The hills of Bramhagiri - a classic example of shola forests and montane grasslands

The Western Ghats is an amazing place.  The more I see it, the more marvellous it seems.  Those magnificent trees, the streams, the grasslands, shola forests... every visit is memorable.

The Bramhagiri hills in the border between Kerala and Karnataka is one such WG hotspot of biodiversity, and I have had the privilege of seeing these mountains from both the Coorg side and from Wayanad on trips organised by The Madras Naturalists' Society.

In April of 2015, we visited SAI sanctuary, a private sanctuary that is the efforts of Pam and Anil Malhotra, on the Coorg side, and more recently in January of 2018 we were in Wayanad.  The SAI Sanctuary trip was memorable in many ways - the glow worms, the walks, the meals, the skies filled with dramatic lightning, scorpions, snakes and much more.  So much excitement that I didn't know where to start, and I have postponed its telling by a few years!

This one is about the Bramhagiris, where you find the grassland-forest mosaic, characteristic of a lot of the Western Ghats ridges above 1500m.  It seems that over the last decade or so, these grasslands have seen a very strong and significant decline, as we have treated them as "poromboke", and a lot of it has been built over or converted to plantations.  A study in the Palani hills was reported in an article in The Hindu.

Researchers from Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in Bengaluru collaborated with a team from IISER in Tirupati, Botanical Survey of India, Vattakanal Conservation Trust and Gandhigram Rural Institute used satellite imagery to tabulate changes in the hilly landscape over nearly 530 sq.km. of the range which is popular for the hillstation, Kodaikanal.
If in 1973, shola grasslands spread across 373.78 sq.km. of the landscape, four decades later in 2014, it had shrunk to just 124.4 sq.km., marking a 66.7% decline. The reduction is seen even in native shola forests, whose area has declined by a third to 66.4 sq.km.
“These declines caught us by surprise, particularly considering that these dramatic changes have been occurring only around two decades ago,” said Milind Bunyan, Coordinator at the ATREE Academy for Conservation Science and Sustainability Studies, and the lead author of the paper that was published in PLOS One.
These drastic declines are particularly stark in shola grasslands (which are stunted forest growths of diverse grass species), and seem to be accelerating through the decades.
For the shola forests, however, the decline seems to have been arrested since 2003. Does this imply better conservation strategy for the woody forests, accompanied by a neglect of the grassland?    

The article also reports on the concomitant growth of timber plantations and agricultural land replacing these grasslands.


April 2015

The Bramhagiri hills in the distance, from the SAI sanctuary

These grasslands were similar to those on the peaks

Wherever we travelled in lower Coorg, the hills were always there, as were the leeches!

With overcast skies, and pre-monsoon humidities, we took a trip to the Iruppu Falls, part of the Bramhagiri sanctuary

The lush green forests were a sight for our summer-filled Chennai roasted eyes, as we entered the sanctuary.

The Bramhagiris sanctuary was legally notified in 1974, and is about 180 sqkms, and adjacent to Nagarhole (which we had driven through), and is an important elephant corridor.

The border runs through it as was evident from the mixture of Kannada and Malayalam signboards.

A lot of treks start from the Iruppu Falls, even a 9 kms one to the Bramhagiri peak, which we reached from the Thirunelly side this year. If we had done the Iruppu Falls-side trek, it would have been along the path of the Lakshmanthirtha river and the shola forests.

It was obviously popular with the bathers and tourists

At the start, a grand Peepul tree stood welcoming us, and a board informed us that it
was the "Peepul God".  I paid my respects.

The water flow was weak, being April, but the air was full of bird call, and there were
butterflies everywhere. They mud puddled in the wet soil, and I wondered why
they were not targeted by the leeches, hmm.

Malabar Banded Peacocks are endemic to the WG, and they were everywhere on the trail, as were Paris Peacocks.

This stream flows down and eventually joins the Cauvery.  i

Travancore wolf snake - Photo by Prasanna

Back down, and more excitement.  Fellow MNS traveller Prasanna felt a friendly lick when she put her hand in her backpack, which upon further investigation turned out to be a snake.

