Friday, January 22, 2010

Yay!

I was on the beach last weekend, helping some youngsters clean up about a km of the beach near the mouth of the river, where the estuary meets the sea. This was organised by the SSTCN and the Lets Restore Our Beaches voluntary bodies.

This is where, if I'm not mistaken the elevated highway will come across the estuary, according to government plans, and there has been general anxiety about the government's plans among most of the city's citizens. The fishermen dont seem to want it, the residents dont want it, the environmentalists think its a completely batty idea, but no, the government is all gung-ho.

CRZ nod denied again for Elevated Expressway

A. Srivathsan
Chennai: For the second time, the Ministry of Environment and Forest has refused clearance for the elevated expressway from Chennai Port to Maduravoyal proposed by the Chennai Port Trust.

The Expert Appraisal Committee for Coastal Regulation Zone (Infrastructure Development and Miscellaneous Projects), convened a few weeks ago, scrutinised the project and did not recommend it for Costal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance.

This time, the Chennai Port Trust argued that the project is neither a National Highway nor an expressway but only a connecting road between the port and the existing National Highway. Hence, it claimed that the project is permissible under CRZ Notification, 1991.

However, the expert committee was not convinced and has asked Chennai Port Trust to explain the basis on which this project is now presented as a link road.

It has also directed the Port Trust to obtain a clear recommendation from the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority (TNSCZMA) that the proposed link road will be permissible under CRZ Notification.

The four-lane elevated expressway running for a length of 19 km is proposed by the Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways through National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). It is to be partly constructed along the Cooum and partly over Poonamallee High Road at a cost of Rs.1,655 crore.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone for this project in January 2009. About 34.58 ha of the proposed elevated road falls within the CRZ and of the 506 foundation pits proposed, 35 fall in the riverbed.

When this project was first submitted for CRZ clearance in May 2009, the expert committee refused clearance stating that part of the proposed expressway fell between High Tide and Low Tide Lines and it was against the recommendations of the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Management Authority. The proposal was retuned with the suggestion that it be revised.

Monday, January 11, 2010

The Jacana Junkies at the bird race

There were 4 birders from Madras
who had not birded for a while, alas!
So they decided to change their ways
And take part in the Chennai bird race.

Jacana Junkies, there were four
One slept over
And then were three!
Never mind, we thought, off to GNP!

Bird calls everywhere and we were so excited
I heard the bulbul, but an oriole was sighted!
Parakeets and sunbirds, all so restive
And the butterflies added to make it all so festive.

Oh man, I thought, I am really out of touch
Spotting that calling coucal is proving too much.

The boys from Olcott School
I tell you, were way too cool.
An ashy drongo they showed us
Lurking in the bushes.

On we went to the polo ground
Where blackbuck and chital do abound.
A screeching shikra was identified
And was that a sparrow hawk we spied?

Two jackals with bushy tails, sauntered past
With my camera I should have been more fast.
Baby chitals peered with curiosity
Were we three such an oddity?

An Asian Brown Flycatcher
Had us JJs in a lather
Books were perused and binos viewed
before we deduced
the id of this winter visitor!

Pallikaranai marsh was next on our path
But only after a hearty repast
Pongal, kichdi and dosai with ghee
And good south Indian sweet and strong coffee!

To provide us Pallikaranai never fails
A bountiful supply of feathers and tails!
Jacanas and moorhens,
egrets and herons
Swallows and Swifts
Ducks and Stilts.

But it was the pelicans that were delightful
A couple in the water, unusually busy and cheerful.

Then we looked up in the sky and gasped
Like a busy airport with planes a-circling
Another fifty pelicans lazily gliding
Riding the thermals, waiting and watching.

A Marsh Harrier rounded up our sally
45 was our final tally.

By now, one Junkie was sneezing and snuffling
Another's phone was ringing and calling
Yours truly's car was low on petrol
And so we all headed on home.

I watched Cilic and Wawrinka do battle that night
As they hit the tennis ball with all their might
But guess what I found in the ladies' bathroom
next to the pots and pails and brooms?

