Agumbe is called the Cherapunji of South India & receives nearly 7,800 mm of rainfall in a year. The journey to Agumbe is exciting in itself. Getting off at Udupi station and taking the 2 hour bus ride through some real beautiful plantations and forests was a feast for the eyes. The last part of the journey was a step climb with breathtaking scenery. The monsoon had not yet retreated from this part of the country & as a result some interesting flora & fauna could be seen (including leeches of course). Agumbe is part of the Bio-diversity hot-spot of the Western Ghats and boasts of a large number of endemic flora and fauna. A must visit for a nature enthusiast. For more details including map & links, pls go to the oldest post of this blog (page 3)
ARRS is an amazing camp situated in the reserve forest of Agumbe in Karnataka. Set up in 2005 by the legendry snake-man of India, Romulus Whitaker, it is the only centre in the world that is conducting extensive research on the King Cobra. The centre attracts young researchers and volunteers from all over the world who are desirous of studying various flora and fauna in the region.
To add to the excitement were a few warnings. Warning no 1 - do not wear anything that is olive green, khaki or camouflage as this is a Naxal area; you should be wearing neutral colours. Well we did follow that to a T. However, no Naxals or anti naxal forces came within our view - apparently naturalists are worthy enough to be doused with Maoist propaganda! Naxals are an ultra leftist group that are waging war against the Indian government & in recent times have stepped up their activity.
Warning no.2 - Be ready for leeches - get leach socks. Some of us were ready with our leach socks & tobacco which did help to some extent. But the Leeches sure enjoyed some novel cuisine and we all came back with some souvenirs on our body!
This blog contains photographs of this paradise on earth! do visit all 3 pages to see all photographs
Flying Gems
This section is devoted to those beautiful creatures in flight whom we normally miss
 |
| Green Marsh Hawk |
 |
| Green Damselfly |
 |
| Chocolate Pansy |
 |
| Congregation of Red Pierrot |
 |
| Mating of Red Pierrot (Red Border is male, yellow border is female) |
 |
| Cruiser |
 |
| Again a Cruiser - common butterfly in the Western Ghats |
 |
| Above & Below - Yellow Orange Tip |
 |
| My prizaed catch - Tamil Lacewing (endemic to the Western Ghats |
 |
| Experts Pls ID |
 |
| Another endemic - Common Wanderer |
 |
| Yellow Orange Tip |
 |
| Is this the Evening brown? |
 |
| Red Pierrot making a meal of an unfortunate grasshopper |
 |
| Again a Chocolate Pansy |
 |
| Experts Pls ID |
 |
| Tamil dartlet finds our woollies interesting |
 |
| Again a Crusier |
 |
| This friendly Red Pierrot just loved Shreerang's watch but did not mind posing with all of us! |
 |
| Atlas Moth - The world's largest moth |
creepy crawlies
Recently read an article online of why humans are repulsed by creepy crawlies. Take a closer look including through a Zoom lens; might just learn some amazing things about this world
 |
| The intricate weave of the Wood Spider |
 |
| Could not get enough of this beautiful diminutive butterfly. they were all over our campus. Red Pierrot |
 |
| Experts Pls Identify |
 |
| The humble loo with its fancy tiling can also hold some wonders like this Slug. Moral of the story - carry your camera wherever you go! |
 |
| House Gecko near the dining area |
 |
| Skink |
 |
| Calotis |
 |
| Is this the Forest Gecko? |
 |
| This is the beautiful Signature Spider |
 |
| Above & Below - Gliding Lizard ( Draco dussimeri) |
 |
| Scorpion |
Scenes from the night Trail
The dense forests come to life especially after some heavy rainfall. So here's enjoying the nightlife of the area.
 |
| A delicate Lady Bug Beetle |
 |
| What camouflage! - A Ketidid resting cooly on a leaf |
 |
| My desire to shoot a Malabar Gliding Frog became a reality (see my earlier Goa blog for a pic of its nest) |
 |
| Another tree frog - False Hour Glass |
 |
| Another view of the Malabar Gliding Frog - it has beautiful red legs |
Birds - Mammals
Most of us are hard core birdwatchers so cannot resist looking for them any & everywhere, here's a selection of them along with a few mammals thrown in
 |
| Malabar Trogon - female |
 |
| Malabar Flowerpecker |
 |
| Loten's Sunbird |
 |
| Median Egret |
 |
| Orange Minivet |
 |
| Orange Minivet - Male above & female below |
 |
| Small Sunbird |
 |
| Kestrel taken at quite some distance |
 |
| Malabar Giant Squirrel |
 |
| Eurasian Sparrowhawk |
 |
| White-cheeked Bulbul |
 |
| Verditer Flycatcher |
 |
| golden Oriole |
 |
| Vernal Hanging Parrot |
 |
| Domesticated Pigs Please click on the tab "Older posts" below to go to the next section |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)