There''s a lot more to Mother Nature than just its beauty. There is a way that nature speaks to us, we just have to be patient and listen to it. An insight into its myriad features can be far more intriguing and interesting than we can imagine. Nature Connect will take you to the innumerable treasures of nature through articles and stories by Mr. N. Shiva Kumar and will connect your body, mind and soul to it.
Read on.
Blue lagoon boulevard
By N. Shiva Kumar, Sr. Mgr. (CC), R&D Centre
January 02, 2012
(From the pages of THE HINDU dt. 2nd January 2012.)
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The placid lake was absolutely flat but captivating in the morning tranquillity and it was a delight driving on the 17-km. straight-as-an-arrow road covered by endless sheets of water on either side. Having started much before daybreak from the capital of Tamil Nadu, the intention was to check out some of the contours and corridors of Pulicat Lake. It is reckoned as the second largest brackish lagoon on the Indian Subcontinent after the Chilika lake in Orissa. Both these mammoth water bodies happen to be on the east coast of India and even though so far apart, they have many similarities with respect to their peculiar water quality that is rich in tiny versions of shrimp, lobsters and crabs. Covering an area of over 700 square kilometres, the Pulicat Lake is extremely shallow in most places and that is the advantage for the migrating waders. Waders are nothing but specific water birds that love wading through knee deep or leg deep waterbeds persistently dunking and hunting for morsels.
Located in the proximity of a large island on the East Coast of Andhra Pradesh, Pulicat Lake is only 100 kms. north of Madras. Very few people are aware of this beautiful blue lagoon that plays host to a multitude of wetland birds in the winter months. The lake waters very often ebb and flow dictated by nature and one could be lucky enough to see a rose-line of greater flamingos bobbing in the horizon. If you are plucky you can hire a fisherman's boat to get closer to the fabulous pink flamingos that migrate nearly 2000 kms. from the west coast of India leaving the harsh dry lands of Gujarat.
Pulicat Lake has been identified across the globe as one of most Important Bird Areas (IBA) as it sprawls lavishly across the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. River water from four rivulets of the River Pennar, two spells of monsoon rains and also the seeping of sea water from the Bay of Bengal help Pulicat Lake throb with millions of micro-organisms. This is possible because of the amalgamation of the sea water and fresh water that helps breed tiny aquatic creatures. The blue lagoon of Pulicat is supposedly the second largest wintering ground for migratory waterfowl found anywhere on the Indian Subcontinent. It is one of the hotspots of bio-diversity in the country, and some rare, vulnerable and endangered species listed in the International Union for Conservation of Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List inhabit the lush lagoon for at least a part of their life cycle.
Rich marine life
For many years Pulicat Lake was pristine, brimming with rich marine life, supporting innumerable birds on voyage and also fisher folk. It remained untouched until the 16th Century when the Dutch found the large spindle shaped island of Sriharikota perfect for a settlement and trading with far-off countries. For nearly 100 years they utilised the fairly calm waters of the sea bay east of Sriharikota for anchoring ships laden with merchandise. By the time British succeeded the Dutch, Pulicat Lake could not be used as a natural harbour because of the changing water dynamics and formation of marshland. Pulicat Lake, despite having a number of islands, often changed shapes and sizes. Only Sriharikota spread across 170 sq. kms. withstood the vagaries of nature. Some of the islands are now connected by road to one another and to the mainland by roads bisecting and dissecting into the pristine Pulicat Lake.
Since the 1970s, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has taken over Sriharikota Island as the largest secluded spaceport of India for launching of satellites and rockets into space. Just imagine the thundering sound and astonishing firepower being used to launch rockets against the gravitational force. In spite of all these activities over the years, nature seems to be resilient. A study conducted by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) indicated that more than 100 species of water birds are known to occur in Pulicat Lake. The prima donnas of Pulicat Lake are however the chunky Spot-billed Pelicans and the pretty pink flamingos that always occur in considerable groups.
Nature lovers can visit the Environmental Education Centre (EEC) after spending a few hours leisurely walking or driving up and down the long straight road. The 17-km. road ends at the entrance of ISRO located on Sriharikota Island where visitors are a strict no-no. On the way you will encounter a few double storied watchtowers specially built for a better view of the birds and to enjoy the 360 vistas. A small museum is in the tree-lined EEC campus that makes a good picnic spot to sit out under shade of tall trees. A pocketsize booklet containing the total checklist of 115 birds is available for ticking off instead of jotting down. The bird names are listed with common names, scientific names and also in Telugu for the benefit of various visitors. If you are persistent, you might easily encounter 50 species in a single day from dawn to dusk. Obviously, rather than using the naked eye, a telescope, binoculars or a camera with long lens will help identifying the feathered friends.
Keen birdwatchers can even attend the “Flamingo Festival” held every year and is being celebrated in the second week of January on the fringes of this massive lake. The two-day colourful festival will be organized on the banks of Pulicat Lake. For more details you can also contact the forest department located close to the Pulicat Lake or the Madras Natural History Society based in Chennai, the Pulicat Lake Bird Lovers' Society (PLBLS) operating from Sullurupet, Nellore, or the Birdwatchers Society of Andhra Pradesh in Hyderabad.
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Sweat on the wings
By N. Shiva Kumar, Sr. Mgr. (CC), R&D Centre
October 24, 2011
(From the pages of THE HINDU dt. 24th October 2011.)
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Migration of millions of birds into Indian subcontinent is like an annual
pilgrimage, religiously pouring in from the harsh winter lands of the northern
hemisphere. As Siberia, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,
Kazakhstan, Russia and Europe gets cold and covered in snow, a multitude of
small and big birds take wings flying nearly 4000 kms over harsh terrains in
search of good food in tropical India. It's a ‘flight of fancy' for many but for
avid birdwatchers it is a wakeup call as nearly 100 unusual species donning a
range of plumage converge.
To witness and photograph these winged visitors from far-off countries, four
friends recently started at 4 a.m. and travelled 400 kms by road into the
hinterland of the Great Indian Desert. Equipped with an array of cameras and
binoculars we reached in time to see a flock of beautiful demoiselle cranes
gliding into the dry grasslands of Tal Chappar in Churu district. Situated in
North-Western Rajasthan, the small but isolated sanctuary lies strategically on
the migratory passage route of scores of birds. The most spectacular migration
seen here is that of raptors especially the harriers. These spectacular birds of
prey pass through this area during the month of September and October. Montagu's
and Marsh Harrier are more common, while Pallid Harrier and Hen Harriers are
found in lesser numbers. Many migratory birds including the dainty demoiselle
cranes will stay here until March mulling over the variety of menu spread across
the pristine grasslands.
Tal Chappar wildlife sanctuary is basically a flat terrain with huge grassland
looking like one outsized manicured lawn from a distance. Obviously the seasonal
monsoons cajole growth of lush grass that slowly turn golden as it matures over
a period, bearing billions of seeds. The height of the grass is just about three
feet and harbours enormous number of insects thriving on the meadow. Insects
attract a large number of small predatory creatures like the lizards, reptiles
and rodents and these in turn lure numerous hungry birds. Grass seeds also are
first-rate fodder for smaller birds like a variety of doves, pigeons, larks and
pipits. Even the ostrich-like great Indian bustard, a very rare bird came
visiting in 2009 for the first time at Tal Chappar and is regarded as
significant occurrence.
