Travels along the Thamirabarani - Day 4 - Padhaneer, KMTR and a flaming Laburnum

Continued from here.

Day 4: 20 April 2023

By Gayathri R

(My comments in italics)

The morning began with a Malkoha sighting - there were a pair and Baskaran managed this shot of the full bird!  Most often, we were seeing tail or face or beak, with the restof the bird hidden behind.  A whole group of us crowded near the fence to see these beauties.

 

Before wandering in to the bus, I stared curiously at the grasses there, which seemed all knotted, as if some creature had been at work building a nest.

And then eagle-eyes Sagarika spots an Assasin.  Well, thats what these bugs are called I believe. Spot it if you can, and look for that long proboscis.  That is the assisination weapon - it injects saliva into the hapless prey, which then liquefies its insides which it then sucks on like a nice cold mildshake.  All this learning is today.  That day, I looked at it, or rather didn't see it, and then when I did, I was marvelling at its camouflage. "Tribe Harpactorini"

 Padhaneer!

The hero of the morning was Borassus flabellifer, the nungu tree, our state tree, ignored for most of the year, until it is nungu season!

As we got into the bus, Vijay announced he had a sweet surprise for us.  The bus came to a halt on the highway, along an avenue of Palmyra - and Padhaneer was announced.  The boys were dubious as was I, the men were gleeful, the women sceptical, but everyone curious.

Nungu was a favourite summer pastime at my grandparents' home in Coimbatore, but what was this padhaneer?  Wasnt it like pre-fermented toddy?  Shouldn't we be careful?

By the time these questions went through my head, everyone was busy slurping, a long line had formed each with one of these delightful cups.

I had a first tentative sip, oh!! it was delicious! - Sweet, malty, grainy and cool!  

Clay pots are placed under the flower fronds and the sweet sap collected early in the morning.  When fermented, this turns into toddy (was my understanding).

 Raji, Chitra and Sara lined up for second cups, Samrudh did not take to it, and Baskaran was in seventh heaven.
 

The tools of the trade, to clumb up, pierce the fronds and tie the pots

These cups - so aesthetic.

The video below shows how the rib is removed and the fronds are tied, to make these cups.

 

KMTR and the Sorimuthu Iyyanar Kovil

The Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) has been on my wish list for more than a decade.  This reserve is part of the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve, which straddles Kerala and Tamil Nadu.  If I remember right, Thanikai mentioned how the Thamirabarani originates within the KMTR.  If I remember right, Isakki mentioned there were 13 rivers, including the Manimuthar, Ganga and Kallar  in this region. The main species being protected was the LTMs - Lion tailed Macaques - and later tiger.

The landscapes vary from  moist to dry, and Kakachi was also part of the overall area was how I understood.  We were off to the Sorimuthu Ayyanar kovil area - for which special permission is not needed.  So we did not go into any "non public" places.

We crossed several canals and streams - all part of the wider Thamirabarani network.  Past Kalidakurichi and Ambasamudram.  We were soon winding up the hills.  It was a dry April scenery.

And we were at the Papanasam falls. Alighting from the bus was not allowed, so Isakki took everyone's phones and took some lovely pictures of the Papanasam Agasthiyar falls.  This is one of the falls where the Thamirabarani moves to the flatlands, and there is also a big Hydel project and a dam in the vicinity.  It was not in full force, but still quite a splendid sight.

Just a km or so before the temple, we got off and decided to walk the road.  There were many butterflies in the undergrowth keeping everyone busy.  We spotted a Leafbird, Lyra kept both eyes on her dad,

 

A watchtower had to be climbed, and what a breathtaking anorama, of the forests, the temple, the rocks and the river.

The bridge across the Thamirabarani

With the temple at the far end of the rocks.

Amidst the rocks, these plants were growing.

The Sorimuthu Ayyanar Temple, on the banks of the river flowing from the left of the picture, to the foreground.  What a grand sight!  The temple can be accessed from th right, over the bridge.  The temple sees busloads of pilgrims in the month of Aadi - especially amavasai.  It is a special temple for Sabaramalai pilgrims.  the Ayyanar deity is a avatar of Ayyappan.  Common names in the region - Pechi, Isakki, Pattavarayan - these are all part of the various deities at this temple.

