El Cielo - The cloudforest

A trip back to Brownsville wouldn't quite have been complete without a trip
down to our field station in Mexico - Rancho del Cielo. It's been over a
year since I visited this cloudforest biosphere reserve in North-Eastern
Mexico. The first time I visited El Cielo was back in 1994 as a member of
the Gorgas Science Society at UT-Brownsville.
This was the first time I've been here 'without' a camera. Yep, no camera.
This image of a typical sunrise I post here is from many years ago.
Some of the most spectacular sunrises I've ever seen have been from the
'lookout' - a small wooden platform built overlooking the plains towards the
Gulf of Mexico.
It's always a treat to wake up early in the morning and head out from the
camp while it's still dark. Make your way by headlamp along the trail in the
silence of dawn and find a nice comfortable spot on the platform.... then
wait.
At first, all you see is the beautiful blue dawn sky merging into light hues
of orange at the edge of the horizon. In front and almost beneath you - a
soft blanket of clouds stretching like an ocean all the way to the horizon.
To the south you can sometimes see the peak of 'el Sombrero' sticking up
above the clouds. And as you sit and absorb the atmosphere all around, and
the light hues in the distant horizon gets rich with colour then fades as it
starts getting brighter and then the dawn chorus begins. First its a series
of short, sharp whistles, rising in crescendo until it breaks down in a
flutter of whistles of varying tones - a singing quail. Then, the mountain
trogon, and then the spot-breated wren, and before you know it, a whole
medley of calls break out all around... And then the sun rises over the
horizon. Truly magical.

But it doesn't end there. Once the sun rises over the clouds, it heats up
the surface of the clouds, and now you see the clouds move like soft ocean
waves, getting puffier as the sun gets warmer, and within a half hour the
soft blanket of clouds rises and blows right into the ledge that you are
sitting on. And before you know it, the sun disappears and now you know why
you are in a cloudforest.

The cloudforest part of El Cielo biosphere reserve lies along a 5 mile long,
escarpment along the edge of the Sierra madre oriental. This little ledge is
the transition zone for many species - species like the podocarpus trees
reach their northern-most limit here, while species like sugar maple rach
their southern most limit here, and you'll see both these vastly different
species growing next to each other. This spectacular assemblage of flora
leads to an equally spectacular array of fauna, many tropical species of
birds, mammals and reptiles which reach their northern-most limits here in
this mountain range.

Anyways, I was here just for a couple of days this trip mainly as crew,
helping cook, wash dishes and make margaritas :) but nonetheless it was good
fun. The group that was there was big into birding and butterflies, and anyways here's a link to their blog on the trip - http://birdernaturalist.blogspot.com

Back to America

After nearly a year out in the field in India I've had to return briefly to the US to keep my residency status intact. Was in the airport buying a brownie while CNN was playing in the background, and in it's breaking NewsFlash, a report came in about this lady who was unable to take care of her high-energy dog and gave it to the pet rescue shelter, which in turn found a new home for the puppy. In the meantime the person who gave away the dog decided she wants it back, but the person in charge at the rescue center had already given it away...so the lady (donor) puts a death threat on this person, and a three-member heated discussion is taking place about this 'pressing issue'... and I shake my head, pay for my brownie, and just as I'm leaving another announcement, "coming up, 11 year old school-children in Pennsylvania to be given free contraceptives/birth control...parents upset about this new legislation"
Somehow it feels like I'm on some other planet...

If that's not enough, have you heard about the 'Great Wall of America' ? Well it certainly isn't going to be as incredibly striking and majestic as the Great Wall of china... but it will certainly be one of the most ecologically destructive and useless constructions of the century. It's already become a reality in various parts along the border, but if this wall happens here along the Rio Grande river in South Texas, not only will it be the nail in the coffin for many already endangered animals like Ocelots, jaguarundis, etc. it will also ensure the death of the Rio Grande - the fluid emblem and lifeline of south Texas and North-eastern Mexico.

If you would like to learn more about this and voice your concern click here:
NO BORDER WALL

Photo of the day

Since I'm too lazy to write stuff, and I still want to put up a picture or two from the field, I think I'll start a photo of the day blog... they do say that a picture is worth a million words ;)
So for now, I'll just put the picture here.