Well protected
Excess utilisation and misuse of natural grasslands over the years in our
country has led to their degradation. Ever increasing human population has also
manipulated these grasslands and converted into agricultural lands. The Asiatic
cheetahs and Asian lions that once roamed the Indian subcontinent are now not
seen chiefly due to the loss of favourable grassland habitats. Ecologists
estimate that more that 43 per cent of the Indian subcontinent is in the process
of changing from grassland to desert. Fortunately in Tal Chappar there is no
indication of shifting sands as it has been perfectly protected by the forest
department and nurtured to be a grassland with due diligence.
Tal Chappar Wildlife Sanctuary is also unique in having a sizable population of
Blackbuck antelopes. The sanctuary is the natural home to nearly 2000 blackbucks
and one can easily encounter many herds sauntering and males strutting their
black and beautiful body. It is probably the only sanctuary in India with a good
population of blackbucks in level landscape. Its striking colour and flawlessly
spiralled horns gives it elegance. All males and females have distinctive
colouration, as the male bucks are purely black and white and have long twisted
horns, while females are biscuit coloured. Blackbucks are usually seen in herds
of 25-30, some times large herds can also been seen in commune. We were lucky to
see a big number of these beautiful creatures grazing, playing, and even
combating for their territorial rights. One adult male has numerous females and
will fiercely protect them from intruding males. The Wildlife Institute of India
has deployed a researcher for three years to study the territorial behavioural
patterns of the blackbucks to understand more about Indian flora and fauna.
The small area of nine sq.km of Tal Chappar Wildlife Sanctuary is home to the
desert fox, jungle cat, jackal and even a wolf that are rarely encountered. A
few neelgai and some chinkara also inhabit the grasslands with blackbuck being
the main herbivore. Besides these the big and powerful hunters like Imperial
eagles, tawny eagle, short-toed eagle, and sparrow hawk are also seen in good
number in this time of year. Though we missed the actual hunt, we had ample time
to regale as a very large tawny eagle which has a wing span of nearly six feet
was enjoying a big meal of a freshly hunted wild hare. With no fearful felines
this is one of the few sanctuaries in the country where one is allowed to walk
around the designated paths in the grasslands to experience the marvellous
ecosystem. Very soon 12 sq kms of grasslands, scrublands and woodlands that has
been recently acquired will soon be part of the flourishing sanctuary.
With the inflow of domestic and especially foreign tourists to the sanctuary
already on the rise, it could well be another hotspot in the colourful desert
state which is within reach by road, rail and air from Delhi and Mumbai. On the
last day of a rewarding trip we waited beside a large waterhole enjoying the
enormous golden orb of the sun setting in the horizon. Only the whisper of wings
was audible as multitude of birds came in silently to roost in the glorious
grasslands.
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Bounty of birds in desert
By N. Shiva Kumar, Sr. Mgr. (CC), R&D Centre
September 19, 2011
(From the pages of THE HINDU dt. 19th September 2011.)
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K eoladeo National Park is an exceptional World Heritage site located 200 kms from Delhi in the desert State of Rajasthan. It is more commonly called Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary but the locals simply utter the word Ghana, meaning dense forest. Until recently this hotspot used to be the Mecca for birdwatchers from across the world. Today this status has diminished a little even though the foreign tourist arrivals to India showed a remarkable increase of over five million in 2010. As an avid birdwatcher one can vouch that this 29-sq.km. is an ecological storehouse where drama in real life can be encountered at every turn you take, every move you make.
Apparently the blend of many marshlands, grasslands and woodlands of Bharatpur bird sanctuary seem to have a unique attraction to both Indian and foreign birds. An astounding 370-plus species of birds have been catalogued in this spectacular sanctuary. What is that attracts thousands of “bundles of feathers” and considered one of the best marshes for birds in the world? It is also described as “one of the most magical places for bird watching.” According to experts, it's the concoction of aquatic life in conjunction with moist earth that cultivates plenty of snails, tadpoles and frogs, beetles, crustaceans, molluscs and multitude of micro-organisms.
About 70 years ago fun with the gun was a pastime and on any given day 2000 to 4000 ducks were slaughtered in the name of sport. This figure was meagre when compared to the millions of ducks that converged in the lush wetlands of Bharatpur. Members of the royal family armed with shotguns took pot-shots at the flying ducks that arrived in the winter season from distant lands. While the birds came into tropical India to escape the bitter cold from the northern hemisphere, royal folk basking in the warm winter sun gleefully brought down the flying birds with rapid bullets. If that was not enough, many servants dutifully gathered dead ducks and assembled them in rows, not merely to be counted but also proudly posing for photographs. Duck shooting is a difficult sport but when the numbers are large any shot fired in the air was certain to bring down a few birds. This fun-fury unleashed in the bygone era is fortunately no more in vogue because killing wildlife is prohibited today.
This paradise for birds was declared a sanctuary in 1956, elevated to National Park in 1982 and finally declared as World Heritage Site in 1985. After the last sighting of the rare Siberian crane in 2004 in Bharatpur marshes, regular clientele from aboard who are accomplished ornithologists have stopped coming. It was a quirk of luck that one happened to photograph the last pair of Siberian cranes that visited India and now there are none.
Prime nesting sites
Come September and copious rain and water triggers nesting for resident birds. On a recent visit, herons, cormorants, egrets and storks were all competing for prime nesting sites. Open-bill storks and painted storks nesting close to each other caused constant bickering and it was a delight to see them quarrel. In the coming months, on show will be an assortment of performances in the process of building nests, mating, egg laying, brooding, hatching, feeding the young and finally the art of flying. For four months, until December this live concert will take place and then it will be time for large number of migratory birds to arrive in hordes.
The Bharatpur Bird Park heavily depends on sufficient supply of water for its flat patchwork of marshes artificially created in the 1850s. This intricate water system is still maintained by a system of canals and dykes. Water is fed into the marshes twice a year from flood waters of the Gambir and Banganga rivers, which are impounded by a small dam called Ajan Bund. However in recent times, the local farmers demanding more water have put the bird sanctuary in jeopardy. Inadequate monsoons have not helped the cause; hence there is paucity of water in some seasons. In September first week, ten solar systems worth Rs.one crore have started functioning with bore wells to pump out water and help fill the marshland with adequate water. Hopefully this will sustain the wonderful wetlands.
Late Salim Ali, the father of Indian ornithology, was happiest here in Bharatpur, amidst nature, making copious notes on bird behaviour. For those who are not aware, this is one of the world's best documented wetland ecosystems. Many species have been painstakingly studied by researchers for their ecological and morphological virtues to understand the magical mechanisms of nature at work. Though the sanctuary is mostly known for a variety of wild birds, there is also plenty of flora and fauna like sâmbhar deer, neelgai antelopes, large pythons, jackals, hyenas, mongooses etc.
Bharatpur bird sanctuary is the only natural reserve in the country where the maximum numbers of options are available to explore wildlife. Rambling or simply lingering in the sanctuary is exceptionally conducive both for the casual visitor and the keen observer. However one can hire a tonga, cycle rickshaw, a bicycle, a battery operated bus or even the official gypsy used by the field staff. Another unique way is to go in slow motion on the placid waters in a boat. The best way of course is just to amble and ramble at will with binoculars and cameras shooting birds.
Bharatpur is best visited from October to February when the weather is mild and accommodating.
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North by Northeast
By N. Shiva Kumar, Sr. Mgr. (CC), R&D Centre
June 14, 2011
(From the pages of THE HINDU dt. 13th June 2011.)
Striking the right pose this majestic hoolock gibbon seems to be telling the
cameraman to take a good picture or else…
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The Himalayas were awesome with their snow decked peaks as I peeped through the
aircraft's windows while flying into Dibrugarh airport in Assam. From Delhi, it
was a long cramped flight, but seeing the mighty meandering Brahmaputra down
below in so many twists and turns like liquid threads was equally breathtaking.
