpectable. Myself with with two of my friends Adarsh and Anjali planned to survey BR Hills ( My favorite wilderness place ) and other places in Nilgiris. The main intension was to photograph a few endemic Birds. Birdlife at BRT was pretty much normal.Malabar parakeet and rufous backed shrike were amongst the first to welcome us.

We left straight to masinagudi as the chances of Evening safari at Bandipur and Mudhumalai were ruled out coz of the heavy rush on weekends.. Masinagudi is known for leopards and Black Panthers. My senses are always alert when im driving in this part of the forets.. specially after seeing a cute leopard cub on my previous visit. As almost any wildlife lover would say.. " The initial days were really dull but the surprise was packed for the last day " so did it happen to us.. We were alarmed by the leopard calls on the last night at Masinagudi, and the next moment we were off tracking the calls, on and off roads till 2.30 midnight without much of a success. Could manage only a couple of hrs of sleep as a Leopard call woke me up at around 5 in the morning. But this was strong, distinct. without wasting any time, i stepped out silently with a torch in my hand. I wasnt amazed to see all the spotted deers had come very close to the cottage for shelter..This was a clear indication about a cat movement closeby.

As i proceeded towards the water hole nearby, I was surprised to see Anjali following me slowly !! Cheers to this girl's spirit of Wildlifing !! I flashed the the torch light at the water hole which was close as 15 - 20 ft, to spot a few fireflies all around the place..

And Suddenly out of no where there were two "BIG FIREFLIES" on the surface of the water... I kept a close look ... They raised up togeather and looked straight into our eyes.. Anjali shivered and let out a loud whisper " OH FREAK !! WHAT THE HELL'S THAT !!! " That was when I realized and replied " Yeah Yeah you are right... Thats a Leopard ! " .. It was a fearsome look.. The fun of spotting these cats in wild is just Amazing ! Words cant explain the feeling.. The "Oh Freak.. Oh Freak.." whispers continued to come for a long time :-)

We both were Excited ! It was the First Cat sighting for Anjali in the wild.. She was more excited to run back and scream into Adarsh's ears that she saw a Leopard ! He missed it by a minute, I must say.

And the surpises were not over yet.. On our way back, we stopped at Bandipur and took a safari.. For the first time i got to see the Dholes or the Indian Wild Dogs and Photograph them.

The reason why i called them as master Hunters at the beginning of the post is beacuase of their Hunting success rate which is just above 98% .. No other predator has such a high success rate.

(This looked very serene in my view Finder.. So clicked it)

On our way back to bangalore, we pulled over at Ranganthittu to call the trip off.. Spotted a few waterBirds like Plovers and Herons and managed to photograph em !

As this Stone plover was interested in my Camera, and cooperated... I was surprised to see this huge Marsh Crocodile making its way up to this Bird But the Plover was smart enough to escape the Croc's Attack !

This lovely pic of a River Tern made my day ! Last time when i had visited Ranganthittu, this was a very small chick. I was so excited to see this bird grown up :-)

And this Cute Looking Thunti ( Mischevous ) from mysore, while enjoying the evening boat ride wanted to stone the Crocodile and see its reaction !!

Hearing her say this to her mother, I turned my cam to her and clicked.. Later she came running to my car and said "Im sorry" with a cute smile.. I smiled back and explained that there are lot more things which are much Beautiful and exciting than stoning a Crocodile :-) She got the message and replied back with another smile " Ill become a conservationist !!! "

Came across this Cute lil Cat

2007-09-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

Me and my photographer friend Ramnath from chennai decided to make a quick trip to masingudi to shoot a few Endemic Birds of the region. Leaving bangalore by about 2pm, I had to push real hard to reach bandipur before dark,hoping to get some sightings. Though i managed to reach the park by 6, couldn do much with the camera... as the light was bad and the sightings were also pretty dull. We kept a close watch on either sides of the road as we moved. I had seen a Tiger Photograph on the same road, a week back.

We cleared Bandipur ( karnataka ) and mudhumalai ( TN border ) National parks without much luck with the wildlife as it was raining. I was informed by the Forest department officials on the chekpost to watch out for a herd of WIld Elephants on masingudi road.

I was driving real slow on the road.. Got to see a couple of WIld Gaurs and chitals. I saw something on the road, something lil bigger than a stray dog running towards the left. Im sure the headlamp of the Jeep must've disturbed him.. I slowed down to check what exactly was it..All I could think of was about a wild dog . He crossed the road and hid behind a tree. I pulled over and focused the headlamp on the tree. I could see something with stripes on its head..