Hmmm, if I were to boil it down to the best shot of the day, I'd give it to the cormorant.



This is what it's been like for most of the trip... rain, rain and more rain...

Black and White

Mountains of the Monsoon...

Today (actually yesterday) was an amzing day. We drove from Valparai towards Top Slip filming along the way. At Top Slip the weather was wonderful...nice and sunny. Over the last week, it's just been pouring constantly, so a bit of sunshine was a welcome relief.
I'm a bit too lazy to write right now...it's nearly 3 AM and it's been a long day... but here are a few pictures from our day out...


Spent the whole afternoon with this small herd of elephants near valparai. This was the rear gaurd for the herd, turning to face us while the others walked down the road.



This picture up here deserves a very close look...



More pictures and stuff tomorrow.... maybe

Jog Falls

Seems like i've lost all track of time, dates and sequence of events... so anyways, sometime ago my sister and I drove up to Jog Falls. It was spectacular! It took us a good 8 hours to get there from Bangalore, and luckily enough there had been plenty of rainfall.

Here's a view from the edge of the waterfall. At Jog Falls the Sharavathy river plummets 253 metres forming one of India's highest waterfalls.

To the land of the cloud goats

It's the peak of the monsoon, and it is time for the annual rut of the Nilgiri Tahr. What is a Nilgiri tahr? Here's a quick link to find out more - nilgiri tahr.

We are off to film these animals as they descend from their high peaks onto the grassy plateaus of the southern Western Ghats.

Quick update

As usual lots going on and don't know where to begin... Last I wrote we had just returned from filming elephants in the Kabini Backwaters and were headed to Valparai to film the Purple Frog - Nasikabatrachus. What follows is a whole cycle of events that is/was and still is dictated by the erratic weather patterns. Call it global warming or what you will, but there is certainly a change in the weather which makes all the planning even more difficult.
The meteorologists predicted an early monsoon, so we rushed across to film the Elephants converging in the backwaters. Every year large numbers of these incredible pachyderms gather in the backwaters in what is in fact, the largest congregation of Asiatic elephants in the wild. Being amongst them all day long was simply magical.
Spent several days here filming and as predicted the monsoons came in early with huge build up of clouds and we were glad that we spent a few days in Kabini before the rains came and the elephants dispersed. While we were here we heard that the frog had already emerged in Valparai. These frogs spend nearly all year underground and come out for hardly two weeks.


They only come out during the very first rains, mate and disappear back underground until the next monsoons. So getting here immediately was critical. We rushed down here, and it was pouring rain. The monsoons were here and the frogs were coming out. We found 3 females and the males were heard calling from deep underground. A loud typical frog-like croak that emanated from within the ground.


The males are less than half the size of the females.

We expected to see a mass emergence, but the next day the rains disappeared. A few days later we were having clear blue skies and white puffy clouds. The ground was dry again and suddenly the continuous call of the purple frog completely died out. The change in the weather obviously interrupted the behaviour we were there to film. So we waited for the next week, hoping the rains would come again and activity would once again resume.... nothing happened. No rains. The monsoons had vanished. We had no idea why. In the menatime we kept ourselves busy and entertained filming a variety of other creatures.
The most entertaining of the lot was a troupe of Lion-tailed macaques that are as unafraid as the common Bonnet macaques found around temples.
After getting used to our presence one came down and literally sat on the camera...hard to think of them as this highly endangered, endemic monkey that I was there to film.


Mischievous monkeys apart, we did spend a good amount of time getting to know the area and exploring neighbouring sanctuaries. One night I was privileged to be taken out on a night walk with Nandini, a researcher studying Flying squirrels. I was amazed to see over a dozen flying squirrels in a short walk just outside the bustling town of Valparai. They were a bit high, but managed to get a few images and look forward to getting back down there when the fig trees are in fruit.



One of my personal favourites from the trip was this Lizard I found on the busy road. It's known as Calotes grandisquamis and most likely would've been grandissquashish if we hadn't picked him off the road. We did find another specimen which had been squased on the road. But this is certainly one of the most beautiful lizards I've seen.


ok, more to write, but wil do that tomorrow.