As I deplaned my three friends were waiting and we took off for another
adventure. Driving through lush manicured tea gardens, we encountered milestones
with remarkable names like Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Digboi and Margherita, etc.,
some of which were branded by British in their heydays of colonial India.
After crossing Assam we moved into Arunachal Pradesh, one of India's least
populated states and one of the most densely forested landscapes in the country.
By the time we reached Miao circuit house, the destination for the night, it was
delightfully dark even though it was just 7 p.m. Miao is pronounced as ‘meow',
like the purr of a cat. Here it gets dark by 4.30 in the evening, a good two to
three hours ahead of what we are used to back in Delhi.
Miao is on the very edge of Namdapha National Park, a dense, pristine and virgin
tropical rainforest spread across 2000 sq km in Arunachal's Changlang district
and running along the international border between India and Myanmar (Burma). I
discovered it's the only national park in the world that is home to four species
of big cat — tiger, leopard, snow leopard and clouded leopard. These jungles
also have one of the rarest pine trees, unique orchids like the Blue Vanda and
the Tarzan-like apes called hoolock gibbons which rarely step on to the ground.
There are multitudes of birds with fluty songs in the concealed jungle growth.
Not to speak of beautiful butterflies, reptiles, numerous insects and medicinal
herbs.
Curiosity got the better of us, so we decided only to have a short tea break at
Miao and drive to a forest rest-house deep in the forest at Deban, 25 km away.
Driving in the darkness in all terrain jeeps, with only the star-studded sky as
a guiding light was mesmerising. The piercing beams from headlights effectively
dislodged the eeriness and meekly exposed the narrow rubble road that was almost
overgrown with wild plants and creepers. We were in our element and already
looking for that elusive wildlife armed with cameras and flashguns. It was as if
we were lost in the thick jungles — and this is certainly not for the
faint-hearted.
Finally, the forest spirits seemed to take over and we got a flat tyre in the
middle of nowhere. We were apprehensive but the jungle was generous and rewarded
us for our genuine intentions. We espied the nocturnal and arboreal flying
squirrels scrambling on a tall tree, their eyes glinting in our searchlights. We
left immediately once the tyre was fixed and proceeded into more darkness to
reach our two-storied circular guesthouse. It was midnight and outlandishly
silent.
Buzz of insects
The next morning we woke up to a strange ringing of temple bells. Must be some
tribal ritual in the forest, we thought, but the caretaker serving us piping hot
tea in the cold morning, dispelled all such notions, informing us it was just
the collective buzz of certain insects. Tin-tin-tin, trin-trin-trin, it went on
and on with no perfect crescendo. The insects in question are hardly seen, even
by the locals, but their resonance reverberates through the jungle most of the
time. Looking out of the balcony of the guesthouse I spotted the Noa Dihing
River in blue, glistening in the morning sun. After the last night's adventure,
the jungles of Namdapha were finally visible, wonderfully decked in shades of
green. The sea of foliage was soothing to the eye.
The river appears deceptively calm while walking along its banks, but try
crossing it on a boat or elephant and you would feel the powerful tug of its
current. Deban may have no mobile network, even electricity and tap water but it
is in no short supply of crisp clean air, beautiful bright sunlight and clear
waters. As passionate birdwatchers, we quickly polished off breakfast and packed
some eats for an entire day out in the jungle, looking for those flying bundles
of feathers.
The forest department had assigned two of their best men to guide us through the
enchanting forest for the next three days. We went for a leisurely walk along
the dried up river bed, precariously balancing over smooth stones and boulders.
As there are no motorable roads one has to trek and camp to explore the rest of
the vast wilderness. We were accompanied by a young male elephant to carry the
heavy gear and paraphernalia.
We spent the days birding in and around Deban and went river rafting for short
distances, enjoying the thrill of fast waters. As the rainforest is laid out in
layers of leaves right up to the canopy, held together by branches and vines, we
spotted numerous colourful birds, fleeting over the tall trees or hiding under
the thick undergrowth. Visibility was reduced to less than three feet with the
trees towering over us and shutting out the rays of the sun. Photography in such
conditions was near impossible, but with digital cameras we managed to shoot
some pictures. We crossed fast flowing streams with chilled waters flowing into
the main river. Once in a while, a steep trek into the forest looking for flora
and fauna was daunting.
Hoolock gibbon
This region is the home of the hoolock gibbon, one of the rarest apes on earth
that swings from tree to tree. It is a creature of the upper canopy of the
forest, eats fruits, flowers and insects, and sleeps on a bed of leaves and
branches. Gibbons have no tail but extremely long arms and legs for agility in
tree-to-tree travelling. Occasionally they descend to the ground and walk on two
legs like a human being. We were fortunate to see a whole troop creating a
ruckus on the treetops. One black male with pretty white brows was dangling,
swinging and hooting loudly to a mate nearby. Hoolocks are largely territorial
and fiercely monogamous and love their partners intensely. Infidelity is a
strict no-no. We are no tree people but certainly fall short of the hoolock in
the test of character!
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When the turtles come ashore
By N. Shiva Kumar, Sr. Mgr. (CC), R&D Centre
June 06, 2011
(Published in THE HINDU newspaper On the 5th June To commemorate the World Environment Day celebrations...)
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She was sweet 17, profoundly pregnant; and yet floated effortlessly, adrift
in the warm waters off the east coast of India. The Olive Ridley sea turtle was
waiting for darkness to envelope her. She was pregnant for the first time and
would breed many more times in her life span of 100 years. Stealth was not her
intention as she waited 700 yards from the sandy beach at the mouth of the
Rushikulya in Orissa. A few yards away, another female turtle joined her, then a
third, followed by a dozen, then hundreds and thousands. They gathered as if for
a colossal hen party, instinctively following an uncanny ritual that happens in
the dead of the night.
Astounding sight
All the expectant mother turtles slowly crawl towards the virgin beach. “Look,
there comes the first fat lady,” said turtle researcher Sajan John, holding a
tiny torch, as I peered into the darkness. I was witness to an Arribada, which
means “Arrival” in Spanish. Arribada is the astounding nesting inclination of
the Olive Ridley turtle. Large groups of turtles gather off the seashore and, in
a short span of a few nights, they invade the beaches in regular intervals to
lay eggs in collective clutches. The nesting density is so high that previously
laid eggs are unwittingly dug up by other turtles to lay their own eggs! Each
clutch has at least 70-100 ping-pong sized white eggs stacked in a tubular pit
excavated in the soft sand.
Armed with cameras and oodles of curiosity, I had come prepared for night-outs
on the breezy open beach. Walking with difficulty on the sand for three
kilometres in my slippers, I wondered how these heavy turtles shuffled on the
sand with their flippers. Being creatures of the sea, turtles are not built to
crawl on land as they never ever venture out of the deep waters except during
the nesting season.
There are numerous theories on what triggers an Arribada, including deep-sea
currents, solar-lunar cycles and physiological triggers. Scientists are yet to
determine the authentic cues. Intriguingly not all female Ridleys nest during an
Arribada; some prefer to nest on their own. While other turtles have been
documented nesting in small groups, no other sea turtles have been observed
nesting in such massive numbers. This year a record 254,000 female turtles came
ashore to drop their progeny packaged in eggs.