As we crossed the bridge and headed to our bus, to return for breakfast, we saw this clump and a board.  

Euphorbia susan-holmesiae - a Cactus native to this region, and is also endangered. 

Vitex leucoxylon - identified by Thanikai as Neer Nocchi (tamil name). 

Breakfast, tree climbing and the most gorgeous Laburnum I have ever seen

It was past 9, we were hungry and hot, as we descended past the Papanasam temple and down to this lovely spot by the river.  Under the shade of a large Banyan tree, we feasted on Pongal (I think).

All these spots were (relatively) clean and defecation free - I found that amazing and enjoyable in itself.  One of the joyous revelations of the trip is the relative cleanliness of the surroundings of Tirunelveli and the river.

The banyan - boys and girls climbed, many ladies swung - including Raji, with the most gleeful expression on her face.  I did not attempt it.

What a gorgeous sight this tree was!  When we returned to Chennai, the Laburnums burst into bloom in May, this year - and some are even now in flower.  We all took pictures under this tree, of this tree, various combinations.

Back to Singampatti for a final dip in the river - it was HOT, and I had much travel ahead of me, so like a responsible adult (for a change) I decided to stay out of the sun and the water.  I watched the antics of the Greenish Leaf warbler instead.  This was the better dipping point - stronger water flow, and deeper as well - there was a mid-river ladies conference as well, it was wonderful to see.  Also impressive is the magical changing routines pre and post bath that the ladies managed.

 

It called, and chirped, and Aravind, Shashank, Sagarika and I followed it around.  Photo by Sagarika

Photo by Sagarika

 

 And so we returned back to our dorms, to pack and eat and rest before leaving.  Samrudh went off spider hunting within the campus along with Sagarika, the other boys played cricket.

The spiders are in this link.

Gayathri sums it up best:

We then came back and thanked everyone who crafted a spectacular journey, extending their hospitality. After delightful lunch with payasam, we started packing for our return trip. With loads of memories and authentic Tirunelveli halwa, we bid good-bye to the magnificent Thamirabarani landscape with high hopes of returning back. Below is a group photo of us in the campus.

Thanks to all the members of the group for sharing the sightings list, pictures and offering a lovely company. Thanks to Sagarika for her valuable feedback during report making. Special thanks to Vijay sir for organising this awesome trip. 

PS:  Raji got off at Tiruneveli - Janakiraman hotel to spend an extra day temple visiting, so no return adventures with her.  There was a rowdy and raucous "goodbye" that resounded all through the bus as she alighted.  After dropping her, we seemed to go round and round, seeing the same streets, as there were one way streets.

Chitra and I had a chocobar in the station, with much glee.

No Snorer in our compartment, so we slept well, and got off at Egmore, said goodbyes, and made our way together across the city - Mr Shankarnarayan, Chitra, Sheila and me. It is always difficult to say goodbye.

The iNaturalist species list

https://www.inaturalist.org/lists/4402490-Tirunelveli-Trip?view=plain

Travels along the Thamirabarani - Day 3 - Amazing landscapes

Continued from here.

Day 3: 19 April 2023

By Gayathri R

(My comments in italics)

Up and on the road by 620 am.

Vijay had warned that it was a long hot day, and we were all to be prepared.  

We drove through Tirunelveli town - this bus stand caught my eye.

Sheila was in a high state of excitement, as we passed her mother's school.  We had many on our group with Tirunelveli connections - and there was much chatter and nostalgia - Baskaran filling us in about Singampatti zamindar and KMTR, Mr Shankarnarayanan on his love for the Papanasam falls, Raji and her paternal connections to villages in the neighbourhood.

Vallanadu Blackbuck sanctuary

The sanctuary is a dry deciduous forest and the flora includes thorny hardwood and xerophytes: Dalbergia horrida, Dichrostachys cinerea, Vachellia horrida, Acacia planifrons, Albizia amara, Zizyphus. The place also hosts spotted deer, jungle cat, mongoose, black naped hare, scaly anteater(pangolin), vipers and rat snakes and nearly 100 other species of birds are found in the area/

We reached and climbed down from our bus into the searing dry heat, and up to the tower.

