Monday, March 30, 2009

Survey musings……

This assignment I understand has been a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience; both in terms of understanding nature as also self. I got the space to get closer to both. Jumping on the stones while walking up the rivers, crossing the pools in the rivers by walking delicately on the fallen tree trunks, crawling beneath cane-bamboo (dense as any vegetation i have come across) and many more such moments brought me close to nature. Sitting alone, thinking of ‘today’ and being ‘far’ from all that was ‘away’ from me then brought me closer to my mind and spirit.

Mid way into the survey when I realized that this was a “one of those crazy experiences that would stay with me for long” I pondered on what was the nearest I have come to such a fulfilling experience in life. The only word that came (and it did pretty fast) was Moghias ~ those days when I made attempts to comprehend the practices and perceptions of the Moghias in Sheopur (Madhya Pradesh), few years ago. Drawing parallels (as is my habit) I realized that both these were primarily knowledge accumulation tasks on subjects whose familiarity was restricted beyond their realms; I had agreed to be a part of both exercises without being aware to the magnitude of the tasks they involved ~ as I look back I wonder if it was the lack of clarity that made me give consent to these exercises; I had not made a detailed plan (read one that is logical and can be monitored) for both these tasks; I experienced places (yes~) that I was unfamiliar with and I was out of touch with people other than colleagues associated with the exercises. I mused on whether these were conditions that helped the knowledge accumulation tasks better or I get enthused and invigorated when amidst an ambience that both these experiences espoused.

I have this habit of complaining; I indulge in this when an act takes place as also post the act and funnily enough with people involved in the act and others too. During the initial days few incidences led to my getting irritated for I could not understand why we were getting delayed or not undertaking actions as we had discussed. However since most colleagues in the survey team were not comfortable with either Hindi or English, two languages that I generally voice my thoughts in, I did not have the space to launch my rant. In the process I noticed that remaining silent and letting colleagues perform in accordance with what they thought was logic got work done and in most cases in a better fashion than that would have been done had I ventured to interfere. Silences also led to space for me to notice incidences where colleagues were far more patient with me than I would have been in their place. Patience is something I seem to have lost on the way to becoming a “manager” and need to espouse at an early date. Being a good human being is far more crucial.

I realized that while walking amidst nature has ever been a satisfying experience for me, being alone in course of walks during the survey was a blessing. I was overwhelmed by the wilderness we came across; I recall with fondness the stretch we walked for 3 days coming across neither a human being nor a carelessly thrown piece of plastic. As the intricacies of forest ~ the complexities of nature unfolded in front of my eyes they made me feel humble, insignificant and drew attention to the need to take myself less seriously.

The successful culmination of the exercise (that had us walk for 3 weeks) by the team has been a personal triumph. The exercise gave impetus to the ongoing process of re installing credence in self and brought to end another journey. A journey that had begun some years ago in the urban labyrinths of Maharashtra, took its nascent shape in a dusty south Rajasthan summer and culminated in this tail of a corner of India in Mizoram. At the crux these are all personal journeys……

Survey ~ Conservation Education

We have to get people out there, only a bit farther away. You cannot accomplish what we are talking about inside most cities. You have to be ‘immersed’ among the wild and growing things, in direct contact with the elements of life… We have to help people take in more of what’s around them out there….and….we have to make sure people have a good time while they are there.” - Steve Van Matre.

Right from my days with conservation education in Baghmara (South Garo Hills, Meghalaya) I have always believed in what Steve Van Matre said above but was either scared of taking up the tasks or thought too much on doing it perfectly. This of course led to my not undertaking it at Saiha (Mizoram) either. In course of the survey, however, there has been a significant learning on this aspect.

In our survey team some of the colleagues were involved primarily in helping with luggage. They hailed from villages in the landscape and brought with them cheerful banter which pushed aside weariness to the background. At one of our campsites in the initial days we came across Hoolock gibbon (Hauhuk or Vei-tu) and the Phayres leaf monkey (Dawr or Pala). The Hoolock gibbon was seen carrying its baby when one of the initial subgroups reached the site while the Phayres leaf monkey was heard when one of us went to fetch bamboo; for the fire to keep us warm after the evening meal. In both the instances they were tempted to hunt them; and this during a survey for a Wildlife Sanctuary!! I became conscious to the extent to which they practiced hunting and realized the need to communicate repeatedly with them ~ The next evening while we were getting the meal ready they initiated conversations on my ‘strange act’ read stopping them from hunting the 2 rare primates. They asked me whether they could hunt these animals outside the Wildlife Sanctuary (one of them was even confident of luring the poor animals on the wrong side of the boundary). Not being happy with my answer they asked if they could hunt animals that came from Burma or in Burma, stating that they would try a Burmese pig. Few more questions followed and I felt glad at having fostered an interaction with a segment of the society crucial to wildlife conservation. I also realized that the ensuing communications on conservation will have to be basic, simple and addressing their questions – confusions rather than focusing on the sub-species of the primate or the number of troops in the landscape.


