The reptiles at Kalyani dam and other reptilian moments

21st October 2023

Sekar and I joined our fellow MNS friends for a weekend driving trip to Talakona in AP, as part of the MNS' 45th year celebrations.  We were car pooling and driving.  A 5am start, and a halt at PS4 Tiruvallur for breakfast, and we were on our way, when there was a decision to go to Kalyani dam, close to Tirupati.

Bhuvanya and family were in the front car and sending directions and locations. Forest Office permissions are needed to go to the dam.  We reached the dam around 1030 in the morning, passing through a large Police Training College at Rangampet.  I loved the boards - Mess, squats area, Dining, Garden, Hand Stands....there was an interesting array of fitness and training apparatus!

Through the rear of the Academy, and into the area around the dam.  members who had come a decade ago remarked that there was no Academy at that time.

The dam is built across the Swarnamukhi river and is one the main sources of water for the town of Tirupathi.

It was warm and sunny, as we ambled across the bridge listening to bird calls and watching the stone formations all around..

The reservoir was not full.  Little Cormorants skimmed low over the waters.  

Members who had been here a decade ago mentioned that there were many accessible trails all around.  now it felt like these were all closed.  Sudhakar reminisced - "Kalyani Dam is the entry to 'Pulibonu' There is an old well near which Kenneth Anderson camped when he went on search of a man eater  and the  entrance to the thickly forested Shyamala valley. There used to be a  rest house with beautiful views situated on a hillock overlooking the reservoir.  You needed a Jeep to drive to the well. There is a  lovely camping spot near Nacharamma Cheruvu by the side of a lake surrounded by wooded hillocks."

We walked along the dam - listening to white browed bulbuls gurgling, and drongos calling.  

Every one was suddenly peering at the wall.  And this was the reason!

Granite Half-toed Gecko (Hemidactylus graniticolus) - Yuvan announced.  The poor thing seemed frozen in fright, and seemed not to want to go into the crack, which would be the first thing we thought it would do, given a group of curious MNSers peering from a distance - some through binoculars and others through their long lenses.

Finally, it kind of gingerly crept in, right at the edge, just out of reach.

We discovered the reason - in the crevice was a much larger Bengal Monitor!  What gorgeous markings on the body! They could prey on the gecko, which would explain its reluctance to go into the crevice.  We moved away, to "not cramp its style", and the two continued to co-habit the crevice, until we left. 

We wandered back to our vehicles, only for Sunil to discover he had a flat tyre.  Some of us moved ahead to the Police Academy gate - only to discover a chameleon!

Aaditya took this nice picture of the Indian chameleon in full glory.

On to Talakona, then!

Oct 23rd - and Padmaja spotted movements amidst the rocks at the base of the watchtower.  What camouflage -  this (I think) rock agama!  

We were just coming down after some fabulous views of the Seshachalam hills (that requires a separate post), a sighting of a Short-Toed Snake Eagle, and the most amusing incident of young Harshid doubting and dubious that "Older" Sekar could have a mother.  Doubts were only cleared after a phone call to the said mother were made.   Bhuvanya's consternation was even more amusing. 

The snake among the bushes

And then there was the time when I, (yes I) saw a snake in the undergrowth and no one else did.  I was meandering along the path behind the men's dormitory along with the others, when something rustled in the leaves to my left - I expected a skink or an agama, and stopped to stare.  Instead I saw this long slithering body of a snake, brown and green with markings on it, now gliding soundlessly.  Since snakes do not have ears, I decided to shout -Snake!! Sekar, Bhuvanya, Tara and Sunil came hurrying back to where I was.

And now ensued a moment of comic, lost in translation and excitement type conversation

They - Where?
Me - Among the leaves!

They - There are leaves everywhere!

Me - See the stick going perpendicular

They - there are many sticks

Me - That one!!

They - Is it moving?

Me - No - Its super still...frozen.  Look there is the head.  (I try to show them via my phone camera, but not luck)

Sekar - OK I see it.  its brown with markings.

Me - Thinking Phew - finally one person sees it!

Sunil - Yeah I see the tail

In flash its gone...without a sound without disturbing a leaf.

I come back and check with Yuvan.  We play 20 questions - 

Yuvan - rat snake?

Me - No!  it had markings.

Yuvan - Well did you see the face, and did it have stripes?  (He's gesticulating around his own face, and to me it looks like he's asking whether it had a moustache or beard.)

Yuvan - Round pupils?  

Me - (Crossly) I dont know!  I was busy trying to make these others see the snake.

Yuvan - how long was it?

Me - about 3 feet long

Sunil - What?  Half a foot and Bronzed - says he who saw only half a foot near the tail.

Sekar (being a good husband) probably two feet I would say

Yuvan - hmmm..Cobra?

me - No!! I didn't have a hood

Yuvan - (Rolling his eyes) It does that only when threatened. (grumbling and looking to Vijay to save him) - One is saying bronzed and another is saying brown and green.  One is saying long, other is saying short....

Me - (Protesting) but it's not Cobra colour!  it was more like Russel viper markings without a Viper face - the face was plain.

Vijay (helpfully) - Checkered Keelback probably - near the river?

Yuvan agrees quickly, wanting to the end the conversation, me thinks..

The id remains undecided, until I return and look up the Snake book and the internet.

Checkered keel back Indeed!  Fowlea piscator

And now I know where Yuvan's questioning was heading - Stripes on the face, round pupils...

And I should have said "Checkered pattern"....

Next time.

PS - There was another Bark Gecko I saw one night on a tree (Thanks To Hrishu and his torch wanderings).  It is so well camouflaged - that I can't find it in my pictures now.