This synchronized egg laying is a wonder of nature and continues to be a
mystery. B.C. Choudhury, an authority on turtles at the Wildlife Institute of
India (WII), explains, “Olive Ridleys often migrate great distances between
feeding and breeding grounds. In satellite tracking telemetry studies, both male
and female Ridleys leave their feeding grounds in the vast oceans and migrate to
the coast of Orissa to breed and brood. Availability of adequate sea food and
secure sea beaches are vital for their survival.”
Threats to the turtle
According to Choudhury, the principal cause of the Olive Ridley's dramatic
decline is the collection of eggs and killing of adults on nesting beaches. In
the 1970s and the 1980s, trade in turtle meat increased and it is estimated that
at least 50,000 turtles were shipped to Kolkata each nesting season. Trains and
trucks were filled with live turtles destined to be served as a delicacy in
homes and restaurants. People and pollution have collectively contributed to
turtle deaths.
Maritime activities have increased the plying of boats, yachts and ships
destroying unspoiled beaches. Expansion of shrimp and tuna trawling has also
resulted in numerous turtle deaths. The Rushikulya nesting beach was discovered
in 1994 by WII scientists during turtle surveys on the Orissa coast. Protecting
the eggs from natural predators is a daunting task as many are devoured by feral
dogs, jackals, wild boar, kites, gulls or washed away by waves. Studies suggest
that only one out of 1,000 eggs eventually produce an adult Olive Ridley Turtle.
These threats continue in some parts of the world even today, compromising
efforts to recover this endangered species. In India, conservation efforts after
the 1980s have stabilized the numbers as Olive Ridleys are protected by
international treaties as well as national laws. Will intricate laws make sense
to illiterate villagers who survive on fishing? Choudhury is emphatic that
awareness and education is essential for survival of any rare species.
The future of the Arribada in Orissa is bleak but increasing awareness is
certainly going to protect these gentle giants of the ocean. As Erramma, an
energetic 60-year-old fisherwoman, whispered, “For years, we enjoyed eating the
rich meat and eggs of the turtles at least once in a year”. After a sigh she
says, “We now realize the importance of these turtles who visit us annually
bringing in good fortune. We will certainly protect our sea goddess.”
Arribada facts
Sixty years ago, the first Arribada was discovered by an amateur who recorded on
film thousands of Ridley turtles nesting on a remote beach in Mexico.
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Go gold with golden shower
By N. Shiva Kumar, Sr. Mgr. (CC), R&D Centre
May 25, 2011
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Come summer and we see the sun is blazing hot and blistering heat, with temperature shooting up to 44 degrees centigrade, like it happened in Delhi recently. Most of us cringe at the thought of going out into the open as we cannot bear the intense heat. But then, there is something that nature provides us with Joy in the heat. Even in the extreme heat, there are some utterly beautiful nuances that happen in nature so let us take a look at one such example.
Called Amaltas in Hindi, the golden shower tree is a very beautiful tree indeed with an equally interesting name. The flowers of this beautiful tree are absolutely lemon yellow in colour. Any tree you see on the roads dangling with beautiful yellow flowers is for sure the golden shower. Any group of flowers that cascades down to an upside down pinnacle and is gleefully shining in the hot sun is for certain the Golden shower.
Botanically, it is called Cassia Fistula L, belonging to the Fabaceae (Pea family as peanuts / groundnuts). It also has many other common names such as Indian laburnum, Amaltas, Golden rain, canna fistula, purging cassia, pudding pipe tree etc. Besides, there are innumerable local names in major Indian languages.
Golden shower is a tropical ornamental tree with a trunk consisting of hard reddish wood, growing up to 40-60 feet tall. The wood is hard and heavy and strong and can easily be used for making cabinets, inlay work, decorative pieces etc. It has showy petals and sepals up to 2" long with bright, yellow, fragrant flowers. These flowers are attractive not only to bees, butterflies and innumerable insects but also to our weary eyes. Visually beautiful to us, they; however, provide nectar, the vital food, to numerous insects. The tiny yellow flowers occur in a long pendant cluster, called a raceme, measuring 6 to 30 inches long. The fruits are dark-brown cylindrical pods, also 2' long, which also hold the flattish and brown seeds (up to 100 in one pod). These seeds are in cells, each containing a single seed.
Cassia fistula is widely grown as an ornamental plant in tropical and subtropical areas. It blooms in late spring. Flowering is profuse, with trees being covered totally with yellow flowers, many times with almost no leaf being seen. It grows well in dry and arid climates. The growth for this tree is best in the full sun on well-drained soil and it is comparatively drought tolerant and slightly salt-tolerant as well. It will endure light brief frost but can get damaged if frost persists for longer periods. It can also be subject to plant diseases like mildew, leaf spot especially during the second half of the growing season. The golden shower tree blooms better where there is a pronounced difference between summer and winter temperatures.
This magnificent spring-flowering street or park tree for tropical regions, the golden shower tree slowly grows up to 60 feet tall and 60 to 75 feet wide with a rounded silhouette. Pleasing to the eye even from a long distance, the tree stands out even in the crowd of many other trees. Native to the Indian subcontinent, it naturally grows in fertile tropical countries
This is a national flower of Thailand and one of the most impressive cassias. From early spring through summer, it displays beautiful cascades of golden flowers, ranging from country to country. Cassia is a large genus, with some 500 species, among which are a number of highly attractive flowering trees. To many tropical gardeners, the most beautiful is Cassia fistula, hence it is grown in the most private and government gardens. This is a medium to large tree with ovate, pointed leaflets; when these drop, usually in the dry season, masses of bright gold flower clusters appear on almost every branch. Cassia likes the full sun and well-drained soil and to bloom profusely, it requires a dry season. So why not plant one in your home to make it beautiful and also get a good amount of oxygen.
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The Jungle Babbler has a Method in Madness
By N. Shiva Kumar, Sr. Mgr. CC, R&D Centre
January 14, 2011
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Dull grey-brown and not pretty looking but the jungle babbler as the name suggests is very boisterous, moves briskly and this bird believes in chattering endlessly. Found all across the Indian subcontinent except the cold regions the jungle babblers are also called the seven sisters because they seem to occur always in groups of seven. Why, we do not know? In Hindi they are called saat bhai. Be it brothers or sisters they are always in groups and very very noisy. They go silent when threatened or when the need to be alert.
Of about the 32 species of songbirds constituting the babbler family Timaliidae, almost all these birds are expressive and very vocal. Generally found in the undergrowth scampering amongst hedges, shrubs and herbal plantations, they feed mainly on juicy insects, but also eat food grains, seeds and fleshy berries.
These compact groups of brownish birds merge well in the dry litter of leaves and the colour helps them acquire a perfect camouflage cover. So that they are not visible to prying eyes like the hunting buzzards, eagles, kites or crows. They however, maintain territories and will defend it against neighbors who intrude into their feeding and breeding arena. The jungle babblers are the size of a myna and are known to live long and have been recorded to live as much as 15 years in captivity. Obviously in the wild they should be living a little less if they get insufficient food or live more if conditions are conducive.
In my numerous birding trips across the country I found them foraging with such intensity that they look under dry leaves, below the foliage for any kind of insect that is edible. There is always some method in madness in their behavior as some birds of the group take up a high vantage point and act as sentinels to warn against predators. They are also known to gather and mob potential predators such as snakes or monitor lizards so that they can scare it away.
