Magic of monsoons in Malnaad - A journey to heaven

Trip to Agumbe was planned few weeks back and accordingly the train tickets were also booked. The train was at 11.15pm (Shimoga express), but my uncle called me up by 8.00 pm and said that , " the rains were blasting the malnaad region continuously for past few weeks and  had not stopped. So its better we plan it later " . Even I analyzed the situation and said that , " let us cancel the trip " (Though i did not want to ). Both of us were in 50-50 situation. Finally we made up our mind  and said, " we'll continue the trip and let us see what happens when we go there ".
I guess this decision made us visit heaven. Heaven is also not a proper word to describe the beauty of Malnaad region during monsoons.


We visited Agumbe this year to watch the rains " Mungaaru male " in Malnaad region. This plan was from many years and this year  it got worked out. So we boarded a train to Shimoga at 11.15pm in Bangalore on July 18th 2011. We reached Shimoga at 5.20 AM the next day. The rains had already started at Shimoga as it was drizzling in the railway station. But after 1/2 hour, the rains seemed to stop. We went to the bus stand to board a bus to Hebri (Sitanadi nisargadhama). In the mean time, to beat the cool weather we sipped some hot refreshing coffee in a nearby hotel. Wow, this was really hot, and it took me very long to finish . By then the bus was ready to leave.
The board there read
"ದೇಗುಲಗಳ ಬೆರಗು , ಜೋಗದ ಸೊಬಗು , ಆಗುಂಬೆಯ ಬೆಡಗು .... ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧ ಪ್ರವಾಸಿ ತಾಣಗಳ ತವರು ಶಿವಮೊಗ್ಗ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಗೆ ನಿಮಗೆ ಸುಸ್ವಾಗತ."
I was almost in heaven when I saw this board.
The bus left Shimoga at 6.15AM . The weather was good until we reached Sakrebylu. Once we crossed the place, the clouds opened up. Man, the rains did not stop for a long time. And it was like , the bus was going under a waterfall. The sound of rain was amazing. The bus stopped at Theertha-halli for breakfast. We had some Idli-Vada's and the local dish " Buns". I guess many people in  city would not have tasted the buns. The Buns are one of the best snack which is found there. You people have to go there and try one, I am sure you will enjoy it to the core.


This time, the rains had stopped for a while, and  again it started..Rains at Malnaad is different from what we get here. Sometimes, it rains heavily and at times it is slow. But it rains, and rains steadily. Just when I thought it stopped ,and opened my camera bag it rained heavily.The route to Hebri from Shimoga was via  Gajanur dam , Sakrebylu , Mandagadde bird sanctuary , Theerthahalli , Agumbe and Hebri. These are all some of the must-visit places enroute.


The bus reached Hebri by 9.15AM. The route from Agumbe to Hebri is breath taking. It contains some deep curves and turns, and the drivers have to be very careful while driving in these araes. We could see the glimpse of the river Sita, while going to Hebri. It was flowing with all its might. We brought gifts to our best friends. The friends were the Leeches and the gift was Salt. Again from Hebri we had to come back 5kms to go to the Sitanadi Nature camp.

Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Western Ghats in Udupi district. Someshwara was declared a wildlife sanctuary on 5th June 1974. The area of Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary is about 88.4 sq. km.


Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary has semi-evergreen and evergreen forests. The sanctuary includes of two unconnected parts, the smaller part being situated to the Southwest of the major part. The Kudremukh National Park lies to the Southeast of this sanctuary.

Machilus Macrantha, Lophopetalum wightanium and Artocarpus hirsuta are some of the species of flora found in this sanctuary.

Mammals in the Someshwara Wildlife sanctuary include Tiger, Leopard, Wild Pig, Sambar, Spotted Deer, Wild Dog, Jackal, Gaur, Barking Deer, Lion Tailed Macaque, Bonnet Macaque and Common Langur.


Reptiles are represented by King Cobra, Python and Monitor lizard.


Someshwara Wildlife sanctuary also houses some interesting birds like Malabar trogon, Ceylon frogmouth, Malabar pied hornbill and Malabar whistling thrush.

Nearby tourist attractions include the Onakeabbi Falls, Kudlu theertha falls , Agumbe Sunset Point and Jamblu Tirtha.


Sitanadi Nisargadhama : 
This was the place where we stayed. It has a beautiful nature camp which contains lodges and dormitories, with some nature trails. There is also some guided treks. 
The Nature camp is situated on the banks of Sita river.


