A Primeval Jungle
Imagine, for a moment, that you are stalking the primeval jungles Continue reading
Entering the Mythic Imagination
Wildlife
Discoveries Worth Wonder
It may look a bit too clinical with those blue gloves, but note the perspective they provide. It is big. Continue reading
Frequent Visitors
We are sharing our property with frequent visitors such as the common macaque, Niligiri languor, palm civets, squirrels, and so many different birds, too. This morning we took these pictures in our All-Natural Farm. Continue reading
Praying Mantis
This photo has been taken near the tribal village (Mannakudi), Periyar tiger reserve December 2011
The praying mantis is the common name used for this insect due to their typical ‘Prayer-like’ stance. The word ‘mantis’ is actually derived from the Greek word ‘mantis’, which means fortune teller, or prophet. Continue reading
Europe’s Green Capital
So I’ve left behind the wild, lush landscape of the Costa Rican rainforest and arrived in Strasbourg, France, to find a completely different kind of green.
Costa Rica is one of those countries the climate change debate focuses on – it’s the epitome of natural diversity and everywhere you turn there is some species or habitat that could be gone in 20 years’ time. Or 10 years’ time. From the rainforests I hiked through to the sloth sanctuary my mum and I visited, everything there seems at once so wild and so fragile. The conservation efforts we see there are direct, tackling the specific problems the land faces: protected areas are being designated, turtle-watching programmes are being set up to monitor and protect the species, and the people at Aviarios sloth sanctuary provide education for locals as well as caring for the animals.
Places like the Manuel Antonio National Park have to concentrate on the effects of climate change.
Periyar Sightings: January 6-7, 2012
We are sharing some of the snapshots taken by Ms. Sofia, who stayed at Cardamom County on 6th & 7th of Jan-2012, from Periyar Tiger Reserve.
Flora and Fauna of Thekkady
I happened to speak with Mr.Ravi from Bangalore who is staying with us. They went for the boat cruise yesterday evening and they sighted a herd of sambar deer, a bunch of elephants, wild gaur etc.
Tamed Giant – Elephant Park
Mr & Mrs. Mouleart from Belgium joined us at Cardamom County for 2 days from January 24th through the 26th, 2012. One of their excursion choices was for a ride on a tamed gentle giant – The Elephant at Thekkady. Continue reading
Pied Paddy Skimmer, Revisited
A few days ago while walking around Kumily, I saw one of Kerala’s more common species of dragonfly, Neurothemis tullia. Having written about the species before, I didn’t photograph it as usual, until I realized I had a new accessory on my person. The reverse lens adapter is a brilliant money saver, and while not quite as powerful or versatile as a macro lens, costs close to 50 times less than a new lens. Using the final technique described here, the adapter basically replaces the duct tape and allows for much steadier hands. Focusing is still very difficult, and the focal plane is usually limited to under a centimeter, but this often allows for very unusual and abstract images. Such as this young female Pied Paddy Skimmer:
It’s A Bird’s Life
A post from early November saved a similar video of starlings for the end. Twitchers (a nickname for seriously devoted birdwatchers) were expected to read to the end and see that video as a crescendo of beauty. Continue reading
Man, Birds, Bees & Co-Adaptation
There may be many cases of co-adaptation between species, but we do not encounter them frequently. This video clip is one sampled from the thousands (hundreds of thousands?) of hours that the BBC has invested in for the sake of it various nature programs. Because it is made available on Youtube, which has an intellectual property rights vetting process, it seems to be an example of the BBC’s generous contribution to the commons.
Green Vine Snake (Ahaetulla nasuta)
Photo: T J Varghese
Tufted gray langur (Semnopithecus priam)
Photo: T J Varghese - Chinnar wild life Sanctuary
About That Plowshare Tortoise
In an earlier post we pointed to a wondrous article in The New Yorker, and now a blog post on the magazine’s website has a collection of photo out-takes and some behind the scenes description of getting those shots:
The portrait that opens the piece, of Goode with a tortoise, just barely came together. “Everything was planned to the minute, and so many things could have gone wrong,” Torgovnik told me from Rwanda, where he was onto his next assignment.
Nilgiri Tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius)
Photo: T J Varghese
Lion Tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus)
Photo: T J Varghese
Fun On The Range
His comments about technique, tools and time taken to put these three minutes on film are interesting. He seems to go a bit nuts at the end, but all in good fun.
Slow, Steady, Go
The January 23 issue of The New Yorker has an article on one wealthy man’s approach to conservation. Click the image to the left to go to the article and if you are a subscriber to the magazine, and follow conservation trends, this will get your day off to an interesting start, provide a good respite from work in the middle of the day, or send you to bed dreaming.
It is paywalled, but as always available for purchase, and as always providing a tempting reason to subscribe to the magazine. In case you do not have time to read it, or spare funds for a subscription, take a look at this short video based on some of the material covered in the article.
Gavi Eco-Tourism
Gavi is 40 km from Thekkady, the western region of Periyar Tiger Reserve which is popular eco-tourism destination for jeep safari, trekking, camping, waterfalls etc. Continue reading
Fresh Water Otter
Photo: T J Varghese
The Fresh Water Otter is a carnivorous aquatic animal which is a familiar sighting in the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Continue reading
Organikos 