Loud whispers "A Tiger ???? No No could be a TIger Cub ! Naah Stripes on its head , its spotted .. Could it be a leopard cat ?? "

Within no time, our equipments were in position .. waiting for this guy to show up again.. Just once! we waited for about 20 in the same place and he peeped out from behind the tree to check whats happening.. our cameras clicked a couple of frames.. The picture showed us that it was a leopard cub.. I was happpy that i saw a leopard in the wild for the first time.. But normally cubs wont be alone in the wild.. They'll be accompanied with their mother, almost all the times.

Just when I was about to share this thought with my friends , the Mother called from a distance.. It was coming soewhere from the trees.. It was dark and i couldnt spot her anywhere around. The cub was responding to the call of his mother.. There were actually two calls responding to the mother's call.. so , there was another cub in a distance. It was a different kind of an atmosphere. The mother calling from left , a Cub straight ahead looking at me and another cub responding from right.. we just sat in the jeep absolutely silent and eyes wide open

I literally Jumped when I heard loud calls of two sambar deers right next to me.. It came as a surprise... Now i understood the game plan.. The two deers were rounded up from all four sides.. I was expecting the mother to strike anytime... But total scenario changed when the forests guards came to the spot and started questioning us.. We missed a great action.. But at the same time felt proud about the guards' duty consciousness even on a rainy night..

I returned back to the same spot at 5 in the morning to see if there was a kill the previous night, but there was nothing like it. The deers managed to escape..

With a leopard and few birds being the main attraction, it was a fruitful trip for me :)

Kashmir - The Endless Beauty

2007-07-26T05:18:00.000-07:00

" Endless Beauty " -- Is what I call Kashmir as.

Our Mullaiyanagiri trek had to be put in wait queue when I got a mail from Commanding Officer Col Ajay S Shekhavat whos also the Principal of Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering (JIM) which is based in Kashmir.

I was excited to know that JIM is organizing a Mountaineering training programme in Nunwah, Pahalgam (Kashmir). I had to counter with a lotz of factors which did not favour my trip.But somehow i had a feeling that it was now or never! I finally decided to attend this training and set out from bangalore on 28th may to Delhi. Long distance train journeys are always boring, but this time I had a little entertainment with some Birding Activity from the train. As the train passed through the greens, plains, tunnels, barren lands, and desert lands of Rajasthan, I could spot a lot of birds like pond herons, Egrets, King Fishers, Bee Eaters, Spotted Doves, Ibis, Painted storks etc. I know i was graduating in my Bird watching skills :) i was happy for that.

It was like landing in Hell for me at Delhi as it was a burning 43 deg experience.. We had to take a chance of boarding Jammu Tavi Express with a non - confirmed ticket. And the result was horrible. No Reservation, No seat. Footboard all Night ! heh that was one heck of a Journey!

Jammu was almost like Delhi. But the travel was not over yet. Our next destination was khanibal, about 250 km from jammu. A different journey began from here when i was travelling on National highway No1. The road passed through Chenab valley entering the Gorgeous valley of Kashmir... I was Jaw Lowered when I had a first glimpse of Snow over a mountain... I asked my driver " whats that shining thing on the hill ? " He smiled at me and said " Apne kabhi baraf nahi dekhi ? " I widened my mouth a lil more , smiled at him and said " NO ! Is that Snow ??! " The driver literally bursted out laughing. " Hanji Bhai saab, woh baraf hai ". It was drizzling all da way and Army Convoys were passing by like fireflies... One convoy every 20 mtrs. It was like travelling on a different land.

The convoy driver pulled over near a small shop on NH1 and came back with a cup of drink for me.. " Welcome to Kashmir ". I smiled at him n asked

"whats this?" ..

" kaava hai janaab .. Peelijiye " ..

Kaava tasted Awesome. kaava is a drink prepared by smashing dry fruits like badam, cashew etc and boiling them with water n a pinch of rose essence. After a wonderful journey all through the day, we reached Khanibal by evening. From there we walked about 7 km to Anantnag ( which is most popularly known for terrorist activities ). I was surprised and shocked to know that the place is called " ISLAMABAD " by locals !!!!!!!!! I did not waste any time in Anantnag and moved on, Reached Pahalgam by Night. We were given a very warm welcome at JIM. It was a typical Army Attachment camp atmospehere. I went back to my old NCC days. Sleeping bags, Uniforms, Shoes etc were issued and i was so goddam Tierd after 4 1/2 days of journey.. I badly wanted a loong sleep. I slided myself inside the sleeping bag to protect myself from the freezing cold and was slowly drowning into my dreams.. My entire body shook with a shock and sat up when i heard a loud commanding voice of my trainer " kal subah Che baje PT parade mein milenge !!! "

Grrrrrrr I mumbled " My God in heaven .... What the **** ? " It was hard fact for me to accept that I had less than 5 hrs of sleep !