The initial communications (during which they also expressed their intrigue at my taking notes mid-way and putting in time each evening with my diary) broke the ice and in the following days they had questions on my using the binoculars, field-guides and the camera. While I could put across the reason for observing birds, checking them up in the field guide and then recording them without the hindrance of the language barrier my colleague had to pitch in when it came to “Why were we taking picture of scats and pug marks?”. After the WHY part we shared HOW we used the binoculars and handed the field-guides to them along with the binoculars. It was invigorating to see them animatedly scan the trees for birds and discuss the same with big eyes and excided hands. While this was a frequent endeavour more in a reaction mode; a regular exercise was showing them (interested ones ~) the pictures taken each day on the camera screen, after the evening meal. This had them “involved” and during the later part of the ‘adventure’, as I like to refer to the survey, besides discussing the names of birds I also saw them (with great interest) arguing over hoof marks being that of a Serow (Saza or Saw-zaw) or a Sambar (Sazuk or Sasu) and pointing out the presence and explaining the operation of traps and snares we came across. They also shared some beliefs pertaining to wildlife with me during one evening; Slow loris (Sahuai or Ru-lei-pa) they said was feared and never killed.


On our way back while coming back on a boat up the Kaladan river we stopped to rest for a while. Here one of the colleagues saw a fisherman who had caught a ‘big bird’ which we later understood was a Coucal. This colleague went up to the fisherman, scolded him for his ‘foolish act’ and then asked the rest of us with great satisfaction to release the bird a little far so that the fisherman could not catch it again.


Communications on Wildlife Conservation by all means make more sense when amidst Wildlife rather than in classroom or living rooms in towns. These could involve actions like birding and one can place emphasis on raising interest levels by nurturing curiosity and encouraging deliberations rather than giving names of mammals or birds. Steve Van Matre says on this “Names are like landmarks, you don’t need very many of them to find your way”. These interactions can be undertaken with school going students and other segments of the society. This is pertinent not only for cities but also for small towns located on the periphery of biodiverse landscapes (or in cases even within them) for the younger generation in these places too is disconnected from nature like their counterparts in cities.

Thanks Roshni for suggestions on the draft.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Survey ~ turtles and tortoises ~

The only survey in Saiha (south Mizoram) featuring turtles - tortoises is by Pawar and Birand. In "A Survey of amphibians, reptiles and birds in Northeast India" they talk of their survey in Saiha (at Palak Lake) with other sites in Northeast India. Three species have been mentioned for Palak Lake ~
A. Yellow Tortoise (Indotestudo elongata)
B. Southeast Asian Giant Tortoise (Manouria emys)
C. Southeast Asian Softshell Turtle (Amyda cartilaginea)

While the Southeast Asian Giant Tortoise Manouria emys shells we have seen often in the villages and had also helped release one in the Palak Lake, the current survey had us come across the shell of the Yellow Tortoise Indotestudo elongata.



We also saw (and this one alive !!) the Keeled Box Turtle (Coura mouhoti) in course of the survey and i recall it was the day when the terrain was really tough and all of us had really slowed down the pace of our walk. One of the colleagues saw this when he shifted a small stone to enable him to move ahead. It got scared and retreated inside its shell immediately. While CITES places it under Appendix II Indian laws dont accord it legal protection.



Thanking Firoz Ahmed for help with identification.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Survey - Bird List

In an earlier post I have shared some of my birding notes, here I share the Bird List from the survey. This list does not include trophies we came across in the villages.

