When a Birder killed the Blogger

More than a dozen years a have passed since I started blogging. After a few fledgling years as ‘tigertracker’, I transitioned into the ‘woodcrawler’. That was because, realization dawned that a forest and the wilderness was not only about tigers or any big cat for that matter. It denizens ranged from the tiny ticks that jump on you when given a chance, to the gentle pachyderms that mostly ignore you if you leave them alone. 

Then something happened in late 2014. Till then ‘woodcrawling’ meant just that, crawling in the woods. Of course, if you thought I was crawling on hands and knees, I forgive you for being mistaken! I would essentially wander around absorbing the sights and sounds of the forest. It would instill a sense of peace and well-being deep inside me that I was once again recharged to take on the big bad world. It was in the November of 2014 that I started taking a more serious note of the avian aspect of nature. Till then, birds were like a tiger, leopard or an elephant, a part of the jigsaw of nature. Suddenly, they became so large in my mind that they dwarfed the mighty elephants too!

 

It was a mere formality, signing up on the eBird portal and ‘documenting’ my birding adventures. At that time, I didn’t realize that it would become an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and induce certain behavioural changes in me that would make people give me strange looks. It also ‘mortally wounded’ the blog that it effectively killed off the ‘Woodcrawler’s Journal’. All my time, free and otherwise was devoted to birds and bird documentation. Even if I had a little spare time, I was invariably making ‘checklists’ on eBird. While sitting in my office, my ears would be like a Doberman’s, all perked up and listening to birds outside; and my brain would whir and click, cataloguing and classifying the birds I heard. The moment I got a few minutes free, I’d open the eBird app and start a new ‘checklist’!

The consequence of this was that the ‘Woodcrawler’s Journal’ effectively went into a deep comatose state. The posts dried up after 2015 and the few that appeared were related to birds. After a post in February 2017, the next one was after nearly a year, in January 2018. That last post was actually about trying to revive my dying blog, even the ‘Messenger from the Wilderness’, though a full grown tusker was unable to drag it out of the quagmire called birding! 

Now, a year after and many birding trips in the company of like minded and eminently likable folks, I’ve decided that it is time for a rethink. I realized, that I was becoming obsessed with numbers, taking part in challenges put forward by eBird and ensuring that targets were met. The December challenge was the last straw. They wanted checklists with media and I found myself running out of my bath and office to record bird sounds, just so that I could complete the targets!

I found that I was in the Top 50 birders in Kerala and Top 5 for my district for 2018, and horror of horrors I was No.1 for the district without stepping out of the Palghat GAP in January 2019. I’ve almost scored a century of checklists for the month! 

I’d become an obsessive checklist maniac and every waking hour was spent documenting birds, photographing them and recording their calls. All my free time went into editing and uploading my photos and audio tracks into the checklists! I forgot, I had friends and family. I forgot, what it was to have a leisurely breakfast of home cooked food on Sundays because I was out at the crack of dawn chasing feathered fiends. No, it is not a mistake, I didn’t mean feathered ‘friends’, I really meant fiends. Sunday. breakfast had become a forgotten luxury.

I also realized, in this mad run for numbers, I’d forgotten my priority, woodcrawling. Now that I was literally running after birds, I’ve forgotten to soak in the nature around me. It isn’t lost on me that I’m missing out on the best nature has to offer; so occasionally, I do wander off on my own, but the darned birds come around to distract me! 

Pic Courtesy: Adv. Namassivayan Lakshmanan

 

 2019 seems to be a life changing year and I thought it should also reflect on my attitude to birds and nature. Though I’ve no plans to hang up my birding boots, I’m going to ignore the numbers game. I’m going to turn eBird into an useful tool than the other way round. It helps me document my achievements and as VR, our senior birder says, it will be invaluable to future generations to come. 

Right now, the priority is to revive the comatose blog and bring it into the sunshine again. I will blog about birds, no doubt, but not exclusively. After all, everyone is not a birder! As for eBird, I will continue to contribute, meaningfully because, if not for that portal, I wouldn’t have been able to assess myself and develop into a more serious birder.  