A white-browed wagtail,
a fitting end to this Bird Race tale!


******
(The 3rd Chennai Bird Race was organised by the Madras Naturalist Society along with India Bird Races and HSBC on 10th January, 2010. Our team was the Jacana Junkies, after my favourite new bird of 2009, the pheasant-tailed jacana. )

For more sensible accounts of the bird race, read:

Some photo albums as well:


Saturday, January 9, 2010

Third Chennai bird race

Birding to turn fun for nature lovers from dawn to dusk on January 10 - Chennai - City - The Times of India

No, we dont race the birds, just race to spot birds!

We - the Jacana Junkies - will be doing a leisurely search (no racing for us) at a couple of spots in and around south Madras on Sunday.

Chennai Open final also beckons in the evening.

PS: There's a storm approaching, reportedly on Sunday!

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

A man called Cutlet

One of the founding members of the Madras Naturalist Society was Mr RKG Menon. It was a name that I had heard, but I had not really bothered to find out more. He passed away a year ago, and I came across this interesting tribute to the man, his mission, passion and kindness.

Lone palm tree, Sir! | eco logic
Here's a colourful quote from the man, in the article.

“Write it down. If you think its all in your memory, it is not worth it. It’s just kaka-pee [crow-shit]“
There's a whole website now dedicated to his papers, jottings and observations. Its a stupendous collection of work on The Blackbuck.

A wonderful way to remember him and salute his work, and a great reference tool for greenhorns like me.

Blackbuck and Chital at the GNP - a favourite subject for Cutlet

Monday, December 21, 2009

A Raptor photo essay

Picasa Web Albums - Chennai Birder - Raptors

Some great photos by Skandan.

I always have a problem with raptor ids...they have so many variations that its not funny!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Friday, December 11, 2009

Thursday, November 19, 2009

A Pichavaram tale

Vikas Madhav and Prasanna Sriya- My experience at Pichavaram - My Wonderful World Blog
Please do check out the link. Vikas, the author of this piece, is in 5th standard, and an ace birder! (I wonder if he's the youngest MNS member.)
Its amazing and wonderful to see this interest in one so young.
Do leave your comments on his post on Pichavaram.
My son and I visited Pichavaram with my parents, several years ago, and what a memorable trip it was! My father insisted on driving all the way, and once we got off the highway onto the road to Pichavaram, we crawled. There was really no road. Actually, thats wrong to say, there was a road at some point, and the rains and frequent use had now converted it into this path with ravines, craters, ruts and mounds!
My father and son were insistent that we return, but my mother and me begged and pleaded for us to go on! Every villager we met said it was just 5 kms away, and that number stayed constant however much we travelled it seems!
When we did reach Pichavaram, we were not sorry at all, and so glad we came. It is just absolutely captivating, serene and magical, to ride on those waterways, with only the sound of water lapping, and the call of the birds, and the occasional raised voice of a fishermen.
I hope the road stays/has stayed that way...it only allows the truly motivated in!!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Frogmouths, leech socks, rain and puttu.

The north-east monsoon is well and active over the Bay of Bengal, but one would think that that is no reason for Kerala on our western coast to get rain, isn't it?

But rain it did, poured according to all accounts, and the MNS group that went to Thattekad and the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary had their full share of leeches, spiders, birds, lush green trees, flowing rivers and butterflies.

No, I did not go, (Boo hoo!) was attempting to be a responsible parent, you see. Anyways, Mr Ramanan has taken some fabulous (as always) pictures, and Vijay has written this most entertaining and thorough account. (Please note how each meal has been detailed to add to my envy, and leech inconveniences happily glossed over!)

(Actually, the group went well armed with "leech socks" - a kind of canvas covering for the legs all the way up to the knees.)