1) Asian fairy bluebird (Irena puella)
2) Barred cuckoo dove (Macropygia unchall)
3) Black-crested bulbul (Pycnonotus melanicterus)
4) Black drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus)
5) Black eagle (Ictinaetus malayensis)
6) Black-headed bulbul (Pycnonotus atriceps)
7) Black-hooded oriole (Oriolus xanthornus)
8) Black-napped oriole (Oriolus chinensis)
9) Blue-eared kingfisher (Alcedo meninting)
10) Brahminy kite (Haliastur indus)
11) Chestnut-headed bee-eater (Merops leschenaultia)
12) Common green magpie (Cissa chinensis)
13) Common myna (Acridotheres tristis)
14) Eurasian hobby (Falco severus)
15) Forest wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus)
16) Great hornbill (Buceros bicornis)
17) Greater coucal (Centropus sinensis)
18) Greater racket-tailed drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus)
19) Greater yellownape woodpecker (Picus flavinucha)
20) Green imperial pigeon (Ducula aenea)
21) Grey-backed shrike (Lanius tephronotus)
22) Grey-headed lapwing (Vanellus cinereus)
23) Grey-hooded warbler (Seicercus xanthoschistos)
24) Hill myna (Gracula religiosa)
25) Himalayan swiftlet (Collocalia brevirostris)
26) Indian pond heron (Ardeola grayii)
27) Indian roller (Coracias benghalensis)
28) Jerdons baza (Aviceta jerdoni)
29) Khalij pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos)
30) Large-billed crow (Corvus macrorhynchos)
31) Lesser coucal (Centropus bengalensis)
32) Lesser racquet-tailed drongo (Dicrurus remifer)
33) Lesser whistling duck (Dendrocygna javanica)
34) Little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
35) Long-tailed minivet (Pericrocotus ethologus)
36) Maroon oriole (Oriolus traillii)
37) Mrs Gould’s sunbird (Aethopyga gouldiae)
38) Nepal fulvetta (Alcippe nipalensis)
39) Olive-backed sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis)
40) Orange-breasted green pigeon (Treron bicincta)
41) Oriental pied hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris)
42) Oriental turtle dove (Streptopelia orientalis)
43) Pale-capped pigeon (Columba punicea)
44) Pompadour green pigeon (Treron pompadora)
45) Red collared dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica)
46) Red junglefowl (Gallus gallus)
47) Red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer)
48) Red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus)
49) Red-breasted parakeet (Psittacula alexandri)
50) Red-headed trogon (Harpactes erythrocephalus)
51) Redvented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer)
52) Richard’s pipit (Anthus richardi)
53) Scarlet finch (Haematospiza sipahi)
54) Scarlet minivets (Pericrocotus flammeus)
55) Shikra (Accipiter badius)
56) Short-billed minivet (Pericrocotus brevrostris)
57) Spotted forktail (Enicurus Maculatus)
58) Steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis)
59) Streaked spiderhunter (Arachnothera magna)
60) White-rumped munia (Lonchura striata)
61) White-rumped shama (Copsychus malabaricus)
62) White-throated kingfisher (Halcyon syrnensis)
63) White wagtail (Motacilla alba)
64) Yellow-footed green pigeon (Treron phoenicoptera)
65) Yellow-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus)

Survey - butterflies

Walking in these forests (on account of the survey in Saiha (Mizoram)) we came across butterflies in large numbers; of these, I have been able to take pictures of and thereby identify only a few. Sharing the same in this post.

My limited skills in terms of butterfly identification as also the urge to enjoy the moment rather than work on taking pictures led to this ~

I also share a nice poem i came across today in September 2008 issue of Indian Lepidoptera shared by Kishen Das. It goes thus ~

Flutter by butterfly,
Floating flower in the sky,
Kiss me with your petal wings,
Whisper secrets tell of spring

Striped blue crow (Euploea mulciber)


Chocolate albatross (Appias lyncida)

Red helen (Papilio helenus)


Archduke (Lexias pardalis)

Sailer

Bush brown.


Thanking colleagues for walking along in these wonderful woods and Kishen Das for identification of the butterfly pictures.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Survey - life in the villages.

In course of the survey we visited select villages. Visiting these villages located on the southern most tip of mizoram has been an invigorating and heart warming experience. I share some of the images ~

A morning view of Lomasu village.


While the villages were bereft of "regular" electricity connection, some houses had solar energy and while it was primarily used for lighting up the house on rare occassions we also saw them having a telivision set .....


Kaladan river is used for transporting goods to and from Burma, India primarily sends jarda and receives pigs (pork); motor boats and other smaller boats ply even during February - March when water levels are quite low.....