Heading south

Well, I hoped to update the blog while in bangalore, but after a hectic two days of simply unpacking, regouping, checking mail, etc. we are headed south again - this time to the Anamalais in the souther part of the Western Ghats. The monsoons have just begun to set over the coast and there have been some heavy showers inland. When these first downpours touch ground, the leaf litter just comes to life. Amongst the millions of leeches you will also find a dazzling variety of colourful frogs! And that's what I'm after...in particular one extraordinary frog whose name is quite a mouthful - Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis.
Ok gtg - will update soon!

Cheers
Sandesh

Images

Sunrise at tiger hill - Darjeeling

ok - i give up.... this internet connection is way too slow for uploading images...

North East Himalayas

These past several months have just zipped by with too many things to do... not that i'm complaining, but i've certainly lost track of where i've been and what i've been doing and I've enjoyed every moment of it!
This blogging thing is just not happening. Most of the time I'm very 'unconnected' and even if there was time to connect it's mostly to catch up on email...

Right now I'm in Kalimpong close to the border of sikkim and bhutan. Yesterday I was in Nepal..actually in and out of Nepal as we headed up a bumpy road to sandakphu in singalila national park. It was an amazing journey. Woke up at 4 AM to an amazing view of Kanchendzonga and saw the distant peak of Mount Everest :D






Will try and post a few pictures in the next couple of days. I've already seen a plethora of unidentified birds and things and tomorrow I'm hoping to catch a glimpse of red pandas in the wild! Wish me luck.

Photo Exhibition - A Field Guide to Life on Earth

Hi all,

I've been out traveling for much of the last two weeks and will soon post some pretty interesting images and stories from the high mountains of India's southern Western Ghats. Recently I found out that a few of my images are being showcased in an exhibition - A Field Guide to Life on Earth - so if anyone is in the area, please do check it out and let me know how it was.

Here's the information:

Masterworks from the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP)
FEBRUARY 3 - APRIL 29, 2007

Mass Audubon Visual Arts Center
963 Washington St
Canton MA 02021
ph: 781-821-8853 / fx: 781-821-8733

Regular admission fees apply (Free for Mass Audubon members, $4 adults, $3 children and seniors)

Don't miss this opportunity to see extraordinary images by some of the world's best photographers--all dedicated to creating a culture of appreciation, understanding, and stewardship for the natural world through photography.

Photo by Sandesh Kadur

Participating photographers are: James Balog, Annie Griffiths Belt, Gary Braasch, Connie Bransilver, David Doubilet, Amy Gulick, Sandesh Kadur, Robert Glenn Ketchum, Stephen Maka, Thomas Mangelsen, Cristina Mittermeier, Michael "Nick" Nichols, Pete Oxford, Chris Rainier, Patricio Robles Gil, Kevin Schafer, Wendy Shattil, Igor Shpilenok, Brian Skerry, Roy Toft, Carlton Ward Jr., Michele Westmorland, Staffan Widstrand, Art Wolfe and Christian Ziegler.

The exhibition includes some of the photographers’ favorite images and represents a cross section of the many conservation interests of the ILCP.

hmmmm

A New Year

It may be just another day, but its not just another day when you see tigers on new years' day! Sorry, no pictures this time..
Here's the sunrise on the first day of the new year at Kgudi in BR hills.


Happy new year to all!
Sandesh

Merry Christmas - Nagarhole

Spent Christmas day sitting in a watchtower in Nagarhole National Park. At around 445 in the evening a beautiful tigress walked out of the forest into the clearing by the tower and walked around totally unperturbed. Srikanth got some lovely shots, and Swati from NDTV got some great footage - i simply watched it, although I did manage a few wobbly shots with my camera as well.

Photo courtesy: Srikanth GP

On Christmas Eve we did see a tiger (may have been the same animal as the one above) late in the evening cross a view lane, but didn't get a very good look... But still, it was amazing!

Wonderful way to end the year... in wilderness and harmony... the only place I'd rather be

Season's greetings to all,
Sandesh

Coorg Wedding

Recently a friend of mine, Diya got married in a festive, beautiful Kodava Wedding.

The best part of a Coorgi wedding is that there are no priests and ceremonies. There's a lot of drinking and dancing...

