Horn, OK Please.

16th January 2015

The magical Taal Chhapar grasslands in Rajasthan. A tiny little sanctuary at seven square kms on the eastern borders of the Thar.  We were coming from the western ends of the desert and the gigantic Desert National Park (more than 3000 sq kms).

We left Sujangarh and motored to the ghoshaala in the early morning mist, where we chased the tree creeper most successfully.

So it was with cheer and anticipation that we arrived at this little sanctuary of the blackbuck.  Antilope cervicapra rajputanae.  Bhanu had visited Taal Chhapar in 2014, and her pictures of the beautiful blackbucks in the rolling grasslands had piqued my interest.

The 7-8 sq kms of this sanctuary is filled with grassland and saline rock and khejri trees.

Blackbuck are at home in grasslands, no forests for them.  The browns merging with the mothiya grass and only their horns standing out like a ships' flag mast! The grasslands give them an advantage when fleeing from predators, and they do not mind the semi-arid conditions. So, as we convert grasslands into farms, the blackbuck habitat shrinks.  

These beautiful antelopes are endemic to the Indian subcontinent, and we are the only country with a sizeable though endangered population.  Hunted with cheetahs by our maharajahs, protected fiercely by the Bishnois, they seemed almost mythical and magical as they moved around in the grass.  

The males have horns and the skin turns darker with age.  The fawns don't have horns and are a much lighter hue.  The ponds are formed in the low-lying parts of the sanctuary.

Young males, with a fawn brown colouring.

An adult male posed proudly, its horns resplendent.  And those rings around the eyes like big moons.

Those horns!  "A well-formed pair of horns on a mature blackbuck male may reach two feet in length and have a nearly equal spread between the tips." observes R K Menon

They grow from the base, do not fall off, grow spiralling outwards and are a pretty handy weapon of territoriality, as we saw later.    

As dusk fell, we grew quiet, watching these shadows pass by in the grass, their silhouettes like a Japanese painting.

As I saw the sun go down, I dreamed of the plains of Africa.  Would I ever make it there?

But the drama of nature had one more act.  A male passed purposefully on the track ahead of us.

And before our eyes, horns were locked and a turf war began.

Just as quickly. it ended, with both the males trotting off in different directions, and to us, it seemed like it was a "draw"!

"Blackbuck are territorial animals. A territorial animal like the blackbuck male holds a piece of meadow or land that he defends against invasion of conspecific males. The male in its white and black coat stands prominently on its territory, which he hasfought for and taken from an earlier holder or, in some cases,colonised by himself. The ownership of the territory may pass on from one individual to another each year or a single, strong male may be able to retain it for several years. 
Fights between males for territory possession can be violent.The two males clash head on to lock horns and push mightily against each other. This is where the corkscrew shape of the horns comes into use. The spirals of the horns lock into one another so that they do not slip, much as the antler of deer like chital lock during battle. Where the males are almost evenly matched, a fight may continue over a few days. 
After the first bout, the contestants withdraw for a short while, only to clash again. The contestants engage, break off, and re-engage in this turf battle until the issue is settled. When the loser flees, it is usually chased only for a few yards, and then it may be seen somewhere else where it is more comfortable.
The winner then stands in the territory waiting for the females to come, for, in blackbuck, territory is the ticket to reproductive success. When the females do arrive, the male tries to herd them and keep them within his patch of land. This it does by what is called the 'head-up' or 'nose-up' display. The male raises its tail upright to show the white underside, raises his nose till the horns are almost flat along its back, turns its ears downward and backward and moves with mincing steps, all the while forcing the females deeper inside his territory. It may also grunt during this behaviour. The females may move inward in response to the 'head-up' display and begin to graze there, but if they are not so inclined, they simply walk across into an adjoining territory. 
The male has no recourse other than to do the'head-up' display in front of the wandering female. It appears strange that once a female or herd of females crosses over into another territory, the pursuing male will stop short at the end of his territory and not take one step more. In most cases, the neighbouring male will come forward to escort the female into its own territory.To the human eye, the exact demarcation line between two adjoining territories is not always visible."

The Quintessential Antelope - Life of the Blackbuck - by R K Menon

A canopy of life - The Hindu

If there is one person I know who is earning good karma everyday, it is Shobha of Nizhal!