" When we arrived at the Nature camp, it made me feel as if we entered a wonder land. The places is so beautiful, that you have to go there one day. The cottages are inside the forests, and you have to trek for a while from the main gate. After we reached our room, we could see the river was hardly 50 mtrs from us. The previous day, the news channels were showing about the floods in Sita river. When we went there , I could feel the floods. The benches were almost sunk in the river."

The one in the front is the dormitory , the back buildings are bathrooms and toilets.

This was the dormitory where we stayed. It consists of 12 beds, and we were only 3. So we kept  our luggages in each and every bed. :)

As it was raining cats and dogs, the nature camp contained no tourists. Only  3 of us were there for the whole Nature camp, and few locals (cooks and cleaners) of nature camp.

This was how the Sita river had been flooded. The coarse which you can see in the distance is the actual river. But due to rains it had expanded . You can see the bench in the left side(middle), which has been submerged in water.
This was the condition of western ghats in monsoons.

Cottage at Sitanadi nature camp

This is the play area, where children can play. There are tyres to swing and ropes to climb.

This road goes to the Nature camp.
The forests of western ghats are the home of the most feared snake -
" The King Cobra "


The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the world's longest venomous snake, with a length up to 5.6 m (18.5 ft). This species is widespread throughout Southeast Asia and parts ofIndia, and is found mostly in forested areas. The king cobra can be highly aggressive and agile, and can deliver a large quantity of highly potent venom in a single bite. It is regarded as one of the most dangerous and feared Asiatic snakes due to various factors

Red helen

We went for an evening walk in the nature trail. It started to rain, so we came back to the room, and ate some hot "Onion pakodas".... wow, this was just amazing. Imagine..." Its raining outside, and we are sitting on the bench and eating hot pakodas "... I know you are jealous on me :)
After the rain stopped, we again roamed around the nature camp. Now it was late and the sun had set. It was almost 9pm. We went in search of frogs that inhabit the region.
It was pitch dark and we could only hear the flooded Sita river,  Sound of Cicadas and the croaks of frogs.
We took some torches and roamed around the Nature camp by moving through bushes and  trails to find the croaking creatures . We were also very cautious about snakes too :)

Moss that grows on trees in evergreen forests

REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS ARE ONE OF THE MOST FASCINATING CREATURES ON OUR PLANET. BUT MOST OF US FAIL TO REALISE THIS.


Click here to know - More about frogs

I have no idea about the identity of this frog. Some say it is Bull frog and some say it is wrinkled frog. I will update about the id, once I come to know

Bicolored Frog

Amboli bush frog

Front pose - Amboli bush frog

I guess it is Wrinkled frog

Skink

Forest Lizard
You can feel the monsoon effect in this picture.

Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains. The group, traditionally recognized as the suborder Lacertilia, is defined as all extant members of the Lepidosauria (reptiles with overlapping scales), which are neither sphenodonts (i.e., tuatara) nor snakes – they form an evolutionary grade. While the snakes are recognized as falling phylogenetically within the anguimorph lizards from which they evolved, the Sphenodonts are the sister group to the Squamates, the larger monophyletic group, which includes both the lizards and the snakes.

These were the animals that we photographed last night. The next morning we got up early, and again started to trek in and around the Nature camp along the trails. We had a delicious breakfast (Avalakki oggarane along with coconut chutney). This was the best chutney I had ever eaten.
It was sunny, so we went in search of smaller animals around us. But after a while, it again started to rain and did not stop for a long time . There was a  shelter nearby and we ran towards it. Here we could see 2 peacocks and a beautiful Malabar Giant Squirrel.
Later we went back to the room, and were tired for a while. After that the search of leeches had begun. The itch was all over, and we could figure out many leeches around our legs and hands. Wow, getting bitten by a leech is a magical experience.

Leech which had bitten

After the removal of leeches, we had some hot tea under a tree, and it was raining all over.

I was busy shooting a Cicada, my uncle called us, saying that there was a Pit Viper nearby. I left the cicada and ran towards the viper. It was in a striking pose when it failed to catch a lizard that passed by it.

"When I went near the viper, I was literally shocked, because it was the place where we were shooting frogs last night , by keeping torches and moving around the bushes" 

Hump nosed pit viper

Bites from this species though previously thought to be innocuous, is now known to cause serious complications such as coagulopathy and acute renal failure .

After shooting the pit viper, we trekked in a different route across the trail. This was around the tents. I imagined that if I could photograph a king cobra nearby, but suddenly we saw some movements around a small bush. with curiosity, we moved towards it. There was a green vine snake, which was very aggressive.