Im used to a 10 km run here in bangalore. But in that climate i was gasping for breath after the 5th km. My body failed to warm up and for the first time.. I was last !!! I felt very sad the entire day.. I also did not have a great day with the Acclimatization exercise. I failed to climb a 30 ft JIM practice rock as my hands started shivering and I lost the grip on the rock. I was hanging total off grip by half way !!! Its a terrible situation for any rock climber.But my fellow mates from jammu and a cute friend of mine Arif tapped ma back and said "It all happens on the first day.. Dont worry ! " I knew i had to find a work around for this else my 4000 km journey will go a waste. I was awefully up early the next morning and did a lot of warmup before starting my PT Parade. Running was OK. I almost gathered my usual momentum and endurance. I was feeling confident. Rest all followed fine. I made it on the JIM Rock and rapelled down comfortably. The next level of Acclimatization training was BSF Rock which was about 60 ft up the river Lidder. From hereon it was all going smooth and Fine.

The First ten days of training was sooperb. Lots of Rock Climbing, Rapelling, River rafting on Lidder. On the 11th day, we finally set out for sheshnag glacier. We reached Chandanwari by a JIM vehicle and started our trek from there. The first half was almost the same as any of my previous treks.. but when we were half way done with Pissu Top, things became a lil difficult for me again as i was not used to this kind of a climate and it was my First Glacier walk. Trekking on snow is such a fun n a great Experience !

I had almost given up half way when one of my friend from bihar said " Bhai, we'll stop.. mera bhi saans atak raha hai " The word stop souded pleasing for me at that moment and I stopped. My sir told us to halt there with our equipment and we'll be picked up on their way back. I felt relaxed for a second but suddenly my conscious kicked me and reminded why I was here !!! Not to Stop ! I called for my sir and said " Sir, mein letke bhi jaoonga magar jaoonga Zaroor ! " I was determined to summit Sheshnag. Without a second thought I picked up my rucksack and started walking.. Soon my friend also followed me and no one was left behind. we all made it to the top.

The First glimpse of Sheshnag was bloooooooooody awesome.. There it was standing tall and majestic with all that one can visualize in a dream... I had never seen something like that ever in my life. I just stood there staring , struggling to decide if i was in my dream or its a Real thing what Im seeing. My sir came behind me and whispered " How do you feel ? "

Without my conscious I replied " Maine apni saari zindagi jeeli , Ive lived my Entire Life !!!!! "

I got the definition of " Endless Beauty " .. Kashmir is just that ! This scene will stay in my mind till my last breath. Ive tried to capture the feel of the place with the best of my technique and Experience in Photography.

We could not spend a lot of time with mother nature as we feared the weather could go bad. And this phrase " weather going bad " means lott more than what it sounds, here in Himalayas. JIM has a bitter experience of losing three J&K policemen and CRPF who were on a mission to NUN peak last year, as they were stuck up in bad weather.

We considered ourselves lucky to finish the expedition with 100 % success rate and 0 casualties. Everyone of us completed the expedition. The memories will surely last for long !

Having my Prelims right at JIM , Im looking forward to scale more heights of Himalayas over the days the come ;)

Jawahar Institute of Mountineering is right here on the
banks of River Lidder in Pahalgam, Kashmir

More pics can be viewed on http://picasaweb.google.com/kj.avinash/Kashmir

Thanks for Swinging by ! :)

A day in KGudi Wilderness

2007-04-26T15:22:00.002-07:00

Hello All,

A Heart Thumping Experience which happened yesterday at KGudi is worth Sharing. I prepared for a day's visit to BR Hills and left bangalore at 3.45 AM ( MidNight ) on Wednesday ( 25th APR ). With a One Pit Stop strategy, reached BR Hills at 7.30 AM. The Bird life was Amazing. Did some birding through car window all the way till JLR campus and hence missed the Morning safari. I got a sad news that Evening safari is also not possible because it'll go on till 7 and the gates close by 6. I had to return back on the same day ! I cursed myself for picking a Wrong day to visit BRHills. After Breakfast , I took a drive along main road uptil Biligiri Rangana Temple and spotted few more rare birds, A russels Viper, and a huge Cobra. After lunch, I decided to leave since the evening safari was also not possible. Just then my friend Vikranth, Asst Manager of JLR suggested me to trek inside the forest. It sounded great to me and I started off with Narayana ( naturalist, trekker ) , My cousin shashank, My cam and a Binoc.