The bag was hurriedly taken to the edge of the forest and then with much instructions shouted from everyone, was turned upside down, and the pictured Travancore wolf snake slithered away at lightning speed.  Most of us, including me did not even get a look, so fast did it vanish!

Now, this incident had a telling effect on our driver from Mysore, a volley of nervous kannada, much gesticulation and a thorough cleaning like never before of his car!

We visited the Thirunelly  Vishnu temple briefly, after clambering up the necessary steps.  The temple is believed to be built by the Cheras, and the Papanasini river flows down from Bramhagiri, providing water to the temple and the town.  One our visit to the hills this year, we would often come across the pipe through which the water thundered down to the temple.

The grasslands interspersed with dense shola could be seen on the surrounding mist-laden hills

On to Kuruva Island in the Kabini delta.  Uninhabited it said, but we arrived to find it teeming with tourists and very much habited!  Do not expect to see much birdlife amidst the human cacophony, but the trees are majestic, and we were lucky to see a ....

...Flying lizard.  You will find it in the middle of the picture, and as I trained my binoculars on it, it soared to the next tree, and for that one sight, it was worth a visit!

In July of 2015, on a visit to Valparai, we saw the Grass Hills of Annamalais in the distance.   

The forest-grassland ecosystem of the Grass Hills in the Annamalais, seen from Valparai.

Jan 2018

A close encounter with the grassland-forest ecosystem had to wait until this year, when we were part of the MNS trip to Wayanad district.  We camped at Sultan Bathery over the Pongal weekend, and on Jan 14th, we left the KTDC's Pepper Grove at 530 am to drive down to Thirunelly to take the Thirunelly-Bramhagiri trek.  We began in darkness, and dawn emerged slowly, with the morning mist hampering the visibility.  We were almost at the Thirunelly station, when at 720am, just as we turned around a bend,     we caught a glimpse of a tusker munching his way though the forest.  It had its back to us, and preferred it that way obviously, as it continued to retreat and move into the forest.  

A wild elephant sighting for me is always special.  It cheers me, fills me with delight and awe and yet, makes me introspective and humble, and in a way I can't explain I feel a little shameful. Ashamed at what I as homeo sapiens have done to these magnificent creatures, provoking them into conflict, crowding them out of the planet that belongs to them as much as me, isolating herds, blocking off their corridors of access, chaining them in my temples, maiming and killing them for their tusks.

I was greedy for more such dracaenas, but it was not to be.  On this trip.  

We reached the starting point of the trek and had a upma breakfast before starting our climb through the forests.  We had our leech socks on, and of course not a single leech did we spy on the whole walk!

Blue skies and tall trees.  That was all my soul needed it seemed!

Our forest guide was Raju whom we learnt was a local Paniya tribe, and he told me that he goes up on this trek every day!  He was patient and seemed to manage a smattering of Tamil, of course knew Malayalam.  We also met Muneer along the way.  He was from the  Ferns Naturalists Society, and he pointed out the Malabar Trogon which was perched on a branch in the shade, just a little while into our trek.  Many of the group did see it, not me of course, which is par for the course as far as my birding goes.  For me, the birds have to sit there, out in the open (carrying a name board if possible), and I would then spot it!  

To my eternal astonishment, I did see the Brown Breasted flycatcher, the Malabar barbet, White breasted blue flycatcher  and the Chestnut headed bee eater.  Each one a beauty, but the barbet was the best, sitting high up in the crown of a tree, with the sun catching the red and blue!  The Chestnut-headed bee eater put on quite a show for us, diving for insects before coming back to the same perch.

Of course, all this bird activity and the marvellous trees meant that I malingered a lot.  Without my dear husband to hurry me along (he didn't make this trip), I was of course at the rear of the group.

Looking up at the blue skies, I was struck by how this is almost a forgotten memory.
Yes people, thats how blue the sky should be.  And no, there is no filter on this picture
and no colour correction.