The Jungle Babblers are mostly resident and breeding in India and as they do not perform the superior art of migration. The Jungle Babbler's habitat is forest underbrush and closed cultivation. This species, like most babblers, is not migratory, as they do not have very strong flying feathers. As babblers are quite common in Indian forests they build their nest in small trees, or stout shrubs which is very well concealed in dense foliage. The nest normally consists of two to six deep greenish blue eggs. The young ones are well taken care of by the parents but sometimes the feral cats catch them to be eaten as ready morsels. I recall that during my college days when I started my “ornithological” trips looking for various birds of feather in Hyderabad, I noticed the village urchins catching these birds. Being slow movers the jungle babblers which move in groups can be easily be brought down. So these young children would throw stones and there was every chance one bird will at least be hit and become unconscious.
To identify the numerous babblers that occur in India, is not at all easy but it is prudent that you refer the two very good field guides on birds viz. (1) Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, and (2)A Field Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Kazmierczak and Van Perlo. But for details about the jungle babbler and other babblers (there are at least twenty more babblers that are found in India) the best bet is the book of Indian birds by Salim Ali the father of Indian ornithology. In his book he writes “flocks or sister hoods or brotherhoods hop about on the ground...they are very sociable....”. Ali was a very keen observer and made extensive notes on his numerous field trips across the country. He is the most widely travelled man in India. The book is now its 14th edition and is available in any good book shop across the country. Otherwise, if any of you want to identify any bird that occur in your workplace or home you may please send me a photo or full description and I will let you know what it is. And why the bird is useful to environment and us. Send your query to nshivakumar@iocl.co.in or shiva.indianoil@gmail.com.
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Wire-tailed Swallow is a Master on the Wing
By N. Shiva Kumar, Sr. Mgr. CC, R&D Centre
November 30, 2010
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Small, slender and charming the Wire-tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii) is a cute looking bird belonging to the swallow family. Swallows are somewhat similar in habits and appearance to other aerial and insect eating birds on the wing. Yet they differ in their temperament and behavior. With an aerodynamic body they are built for beckoning the wind under their wings for their flying benefit. This photograph of the swallow was taken near our IndianOil’s giant Crude Oil tank farm of Vadinar close to the Marine National Park in the west coast of Gujarat last week.
Wire-tailed Swallow breeds in tropical southern Asia from the Indian subcontinent east to Southeast Asia and also occurs in the African continent. It is mainly resident, which means they stay in one location most the time but some populations in north India migrate further south to escape the severe winter months. Strangely this species is uncommon in the island country of Sri Lanka which has weather conditions like India. Why it is not there? We do not know as scientists are on the job to unravel this reason.
Often found in open countryside near water where plenty of flying insects are available as food. It is also comfortable near human habitation as man has the capability of creating profusion of pollution which breeds many harmful insects. These small but useful birds eat plethora of insects, almost one insect every minute and much more if they have young ones to feed. They execute an important job of eradicating destructive insects that spread diseases.
Wire-tailed Swallows are very fast flyers, hence can catch even flying insects especially flies, while airborne. They generally feed on flying insects; rarely catching the ground insects as their legs are not very suitable for walking and chasing creepy, crawly insects. They nevertheless are experts in picking up insects while in flight from the surface of stagnant water bodies like ponds and lakes. Swallows have long, narrow wings, forked tails, and weak feet. But they are extremely graceful in flight, making abrupt changes in speed and direction as they feed on the wing, catching insects in their wide mouths.
On the other hand, they come on to the ground specifically for collecting wet mud pellets to make amazingly compact nests. The neat half-bowl nests are lined with mud collected in the swallows' beaks. They are placed on vertical surfaces near water under cliff ledges or more commonly on man-made structures such as old buildings, even ruins, bridges and other secluded places. The egg-clutch consists of three to four small eggs in Africa, up to five eggs in Asia as per ornithological researchers who conduct regular surveys.
These diminutive swallow birds are solitary and territorial nesters, unlike many swallows, which tend to be colonial i.e. in large colonies ranging from hundred to even thousands. This striking species is a small swallow at 14 cm in length. It has bright blue upperparts, except for a chestnut crown and white spots on the tail. The under parts are contrasting white, with very dark blue flight feathers. Juveniles have a brown crown, brown back and tail. There is a visible blue mask through the eyes that looks very pleasing. This species gets its unique name from the very long filamentous outermost tail feathers, which trail behind the normal wing feathers like two long wires. What is the use of such fancy tail feathers is not known but investigation is an ongoing procedure to unravel this mystery. It is difficult to tell the male and female birds apart, but experts and birdwatchers differentiate the female that has comparatively shorter "wires".
The scientific name of this bird is named after Professor Chetien Smith, a Norwegian botanist, who was a member of the British expedition to the Congo River in 1816. In this International Year of Biodiversity, the international organization called BirdLife in Hungary has decided to celebrate the common species of swallows and organized several initiatives to celebrate their Bird of the Year, including swallow-watching tours, bird-ringing demonstrations and lessons on how to build those nests.
What are we doing in India, frankly nothing much for the protection of these pretty useful birds?
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Motherhood in different strokes
By Sabeena Chowdhary, SCCO, CO
May 11 2010
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It was a rare sight to see a sparrow feeding her baby right in front of the eyes, on the ceiling of my balcony. The sight was simply amazing! It is exciting to know that even birds have a maternal instinct like human beings. It clearly shows that a mother is a mother. These pictures were captured on this fine morning of 11th May 2010.
Birds feed their young variety of foods in a variety through different ways. It depends on the type of bird and the foods that are available to them. The parent birds eat the food first. Why? Well, there are a number of reasons for that. First, it is a good way to make foods that are too large or too hard for baby birds to eat smaller and easier to digest. It is also an economical and practical way to carry large quantities of food like grains, seeds or bugs from one place to another. They don't have arms you know? Then when they get to the nest they regurgitate the food for the babies.
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Did-You-Do-It? Says the Red Wattled Lapwing
By N. Shiva Kumar, Sr. Mgr. CC, R&D Centre
May 10 2010
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Now you see it, now you don’t, was the bewilderment to my weary eyes under the blazing sun of the hot Indian summer. I certainly was not on the verge of having a sunstroke but the clutch of four eggs of the Red Wattled Lapwing were so well camouflaged that they were invisible even when I was standing right next to them. The Red wattled lapwing bird is one of the commonest, bold and also a beautiful bird found in most places across the country. It is very active and extremely sensitive to the protection of its eggs and the young. Yet it lays her precious eggs out in the open ground without making any sort of nest, not even a small scrape in the stony had ground.
They usually lays 3 to 4 blotchy buff eggs that are almost half the size of chicken’s eggs but perfectly match the ground they are gently laid on. How they match the ground colouration is a mystery and scientists have NOT yet unravelled this astounding aspect. For an unused eye these eggs on the ground can be totally invisible. In fact even if you spotted them and just look away and try seeing them again it will be tough to see them at one go. Just imagine the degree of difficulty in sightings these eggs on open ground and this obviously helps in keeping away the prying eyes of various predators.
Red-wattled Lapwings spend their time running about in jerky short spurts, stopping abruptly now and then to pick up some juicy titbit. These ever alert birds seem to be quite as active and wide awake at night as in daytime. Usually their normal flight is unhurried, attained by deliberate flaps of the wings and seldom at any great height from the ground. But when threatened or when protecting their young they are very fast and accurate in their flight pattern. The characteristic loud calls which are variously rendered by the Red-wattled Lapwing is proud and sounds like 'Did-he-do-it?', 'Pity-to-do-it' or 'Did-You-Do-It'. That’s how the British, when they ruled India for many years, spent their free time in observing birds and named this bird as 'Did-You-Do-It'.