A canopy of life - The Hindu

• 
  KALAKSHETRA FOUNDATION

  From the Banyan sapling which Rukmini Devi planted to get Kalakshetra going, there grew the Banyan tree under which Rukmini Devi, Arundale and others sat.
• 
  KALAKSHETRA FOUNDATION

  Girls dance under the banyan tree in a picture from the present.
• 
  The Grange now called Kanchi

TOPICS

Rukmini Devi (Arundale) once wrote, “I brought a small sapling of the great Banyan in the Theosophical Society and on the 1st January 1951 we had a small ceremony for planting it in our new campus. Many friends from different parts of the world brought earth from their own countries for this ceremonial planting. The land was bare except for small saplings that we had been planting from time to time. It was a vast sandy beach with not a speck of green and only the sea to make us feel cool under the hot sun. But I had a great feeling of benign presence and in my heart I felt hopeful.” And with that hope in her heart — and that banyan sapling’s promise — there began the growth of the verdant campus in which Kalakshetra has now sunk deep roots.

Today, a rich forest has grown on what was barren land. And to celebrate it, the Kalakshetra Foundation has recently brought out a book rich with the pictures of trees, flowers and fruit, insects and birds in all their brilliant hues: Pidhana — The Canopy of Life. What it reveals could not have been imagined by people like Prof. Janardhanan when he arrived at Kalakshetra in 1958 and saw “a largely empty campus, with a four-roomed cottage and a L-shaped studio the only construction.” It was a sea of barrenness that almost merged with a sea of “roaring waves”. To bring life to such barrenness was Rukmini Devi’s aim and when she had succeeded she would say, “From the harmony of environment — life, thought, philosophy and nature — with the creative spirit within, inspiration is born and art is the expression.”

Supplementing the striking photographs by R. Prasana Venkatesh, Sai Archana and Sreedhar Vaidya is the textual tree species documentation by Nizhal. It was Nizhal, twenty this year, that sowed the seeds for the book. A ‘Tree Walk’ it organised at Kalakshetra in 2013 led to it suggesting a documentation of the trees on the campus — and a book was born. It’s a book that will have many wanting to follow the nature trails Kalakshetra could add to its offerings. It is also a book that needs cloning by such Nature-rich campuses of institutions like the Government Museum, the Theosophical Society, the Madras Christian College, the Madras Club, and the Kotturpuram Tree Park.

The Kotturpuram Tree Park is another signal contribution to the greening of the city by Shobha Menon-led Nizhal. From wasteland on the northern bank of the Adyar River, near the Kotturpuram end, Nizhal led a movement of the citizens in the neighbourhood into creating and tending this Park, which now is also supported by the Corporation of Madras. Almost every tree in the Park bears a plaque announcing its species, deer roam where they have long meandered, a paved track has citizens of every financial status discovering the joys of walking, scores of benches provide space for those who want to enjoy fresh air while they gossip, a gazebo houses the story of the Park, and, best of all, there’s virgin forest at the eastern end of the Park with trails in it for those seeking ‘nature-in-the-raw’. The Park’s still a work in progress, but in 10 years’ time, if cared for, will be another ‘forest’ in the city. It’s a model to be followed in other parts of Madras that is Chennai if we are to make a green city greener.

The ghoshala near Taal chappar

Our hotel at Sujjangarh

16th Jan 2015

We had checked in the previous night into Hotel Rich Garden at Sujangarh, the accommodation of choice in this little town.

The rooms were clean, as were the bathrooms (importantly!) the water in the taps was salty, and the food came from somewhere we didn't want to know I guess!

We had an early morning start, and as usual, it was quite an effort of mind over body to face the morning cold!


We went outside only to be greeted by a strange sight and a lot of roaring engines!  A bunch of bikers were on their way to the hills - Dharamsala, via Amritsar!

According to me, this was even more lunacy than ours!

Breakfast was not great - it just wasn't good quality food, and thanks to Lakshmi, we discovered a great place for lunch. (More about that later.)

I was glad to get into our warmer vehicles, as we headed to the outskirts of Taal chappar sanctuary, to the "cow shed area" or goshala.

Well, I expected to see some nice Indian cows, mooing in the morning, and a familiar rustic scene of milkmen and cow dung, but instead was greeted by this!

The Khejri-tree filled landscape, made ghostly by the morning mist

There was a silence filled only with our muffled laughs and whispers, as even the birds obviously felt  too cold to call.

I spent some time in juvenile games of blowing "smoke" and pretending to puff a cigarette, delighting in the morning air, as I was layered like an eskimo and not feeling miserably cold!

Suddenly Nabeel, our guide was making  frantic hand signals and asking us to follow him.

And so began our saga of creeping behind the tree creeper!