Initial one hour of trek was really nice. Spotted some rare birds like Malabar Whisteling Thrush, Brain Fever Bird ( Hawk cuckoo ) etc. After a while something cought my eyes at a 20-25 mtr distance. Narayana told me " Guru, its a common sambar deer " . I took a clean look through the Binocs but it was staring at something on its left side. I watched it carefully but couldnt see anything towards my left as thick high grasses and bushes were blocking my way. We started to move and just then the sambar deer started Calling... loudly. We stopped , I took my binocs and watched it. The sambar kept on calling for sometime and never took its eyes off from the direction. After about 15 calls, came the REAL ONE ! THE CALL OF THE WILD ! A loud growl of a TIGER !! My heart thumped. Its growl was echoing all around the place.. narayana said " Dont move a step, We are very Close ".

It'd have been a joyful moment for me if I was in a safari jeep. But i was on ground with a cam and a binoc , Narayana with his Wireless set. We were tensed. My cousin started sweating !

Then some action. We could hear all that but I could never sight the Tiger. The drama went on for about 10 mins but the Tiger never got a clean shot ... Sambar Escaped.., The angry n hungry Growl got harder n louder. For a second I though " Is that it ? Im sure he can sense my presence here. Will I be his next target ? "

I probably would'nt have known what'd have happened if a call of a Barking deer had'nt cought his attention. Narayana gave me a signal " This is the time , lets push off " we cleared the place quickly. I was thrilled and Amazed eventhough I could'nt spot the tiger, I was close !

We waited in a safe hide next to a water hole nearby for about 30 mins, hoping to witness some movement after the Barking deer kill. But nothing more exciting happened. Tiger never came there as we expected. Everybody at JLR were thrilled to listen to the entire story me and naturalist Narayana narrated. I had my DAY ! I was DONE with what I had experienced. All that is still running in my mind. BRT is truely a WILD HEAVEN !

Should I say " I got lucky to see another Day ? " ..... I dont know ! But it was a Hellova Experience ! :-)

Sightings in KGudi

Red Wattled lapwing
Malabar Whisteling Thrush
Indian Hawk Cuckoo ( One More Bottle )
Common Hawk Cuckoo ( Brain Fever Bird )
Grey Jungle Fowl
Spotted Dove
Blue KingFisher
Forest Wagtail
Spotted Dove
White Breasted King Fisher
Indian Pond Heron ( while waiting for the Tiger to turn up near water hole ;-) )
White Cheaked Barbet
Jungle Myna
Common Myna
Green BeaEater
Rose Ringed parakeet
Pariah Kite
White throated Fantail Flycatcher
Brown FlyCatcher
Black Drongo
Tickels Blue FlyCatcher
Red Vented Bulbul
Red Whiskered Bulbul
Indian Robin
Oriental magpie Robin
Asian Koel
Spotted Owlet
Jungle Owlet
Brahminy Kite
Lesser Pied Kingfisher
Little Ringed Plover
Little Egret
Cattle Egret
Grey Wagtail
Red Jungle Fowl
Nilgiri Wood Pegion
Red Breasted Parakeet
Brown Headed Barbet
Collored Dove
Green imperial Pegion
Wood Pecker

Mammals --> Spotted Deer, Sambar Deer, Russles Viper, Indian Cobra, Hanuman Langur, Bonnet Macaque, Elephant.

Feild Guide - The Book of Indian Birds, 13th Edition by Dr.Salim Ali

Could'nt do much with my camera, but the ones I've Photographed are worth Sharing. Please do have a look
http://picasaweb.google.com/kj.avinash/KGudi

P S : Never Go to BRT , you will fall in love with it !!! :-)

Regards,

Avi

Ranganthittu trip report

2007-04-26T15:18:00.000-07:00

Hello People,

Apologies for posting the trip report a lil late. I had taken a day off from work and wanted to go out for some Bird Watching. The previous Day ( Second sunday of April ) , I met Karthik and he suggested me that I could try Ranganthittu which is about 130 kms from Bangalore, off Srirangapattana on well developed Bangalore-Mysore Highway.

I left Early in the morning and managed to reach Ranganthittu by 7.30 Am. We were at the right place on right time. I was amazed to see so much of Bird Life around. As it was a weekday, there were hardly any visitors. Me and my cousin were the Only guests there and the forest department people were really happy to welcome us !

Without wasting much of time, we hired a boat and a very experienced forest guard Venkatesh came along with us for a good 1.30 hr boat ride ! We got to know it was OBS ( Open Billed storks ) nesting season, and we could see a lot of OBS nests and chicks.. As per the policies, I dont want to share the photographs of the chicks though they were amazing to watch !

