16th April 2017
Continued from here.
The MNS group was visiting the Andaman islands and staying at ANET in Wandoor. Through the efforts of Mr Shankarnarayan, we had obtained permission to visit Rutland Island!
We set out, if I remember right at around 6am in the morning. The sun was up, and we travelled in our van along the thinly populated areas, going east first and then south, hugging the coast of the main island.
There was a little hamlet called Manjery, which amused and delighted me, as there is a Manjeri in Kerala that's famous in the family, but I am digressing. After about 45 minutes, through the tree cover, we spied the waters, and what a lovely sight it was!
We were at Pongibalu jetty, from where we were to take an open motorboat to Rutland.
The pictures below do not do justice to the natural beauty we saw. Clear waters, colourful fish darting in schools, mangroves at the edge, blue skies and a lovely breeze to counter the sharp April sun.
We were lucky to have with us Manish and Sathya from ANET, along with the forest department guide, to take us through what we saw and experienced.
Two boat trips were needed to ferry us across, and as we waited for our ride, we watched the fishes dart in and out from under the jetty platform, glinting as they caught the sun at certain angles. There were a lot of garfish or sea needles, and their long needle-shaped snouts made them easy to spot.
Then there were schools of parrotfish! What colours! Hard as I tried, I could not manage a picture of them, so fast were they in darting in and out.
The boat returned and we set off.
We crossed a tiny island called Rifleman, and rounded the Diligence Straits before we saw the jetty on Rutland Island. We were going to the one inside the cove, not the more exposed one further east.
As we moved in, off the beach we learned that there are no original inhabitants (Jangil tribe) anymore, and there is one small village of settlers, but otherwise the island is basically uninhabited, with no roads as such.
That is all set to change as there is an approved plan to set up some defence installations and missile testing. Really? Seriously? Isn't there any other place they could use? Any other island?
That evening, we strolled back to the Wandoor beach, via the Lohabarrack Sanctuary entrance. The waters are enclosed by a kind of net, and as the sun goes down, the local police are out with their whistles getting the people off the beaches. The threat of salt water crocodiles is very real.
As the skies darkened, we engaged in some black humour as we discussed how inadequate those nets seemed in the face of a large saltie.
It seems we were not far from the truth, as an attack in November 2017 led to the death of one man on that very same beach.
Continued from here.
The MNS group was visiting the Andaman islands and staying at ANET in Wandoor. Through the efforts of Mr Shankarnarayan, we had obtained permission to visit Rutland Island!
We set out, if I remember right at around 6am in the morning. The sun was up, and we travelled in our van along the thinly populated areas, going east first and then south, hugging the coast of the main island.
There was a little hamlet called Manjery, which amused and delighted me, as there is a Manjeri in Kerala that's famous in the family, but I am digressing. After about 45 minutes, through the tree cover, we spied the waters, and what a lovely sight it was!We were at Pongibalu jetty, from where we were to take an open motorboat to Rutland.
The pictures below do not do justice to the natural beauty we saw. Clear waters, colourful fish darting in schools, mangroves at the edge, blue skies and a lovely breeze to counter the sharp April sun.
We were lucky to have with us Manish and Sathya from ANET, along with the forest department guide, to take us through what we saw and experienced.
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| The views from Pongibalu, to the north |
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| South and west, with Rutland Island in the distance. |
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| Once again, the literally earth-shaking events of the tsunami were in evidence. On the right is the old jetty which has subsided and gone under water. (Click on the picture to get a better look) Rutland island has continuous freshwater, and that is the pipe that brings it to the main island. |
Then there were schools of parrotfish! What colours! Hard as I tried, I could not manage a picture of them, so fast were they in darting in and out.
The boat returned and we set off.
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| Rifleman island? |
We crossed a tiny island called Rifleman, and rounded the Diligence Straits before we saw the jetty on Rutland Island. We were going to the one inside the cove, not the more exposed one further east.
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| Looking out from Rutland Island at the jetty |
As we moved in, off the beach we learned that there are no original inhabitants (Jangil tribe) anymore, and there is one small village of settlers, but otherwise the island is basically uninhabited, with no roads as such.
That is all set to change as there is an approved plan to set up some defence installations and missile testing. Really? Seriously? Isn't there any other place they could use? Any other island?
