Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala
Bird of the Day: Jungle Babbler
Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala
Beluga Love
Thanks to the Guardian:
In the 18th century, whalers who heard whales singing beneath their ships believed they were listening to the souls of drowned men. The notion of the silent ocean having a voice seemed so improbable. It wasn’t until the second world war and the advent of underwater acoustics that science discovered how vocal whales really are. Continue reading
From Behind the Wheel: Fisheye Faith
Alleppey
The Common Indian Monitor
The Periyar Tiger Reserve is popular for its animal sightings, scenic splendour and biodiversity. The common Indian Monitor is the only known species of monitor lizard found in the reserve.
Bird of the Day: Ruddy Duck
Bayonne, NJ
Salmon, Protected
Click the image above to go to the story in Green Blog:
They call them “river wolves” — hundred-pound salmon large enough to snack on ducklings and on mice and muskrats fording the rivers. Five species of these huge fish inhabit the river waters of China, Mongolia, and eastern Russia, and all of them are finally on the “red list” of species compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Continue reading
Pink Water Lily
Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
Native to India and common in Kerala, Pink Water Lily is mostly seen growing in the fresh water ponds and back waters. The round floating leaves are a perfect backdrop for fragrant flowers are fragrant that open throughout the day and close at night.
Read The Series On Sustainable Living
We have been following them since the start of their journey, and remain transfixed (click the image above to go to the latest installment):
The dirty, squishy part of our straw bale house construction project is in full swing. Last month a dump truck poured a pile of reject sand next to the house. Reject is the dirt left over at a gravel pit, and its name says a lot about how valuable it is to gravel manufacturers. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Indian Peafowl
Uda Walawe, Sri Lanka
Mysore Flower Market
Photo credit: Ramesh Kidagoor
The Mysore Flower Market is the perfect place to get fresh local flowers. Its bustling pathways are filled with roses, brightly coloured marigold and highly scented jasmine. This flower market is one of the city’s main attractions.
Bird of the Day: Snowy Egret (Sanibel Island, FL)
Photo credit: Stephen Crafts
Bicycle Sharing Expands
Photo: Zagster. So far Zagster has set up its “bike fleet in a box” at about 55 locations
Click the image to the left for the story about Zagster, in the New York Times Green Blog:
Municipal bike sharing has rolled into dozens of American cities, from Washington to Oklahoma City to San Francisco. Now a Massachusetts start-up called Zagster aims to take the idea of bicycles on demand and deliver it to university and corporate campuses, apartment complexes, hotels and resorts.
On Thursday, the company, formerly called CityRyde, announced a $1 million round of investment that will allow it to expand nationally. In essence, Zagster’s idea is to make access to bikes a coveted building amenity and corporate perk, right up there with pools, gyms, and cafeterias — at a relatively low cost. Continue reading
From Behind the Wheel: Lorry Jenga
Red Helen Butterfly (Papilio helenus)
The Red Helen is the third largest butterfly in India. The wings are dark in colour with a creamy white patch on its prominent “swallowtail” hind wings. These butterflies are mostly seen in the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats. Citrus tress, evodia and roxburghiana are the favorite food plants for these butterflies.
Bird of the Day: Brown Pelican (Sanibel Island, FL)
Photo credit: Stephen Crafts
Biodiversity At Our Doorstep
Between the Western Ghats’ recent World Heritage Site designation and Periyar Tiger Reserve’s U.N. accolades reported here, awareness of our neighborhood is most certainly on the rise.
We’ve commented on PTR’s enlightened leadership previously, but it’s always encouraging to hear additional applause.
The Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) has won the coveted U.N.-India Biodiversity Governance award instituted by the Government of India and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the best managed protected area of the country.
Nandi Bull of Mysore
Photo Credits: Remesh Kidangoor
Nandi Bull is one of the landmark tourist attractions of Mysore. The over 350 year old statue represents Lord Shiva’s vehicle and was created during the reign of Dodda Devaraja. The Nandi is the third largest in all of India, carved out of a single piece of a rock 15 ft height and 24 ft width.
Bird of the Day: Red-shouldered Hawk
Round Valley Reservoir, NJ
Tiger Reserves In India Re-Open To Visitors
AP Copyright © MediaCorp Press Ltd
While the Periyar Tiger Reserve, which we are closest to and particularly amazed by, was the exception to the rule below, we understood the ban. Tiger habitat is threatened, and radical action was taken. The Periyar Tiger Reserve was exempted from the ban for reasons complex and rich enough that we will have to explain on another occasion, but in short there is a history of enlightened leadership of this particular Reserve. For the moment, we will just relay today’s news, which comes as a relief to all the businesses surrounding all the Tiger Reserves across India, who were severely affected by the ban. Continue reading
From Behind the Wheel: Barcelona Fans On the Move
Organikos 