It was my first Bird watching trip after the Naturalist training camp and we could spot about 31 species in a lil over 2 1/2 hrs and the first one to be spotted was the Tickles Blue Fly Catcher. I remember me and Donkey Deepak had a good sighting of this bird in Gol Ghar ( Bannerghatta JLR Campus )

P S --> Please dont go there on public holidays and sunday's. Fair chance of spotting birds around the sanctuary but we wont get seperate boats to carefully observe water Birds.

The Photographs of this trip can be viewed here --> http://picasaweb.google.com/kj.avinash/Recent

List of Birds Spotted in Ranganthittu

Jungle Myna

Common Crow

Tickles Blue FlyCatcher

Pond Heron

Painted Stork

OBS ( Open Billed Storks )

River Terns ( there were only two of em )

Night Heron

Stone Plover

Small Egret

Cattle Egret

Large Egret

Purple Rumped Sunbird

Brahminy Kite

Little Cormorant

Fruit bat ( Not a Bird though :-) )

White Breasted KingFisher

Oriental magpie Robin

Forest Wagtail

Darter

Eurasian SpoonBill

Red Whiskered Bulbul

Asian Koel Small

Blue KingFisher

Grey Wagtail

Indian Peafowl

Common Kite

Purple SunBird

Field Guides

100 birds of Bannerghatta

Birds of Ranganthittu ( can be purchased there for 10/- )

Book of Indian Birds 13th Edition by Dr.Salim Ali ( Learning to use this )

Happy Birding ,

Avi

Kodachadri Trip Report

2007-04-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

After a considerable gap of 2 1/2 months, Me and Anil decided to give Kodachadri a try. This Place Kodachadri is located near Kollur ( approx 35 kms before Kollur )
The Place is known two important aspects. Its said and believed over ages that Sri Adi Shankaracharya did meditation here. There is Sarvajna Peetha on top of the peak to prove this theory. Another aspect being its a paradise for Adventure lovers, Trekkers and Hikers.

With not so supporting Physical fitness ( me and anil were having a lil fever and bad cold ), we set out to Shimoga on friday night by KSRTC Kempu Dabba ( Ordinary Red Box bus he he ). Last row seats were all that we could manage to get ( you can imagine to pleasure of the Journey !! ). We reached Shimoga by 4 Am and took a private Bus( hanuman Transports ) going to Kollur. After about 3 1/2 hrs journey we got down at a place called Kodachadri Cross, few mins after Hosa Nagara Town. From here the base camp to Kodachadri which is a Kaaka Angadi ( Malayali Tea shop ) is about 45 mins trek. As soon as we entered the jungle path, A strange noise cought our attention. After investigating for a few mins. We spotted a Grizzled Giant Indian Squirrel, one of the most Endangered squirrels, largely found near Cauvery Fishing camp. It was very fast and I could'nt photograph it. We reached Kaaka Angadi and had our Breakfast Puttu Kadale ( kind of Idly and a very famous breakfast in Kerala ).

We immediately prepared to climb Kodachadri peak as the weather was still cool and the sun was not harsh yet. Initially , there is some forest cover which gives a pleasurable trekking experience for beginners but not for long. After about 1 hr of hike, we are exposed to burning sun and this is a little difficult part of the trek. Once we hit the Grasslands, towards the right hand side, we can see the TB ( Travellers Bunglow ) on top of the peak.So, the chances of getting lost are very less. It is a short trekking distance ( about 4 hrs awt - average walking time ) to the TB. So, we decided to explore the beauty of the Nature around, took our own time and reached the TB by for lunch. Other than TB, there are two other small log huts which provide food and accomodation for budget concious trekkers to spend their night. We had decent lunch at the TB and relaxed for one good hour.

By around 4pm , we contiued our hike to the peak( sunset point ) which is about 45 mins - 1 hr from TB. We reached the peak by 5 and on the way we got to see Lord Ganesha temple ( Its a small cave temple, trekkers can opt to camp here too ).I saw the Sarvajna Peetha and wondered what a place Sri Adi Shankaracharya chose to meditate !!! It was truely amazing ! We met a few sadhus who had come there from distant places to meditate and got some information about the place from them. It was a very cloudy day, though the scenery from the top was pretty awesome , our hopes of seeing a gorgeous sunset was lost when the clouds refused to clear. we got a glimpse of beautiful sunset and before it got too dark, we decided to push harder to reach the TB as the route to TB is really dangerous. One side of the 3 ft path is a huge 1000 mtr cliff ! One has to be really careful during this small stretch of the journey.