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| We stayed on the trail and there were TALL garjan trees (Dipterocarpus alatus or are they turbinatus?) that we had to crane our necks to see. Magnificent, thats the only word that came to my mind. I of course had to see every tall tree, and therefore made very slow progress! The seeds are what we used to call "helicopters" as kids, twirling down with gravity. The tree is in the
"Critically Endangered" list of IUCN, one more reason to leave this island alone.
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Most of the Andaman archipelago depend on rainwater for fresh water. However Rutland Island has freshwater streams running through it, and from one such stream, a huge pipe carries water to the main south Andaman island, as was seen in the picture of the jetty.
Our Forest Guide can be seen standing on on one of the chambers along the pipe way.
He explained to us how the forests of the island were dense and covered with cane, bamboo and lianas and creepers, along with the forest giants, and the mixed forest is healthy and vibrant.
The giant evergreens, were just that.
The giant evergreens, were just that.
There are many Dipterocarps it seems!
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| Another Dipteorcarpus variety (I think), this one in seed. |
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| The rattan canes (Calamus longisetus) were everywhere. Manish showed us the 'hooks' that these climbers have by which they successfully climb over everything! |
The sun was high in the sky, and the air was humid. We were all sweating profusely, even though our path was more or less in the shade of the large trees.
The tree species would require several weeks of visits for me to note and identify properly. There were endemics like Planchonia andamanicus, Padauk - we saw a large fallen tree, Andaman crepe myrtle - Lagerstroemia hypoleuca, besides Siris, Junglee badam and other familiar trees.
Emerald Gecko!
The tree species would require several weeks of visits for me to note and identify properly. There were endemics like Planchonia andamanicus, Padauk - we saw a large fallen tree, Andaman crepe myrtle - Lagerstroemia hypoleuca, besides Siris, Junglee badam and other familiar trees.
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| The Evergreen Giants |
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| The overgrowth |
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| Shades of Green |
Emerald Gecko!
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| We found a bus-stop like rain shelter and all crowded into it, to sit and cool off, when Shubha spotted this brilliant green critter on the tree in front. Phelsuma Andamanesis (Andaman Island Day Gecko) is found only in the Andamans, and we were privileged to spot it. (Photo by Ramesh) Click on the picture to see the beautiful colourations in detail. |
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| It moved in and out of view as it circled the bark in search of its lunch of insects. |
We moved off the trail and settled by a little freshwater pond, where Pritam decided that the only way to cool off was to get right in. So he strode in, and settled in the middle of the shallow pond, (with a surly look on his face which discouraged any smart comments), with only his hat-covered head out of water. He did emerge in a little while in a better frame of mind it has to be said!
His mood improved even more when he spotted the Andaman Bulbul and Coucal in the foliage by the pond. There were orioles too. Watersides always lead to good bird sightings.
After a picnic lunch, we turned back on the trail to return to the jetty. I think the plan was to traverse the entire length of the island, but given the speed of our progress we made it only half way!
I don't think we quite know all the floral and faunal treasures that Rutland Island holds and yet the GOI wants to come in with this defence project. Call me naive, a bleeding heart, anti-development or whatever, but this whole project makes no sense to me.
If we could move the neutrino project out of the Western Ghats, why not this as well?
His mood improved even more when he spotted the Andaman Bulbul and Coucal in the foliage by the pond. There were orioles too. Watersides always lead to good bird sightings.
After a picnic lunch, we turned back on the trail to return to the jetty. I think the plan was to traverse the entire length of the island, but given the speed of our progress we made it only half way!
I don't think we quite know all the floral and faunal treasures that Rutland Island holds and yet the GOI wants to come in with this defence project. Call me naive, a bleeding heart, anti-development or whatever, but this whole project makes no sense to me.
If we could move the neutrino project out of the Western Ghats, why not this as well?
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| Terns awaited our return at Pongibalu. |
As the skies darkened, we engaged in some black humour as we discussed how inadequate those nets seemed in the face of a large saltie.
It seems we were not far from the truth, as an attack in November 2017 led to the death of one man on that very same beach.
Beautiful pics.... beautiful place!
ReplyDeleteNice to go through all the details once again here!