A Messenger from the Wilderness

Ever since the birding bug bit me I have been obsessively pursuing the feathered bipeds with undisguised glee. Suddenly, I found my species count had touched 300 plus! Then I splurged on audio equipment and even abandoned a not-so-bad Chinese made shotgun microphone for a Sennheiser! (More about that later)

On Fridays, messages flow in our birding gang's Whatsapp group about plans for the Sunday to follow. I found that I started missing my mother's yummy masala dosas and appam with stew! Moreover, I realized that Sunday, which was a day for relaxation found me out of the bed earlier than usual, loading up the car for a three or four hour birding session in Palakkad's hot weather! I had completely flipped for the birds!

Not only that, I had become specifically obsessed with two groups of birds, the nightjars and the warblers. One would only wake up at dusk and fly around in the dark and the other would skulk in the bushes rarely showing itself to be photographed decently! The nightjars have become like an obsessive disorder that despite any other program on Sunday mornings, I'd return in the evenings,  to a hillside in Malampuzha, that we had started calling 'Nightjar Valley', to await their arrival at dusk!

I am in love with the nightjar orchestra. The quartet, consisting of Indian, Jerdon's, Jungle and Savanna nightjars, start their performance at sunset and play till darkness falls. After that, they each go their individual ways, pursuing invisible insects in the air. I can't seem to get enough of them though I've recorded all four species many times over and this obsession culminated in a totally unexpected encounter this last Sunday (7th January, 2018).

Recording their calls is relatively easy, especially with my new possession, the Sennheiser ME67 long shotgun mic, but getting a decent photograph of these elusive birds is a challenge in the failing light of dusk. I have a powerful headlight and torch but even then it is very difficult to get a good picture especially since they are always on the wing. Then, it so happened, that on a previous Sunday evening I saw a nightjar in daylight; sitting, of all the places, on an electric wire! While that was unusual, it got me thinking about looking for them during the daytime. That is how I happened to be in a place to meet my Messenger!

The place we call 'Nightjar Valley' is essentially a hillside in the Malampuzha reservoir's edge, the slopes of which descend into the waterbody. These hillsides are the route mammalian denizens use to reach their water source, especially in summer. I have run into sambar deer while exploring the slopes.

 

Sometime last year we had seen the pugmarks of a leopard but except for the presence of their dried dung, never elephants.

Below the slope here, are small farms with human settlements and 'Nightjar Valley' itself is on the edge of these settlements so the animals have to traverse the length of the protruding hillocks to access the reservoir.

So, on Sunday the 7th January, 2018, I drove out to the place with a plan to look for sleeping nightjars. We had noticed that at dusk the calls started from a small patch of forest lying on the northern side of the slope and the birds flew into the 'Nightjar Valley' from somewhere beyond that. I had been on that slope many times and had once flushed a nightjar from almost underfoot. So with the fond hope of meeting my favourite bird in daylight I parked my car in Nightjar Valley and crossed the small patch of forest to the slope on the other side.

Once I reached the slope, I scanned the rock face for potential places. The edges of the boulders, among the leaf litter at bottom of the trees or roosting along a branch would be the most likely places for finding the nightjar. I started climbing the slope slowly in a crisscross pattern looking carefully at all the possible hiding places this master-of-camouflage could blend into. Then I heard it, a sharp crack of a breaking branch or bamboo from the next patch of forest to the right of the slope I was on. I saw the violent shaking of the top of a tree below me. Elephants!

I could feel the blood rushing into my head, and my ears felt blocked as the adrenaline rush started. Here I was, on a slope, all alone and below me was either a herd (the person I met a few days earlier, looking for his cows, had told me that there were three) or a lone elephant. I couldn't see anything at first. The canopy was too dense and the forest floor below was completely obscured. As long as the feeding was going on I knew where the elephants would be. I debated with myself if I should keep going up the slope on my quest or wait and watch for a while.Then, it occurred to me that if I reached the top and then the herd decided stop feeding and came onto the place I had been earlier, I would be stuck with no escape route!

I had to be sure of the number of elephants and their mood. I stayed on the edge of the slope peering carefully through the gaps in the branches under the tree that continued to shake under the herd's onslaught. Then I saw it, a small movement like a pendulum, through the leaves; an elephant's tail! From the position of the tail I knew it was facing away from me. I was downwind of the elephants where I stood. If I moved uphill I would give the elephants the opportunity to scent my presence and if they were annoyed by my intrusion, would be in deep trouble. Beside, I was already encumbered by my camera and bird call recording gear, hanging from various parts of my anatomy and in the event the elephants decide to show their ire on me, I would be hard put to make a fast exit.