We reached the TB and the rest of the day was a simple picnic. Lovely food was served for the dinner and we crashed off early as we had spent a sleepless previous night in the bus. Anil woke me up early in the morning and when I got up , he was really excited and shouting at me to come out of TB. I wondered what had excited him so much.. I rubbed my eyes and came out of TB n what I saw there was Unbelievable !!! Nature at its Best ! For a second, I felt like im seeing the great Niagara Falls.. I rubbed my eyes again to confirm it wasnt a dream. Both of us stood there dumb founded by the amazing beauty of the nature.. It took a lil while for us to realize it wasnt the Niagara Falls, but instead it was a Cloud Formation !!!

As there wasnt enough light, the Auto Foucs function failed on my cam and I had to manually focus with a polarizing Filter to get this Picture ! I had never photographed landscapes. I had to experiment for about 25 mins to produce this picture coz I had not carried my Tripod as most of the landscape Photographers do !

After having a cuppa tea , we got down to kaaka angadi in no time ( in an about 1 hr without any breaks ) as the weather was too very awesome for a trek. By 9, we finished the same malayali breakfast Puttu Kadale and realized it was all over.. Should we head back home ??? Few other trekkers decided to go to Varahi Dam for River Rafting, while other few decided to go to Kollur and then continue to Murdeshwar Beach which is about 3 hrs drive from Kollur.. We were not done yet ! I wanted more ! Yeh Dil Mange More !!! ... Really adventerous !! I enquired with the Tea shop owner and I was informed about a trek to kollur amidst thick canopy of Dali Forest Ranges ( Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary - rich in WIldlife ) which passes through a wonderful waterfall called Arishina Gundi .. The news bought a smile onto our faces and we decided to give it a try. We hired a guide who was well versed with the jungle trails and set out. We were accompanied by a group of young enthusiasts and we had company ! In no time , we were trekking deep inside Dali Forests and few places looked like they had not seen sunlight for years !! It was such close a canopy ! After 2 hrs of trek , we came across a small stream and we halted there for a while before crossing it.. The water was very sweet.we filled up our water bottles and continued our journey towards the water falls.. It was another 2 hrs trek from that place to reach an Untouched , heavenly place ... The Arishina Gundi Water fall . we all left a gush of Air in happiness and excitement after seeing such a lovely place.. We thanked our Guide Veerappa and decided to spend an hour playing in the water.. The water was too cold. It took some time for me to get comfortable inside the small pool formed by the waterfall.

It was so very refreshing and spending an hour in that place was never a problem for us !

But I had to shout at everyone to get out of the water as we had another 3-4 hrs of trek to reach our next destination , Kollur before dark .. We started from the place by 2.30 pm and the guide showed us the route towards kollur and he went back to Kodachadri ( we were happy to pay him 300 /- ) . Initally the way looked like a jeep track , but after about 10 mins there was hardly any way ! We had to make our own way and without the guide , it was a Task ! we were lucky not to get lost in that huge jungle.. Enjoying the silent and different noise of the jungle , we cleared the Dali forest ranges and reached kollur by evening.. We visited the famous Kollur Mookambika Temple after having some OK kinda food in one of the restuarants and moved towards Shimoga.

The funniest part was , we missed the Hanuman bus to shimoga and we had to hire a jeep to chase hanuman !!! The cost to reach shimoga was 40/- and to chase the departed hanuman was 500/- !!!! The 40 min chase was another adventure hehe :-) Overall, it was a fruitful expedition though it was not as trecherous as Mt. KP

Fact File

Geo ... place {kodachaadri} in Hosa Nagar taluq in Shimoga district in West Karnataka.

Trek Length : One day

Best Time : All time except Summer season.

Distance ... From Bangalore : 300+ kms

Nearest Town : Kollur 35 kms

Nearest Petrol Bunk : Kollur

Nearest Medical Help : Kollur

Nearest Hotel : Kollur

PS : Dont Expect excellent food at Hotels in Kollur ( Temple food is much better )

Conserve your BreakFast plans till Kaaka Angadi ( Base camp of Kodachadri )

Avoid Summer season as the place will be No so Lush Green and difficult to climb.

There is a Jeep track till the TB , so people can opt a jeep ride during emergency

Coverage of Cellular network ( Excellent BSNL coverage,manageble coverage of Airtel and Hutch )

The Kodachadri peak presents a Once in a Life Time view of the lovely Sunset and a Golden Glimpse of Arabian see can be seen from the peak !!

Expecting some Early Mansoon rains soon ! Our next Expedition will be the highest peak in Karnataka, Mullaiyanagiri located in the district of Chikmagalur !