Ooty -Nilgiris Dec 2nd

Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival NOV 9-12

If you are in and around South Texas, come by this evening (Thursday) at 700 PM to the Harlingen Municipal Auditorium. I'll be giving a keynote about Indian wildlife and also a photo exhibition and book-signing.

For more information visit:
http://rgvbirdfest.com/festival.asp

Cheers,
Sandesh

On the trail of a Man-eating tiger...

Ok, Here's a picture of the tigress for now...

Full Moons and full blooms

Spectacular bloom of Kurinji on the Eastern Slopes of the Western Ghats near Munnar.




Rushed back down to Munnar to capture more of the spectacular Kurinji Blossoms and it happened to coincide with a full moon.
The rains have yet to cease in Munnar... It's unusual for it to be pouring down like this in October.



A Sambhar stag poises on the horizon amidst a fresh bloom of Kurinji.

Off to the UK for Wildscreen - the mecca for wildlife filmmakers.
Will be back in a week.

cheers,
Sandesh

Blogging blues

I've realised how difficult it is to keep up with a blog, especially when internet is not easily accessible. But it also consumes too much time and its best left untouched until all the other work is completed.
Anyways, in the last week or two, I've had an encounter with a man-eating tiger in a coffee-estate near Nagarhole, witnessed the spectacular Mysore Dasara festival, and currently am getting ready to head back down to Munnar to film the last of the Kurinji blossoms.

More to follow.... hopefully soon :)

Munnar, India

My sister Sangeetha along with Barbora (Czech) & Petra (slovakia) head down a slippery ridge at a place called 'suicide point' in Rajamallay. The clouds swell up and completely envelope the mountain here making it impossible to see the valley floor below.




The Western Ghats....



Kurinji - Flowers once every twelve years!




Nilgiri Tahr in rain

Will edit and write something later, but here's a few images for now.
This place is spectacular. No time for the internet here. But I had to download some images and also found an internet place, so here are a few images from here...

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

It's been a terribly long flight already and for anyone flying to or from India from the US (exception - west coast residents) I would highly recommend against this route. It's a long flight followed by a long layover in Kuala Lumpur. Took a quick shower and headed out to town. Tried a couple of different fruits in the China Town market. They looked interesting and ended up being quite tasty.


This one is called a Rembutan - reddish fruit with a thorny outer texture. The fruit tastes similar to an oversized litchi.


These two guys seemed utterly mesmerised at the caged birds and just sat there watching...




Did a quick bit of the tourist circle in KL but wasn't really interesting. Should've spent more time in the market :)

Cheers,
Sandesh

Full Moon

Well the full moon was yesterday, but for some reason I missed it. Here's the moon tonight.

It's always difficult to make a good image of a full moon. I couldn't spend too much time trying as I 'm in the midst of packing to leave to India.
Anyways, here's a picture...

Colour & Motion

Two images of the same subjects (my cousins Vydhehi and Mridul) - walking down the sidewalk in Baltimore.
Picture above - created to induce movement and blur makes for a more interesting picture (atleast for me)

Urban Landscape

Using hubcaps for horse eyes, rusted car bumpers for legs, and all sorts of other junkyard parts, the blackfeet indian reservation in Montana have created this really cool modern art sculpture along the highway that leads to Glacier National Park. Photographed from a low angle, the art almost seems alive.

The Rise Of India

Interesting, optimistic and well presented news piece about India.

Pogeyan

Recently a number of people have asked me, "What's with all the funny names?" Even my mom went off rambling words like, Cusco, Pisco, Machu Picchu, Jocotoco (pronounced 'Hocotoco'), etc. etc. For some, most of these are everyday words, while for others it strikes intrigue and maybe even a funny grin. Many have asked me about the pogeyan before and I feel compelled to give an explanation. But for now, there really is no certain explanation so I hope that word continues to intrigue you as it does me.
So, for the moment let's just say that it's - a word that represents the beauty and mystery of what lies undiscovered.....
And that is probably what drives our fascination for the natural world around us and hopefully inspires us to protect what little is left.

Grizzlies - Glacier National Park

ok, big jump, back to Estados Unidos... My sister reminded me that I haven't posted how many Grizzlies we saw while in Glacier for two days. So here's a picture - A mother and two cubs.