The red-wattled lapwing has its upper face, the rest of the neck, flanks, belly and tail are white and the wings and back are light brown. The bird has a stance that is proud and pronounced with alert awareness. It loves eating juicy Insects, small snails and other invertebrates, which are picked from the ground. In the ornithological parlance they are termed as large waders, about 35cm long (somewhat larger than a Pigeon, with longer legs). The wings and back are light brown with a purple sheen, but head and chest and front part of neck are black. Prominently white patch runs between these two colours, from belly and tail, flanking the neck to the sides of crown. Short tail is tipped black. A red fleshy wattle in front of each eye, black-tipped red bill, and the long legs are yellow. In flight, prominent white wing bars formed by the white on the secondary coverts. Males and females are similar in plumage but males have a 5% longer wing span.
The Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus) usually keeps in pairs near to ponds and pools and other well-watered open country, ploughed fields, grazing land, on margins of dry beds of tanks and even small puddles. It is also found in forest clearings around rain-filled depressions. They occasionally form very large flocks, ranging from 25 to 200 birds. The local names include titeeri (Hindi), tateehar (Sindhi), titodi (Gujarati), hatatut (Kashmiri), balighora (Assamese), yennappa chitawa (Telugu) aal-kaati (Tamil, meaning "human indicator").
Though widely distributed in the entire subcontinent, this species is declining in its western range due to land and water pollution that is rampant across the country. The breeding season is mainly March to August. The courtship involves the male puffing its feathers and pointing its beak upwards. The male then shuffles around the female. Several males may display to females and they may be close together. As mentioned earlier, Nests are difficult to find since the eggs are cryptically coloured and usually matches the ground pattern. In suburban areas, they sometimes take to nesting on unused roof-tops. They have been recorded nesting even on the stones between the rails of a railway track, the adult leaving the nest when trains passed. When nesting both the male and female incubate the eggs and the birds will attempt to dive bomb or distract potential predators. Like other lapwings, they soak their belly feathers to cool the eggs during hot Indian weather and provide water to their chicks as well.
In our Indian culture the eggs are often collected by people and used in traditional remedies for asthma and typhoid. How effective they are is not known and strangely in some parts of India, a local belief is that the bird sleeps on its back with the legs upwards and an associated Hindi metaphor Tithiri se asman thama jaega ("can the dim-wit support the heavens?") is used when referring to persons undertaking tasks beyond their ability or strength.
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Arribada – Unique sea turtle nesting phenomenon
By N. Shiva Kumar, Sr. Mgr. CC, R&D Centre
April 22 2010
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Arribada is a unique nesting phenomenon that is in practise for thousands of years
by thousands of Olive Ridley turtles. As they evolved, Ridley sea turtles adopted
a unique nesting behaviour that increases their offspring’s chance of survival.
They deposit more eggs in the sandbed than predators can actually consume. No other
species of marine turtle mimics this type of nesting behaviour. They practise an
exceptional ‘synchronised nesting’ and ‘synchronised swamping’. Mass nesting happens
in the dead of the night when thousands of turtles come ashore on secluded spots
and lay their eggs. “Predator swamping” can be observed as hatchlings emerge from
their nests in large numbers after about 40 days. This behaviour overwhelms the
predators that wait to eat them on the beach. The odds are very good that at least
one or two offspring from one batch of eggs will survive to reach adulthood and
introduce that parent’s genetic information into the gene pool.
The Arribada is akin to Maha Khumbh mela where thousands of pilgrims assemble to
perform holy rituals at sandy river banks of Sangam- the confluence of the Ganga,
Yamuna and the mystical Sarswati at Allahabad. As we all know one khumbh Mela has
just concluded in Haridwar. With our proverbial human tendency to downplay all other
creatures, we term the turtles as typically dumb, deaf and mute. In true perspective,
the Olive Ridley turtles are probably better in some ways than the so called “intelligent”
human being. After all they have perfected the art of living in the oceans of fantasy
for thousands of years and I was fortunate to witness the spectacular sequences
for three continuous nights from dusk to dawn. A staggering number of turtles travelled
long distance, nearly 3000 km, to be there at Rushikulya river mouth in Orissa and
that is when the journeys turn into legends. I was extremely lucky to be there to
watch the ‘legends’ as they came ashore. In fact, this year the Arribada and the
Khumb Mela strangely happened during the same period.
Armed with three cameras, oodles of curiosity and enthusiasm, I had come prepared
for a night camp out in the open beach and was overwhelmed by the intensity and
eagerness of the she turtles. Being creatures of the sea, the turtles are not built
to walk or even crawl on land as they never ever venture out of the deep waters,
except during the mating and nesting season. Walking on the soft sand for more than
three kilometres in my chapals (shoes are a hindrance) to the nesting site, I realised
the degree of difficulty that is involved in slogging through loose sandy soil.
I wondered how the giant turtles, which weigh about 50kgs or more, manage to shuffle
with their four ‘L’ shaped flippers. Their legs are flexible flat structures and
perfectly suitable for swimming and not for walking and yet they manage to drag
themselves on to the sandy beaches with an extreme urge to empty their egg sacs.
There are many theories on what triggers an Arribada, the collective arrival and
nesting. Is it the turn of the offshore winds, oceanic currents, solar-lunar cycles
or the internal body chemicals released by females? Despite numerous theories, scientists
have yet to determine the actual cues for Olive Ridleys Arribada. Intriguingly,
not all females nest during an Arribada; some are solitary preferring to nest on
their own in a secluded spot anywhere along the vast 7500 km costal belt of the
Indian subcontinent. Olive Ridleys employ a mixed nesting strategy. A single female
might deposit her eggs during an Arribada, as well as brood alone during the same
nesting season. While other turtles have been documented nesting in small groups,
no other sea turtle species have been observed nesting in such massive numbers.
In this regard, the Olive Ridley turtles are truly remarkable and demonstrate exceptional
group mechanisms.
Olive Ridley's are one of the seven species of sea turtles found in the world. At
the onset of winter, they migrate northwards from the Indian Ocean south of SriLanka,
and arrive in the coastal waters of Orissa to mate and nest. They exhibit the phenomenon
of synchronous mass nesting, known as Arribada (Spanish term referring to mass arrival).
Over a period of 3-5 nights, thousands of female turtles crawl out of the sea, make
their slow way up the beach, above the high tide mark, and laboriously dig nest-pits
in the sand where they lay from up to 120-150 eggs, sometimes even up to a large
clutch of 200.
They then fill the nest hollow with the sand, pat it flat so that no trace of it
remains and return to sea, to come back and restart the cycle next year. Depending
on the weather conditions, millions of hatchlings emerge from the nests within 45-50
days of the Arribada and instinctively head towards the sea. The sad fact in this
otherwise astounding story is that only one out of every thousand hatchlings will
reach adulthood and the beaches, which are their traditional nesting grounds as
well as the very lives of the adults themselves, are under immense threat. The beaches
are haphazardly used for tourism and development. Casurina plantations being introduced
reduce the area for the rookeries and the turtles from the trawlers and gill nets
where they get caught and drown. Orissa has three known Arribada beaches – Gahirmatha,
Devi and the Rushikulya river mouth. This year an amazing 200,000 Olive Ridleys
have laid eggs between February 24 and Mar¬ch 6 on the sandy beaches of Orissa.
Three short days in Orissa, I witnessed it all, and I carried back a lifetime of
priceless memories and experiences. Awesome!!!!
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White-eyed Buzzard is a Cool Character
By Mr. N.Shiva Kumar, Senior Manager (CC), Mathura Refinery
April 23, 2009
 Butastur teesa in the zoological terms, the Buzzard is an amazing raptor and an ace “flight lieutenant” that is a widespread resident in India. With about 17 inches in length the White–eyed Buzzard is different because of its white eyes that sets it’s apart from the other birds of prey in the country.