Our first sighting! The Indian spotted creeper (Salpornis spilonotus)

The first time any of us were seeing this bird, and it was an amazing sight.  Such a methodical and industrious hunt for food I have not seen.  It would fly to the base of one khejri tree, go peck, peck peck into the bark with its long thin beak, make its way to the top of the trunk, then fly off to the next, where it would repeat the same process all over again!

Through the binoculars, we got a clear sighting of its mottled or marbled back, so well camouflaged against the tree bark.  And that thin long, down-curved beak with which it extricated insects from the bark.

It was a fast worker, and no malingering at any point.  Now you saw it profiled on the left..... 

.....and in the blink of an eye it was on the right.

I know the pictures look brown and boring, but it was a marvellous sight, as it flitted from tree to tree, and we crept along with it.  We were told that there was a group endemic to the cowshed.  These birds do not migrate, and are residents in this patch.

The light had improved by now, and slowly we heard and saw some activity.  Bulbuls called and flitted in the branches, while large grey babblers noisily moved around in groups in the undergrowth.

A drongo flew into view, as if seeking our attention

It perched on the branch of the scrub, seemingly glad for the weak sun that had emerged.

Rose ringed parakeets screeched and settled in the khejri trees.

And then suddenly there were flashes of orange and yellow among the branches.  A group of small minivets brightened the trees like little christmas decorations!

The grey-black heads and the orange chests seemed to catch the sun.  Pericocotus cinnamomeus male

They moved in flocks and wouldn't sit still.  I heard the shutters of everyone's cameras madly clicking.

Through the binoculars they made for a breathtaking sight, with their little perky heads and long tails,....

....and when they flew it was a flash of brilliant colour.

The treecreeper came into view again, and with the brighter light, the colours of its feathers could be seen better.

Indian Robins hopped around on the ground, unmindful of our presence.

And so ended our outing to the Goshala - and no I did not see a single cow through the morning!

We then went off to the lovely Taal chapper grasslands, with the oh so beautiful blackbucks.

And then there was lunch at this lovely old house/mansion - hot rotis, dal and sabji of the most fresh carrot and peas, papad and a local pickle which was rather delicious.  We all burped contentedly after and then lazed around on chairs and in the verandah, feeling like rock pythons after a meal, not wanting to stir.

We shamelessly invited ourselves to dinner as well, which was a good thing as we met their lovely daughters as a result.

Short-eared owl seen

• Prakash Gururajan spots and photographs a rare short-eared owl in Pachapalayam grasslands on the outskirts of Coimbatore
   
  Mottled Wood Owl
• 
  A RARE WINTER VISITOR FROM EUROPE: The Short-eared Owl. Photo: Prakash. G

A rare winter visitor has caught the attention of birders in the city. It has a distinct pair of short ears and goes by the name Short-Eared Owl. Birder Prakash Gururajan spotted it on February 26 at Pachapalayam dry grasslands on Siruvani Road. “After that, I have made multiple trips to the grasslands along with the members of Coimbatore Nature Society to see the bird,” he says.

It’s a winter passage migrant and is likely spend a short time here till the food supply dries out.

“The short-eared owl hunts for the prey in the day time unlike the nocturnal ones. The body colours serve as a camouflage on the grasslands,” he says.

Prakash had spotted small birds like larks and pipits perched on the ground and in good numbers at the grasslands.

He returned there to see if he could spot some other elusive ones such as the Oriental skylark.

“In February, I spotted the ashy Pallid Harrier taking off from the ground. I trekked further down looking for a Pallid Harrier or a Montagu Harrier when I spotted a raptor like bird flying low at 150 meters distance from me and landed. I stopped at about 50 metres to ensure that the bird is not disturbed and photographed it through the grass. It was the short-eared owl. It stayed there till the crows and drongos chased it away,” he says. They are competitors for the same prey.

The birder says the CNS team has also spotted the Mottled Wood Owl, at Mathipalayam on Siruvani Road. “We have made frequent trips to record and study the habitat of these birds. I also spotted the Indian Pita, Malabar Whistling Thrush and Niligirs Laughing Thrush near the Paambu Sitthar caves at Marudhamalai.”

Prakash reinforces the need to protect the habitat. He says, “If the dry grassland is left undisturbed, these species will thrive in good numbers and help the ecosystem too.”

The Thar desert on a winter morning

12th/13th January 2015

Read about the Great Indian Bustards here.

As we trundled along the flat and straight roads into the desert, visibility was just beyond our noses, and it seemed that only mad hatters and Madrasis were out.  Even the Cinkara stopped and stared in surprise!