More Photographs of this place can be seen here --> http://picasaweb.google.com/kj.avinash/KodachadriPhotos

Hope you all enjoyed the Trip report.. Please do drop in your comments .Thanks for Swinging by !!! ;-)

Regards,

Avi

Kumara Parvarth ( Mt KP ) Trip Report

2006-12-26T10:25:00.000-08:00

Kumara Parvat lies in the heart of western Ghats and is popularly known as Trekkers'
Paradise. I was asked by Anil Chandra, my good old friend if I would be interested to
accompany them to the expedition of Kumara Parvat.. I remembered my First attemt to
Mount KP ( Kumara Parvat ) which was a failure due to very bad weather.. It did not take much
time for me to realize that this could be the best opportunity !

We packed necessary gear on a tight Friday evening which included Food, First Aid, Two Tent packages, and some clothes for three days and set out to Kukke Subramanya from
Bangalore that night. We reached Kukke at around 4.30 on saturday Morning experiencing a
Humty Dumpty ride through the Shiraadi Ghats from Sakleshpur.People say its a wonderful sight all through the way but as it was a night travel, we couldnt really see anything apart from
ditches and routes with hardly any road ahead..

Kukke is very popularly known piligrimage of Shri Subrahmanya Swamy, in Southern India.. We had a light breakfast and set out to the base of kumara parvat which is about 1.5 km from the
Temple. We saw a board which read " Way to Kumara Parvat " .. For most of em it looked like
an hours walk to a resort !!! we started the hill climb at around 7.25 am and headed towards
Bhattara Mane ( Mr.Bhatta's House ) where I went last time and had to come back without any success beyond..
The way was quite steep and passed through thick forest canopy where we could hardly see any sunshine.. After about 1 1/2 hrs we hit the grass lands and sun started to peep on our
face.. we took two breaks one after every hour and spotted an old village hut and soon
recognised it as Bhattara mane..

Herez the Famous" Girigaddhe Bhattaru "whoz living in this part of the hills for the past 32 years !!! He has about four huts neatly maintained . Bhattaru owns a 5 acre farm on the hill and has about 10 cows to manage his daily living. His Brother owns a hotel in Kukke.We reached Bhattara mane at around 9.30 - 9.45 totally tired.. I knew the job was just half done. Bhattaru fed us with Rice and Rasam with lovely Mango Pickles which bought us some energy to think about whats next ??We enquired with him and got to know that we can try and reach Kallu Mantapa ( Stone Mantapam ) which is about 2 1/2 hrs hike from Bhattara mane.. We set out at 2 pm with the determination to conquer the peak. It was a hotttt Saturday afternoon and the sun was scrotching right upon our heads.. The tent gear along with our usual belongings was weighing about 20 kgs.. We were warned by Bhattaru about King Cobras on the way and the only water point near Kallu Mantapa. We were getting dehydrated in the burning sun and the water we had carried from Bhattara mane was close to empty and still there were no signs of any such mantapa.. The last thing we were not expecting to happen was GETTING LOST !!!

I reached the Kallu Mantaapa by about 4.25 pm and waited for others to come.. I could not find the water source near the mantapa.. I was left with half litre of water with my heavy Luggage and Tent package under burning sun. I waited for 15 mins there before three of my partners came to me and there was no sign of other two.

We were confused what to do next ?? Wait for the other two to come or abandon the expedition and go in search of them .. We were sure that they had a tent pack to secure themselves that night but we were really not sure if they had any food with them.. We hoped for the best and continued our journey to the summit as we had to reach there before dark which was about 2 hrs away. The sun was literally taking out all the energy left and silently we hiked towards the sidda Parvata through the dry paddy fields ,before we lose out any more stamina.

We managed to cross the Bhattada Rashi ( Dry Paddy Fields ) and passed the Sidda Parvata after which we had almost lost all hopes of reaching the summit where we saw a thick jungle ahead of us.. And the time was not waiting for us.. we dint talk to each other and looked around to find a place to camp when we saw 3 hikers climbing the cliff at a km away.. we decided to push a bit harder so we may have some company and entered the Jungle. We felt a bit of life in us as we passed through lush green filled canopy with fresh air to breath. It was not really difficult to clear the jungle though it had steep cliffs about 2000 ft on our way which was really risky and dangerous too!