An old musical instrument at Bymari village, these (I was told) are not made now,


Rack at the biggest shop in Bymari village; shops are pretty small (generally) having the basic necessary items only and in villages near to the border they sell a variety of Burmese goods too (from jaggery (gur) to soap) ......

Tobacco leaves put out in the sun for drying at Lopu village, these are grown in jhum (shifting cultivation) fields and rolled in form of bidis after crushing.



Sincere thanks to all the people in the villages for enabling us to visit them and the kindness showered during our stay. Its been an unforgettable experience.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Birds during the survey

I continue with the survey or “adventure” as I would like to put it as. While making a bird list was not the primary objective we did go on recording the birds we came across, thoroughly enjoying the process. It made me realize that birding (seeing birds, recognizing them, checking them up in the field guides, discussing their local names, recording them…..) is an amazingly effective tool for conservation education and awareness.

I share some notes I have put together.

14.02.09.....After intriguing me by making noises as if in an "attention seeking behaivour mode" and then successfully evading my binocular gaze I finally got a close look at the Grey-hooded warbler (Seicercus xanthoschistos); saw the orange colour of its beak when it was then making those noises in earnest. While the Black drongos (Dicrurus macrocercus) and Redvented bulbuls (Pycnonotus cafer) were in ‘pretty’ numbers the sightings of the Barred cuckoo dove (Macropygia unchall) and the White rumped shama (Copsychus malabaricus ) were ‘pretty’ interesting.....

16.02.09......Sitting on the river beach I saw the wagtails with their musical sways over water, a crow making its presence felt loudly and a Yellow-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus). The last fellow is more small and delicate compared to jungle crows here and slimmer than a pigeon. Also the tail is broader at the end and the flight graceful. The field guide that I use doesn’t show it occurring in these parts......
a raptor clicked while on a boat on the kolodyne river
17.02.09......Crows have been very prominent today, I don’t get if they are looking for fishes or left-over food from our camp. When I saw 2 of them flying low in circles one behind the other I thought they were courting but then other 4 appeared on the scene and I thought it better to avoid avian speculations. The doves too were interesting; inconspicuous around the stones and shrubs on the beach and quick to rush to the nearby tree when one of us passed nearby.

19.02.09......We had slowed down as the climb was tough and while taking a break we saw and heard the Great hornbill (Buceros bicornis) . The wings made a ‘royal’ sound as they (there were 2) approached a tree. They then flew to another tree nearby and returned. I saw the black stripe clearly on the tail that is otherwise stark white. I recalled hearing the sound in one of Sekhar’s movie as also seeing it at Balpakram NP (South Garo Hills – Meghalaya). It has such a charisma, its like the tiger of birds.......


doves near Supha village

20.02.09.....I wake up today, knowing that we don’t have to move to another camp today and I lazily gaze around and am amazed (as I have been on very mornings) by the sight above; I see 7 Oriental pied hornbills (Anthracoceros albirostris) fly over the camp ! 2 lead the group, 3 formed the centre row while 2 followed. They were snow white when seen above the head, exhibited amazing grace as they flew and did not make the ‘royal’ sound that the great hornbill did the other day. I finally am clear with the difference in the tail markings in these two hornbills, something I had discussed with Anirban months ago; the black band was clearly missing today.

24.02.09......We are near the Border Pillar 15 on the India – Burma border and I get back with the birds today; the Indian roller (Coracias benghalensis) that I had been missing since we began the ‘adventure’ is present to greet us here. It isn’t ‘loud’ today but its stunning blue in the rays of the morning sun looks even more beautiful. While the crows and wagtails are in large numbers I also see the White-rumped munia (Lonchura striata) and the Olive-backed sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis) as I await colleagues to cook our morning meal. As I move after food along the river besides seeing the Oriental pied hornbill and hearing the “walk stopping sound” of the Great hornbill I see the Streaked spiderhunter (Arachnothera magna) and Scarlet minivets (Pericrocotus flammeus) on a single tree. The spider hunter is big and pecking red flowers while the beautiful minivets are enjoying themselves jumping up and down the branches of the same tree......

kingfisher near Lope village.

26.02.09......We see a group of Pompadour green pigeons (Treron pompadora) sitting atop a leafless tree as if awaiting sunset. About 10 of them, sitting high, unbothered by presence of 3 pairs of eyes and 2 binoculars intruding their evening sojourn. They were big, had a stately presence and the amazing colours and shared of yellow, green and brown they possessed made me put them on my list of ‘most beautiful birds’. A little down the road we spotted the Blue-eared kingfisher (Alcedo meninting), in my first sighting of the bird it looked serene, perched on a big stone in the middle of the rivulet.....