Vijay's report:
"16 of us boarded the Thiruvananthapuram Mail amidst pouring rain on the evening of Friday, Nov. 6, 2009. ABEL - a spacious bus - piloted by Unni awaited us at Aluva Station on Saturday morning. In about 90 minutes we were at the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary at Thattekkad. After dumping our stuff in the dormitory and downing a quick breakfast of Idli and Kadalakkuutan, we trekked off into the Sanctuary upto the Watchtower with our very knowledgeable guides Sudheesh and Mani (pronounced Maa-ni).
Racket tailed drongo - Photo by Mr Ramanan
The trees are gigantic...the cheeni (tetramulus nudiflora) towering nearly a 100 feet in height with a base, to encircle which would need atleast 5 persons to link hands. We parked ourselves atop a broad rocky surface and our binocs began chasing the numerous birds which flew hither and thither gleefully beckoning us to play 'catch'. Butterflies too flitted around gaily. The morning ended with the sighting of a pair of Sri Lankan Frogmouths.
After a sumptuous lunch and rest we were off again early evening to another part of the Sanctuary that led us to a view-point that gave us a splendid vista of the Western Ghats. We could not spend much time here as it began raining quite heavily and so we were back sooner than planned to the dormitory. Dinner was Rice Kanji, Kappa, Cheru Payaru, Pickles and Pappadam. We retired early as we had planned an early morning trip to Kallippara - 6 Kms. away. Around 11 pm the rains became harder, and continued to be so till 8 am Sunday morning.

The dormitory had a tin roof and so we experienced 'thundering rain'. The din however completely drowned the loud sounds of the inevitable snores. Fortified by a breakfast of Aapam and Veg Curry, we set off by bus to Kallippara, so called because of its rectangular shape. We were rewarded with the sighting of the Crimson-backed Sunbird. Sunday evening, we trekked across the Periyar River to the other side of the Sanctuary looking for the Barred Jungle Owlet and ended up seeing one fly overhead (we did see a couple more though very clearly the next morning).
Little blue kingfisher - Photo by Mr Ramanan
Monday morning was bright and sunny and so we caught a bus and went off 14 Kms. away and trekked to a place called Knacheri. The canopy here was awesome. On our return we saw the Malabar Trogon and the reconstructed Bhagavathy Temple. The reconstruction has been done atop the old Temple remains. We came back famished and the Nool Puttu and Veg Stew awaiting us vanished in no time.
Indian Pitta from below! - Photo by Mr Ramanan
Mid-day saw all of us in various attire scrambling to sight the Indian Pitta, and to our good fortune we also saw the Orange-headed Groundthrush. Kuttikkal was our destination for the evening - the place is so named because it is at this spot that the Periyar and the Edamalayar meet. Further downstream is the old Boothathankettu - a Dam of just big rocks - our destination for Tuesday morning.
Male Asian Fairy Bluebird - Photo by Mr Ramanan

The overnight rain ruled out Boothathankettu and instead, on a very cloudy Tuesday (Nov. 10) morning we trekked 10 Kms. inside the Sanctuary right upto its boundary called Ovungal/Kolumbu. We birded from atop Anachathappara, so called because an elephant is known to have died here. The remains of a Shiva Temple, several centuries old and the watchers' home on the banks of the Periyar were the stops on the trek. Before we began the trek, we were lucky to see the pair of Brown Hawk Owls back at their usual roosting place. They had been chased away by the Bonnet Macaques on Sunday morning. After a late breakfast, we hung around the dormitory and at the bottom of the steps to the Periyar River, rested a bit and began desultorily packing.
The River Periyar flows through the sanctuary - Photo by Mr Ramanan
Soon after lunch, the rains came down in torrents and barely let up to allow us board ABEL to go to Aluva to board the Chennai Mail back.

A rock agama - Photo by Mr Ramanan
Dr. Sugathan, the resident Ornithologist, who was also a close aide of Dr.Salim Ali, said that since the lake inside the Sanctuary had no water this year, the migratory water birds came, stayed for 2 days and went away.

Despite losing around 10 hours of good birding time over 2 days, we still recorded 110 species of birds and around 40 species of butterflies."


Aren't the spiders grand?