we cleared the forest and then we were forced to leave a gush of breath where we hit a 70 Deg altitude rock which was about 30 ft .. we never knew where we were heading.. It was almost dark. I decided to check on whats beyond that rock.. and climed on. soon all the three were on their way.. I climbed the rock and halted without much hope of seeing the summit..
It was then my friend Anil chandra moved ahead about 300 mtrs and told " GUYS THIS IS IT ... WE'VE DONE IT !!! " It was hard for me to believe and followed him and there was a dead End .. Few other people were there who had made it to the top the previous day.
We confirmed that we were on the Summit of Kumara Parvata and slowly ungeared ourself ...
Shivu Started the Celebration noise and was soon accompanied by everyone :) .. We had a feeling of conquering the Mt.Everest ... We had made it.. It was a fabuous view everywhere from the top! Everlasting strech of Western Ghats on all four sides till the horizon! Mountains and nothing else !!! One sentence came into my mind immedietely " Who said World is a Small Place ??? !!! :) "

Before it got too dark , we were quick enough to pitch the tent and collect some firewood to sustain the Chilly night Ahead. The night was really cold , less than 5 deg we must say! The tent provided us some shelter though none of us were really prepared to face that climate.. I saw a clear sky above us as all clouds were sailing below us !! Myself and Anil enjoyed the Skywatch and the shooting stars for sometime before wrapping ourselves in..
The tent could not withstand the windstorm somewhere during the midnight and took off! We had to struggle to fix it again in the tough situations.. somehow we were successful in passing the night !

The Next day morning, we could hardly see anything !! Fully covered by Fog, A small peice of wood helped us to feel a little better and soon without wasting any time, we set out in search of our missed two partners.. we shared two slices of left out bread at 6.30 Am on sunday morning.
We thought they would have made it till the Mantapa and would have camped there.. If the luck is on their side, they would have managed some food somehow ! we were really worried..
We struggled a bit to find the way as the way was steep and with very litle visibility

I thought for a while and decided to move on hoping that the fog would clear off after sometime and I was guaranteed about 10 Mtrs of Visibility around. We were very careful during this part of journey ! Moving through the jungle we could witness the marvelous beauty of nature which had cheated us while going up ! we captured lots of breath taking views on the way. We came across a couple of young adventurists going up after spending the night at Kallu mantapa. I enquired with them about our partners.. but got a negative reply.. They were no where to be found near Mantapa. I rushed to the mantapa and found no trace of our men. Our next hope was Bhattara mane ! As I prepared to leave towards Bhattara Mane, I turned back once and had a look at Kumara Parvata ( Pushpagiri ) where we had camped that night . It looked almost impossible for us .. With a smile of success on our faces, We moved on ! Mt KP looked like this !!!

( A Fantabulous view from the summit )

( Crossing Bhattada Rashi )

( A Photo alone cant say it all !!! )

( Scortching Sun is sometimes too much to bare!! )

( A Different World behind Me !!! )

We made it back to Bhattara Mane and Bingo ! Our Boys were there ! They had to spend some really exctiting and dangerous time at the woods. They had no food and were left with one litre of water which they had shared for the dinner last night. As they couldnt find a place to camp, they had to do a bit of night trekking in extremely cold conditions and had to struggle a lot to reach Kallu Mantapa at night.. We felt really sorry for them. Anyways Its all the part of the Game ! They had enjoyed it.. So did we !
We saw a grooup of enthusiatic guys who had made it till the Bhattara mane waiting to move ahead to reach the summit of Mount KP. We wished them Best of luck and proceeded towards the last two hours of journey to Kukke .. Well.. i dont wanna say anything about that last part coz it was the most difficult part of our campaign ! :) None of us could really wait to reach Kukke as all my favorite dishes were coming into mind lolz :) Masala Dosa , Pani Puri etc etc ... I was really missing em all ! lolz
I took about 2.5 hrs to reach kukke and lay flat for a couple of hrs.. All the muscles in my body were on a Rollcall parade !!! ( NCC guys know it better ) We were really lucky to have Subrahmanya Swamy Darshan on the eve of Shri Kumara Shashti .
All of us did not forget to have a refreshing bath at the Kumara Dhara River which was about 1.5 km from the Temple.. 50 % of the fatiguesness was cleared and we were feeling a lil better to reach Bangalore ! We enjoyed a lavish meal at a good restuarant in kukke and reached Bangalore the next day morning by 5 AM..
All Kudos to Aruna who initiated this campaign and Anil Chandra who did a lot to organise the latter !

Our Team : Avinash K J, ArunKumar H K( IT ), Anil Chandra( Phd student in IISC,Bangalore), Shivakumar( Software Engineer ), Vinay N k(IT ), Ramachandra ( A Phd student in IISC , Bangalore )

More Photographs of this Expedition can be viewed here --> http://picasaweb.google.com/kj.avinash/KumarParvatExpedition