Discretion being the better part of valour, I decided to abort my nightjar expedition and withdraw to safety. If there was a mother with a young calf, I could be assured of an angry charge! Then, in my haste to turn around and make a safe exit I stepped on a pile of dry leaves. The sound of cracking leaves never sounded this loud to me before. Almost like jumping into a basket of crisply fried 'papadums'! I stopped in mid-step and also realized instantly that the sounds of feeding had stopped too! The herd realized that someone was spying on them!

I couldn't possibly outrun an angry elephant but I had to be sure in which direction they were headed. There was no way for them to circle around and pounce on me. I had the advantage of being on a higher level and could see them if they moved. They could either move to the right towards the road or up over the rocks towards me. The other two directions wasn't an option with almost vertical slopes on one side and steep forested slope towards the top of the hillock. Then, I heard the noise; dried leaves on the forest floor getting crushed under the moving pachyderms. The sounds were  moving to the left and towards the slope I was on. That would slow the herd, especially if there was a small calf. There was a relatively open part in the canopy just below and left of where I was standing and as I stared through the branches, following the sound of the crackling leaves, I saw what I had disturbed.

The first thing I saw was a pair of menacingly sharp white tusks. Then I saw the trunk, curling in different directions trying to pick up the scent of the intruder. It was a bull elephant! Fortunately I was still downwind and the elephant was moving very slowly, probably trying to be as noiseless as possible! I could see his grey hide and part of his ear through the branches and it seemed he was facing in my direction, perhaps even looking up and trying to locate the source of the sound which had disturbed him.

I knew it was time to move. The elephant could clamber up the slope without much effort, so it would be foolhardy of me to hang around longer. I carefully moved back towards the little forested patch below which my car was parked. This time I was careful to step only on bare rock so that the elephant would not guess in which direction I had gone.

After I reached the forest patch, I halted to listen for the sound of the elephant's movements. It was still coming up, but very slowly. I waited behind a tree about 75 meters from where I had been standing earlier. I knew all elephants were not dangerous and in case he was in a temperamental mood I had my escape route clear behind me. As the sound came closer, I saw something grey emerge over the edge of the slope a few feet below where I had been standing a little while earlier. Then the forehead and tusks came into view.

What a magnificent specimen? I have seen elephants at close range in Bandipur and Nagarahole but that was from the relative safety of a safari vehicle. I have never had an experience of a malicious charge. Mostly, it was mothers with little calves in tow that showed a tendency to get irritated and the mock charges were to scare you off. All the bull elephants only gave long hard looks before they went on their way. Some of them completely ignored us!

As this handsome bull emerged from below, I could see he was a young adult in his prime. My first concern was to see if he was in musth. My gaze went to the line between his ear hole and the eye. If he was in musth a wet patch can been seen starting from midway on this line, where the opening of the musth gland is, and flowing towards the mouth. It was a perfectly dry space on this tusker.

Then, as he reached the edge of the slope he looked in my direction, with ears forward. Perhaps he heard my camera clicking or he saw me standing there.

It was only once he reached the top that I realized how fortunate I had been. Here was a superb specimen of elephantine handsomeness and I had the privilege of setting my eyes on him at eye level, and on foot. It was my first face-off with a wild tusker on foot and all alone. I wasn't therefore very keen to provoke him into charging me. I stayed in the safety of the forest, partly hidden by some trees.

He had the most dignified look about him and I couldn't resist squeezing off a few more shots. He looked at me calmly and I could feel him telling me something. Almost as if he was a Messenger from the Wilderness. It seems, I had forgotten recently that there was more to nature than birds.  

Just on top of this slope is a flat rock with a small tree beside it, our Bodhi Tree. That was the rock on which my son and I had come and sat many a time just enjoying the feel of the winds blowing over us while we soaked ourselves in the the sights and sounds of the forest around us.Perhaps it was a wake up call; just a reminder that we forgot about Bandipur and our other regular haunts. Time has come for a revisit and also a revival of the Woodcrawler's Journal that has suffered a breakdown for nearly a year.