Looks like they had a great cook as well! (For those unfamiliar with Kerala cuisine, puttu, aapam, etc are all local staples, and highly recommended!)

And the frogmouths do have strange-looking mouths!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Adyar Poonga


Finally, the monsoon has arrived here in Madras. After a wet and rainy week, I see the sun today! The trees are all green and washed, and the birds and butterflies are zipping around making up for lost days.

Before the monsoons, we sneaked in a walk to the Adyar Poonga. A huge battalion of MNS members, (some of them becoming members at Adyar Poonga!) descended on Preston and the Poonga, at 6:45 in the morning. We were delighted to see the huge progress in tree planting and recharging of the water holes that have happened in the past six to eight months, and look forward to its moving forward and playing a dominant part in restoring the estuarine ecosystem of the region.

Preston took us around the 53(?) acres and of course we did not stick together and of course we straggled, but he dealt with all this with great fortitude!

Its a surprise that the birds were still around, given the racket we were making. The water had attracted cormorants, little grebes, coots and water hens. We even saw a pair of black-winged stilts, lapwings, Pond and night herons lurking in the undergrowth. White-throated kingfishers were there in plenty, as also parakeets and pigeons.

And then there were butterflies, dragonflies, spiders ...and a mystery caterpillar and cocoon. (Check out the slideshow above for more details.)

Husbands are very useful, I realised (yet again!) on this walk. As we watched and oohed and aahed about the strange cocoon and caterpillars, there was a quiet tap on my shoulder. Look out for the ants, he said pointing down to an ant's nest just maybe three inches from where I was, and I hastily jumped the other way. Of course, I quite forgot to tell the stragglers who came in to see what all the fuss was about, and they were all promptly bitten by some very enraged and angry ants who had been stepped upon.

The sun was climbing in the sky, and we had to cycle back to Thiruvanmyur - we decided to be "green", and bike there you see. A delightful morning, with the added bonus of seeing some MS members I had not seen since our Kanha trip, many many moons ago.


Monday, October 26, 2009

Pallikaranai picture parade

All Photos by Mr Ramanan, in this post! He has been busy, catching all the avian stars of Pallikaranai.

The stilts stood in repose
Striking a haiku-like pose.

But the spot-billed ducks were swimming purposefully
In a line, so disciplinedly.


Spot-billed ducks

The grebes and coots were all a-chatter
Wondering whatever was the matter.

A congregation of Grebes


"Look at me!", chirped this one,
"I'm in breeding plumage, isn't it fun?!"

Little Grebe in breeding plumage

"Huh, so what?", grumbled this comb duck
"So am I, but have had no luck.
No mate have I found
in this blessed pond."

Male comb duck, seen at Bharatpur

"Its not a pond, its a wetland
And you wouldn't understand
The joys of solitude, but I can",

The swallows swooped so swift,
But this grey heron looked miffed.
The roars of the cars on the road nearby
made him cross and ready to fly by.


Purple heron

This coot wasn't crazy
just a trifle lazy,
It stood on the water's edge,
looking at the water so hazy.
With all this sewage and garbage
Its a wonder its able to forage.


Common Coot (Nama kozhi in Tamil)

The purple moorhen bowed and strutted
and to his lady love, clucked and hooted.
With weeds in his bill he chuckled,
And under his courtship, she buckled!

Up and down the jacana goes
walking on his spidery toes,
"When will my tail appear,
oh will it never, that I fear.
Oh blimey, oh banana,
then I will not be a pheasant-tailed jacana!"

Pheasant-tailed jacana

When you do grow your tail, Mr Jacana,
Mr Ramanan will be there with his camera.
Then make sure you strike him a good pose
So I may salute you with poetry, not prose.

Tell all your feathered friends in the marsh
On us, please dont be too harsh.
We've made a mess
that I confess
But we'll try our best
to reverse the process
and make your homes green once again.


***********

Pallikaranai is the marshy wetland, now very much a part of the city of Madras, encroached upon by development, and spoiled by garbage disposal.

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