Acknowledging support of all colleaugues and the forest department of the Mara Autonomous District Council in the exercise.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The walls in the houses at villages

The survey had us visiting 9 villages in the southern part of Saiha (Mizoram). While i shall share the details of the survey in a later post, in this post i share pictures / posters I came across in the houses in these villages. I have ever been fascinated by these ~


This is from the house of the MTP (youth associaton) president at Lomasu village. The top portion of an old calendar. I have seen this earlier and liked this. Tipa or Tuipang is the headquarters of the Block by the same name within Saiha district, about 90 - 100 kms.


This poster featuring wild animals had me wondering ! In the middle of the most amazing forests here we had a poster depicting giraffe and polar bear !


The house where we interacted with people at Lope village had Burmese beauties gracing its walls. The Burmese influence was very visible in the shops too - soaps, cigars and biscuits all came from Burma.


The health department of the state defnitely made its presence felt at the residence of the village council (equivalent to panchayat) president at Lomasu village.



Sonia Gandhi smiled from one of the walls at Lopu village reminding me that I was in India and that the elections were around the corner ...

Sincere thanks to all the colleagues and the forest department of the MADC...

Food during the survey

After the post on camp sites i thought food was the most pertinent issue and am sharing some of the images pertaining to the food related actions during the survey. The simplicity and the eco friendly practices that the colleagues followed was a learning.

Barbecuing freshly caught fish on the river bed one late evening; the ambience was surreal ……


Glasses were from bamboo, used for tea, dal and of course water; I simply fell in love with them and avoided the 2 cups we had taken with us for the rest of the "adventure" ! This pic shows 3 of them carefully placed on a "stand"...


Special local dish being cooked in bamboo… while I had had this earlier.... at the camp site it was heavenly… no spices but the taste of the "utensil" that permeates the food…


This is the "chutney" just as it was ready for being served…. primarily dry chillies crushed in bamboo… while the looks scared me initially during the later days I developed a liking for it…..


Dal on select days had bananas ….


Food we had on a large plate together …..

Sincere acknowledgements due to all colleagues and the forest department of the MADC.

Camp sites during the survey

This I understand will be the beginning of a series of posts on what has been one of the most amazing and thrilling experience I have soaked in. While the write ups will take some time to metamorphose from the lively flow of pencil on paper to the heartless punching on the laptop I begin by sharing some pictures.

We had been asked by the forest department of the Mara Autonomous District Council (MADC) to "partner" them towards a survey in context of the freshly notified Tokalo Wildlife Sanctuary in Saiha. Saiha is one of the 8 dstricts in Mizoram and Mara Autonomous District Council is one of the 3 District Councils in Mizoram (Chakma and Lai being the other 2). While Saiha is the southern most district in Mizoram the Tokala Wildlife Sanctuary lies at the southern tip of Saiha (therefore also the southern tip of what is referred to as "north eastern India").

This post depicts the camp-sites.

This is our first camp site, on the banks of Kolodyne (the biggest river of the region) little south of Lomasu village. The chill during the night was thrilling and the rivers after sunrise were breathtaking; there was a fast flowing river of mist above the relatively slowly flowing river of water ~ and what water; I could see each of the stones clearly !


We walked along the rivers (for they were the boundaries of the wildlife sanctuary) and on one occasion came across an abandoned hut; which we were quick to convert into a camp site. This was very well made for the place and need.

One of the camp sites in the middle of what is referred to as the "best remaining rain forest in north east India" and while the evening picture gives a tired look (that after a long walk) the morning picture of the next day exudes energy and enthusiasm for the day (and accompanying surprises) to come. We had banana leaves for beds and also for covering us from tropical dew and of course the logs burnt at night to keep us warm.



Jumping along the stones on rivers was not always successful particularly for novices like me and each evening the shoes were given v.i.p. treatment ~

Straps of a couple of bags we were carrying tired off just as we reached the above shown "occupied" camp site. Colleagues helping with carrying took very little time in the morning hours to get the "carriers" ready from the resources available around; this left me amazed and feeling very urban ~


Sincerely acknowledging the support of the entire team and of course the forest department of the Mara Autonomous District Council for the survey.