This mother was actually one that had been radio-collared and was resting on the gravel mountain slope by the side of the road in the Many Glacier part of Glacier National Park. I heard this area was the best to see grizzlies, so while I was there, I made sure I got to this part, which is close to the Canadian Border.

In total though we saw ELEVEN Grizzlies!! All in pretty much the same area. We saw another mother with two cubs walking across a glacier high up the mountain. Then we saw another mother with cubs that were perhaps two-years old, and on the banks of a reservoir we saw another mother with one cub. The funny thing is that we never saw a single Black bear, and apparently the black bears are supposed to be more common! Regardless it was a great experience to see these beautiful animals in the wild.
Grizzlies aside, we alse saw the Rocky mountain mountain goat (bit of redundancy in that name, eh?), Big Horn Sheep, Moose, Elk, Ground Squirrels, Rocky mountain Marmot ( a big rodent), and nuthatches, ospreys, etc. It was a great trip!

Cheers,
Sandesh

And..ofcourse... the Llamas

It's really hard to imagine how bizarre these creatures are until you actually stand by their side. They look like sheep on steroids with the neck of a camel, albeit much shorter. They have pretty short tempers too, so if you get too close you receive a 'warning spit'. That's usually enough to keep unruly tourists at bay ...
It was amusing just to sit there and watch as tourists entered Machu Picchu, see the rumble and the rocks, take pictures, then they turn their heads and see their first Llama, and their jaws drop, they grab their partner or camera and rush towards the animal, and snap, poise snap! So the Llamas probably get as many, if not more pictures taken than the ruins themselves. Ofcourse if you can put a Llama and the ruins in the same picture, even better!
But herding the animal to the right spot may be a bit of a task considering its short temper...




Wiki says: The llama (Lama glama) is a large camelid that originated in North America and then later on moved to South America. The term llama is sometimes used more broadly, to indicate any of the four closely related animals that make up the South American branch of the family Camelidae: the true llama, the vicuña, alpaca, and guanaco. They were used as a system of transportation for the Incas.
Occasionally, llamas do spit at each other or people. The habit of spitting is a defense mechanism. However, usually, a llama would prefer to run away before confronting their assumed aggressor. The spitting behavior is believed to be a direct result of their usually shy disposition.
For more information about llamas, please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llama

Pics from Machu Picchu, Peru

Probably one among the most photographed locations in the world, Machu Picchu although still retains a charm that certain other wonders of the world seem to have lost. Inspite of receiving over a thousand tourists every day, there's not a piece of trash visible anywhere in the area. It's intricate architecture in such a rugged area will certainly amaze anybody, and if the sight doesn't take your breath away, the elevation certainly will!




Photographing the setting sun over Machu Picchu, or rather simply being there to watch the sun set beyond the ruins is truly unforgettable. I was just sitting there watching as the ruins fell into shadow, and the voices of a thousand tourists faded into the distance, when this photographer appeared on the scene. I had to take a picture.

Many compare the ruins of Machu Picchu to the ruins of the Vijayanagara empire in Hampi, southern India. I can certainly see why. Water for irrigation flows along stone cut waterways, massive walls and meticulous planning are a few things that quickly come to mind.



... and ofcourse, the Vischacha. Walking around the ruins, I kept wondering what this urinal-like smell was coming from certain corners. My questions were answered when I saw this strange creature. It looks like a cross between a rabbit and a squirrel.

Lagidium peruanum, one of several recognized species of "Mountain Viscachas," lives in the Andes Mountains of Peru at elevations ranging from approximately 3,000-5,000 meters. This corresponds to the area contained between the timber and snow lines.




More to come... What's more popular at Machu Picchu than the ruins?

Cheers,
Sandesh

Cusco, Peru

Cusco - a beautiful little spanish colonial town in the Andes is where I've been the last couple of days. Took a trip to Machu Picchu as well. Very touristy, but nonetheless, this area literally takes your breath away, and it's not just the elevation.
Barry Walker, a British ornithologist who was with me on the Expedition has been my host here in Cusco. He's been living here for over 25 years and owns a pub called Crosskeys located in the main plaza at Cusco. That's where I was introduced to Pisco sour. Seems like a national drink. It's great! ;-) highly recommended.

Heading back to Estados Unidos (USA) tomorrow.

sleepy...

Ciao,
Sandesh