It seems the Messenger knew that I heard him. He turned, and walked off up the slope away from me. I too returned to my car, humbled by the experience. It is a rare privilege to encounter a handsome bull, all alone and on foot in a favourite patch of forest.

To those who think elephants are dangerous, I'll tell you that you are wrong. They are far more sensible than us humans and prefer to melt silently into the forest in the presence of humans but when we encroach into their territory and disturb them, they WILL retaliate. Don't forget, these gentle creatures, when provoked can be extremely angry and then it will be too late to regret.

Please check this link for more on elephant behaviour

My experience in Malampuzha was unexpected, though not entirely. I don't claim to be an expert in jungle craft but I've acquired some knowledge and minor skills that could get me out of many tricky situations. Remember, don't try anything foolhardy. Keep a safe distance if you know you are in the vicinity of elephants, especially herds with very small calves.

The latest idiotic trend is to try and take a selfie everywhere, including in the presence of wild elephants. That is outright stupid. Not only that, the flash in a camera, mobile or otherwise is very irritating to elephants and all wildlife in general. You can get yourself into trouble if you 'flash' at a pachyderm.

Next time you run into an elephant herd in the wild, remember that if you give them their space, they will almost surely ignore you and continue with their business of feeding. It is only when you deliberately provoke them that they react violently.

My instinct tells me that 2018 promises to be a great year for the Woodcrawlers of the world.

Happy Woodcrawling!

Parambikulam - Forest of Teaks & Tigers

The Western Ghats or Sahyadris, is a stretch of mountains running south along the western edge of the Indian peninsula. Starting somewhere on the border between Gujarat and Maharashtra it runs south through Maharashra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and ends at Kanyakumari in Tamilnadu. 

It is now an UNESCO World Heritage Site and in its 1600 kilometers of nearly unbroken terrain, encompasses within its 160,000 square kilometers, one of the world's 10 most hottest 'biodiversity hotspots'! Along its length it includes 39 major national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests; 20 in Kerala, 10 in Karnataka, 5 in Tamilnadu and 4 in Maharashtra.

I said 'nearly unbroken' because when it reaches the middle of Kerala the Western Ghats suddenly sinks to the ground from an average elevation of nearly 2700 meters to just 140 meters above MSL for about 30 kilometers of its' length. This is the Palghat Gap, a cleavage in this mountain chain allowing an east-west access from the peninsula to the west coast. On the north lies the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and the south is flanked by the Anaimalai hills.

On the northern edge of the Anaimalai hills, in Palakkad district is Nelliyampathy and it forms the northern border of Parmbikulam Tiger Reserve. Parambikulam sits in one of the biodiversity rich parts of the Western Ghats. On the west is the Peechi-Vazhani WLS and Sholyar. On the east is the Aliyar RF, Indira Gandhi National Park and Chinnar WLS. On the south is the Sholayar reservoir and Chalakudy river, beyond which lies Idamalayar. At the southern tip of this approximately triangular part of the western ghats is Idukki WLS and Periyar Tiger Reserve. 

This is an area that I could spend wandering around for the rest of my life, if I could!

I have been to Parambikulam only twice before, in an era when you could drive into the forest in your own vehicle accompanied by the mandatory guide deputed by the Forest Department from the local EDC. That was over a decade ago when Parambikulam was a wildlife sanctuary. There were not many restrictions on the route we could drive on and it was an experience that can never be repeated now. With the elevation of the WLS to a Tiger Reserve in 2009 many restrictions have been put in place to ensure the tiger and its prey base are well protected. This trip was done last monsoon though I'm recording it now!

ROUTES & ACCESS: (All distances from Palakkad)

Though Parambikulam is in Kerala the only access, by road, is through Tamilnadu. Most of those traveling from outside Kerala will have to reach Pollachi before joining up with the road from Kerala at Ambarampalayam. Those coming along the west coast highway (NH-17) from Mangalore side will eventually have to reach Palakkad.

Travellers driving up from South Kerala will have to turn off  on the NH 544 (the erstwhile NH 47) to Nemmara from Vadakancherry. That route will pass through Kollengode before eventually reaching Meenakshipuram, the common point for the three routes. For those coming from North Kerala there are two routes from Palakkad. 