Green Vine snake

The green vine snake stays high on trees and looks down to the ground. When a mouse, lizard or nest is found the snake follows the prey a short distance and smells it carefully. If the snake is content with it, it bites into the head and lifts the prey 20–40 cm from the ground. With this the snakes prevents the prey from using its physical strength. The vine snake has two larger teeth at the back of its mouth; these teeth permit the toxic saliva to penetrate the wounds and to immobilize the prey. Then it is rapidly swallowed. Once the prey is completely in the snakes body, the vine snake searches for a resting place, usually in the highest point of a tree.

 

After the photography session, it was time for us to go back to Agumbe. So we moved towards our room, on the way back it rained heavily.

 

We packed off from heaven, and went to another heaven called Agumbe.

I knew that Agumbe was called as " Cheerapunji of south" , but when I went to Agumbe, I realized the caption.

 In Agumbe we stayed at Kasturakka's House. She treated us very well . She is a very hospitable person. The food which she prepares is amazing. In fact there are no adjectives to express the taste.

Kasturakka's house at Agumbe

This is the house where the famous " Malgudi Days " was shooted. 

She initially gave us hot delicious Kashaaya. We went to the room upstairs kept our luggages and went to the Sunset point.

Mist covered landscape at Sunset point

This was the place where Dr.Rajkumar's song " Agumbeya prema sanjeya..."  from film " Aakasmika" had been shooted.

Tourists walking towards Sunset point in Rain


Sunset point : Image courtesy : H.Satish

After shooting pictures at the sunset point, we went back to Kasturakka's house. This stretch was about 3km , and we walked in complete mist in the rain forest for 3km. This was a magical experience.

We went back to Kasturakka's house, drank  hot Kashaaya, and went back to our room, to change the wet clothes and dry our cameras.


It was almost dark when we reached her house. Ate food (typical malnaad food). For more details about the food click on the link which I give at the end of the blog.
Then we moved to the neighboring house to photograph  frogs.

The water drops on the grass, gives  monsoon feeling.
In the morning, we went to ARRS.
Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS) is an ecological research station situated in the rainforests of Agumbe, Karnataka, India. It is situated on the crest of the Western Ghats at about 640 metres (2,100 ft) above sea level. This area has been identified as one of the world’s Biodiversity Hotspots, and is part of the Agumbe Rainforest Complex, which includes the Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary, the Kudremukh National Park, the Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Sharavathi Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, and various other smaller tracts around Kundapur, Shankaranarayana, Hosanagara, Sringeri, and Thirthahalli

Kundadri hills

Later, we went to Kundadri  Kundadri [kannada: ಕುಂದಾದ್ರಿ ] is a mountain peak with dense forests in the Western Ghats in South India (Karnataka State). This well-preserved land of Karnataka is home to 17th century Jain temple that is not much given to architecture. Two small silent ponds formed by the rock on one side of this temple leave you wondering at its presence on this height. Throughout the year you can find lotus flowers in the pool which is also a breeding ground for some fishes- both large and small.


After leaving Kundadri, we left to Jogi Gundi falls which is on the Sringeri route.
This is a beautiful falls, which is formed by the river Malapahaari.

Jogi Gundi falls

Frog photographed enroute to Jogi gundi

Interior of Kasturakka's house. 

With Kasturakka

She was cutting Kalale "Bamboo", which is a famous food of Malnaad region.









ಮನಸಿಲ್ಲದ ಮನಸಿನ್ನಿಂದ ಮತ್ತೆ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿಗೆ ನಾವು ಹೊರೆಟೆವು.

Town of Agumbe

The team : Satish, Arjun, Venkatesh

I hope all of you have enjoyed the blog.
You can also follow this blog which is written by Mr.Venkatesh about our trip .
 ಮತ್ತೆ ಮಲೆ(ಮಳೆಯ)ನಾಡಿಗೆ.....

Route Map

Image courtesy : Maps of India

Red whiskered Bulbul and its Nest

Photographing birds at nest with chicks or eggs besides them is a very challenging and a delicate task. You have to be very careful about the surroundings and leave no clue to the predators about the nest. If at all  you have any doubt about the impact of your presences near the nest, leave them alone and move away from the nest site.  
Always it is better to follow the rules of nature, while interacting with birds or animals.


1. Do not wear bright colored dresses, as it is a sign of distraction to animals and birds.
2. It is better to wear dull colored dresses when you venture out in the wild. Colors like bottle green, and many shades of green that blends with the environment is a perfect choice.
3.Do not make any sound in the wilderness.