We were three friends searching the jungles for anything that moves and were mounted on a forest departments open jeep and scanning the forests at midday and found this bird active despite the heat. The buzzard was wary of our movements but alighted for a while and that is when we merrily shot a few pictures and it took off again into the sky with a shrill call. It kept circling the open and cloudless sky and slowly disappeared out of sight.
A small grayish brown hawk, considered small in comparison with other hawks and eagles the White-eyed Buzzard has a white throat, dark cheek stripes that look like a well cut beard. The brown top feathers and white under parts and orange-yellow beak that is sharply hooked make the buzzard look very aggressive. The eyes that are white or yellowish white are only conspicuous at close quarters but not evident when far off in the field. Viewing with binoculars makes it easy to identify but certainly not with the naked eye. See the photograph taken with a long lens in the Sariska National Park one hot summer day recently. The bird was actually scanning the ground from the blue yonder of the sky for any prey that could make a nice meal.
This small but smart raptor is a rapid flier with exceptional hunting skills that is seen to be believed and is very often praised for its stealth hunting. Sexes are alike as both the female are very difficult to tell apart in the open country where they usually reside. They prefer tall trees to take off when the need arises. Otherwise sitting singly, in open scrub country at preferred vantage points they scan the open ground in the forests with their sharp eyes. Either flying or simply floating on the air currents without flapping their wings the buzzard is a cool character on the wing by using the wind to its advantage. Hovering and flying comes easy for the buzzard as they are built to fly effortlessly. They prefer to live and hunt in dry open country with thin deciduous forest, avoids humid and densely-wooded tracts where visibility is not very good. The buzzard is rather sluggish looking when at rest or when not hunting and they usually perch on dry trees, telegraph posts, etc., and swoops down on its prey in a jiffy.
The buzzards when mating or communicating to each other have a call that is shrill and not very pleasant to the human ear. The call is more like a plaintive mewing, usually uttered when pairs soar in circles high up in the air. Often found in the company of other larger birds of prey the buzzard looks like the more common Shikra but is different with bare legs and sharp-eyed.
Commonly occurring in the drier parts throughout the India right up to about 1000 m in the Himalayas ranges but very scarce in the southern part of the country. It also occurs in our neighboring countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Sometimes it shows local migratory patterns and is found in the company of other raptors depending on the availability of prey food. Being a small raptor it usually likes to feed on locusts, grasshoppers, crickets and other large insects as well and when necessary it also feeds on rats, mice, lizards and frogs.
The nesting season for the buzzards is principally from the months of February to May. The Nest is not very large but build like a loose, unlined cup of twigs like that of a crow up in the fork of a thickly foliaged tree. Because of the need to be well protected and covered the preference is in thick leafed trees or in forest groves. The female Buzzard lays about two to four eggs that are tinged with greenish white with fairly smooth texture. Both sexes share nest-building and feeding young though the female alone incubates. While the nesting is a continuous process the feeding is more of a bothersome chore because the young chicks seem to be ever hungry and constantly needing food that is shredded to pieces and before feeding.
As one well-known British birdwatcher that I met recently in Bharatpur said, how the disappearing tall trees in India is affecting the birds of prey. Big birds need to have big safe places high up in the ground to breed and raise their brood to effective adult hood so that the progeny scurvies for the future. In the name of progress we are building glossy tall building but cutting down tall trees that takes nature years to nurture are vanishing from the horizon.
This tadpole forgot to grow into a frog
By Mr. N.Shiva Kumar, Senior Manager (CC), Mathura Refinery
March 20, 2009
 In the year of Darwin’s bicentenary celebrations worldwide, lets us look at one his famous prediction that the creatures in the water moved to land by special adaptations. The first fish, rather the water living creature, which moved from the sea waters to the land millions of years ago probably, resembled the strange looking, bulbous eyed mudskippers. Have you ever seen them? Have you ever heard of them?
In the second week of March, I went visiting the Sunderban in the world’s largest delta formed by numerous rivers including the mighty Brahmaputra, the Ganga and many other smaller rivers. It is regarded as the largest and the biggest single stretch of the unique Mangrove forests in the world. Sunderban is also a world heritage site and also plays host to the stealthy Royal Bengal Tiger. But I went bird watching as tigers are impossible to see in these dense and impossible matrixes of Jungles. On the numerous visits I espied hundreds of mudskippers on the muddy slopes of the mudflats.
Mudskippers are weird but wonderfully curious looking creatures just like tadpoles with a fish like body with long tails and frog like head with protruding eyes. Mudskippers are most commonly found in mangrove swamps as they love the gooey moist mud that is constantly kept wet with the lapping waters. They live in tiny burrows in the mud flats among tree stems and roots of the mangrove forests. Some even climb up the tree trunks and branches of the trees, they dart back down and into their burrows at the first sign of danger. The dense mangrove trees provide shelter and cover not only from bird predators such as sea gulls and river terns but also from the strong Indian sunshine and the occasional cyclone that descends with a bang.
Anatomical and behavioral adaptations allow the mudskippers to move about effectively on land as well as in the water. Mudskippers are actually fish with scales but look like tadpoles and also behave like them. As their name implies these fish use their fins to move around in a series of hops, skips and jumps. They can also flip their muscular body to catapult themselves up into the air and thus move in the direction they desire.
The ability to breathe through their moist skin with the help of mucous lining of their mouth and throat is pertinent. This is only possible when the mudskipper is wet and wild, therefore limiting mudskippers to humid habitats like the mangrove forests and requiring that they keep themselves moist at all times. This mode of breathing, similar to that employed by amphibians, is known as cutaneous air breathing. Another important adaptation that aids breathing while out of water is their enlarged gill chambers, where they trap and retain oxygen filled bubbles of air. These large gill chambers close tightly when the fish is out and above the waterline, keeping the gills moist allows them to function. They act like a scuba diver’s cylinders, and supply oxygen for respiration also while on land adjoining the rivers banks and sea water mixing with fresh water.
Male and female mudskippers look identical except in breeding season, when the males develop brighter colors on their backs and sides. (see the accompanying picture of the Blue spotted mudskipper) Males attract females by moving up and down rhythmically akin to somebody doing pushups. When a female shows interest, the male leads her into his burrow made in the murky mud of the mudflats. During the love making the female lays her eggs and the male fertilizes them.
Mudskippers are found in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions, including the Indo-pacific and the Atlantic coast of Africa. In India we have them in and around the costal waters of Andaman & Nicobar Islands where mangrove forests thrive in luxury. Another prominent spot is the vast spread of Sunderban forests where thousands and thousands of mudskippers are found frolicking in the wet muddy and slushy shores of the numerous creeks. Mangrove forests in Andhra pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and Maharastra are other locations where these mudskippers are found in abundance. Different mudskipper species occur all along the entire coast line of India. The mudskippers play on important role of aerating the earth when the mangrove jungles occur, just like the earthworms irrigate the earth in the mainland. They have a life span of about five years but tend to live longer if raised in an aquarium.
Some types of mudskipper feed on diatoms (microscopic algae) that live in the mud. To catch them, mudskippers scrape off a thin layer of mud by skimming their heads across its surface. Other species of mudskipper feed on small larger prey, including shrimp, worms and insects. They also eat crabs, despite the thick shells. Sometimes mudskippers fall prey themselves to larger crabs and shorebirds. Mudskippers dig burrows that are 2 to 20 inches or deeper by spitting large mouthfuls of mud away from the burrow’s entrance. The burrows obviously are deepened corresponding to the size of the individual mudskipper’s needs.