As we stared at the khejri-tree filled landscape, something moved in the morning light.  "Desert fox" said Nabeel excitedly.  And there it was, a diminutive little thing with a distinctive white tipped bushy tail.  Vulpes vulpes pusilla

The shy fox, got us animated, and I almost forget the cold.  We were still in our vehicle, and relatively warm.

We got out at Sudasari, and the wind made a mockery of my layers of warm clothing, the monkey cap and gloves I wore, and reminded me that I was meant to be in nice balmy Madras and not in this dreadful cold, looking like a cross between an eskimo and a penguin!

Even more ridiculous were the locals, wrapped in a shawl and walking around as if it was a nice pleasant morning.

The Graceful Prinia looked anything but graceful, as the wind ruffled its feathers, and (according to me at any rate)  it had a miserable look on its face!

The Eurasian collared doves wore their usual mournful look

All over the desert were these bushes - kair - Capparis decidua - once  a year, they produce these berries, which are pickled and eaten through the year.  Kair/sangri - my culinary discoveries on this Rajasthan trip.

The doves took flight and left the Trumpeter Finches, with their yellow beaks for us to see!  My numbed and gloved fingers tried to work the binoculars to focus on them.  Thankfully, they hung around long enough for my inefficient focusing, and for Sekar to take these pictures.  It was a lovely sight, some of them with the distinct pinkish hue.  

The absent sun was higher in the sky presumably, the wind abated a bit, and the walking had warmed me into a better humour.

And then this Bengal fox, which casually crossed the track behind us, improved my mood even further.  He had a cocky and casual air about him, quite unlike the desert fox which seemed to skulk around.  The bushy black-tipped tail is characteristic of Vulpes bengalensis.

He sat and stared at us for a while, scratching himself.  We were obviously not interesting enough as he ambled away in a bored fashion, probably looking for his next meal.

Up on a dune, starkly visible against the sand was a southern grey shrike!  

It flew and perched on the scrub for us all to see.  We didn't see his "larder" of insects, though.

And sudden;y, there loomed two healthy and green Khejri trees.  Prosopsis cinerarea.  The state tree of Rajasthan (and the national tree of the UAE I subsequently discovered!),   Their greenness was a possible indication that there was a water vein below.

On closer examination, we found that they had pods.  Those red legumes are what we were eating as "sangri" at dinner times - I quite loved it actually.  

I guess they are like our coconut tree.  Every part is used.  But, excessive cutting of the tree branches for fodder is leading the the death of khejri trees in Rajasthan.  Later on, on the highways, we came across these trees with all their branches completely lopped off.

Bui - Aerva javanica - is the cotton of the desert, used to stuff pillows and mattresses, and grows widely in the desert in arid conditions.  

We saw the arid scrublands of the fringes of the desert and we saw the sand dunes as well.

Add caption

Unfortunately, there was cloud cover in the evening, and we missed the sight of the setting sun adding colours and hues to the sand dunes.  They were still beautiful, in their vastness, and the endless and infinitely different patterns that the winds created on the dunes.  The sand is soft, and powdery, quite different from the feel of the beach sand that I am used to.

Our desert "caravan".  (Note the rickety plastic stool.  We used that to hoist ourselves onto the cart.)

Bui to the left, khejri in the centre and khair to the right, and the beautiful sand patterns in the foreground.

It was time to say goodbye to the desert, and the "ships of the desert"!

Raju, the camel with the sweetest face and those most lovely eyes.  We saw some wild camels on the way, and they were the darker colour that Raju was.

Jaisalmer DNP and the vanishing GIBs

I read the news today, oh boy
about an unlucky bird
that's not making the grade

and yes the news was very sad
so I just had to post
having just seen two.

I wonder
what
we
should
do

(Apologies, John and Paul)

Spot them.  Ardeotis nigriceps.  Threatened, endangered.  On the verge of extinction.  At the Desert National Park

Called Godawan in Rajasthan, we saw two male birds, with their white necks and black caps.  

See Kumar's pictures here:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/anjanaakumar/16438660506/in/album-72157650271655829/

Venkat's pictures here:  http://www.thoorigai.in/Nature/Rajasthan/47349800_HcSWM9#!i=3862871966&k=WKm2BkK

It was cold misty morning in January when we set out from our tented accommodation in Sam village, into the Desert National Park, Sudasari, in search of the Great Indian Bustard.

These large birds are under stress from hunting and habitat loss.  At one time, they reportedly were found across peninsular India.  And now, they are isolated to two pockets - one in AP and this outpost in Rajasthan.  They need the grasslands for their survival.