You can either drive up the Palakkad-Pollachi road upto Gopalapuram and take a right turn near the check post to Meenakshipuram. The other route, that people like me living in the town can take is the Palakkad-Koduvayur road, turn left at Koduvayur to Thattamangalam (also spelt Tattamangalam) (21 kms). Immediately after Thattamagalam  the road divides into two. Take a right turn towards Vandithavalam and Meenakshipuram (41 kms); the left goes to Chittur. Ambarampalayam (49 kms) is 8 kilometers after Meenakshipuram, where you have to turn right to Anaimalai (55 kms). In the center of Anaimalai town take a right to Vetaikaranpudur (58Kms) and eventually Sethumadai (66 kms).

Sethumadai, where you turn right to Parambikulam

The road swings right at Sethumadai and reaches the first of the many check posts on the road to Parambikulam. The first check post, at the bottom of the ghats, is controlled by the Tamilnadu Forest Department. You have to register your vehicle and passenger details here first. 

The first check post

The second check post is in Top Slip (76 kms) where you again have to get out and sign another register. The TNFD has rest houses and dormitories in Top Slip. There is a basic forest department canteen where food can be obtained by prior order. 

TNFD Forest rest house at Top Slip

The third check post is at the border of the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, manned by the Kerala Forest Department. Your vehicle will be subjected to a thorough check for liquor, plastics and the like before being allowed to go further. The last check post is at Anapaddi, where you have to leave your vehicles if you are a day tripper. Private vehicles are permitted beyond this point only if you have booking at one of the available accommodation facilities run by the department. Once again, a guide is allotted for each vehicle. 

For day trippers the department organizes a three hour bus trip to all the important places in Parambikulam. There is a stop at Thunakadavu dam. The FD has a tree house on the edge of the reservoir. 

Thunakadavu

It is from here the bus takes you on a short drive through the forest up to the Kannimara Teak, reputedly one of the oldest and largest teak trees in the world. 

Kannimara's canopy

Full length view of the Kannimara tree

During this drive you have the best chance of spotting some wildlife. Since our trip was during the monsoon there was not much activity of the larger mammals. 

Chitals

Wild boar relaxing in the slush

Nilgiri langur & Malabar Giant squirrel

Nilgiri langur juvenile

Malabar Giant Squirrel

Once you finish the Kannimara teak visit, the rest of the drive is on asphalted road. The bus halts briefly at a view point from where you can see dam you just left behind. The reservoir is just a small shining patch in the middle of the lush forest that covers all the landscape as far as eyes can see.

Thunakadavu from the view point

The final stop is in Parambikulam (81 kms) dam site and the township. If you are on a day trip you can find small eateries here or you can fix up with the canteen at Anappadi check post. We had carried a packed lunch so that was not required.

The forest department has another tree house and a rest house with rooms here. The best accommodation appears to be their Tented Niche at Anappadi. A small patch of forest fenced off near the  check post. They have tented accommodation that can be booked for overnight trips. I am yet to do a trip there but that is the next on my agenda.

We stopped at the Anapaddi check post and unpacked our lunch in the company of butterflies, peacocks and a rhesus macaque who was trying very hard to appear uninterested in our lunch!

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

1. Parambikulam is easily accessed from Palakkad or Pollachi so you can have your base in one of these places.
2. Start early from Palakkad. You can stop at the Sakthi Resorts just outside Ambarampalayam for  breakfast. Be warned, they seem to have a very laid back attitude and we spent an hour waiting for breakfast. Otherwise pack your breakfast and lunch for the trip.
3. Carry no plastics or liquor. They are very strict about it and will confiscate bottles. They only keep a count of plastic bags and bottles. 
4. The check posts open at 6.00 AM and close at 6.00 PM. Cross the Top Slip check post on time otherwise the Sethumadai check post will be locked and you will have a little hassle. 
5. The best option appears to go on an overnight trip or a two night package that the forest department offers. Though you are not allowed to drive around in your own vehicle, the FD has a dusk drive at 6.00 PM. Ideal time when the wildlife are getting active. Leopards are very often seen in the evenings though tigers are rarely seen.

Happy Woodcrawling...................