  

 

 

 

Thanikai explained the importance of the scrub and how this 16sqkms is like the last and southernmost refuge for the Blackbuck, with a hillock on  one side and the highway on the other.  It is important for such scrub habitats to be preserved, but I did wonder about this isolated sanctuary and what it meant for the population of Blackbuck, cutoff from other populations and inbreeding.

From up there, as we scanned the sanctuary, I saw a beautiful Paradise Flycatcher, a brown shrike, a skulking coucal and a Collared Dove, besides the 6 0r 7 Blackbuck fawns.  We did not spot a male.

Photo by Sagarika - The Blackbuck fawns

The brown shrike - lovely capture by Sheila.  Observe the thorns of the Acacia!

We descended and walked along the perimeter, and of course we menadered.  Some went off to see a little watering hole, I stared at the dragonflies and wildflowers, Shashank vanished into the undergrowth, the boys marched on ahead, and after a while wanted breakfast.

Photo by Sagarika - We saw this Agamid.  I gave it a casual once over and walked on....

Sagarika, on the other hand, the meticulous recorder of all things that move and dont move, took this picture.  Came back and checked - it was a Palm Leaf Fan throated lizard - Sitana visisri - endemic to TN and a not-so-common find. This from the internet - "The Sitana visiri species epithet is derived from the regional Tamil language word for a hand-crafted fan made from palm leaf (also the source of the common name), because the dewlap of S. visiri resembles a local palm-leaf fan."

Many more of the interesting flora and fauna are on iNaturalist, here.

All were picked up from different parts of the track, and a  slightly cranky and hot group got into the bus and headed to the Range Office, where our breakfast awaited.  A few puris later, everyone's spirits were up again!  Hats off to the remarkable team at Atree who kept us fed and hydrated - the age range of our group was from some 10 years to around 70 I guess, and between Vijay's remarkable people management and Thanikai and group, all diverse needs were taken care off!  The drinking water arrangement was interesting - I had never seen this handy little battery operated "pump" that fitted on top of the 20 litre water can, enabling us all to keep refilling our water bottles.  The Range Office also had a set of toilets, and soon we were all set to depart.

There was a Pied Crested Cuckoo at the rear of the campus, which I did not see as I was busy with the puris.  Some others were smarter- they managed the puris and the cuckoo. 

Therikaadu - the red desert.

What an amazing landscape!  I had read about it before our trip, but nothing quite prepares you for the sight - red sand, dunes and searing heat in the middle of peninsular India!

 

Situated close to tiruchendur, and just 15-20 kms from the coast, Therikaadu appears like this huge red Martian area in the middle of TN.

We climbed up dunes like this.

We gathered up around Thanikai, under the shade of a cashew to understand the geology of this place. 

Hrishu was given the taske of telling us what he knew.  Here's how I understood it - the land breezes blowing down the Nilgiris erode the laterite rocks carrying fine sand.  These winds collide with the sea breezes blowing in the opposite direction, and this has caused the red sands to get deposited here over centuries.

The "Aeolian Process" is detailed here.

Now these were just plain sand dunes with nothing growing on them.  But these are shifting sand dunes, which does not suit humans who want to deal with certainty and stability.  So, we have tried to "control" the shifting it appears.  How to prevent the dunes from shifting onto agricultural land?  Wind Breaks and Shelter Belts are being tried, it seems.  The cashews, casuarina and Palmyra are all planted more recently - even Neem has been tried, along with Kodakupuli.

It was too hot to linger on the dunes and we all moved from bush to bush seeking shelter.  i could almost feel the sun dehdrating me, drawing the waters from my body, sucking me dry!!

I tasted cashew fruit for the first time - it was too astringent for my liking, though full of water.

We were all grateful to sink into the bus seats, and turn on the airconditioning as we headed to our next stop.

We made our way to the Arunjunai Katha Ayyanar Thirukkovil which comprises of sacred groves, century old trees, ponds with lots of water birds. 

The sands were red here also - it is the periphery of the Therikaadu.  Thanikai explained how this was a land of "eris"  - lakes and ponds, some as large as an ocean, with some 30 villages around the periphery.  There is no connection between these rainwater tanks and the Thamirabarani river.

The tanks hosted temples and the trees around became sacred groves, protected by the people.

Thanikai explained that the palm trees, Screw pines (kewras) and Barringtonia groves were all very old and made for an interesting array of landscapes. A 400 year old Naval (Jamun) was also around.  And the ponds and tanks were filled with birds.