Was this a Rosewood?  I could not get a confirmation.

A stately Benteak - "Naked mermaid of the forest" - with its peeling bark.

Running vertically down the hill was a  water pipe, and the thundering water was a direct reminder of the importance of these hills and forests to the freshwater requirements of the plains.

Suddenly, we emerged out of the shade and canopy of the forest, and we caught out first glimpses of the hilltops around.

The sunbathing grasses waved us on.

The path and the stunted trees

So this was how it looked at close quarters.  Those "bald" hills were not actually bald, but were grasslands.

The sun was up, and so were the butterflies.  Sailers, Fourrings I could identify, and the smaller grass blues and yellows.
But there were many others that I could not identify.

We reached the end of the gentle incline.  It ended in a super tall watch tower. The breeze was stiff, and we were told that those of of us who were interested  could do the last little bit to the summit, from where the views were even better.

Climbing the last bit.

It didn't seem a lot when we started.  The breeze was stiff and the sun not too harsh,
so off we went.  

There were several types of grasses - Alloteropsis, goose grass,  Supposedly 28 types of grasses are found here.  There were some with a purple hue, some that looked golden, and green of course.  I thought I smelt lemon grass, but I was too busy focussing on the path and making my way up to stop and take pictures.  Also, the wind was so strong, I felt quite vulnerable trying to walk up a path which seemed at 60 degrees!  Raju of course made his way up like a Nilgiri Tahr!

When we reached what we thought was the top, I realised that it was not really the top and there was another peak to be climbed.  I maybe should have returned at this point, as did many others, but Raju was very encouraging and seemed to indicate that it was not that much more!  Walkers who were returning also said the same thing, so on I went!  

We could see the islands of forests up close.  I assumed that this vegetation peculiarity was due to very thin soil cover, and the trees were growing where the water collected, but it seems that that is not as straightforward as that, and there is a more complicated reason for the forest-grassland formation,

Peak 1 and 2 done!  And now a gentle climb up 3 and 4!  I could not have made it without the helping and reassuring hand of Raju, who could probably walk up the path blindfolded, so many times has he done it.

It is the first time in my life that I have been higher than the surrounding hilltops.  I particularly liked this view of the single grassy bald peak amidst the forested ones.

Still further up.  There was elephant dung all the way up here.  My superego encouraged and reasoned that if the elephant could make its way up, so should I.  My id pointed out to me that the elephant has four feet.  Raju reasoned that I had come thus far, and it was not right that I give up.  So on I went  

The beautiful grasslands.  Up close you could see there were little shrubs, and many varieties of grass.  

Grasses are important.  Wheat, rice.... very important.  

More views

Looking down into Coorg, Karnataka

That's Thirunelly down there.  

1215, and this was the top of the Bramhagiri peak.

Elumalai soaking it in, the sun, the wind and the blue sky.  Butterflies rushed past our noses, swept away by the wind.  A black eagle did not seem in control of its flight.

One last look around before we descended, after a half hour stop.  Dhruva managed a phone call down to the others - BSNL of course!

Back under the trees, bruised toes and creaking knees, legs like jelly, the descent always more painful than the ascent!

We filled our bottles with the cool and fresh waters of the stream before heading down.  Sadly my 2 litre camelback came apart, and all that sweet and cold water went sloshing into the earth.

Raju hurried us down, no lingering he said, fearing that elephants were close.  We fell silent and for once the MNS lot were fast and disciplined and stayed together.

It was close to 3 when we trundled in to Thirunelly looking for some lunch.  Ambika Lunch Home was out of food, and we were saved by Anupama Lunch Home - Rice with sambar and mor kuzhambu keerai poriyal and papadam. Best lunch!  Topped with a nendram banana.

While our driver Iqbal steered us back to Sultan Batheri, I for one fell into an exhausted snooze.  It was past 6pm and dusk was falling.  A hot bath and dinner awaited.