Code of Conduct for Photographing Birds   The object is to take photographs of birds without upsetting their normal pattern of behaviour.  The well-being of the bird should, at all times, take precedence over photography It should be noted that disturbance of breeding birds at or near their nest is an offence except under a license issued for N.I. by the Department of the Environment or the relevant authority elsewhere. The use of a hide to photograph birds at the nest should only be attempted after experience has been gained of the difficulties involved.   N.B.  Siting and erection of the hide should be in stages and, if the bird does not return to the nest within a reasonable period, having regard to weather and temperature, the hide should be removed Visits to the nest should be as few and as short a duration as possible.  Exposure of the nest, which should not include permanent change, may cause danger from predators and the weather.  After each session the nest site should be returned to its original condition.  Any cords used to tie back foliage or grass should be removed Nest photographers should be accompanied to the hide by at least one other person and should on no account emerge from the hide except in the  immediate presence of another person. Nests to be used for photography should be chosen so that the hide will not attract attention which might cause disturbance to the breeding birds The hide should be removed and the nest site concealed immediately after all photography has been completed. The use of 300mm lenses, or longer, is recommended for nest photography so that too close an  approach to breeding birds is avoided Movement and noise should be kept to a minimum to avoid disturbance. Photographers should observe the practice of obtaining permission from the landowners before entering private property. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last week , we (Goutham, Satish[chikappa] and Myself) had been to a place near Kanakapura. There we could see, a Red whiskered Bulbul . This was along the roadside itsellf, and with deep observation we could spot the nest. The nest contained 3 chicks. Those chicks were very cute. The Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) is a passerine bird found in Asia. It is a member of the bulbul family. It is a resident frugivorefound mainly in tropical Asia. It has been introduced in many tropical areas of the world where populations have established themselves. It feeds on fruits and small insects and they conspicuously perch on trees and their calls are a loud three or four note call. The distinctive crest and the red-vent and whiskers makes them easy to identify. They are very common in hill forests and urban gardens within its range. The Red-whiskered Bulbul was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in 1758 in his Systema Naturae. He placed it along with the shrikes under Lanius. Local names include Turaha pigli-pitta in Telugu, Sipahi bulbul in Bengali, and Phari-bulbul or Kanera bulbu in Hindi. Subspecies The populations found across their range show a range of plumage variations and some of these are recognized as subspecies: jocosus, the nominate subspecies, is found in Hong Kong fuscicaudatus in peninsular India has nearly complete breast band and no white tip to tail abuensis of northwestern India is pale and has a broken breast band and no white tip to tail pyrrhotis of the terai is pale above with white tail tips and widely separated breast band emeria of Eastern peninsula and Ganges Delta is warm brown above with a slim bill and a long crest (also introduced into Florida) whistleri is found in the Andaman Islands and has a warm brown above, a heavier bill and a shorter crest than emeria monticola is found in northeastern India and has darker upperparts than pyrrhotis pattani is found in Thailand peguensis not always recognized was described from southern Burma The Red-whiskered Bulbul is about 20 centimetres (7.9 in) in length. It has brown upper-parts and whitish underparts with buff flanks and a dark spur running onto the breast at shoulder level. It has a tall pointed black crest, red face patch and thin black moustachial line. The tail is long and brown with white terminal feather tips, but the vent area is red. The loud and evocative call is a sharp kink-a-joo (also transcribed as pettigrew or kick-pettigrew or pleased to meet you) and the song is a scolding chatter. It is more often heard than seen, but will often perch conspicuously especially in the mornings when they call from the tops of trees. The life span is about 11 years. Hybrids have been noted in captivity with Pycnonotus cafer, Pycnonotus leucotis, Pycnonotus xanthopygos, Pycnonotus melanicterus andPycnonotus leucogenys and leucism has been recorded. Several avian malaria parasites have been described from the species Other types of Bulbuls in India: Pycnonotidae - Bulbuls, finchbills White-throated Bulbul (Alophoixus flaveolus) - local resident Ashy Bulbul (Hemixos flavala) - local resident Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus) - widespread resident Mountain Bulbul (Hypsipetes mcclellandii) - local resident Nicobar Bulbul (Hypsipetes nicobariensis) - local resident Yellow-browed Bulbul (Iole indica) - local resident Olive Bulbul (Iole virescens) - local resident Black-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus atriceps) - local resident Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) - widespread resident Flavescent Bulbul (Pycnonotus flavescens) - local resident Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) - widespread resident White-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucotis) - widespread resident Himalayan Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucogenys) - local resident White-browed Bulbul (Pycnonotus luteolus) - widespread resident Black-crested Bulbul (Pycnonotus melanicterus) - widespread resident Grey-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus priocephalus) - local resident Striated Bulbul (Pycnonotus striatus) - local resident Yellow-throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus xantholaemus) - widespread resident Crested Finchbill (Spizixos canifrons) - local resident