We saw this large peepul surrounded and protected by stone deities including this Ayyanaar which was quite magnificent.

The Barringtonia roots were stunning, and stood tall along with kewras - roots seen in the picture, indicating the presence of water, even if they were dry in April.

It was very warm and humid, but under the tall trees we were fine.  The road was filled with tamarind trees as well.  Lyra and Neil had discovered an interesting shoe stamping game - interesting for them I mean.  They were keeping score, much to my amusement.  

We came across the mighty Naval as well.  Take a look at the girth of its trunk. I kind of put my ear to the trunk, and took a few deep breaths as i lay my face on it.  Somehow a tree like this always fills me with awe and respect and amazement.  Was it standing and a witness durng the Polygar wars?

At one point, we rounded the corner, and suddenly there were no tall trees, just a long road with large tanks on either side, filled with water birds, standing listlessly in the ponds.  For some reason, at this point my body battery ran out, and I just felt extremely tired and drained.  I dragged myself from tree cover to tree cover, for a bit.  We saw both the jacanas, grey herons in plenty as also Brahminy Kites. 

But the biggest excitement was for the Comb Ducks - recognisable with their larger size, but far away in the distance. (Sagarika's Photo)

The boys pressed on down the road to see what the rest of the pond would reveal.  They were rewarded with Cotton Teals, which I didn't see.

A few of us, including me, took refuge on the steps of this tank under the shade of the trees.  A beeeater kept us entertained with its sorties, on the far left, Coots paddled around and a large grey heron stood stockstill in the midday sun.  (Baskaran's photo)

Lunchtime, came the welcome announcement, and we skulked by the short cut back to the Arunjunai Katha Ayyanar Thirukkovil, where we started.  See the way the temple envelops the Arjuna tree within it.

Mr Shankarnarayan's Picture of the beautiful Ayyanar from the Arunjunai Katha Ayyanar temple

What a beautiful lunch spot it was!  The tank water was clean as was the surroundings.  Once again, lunch plates were opened, bottles were refilled with water, and we ate and cooled off.  My body battery also got recharged.

We used the restrooms, and piled into our bus again, and started on the last leg of our day.  We were travelling East to the sea!  Many of us dozed off - a short ride to Punnakayal.

Punnakayal

At around 3 PM we reached Punnakayal, a small fishing town. This is the place where the river Thamirabarani meets the sea. 

Our boatmen were not available until 4pm, and we had to wait in the little covered shed-like structure.  Everyone kind of wandered around.  The older fishermen were playing some game, which I could not figure.

Boats were coming in with all sort of catch.

We witnessed a quick and efficient auction of this load of octpuses,

as also these mussels, which were being exported to China.  I wondered about the sustainability of this all, but of course I have no idea, and I am hoping the local fisherfolk know better.

Conspicuously absent at this time of day were the women - I did not see a single one.

We were shown the day’s catch along with starfishes, rays, crabs, octopuses and jellyfish.

We sighted Brown-headed Gull, Black-headed Gull and many Brahminy Kites. (This brown headed Gull photo by Baskaran)

 We hired a boat and traversed the sea, estuary and the mangroves. There are four species of mangroves belonging to 3 genera namely Avicennia marina, A. officinalis, Rhizophora mucronata and Acanthus illicifolius. 

We were taken to a small island patch where we walked around and found beautiful shells of sea-urchins, colorful shells and flora unique to the ecosystem. We tasted a small leaved plant which the fisher-folks said would be a bit salty. 

One other interesting behaviour we observed was of a Brahminy Kite. It was hovering above us eating the fish it held in its claws. 

We could see it in close quarters and clicked some good pictures. Other birds spotted on this day was White-eyed Buzzard, Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark, Great Thickknee, Whimbrel, Western Marsh Harrier and Western Reef Egret.

We returned around 6pm, and witnessed a beautiful sunset as well.

The journey back was long and we reached our stay at 9 PM. We had dinner and some of us (not me!) went for a night walk with Mr. Thanikaivel, escorted by Gingee, the pet dog there. We saw 3 vine snakes, scorpions with it’s young ones, a small white-breasted waterhen sitting on a tree and a Indian Black Turtle along the waterbody.