The mudskipper has unique eyes are adapted for both above and below the water visibility and they can also be moved separately. Mudskippers do not move with the tide, instead, they spend most of their time out of water. But at high tide they can remain completely submerged in their burrows for up to two hours or more if necessary. I found watching their playful activities were much more fun through my powerful binoculars.
Mudskippers are one of nature’s most curious creatures that have not been studied by scientists to the full extent and continue to fascinate the general public at large. To me the mudskipper looked like as if a tadpole had forgotten to grow into an adult frog. Next time when you are at a beach resort soaking in the warm Indian Sun ask the locals about the mudskippers and they will let you see some of these fascinating fish. They also make excellent specimens in an aquarium so acquire them if you love them but they need brackish waters to survive.
After having traveled in the slow ferryboat for nearly 17 hours in about three days throughout the mangrove forests in the oppressive heat I found, at the water's edge, the unique mudskipper was pretty common. This is, a fish that walks on land and even climbs trees but not easy to see as they are highly camouflaged. Its fins have evolved into two small arm-like flippers, which permit it to move on land. Watching birds was the primary objective but I also noticed blood-red fiddler crabs in large numbers on the mudflats alongside the muddled mudskippers. The mudskippers are also very funny creatures where two male mudskippers square up for a fight is fascinating and sometimes arguments between two male mudskippers can get heated but they don’t last long”.
The celebrated author Mr.Amitav Ghosh in his now famous book titled “The Hungry Tide” which is a love of labour for four years, describes the mysteries of Sunderban explicitly and the hardship of human life in the delta jungles of Sunderban. I for one found the mudskippers life equally difficult and very strange indeed trying to lead a dual life both in the water and out of it…..and in the process thousands of years ago the first land creature evolved.
The Cobra is a NOT a Cunning Creature
By Mr. N.Shiva Kumar, Senior Manager (CC), Mathura Refinery
February 2, 2009
 Cunning, calculated, a killing-machine and methodically cold-blooded are the explicit adjectives very often used to describe the beautiful Indian Cobra. But the real truth is that the poor innocent snake is docile, extremely shy and potentially afraid of the two legged animal called human beings.
In Indian religion and mythology the cobra is celebrated and revered as holy and is popular during festival time like the Nag Panchmi. Ironically the Cobra is both respected and the same time feared for all the wrong and strange reasons. It is depicted as totems and as sculptures on temple walls and celebrated in myth and legend. Since ancient times serpents like the Cobra have always been feared and fathomed more due to shear ignorance and lack of commonsense.
There are numerous stories and myths about Cobra in India. For example it is said a Cobra has a jewel or a precious stone in its head, it is also said that Cobras take revenge as they have a capability of remembering people. All this is utterly false and totally baseless. Even more blatantly ridiculous stories like that Cobra mate with beautiful girls hence we have very funny versions of half snakes and half women “Nagani” depicted very often in our Indian movies. This is usually done to add spice to the story but often sends the wrong message to the viewers.
Many misconceptions have crept into the world of cobras not only in India but the world over. Some stories are so sensational that nobody asks for details. Some more of the interesting folktales are: Cobras guard treasure; Cobras use their long slender forked tongue to inject poison; Cobras develop whiskers; Cobras can kill birds by simply hissing poisonous air; Cobras hear music and are charmed and all this is pure hogwash.
Habitat and Habits
The Cobra, the Naja Naja the scientific name of the snake, is found throughtout the Indian subcontinent and extremely adapted to living in a variety of terrains like the plains or hills. Usually living in warm rat holes, ant hills, tree holes etc. this cold-blooded creature, unlike the warm blooded mammals needs to look for cozy spots to avoid cold situations. Cold conditions mean certain death for the snakes as they cannot regulate their body heat and that is why you may find cobras sunbathing when the opportunity arisies.
The cobra can grow to a large size, even up to six feet, but then all snakes and reptiles can keep growing all through their life if the availability of food is adequate and prey is available at will. The cobra is certainly a venomous snake but that does not mean the poison is meant to kill people. It uses the poison in its fangs – specially designed teeth located in front of its mouth that operate like a hypodermic needle to kill small and big creatures that form part of its food and not meant to harm people.
In India, there are four important species of Cobra (Naja). They are (i) Indian Spectacled Cobra. (ii) Asian Monocled Cobra (iii) Caspian cobra and (iv) Andaman Cobra. The King Cobra that is found India but not included in this Cobra category because it has different characteristics and behavioral patterns.
Naja naja, the Cobra normally feed on rodents like rats, toads, frogs, birds and even eat other small snakes found in the forest. The hunting technique of Cobra is unique because it first bites the prey and injects poison to kill. Thereafter its prey goes to sleep or becomes unconscious and then the snake slowly devours the animal at leisure. The cobras poison does not affect the snake itself but only helps in digesting the prey much more easily.
The Indian Cobra has the capacity of laying dozen or more eggs in one single clutch which could even up to thirty. These eggs hatch into small miniatures cobras with fully functional venomous glands. The mother however does not take care of these young ones because after they hatch the little cobras are fully equipped to take care of themselves. Immediately after birth they start hunting and move far and wide to establish their own home ground. Being young they are at the mercy of other predators and in the process only half of the young cobras live to adulthood.
Venom and Vendetta
The Indian cobra's venom contains a powerful portion neurotoxin, which acts on the nerves, thereby paralyzing muscles, and possibly leading to respiratory failure or cardiac arrest. This venom is not used for vendetta but only to help it find food and feed on creatures that are not easy to catch. Symptoms of cobra venom effect can begin from 15 minutes to two hours after the bite depending on the height and weight of the effected person and can be sometimes be fatal. The Cobra is one of the few dangerous venomous snakes of India and a polyvalent serum is available for treating snakebites. Despite its fearsome reputation, only 10% of the bites in humans result in death and that too mostly because of fear factor and not poison.
Like the famous Snake Park in Madras, a number of snake parks have come up in many Asian countries to extract and collect venom from various snakes. Especially the venom of Cobra is in great demand for study, research and medicines in laboratories worldover.
Not long ago India was known for snake charmers and their skill to make snakes dance specially the Cobra. Snake charming is fascinating and at times mystifying to the onlooker. The eyes of the Cobra are hauntingly black and hypnotic; the snake is beautiful to watch when it is being worked by a skilled charmer. Particularity the Cobra hood is intriguing when spread and the markings apparent to the stunned viewers. But alas the rapid development of concrete cities and towns has spelled doom to these interesting, sensuous and slender snakes.
Beneficial and Benevolent
The Indian Cobra eats innumerable harmful rats and mice that carry disease and destroy rice and wheat. Also, cobra venom is a potential source of medicines, including anti-cancer drugs and pain-killers. In fact anti-venom is a great source of research for scientist across the world to discover numerous compounds that are used to heal human diseases. Other fascinating facts of the cobra are its fabulous hood that opens up to fend off predators. The snake is capable of making a hissing sound as it puffs air in and out with its mouth and that is mistaken for poisonous gas. All snakes are extremely clean creatures as they shed their outer skin every time it outgrows its body size and the scaly surface ensures that no dust and water sticks to its body.
Conservationists working to protect snakes feel that continuous education will help to keep useful snake populations from dying out as this will help people to appreciate the power and beauty of the snake. The cobra is regarded by wildlife lovers’ as very beneficial and even benevolent due to its non-intrusive habits and solitary living. Today snakes need all human help for their survival as many species are on the verge of extinction in certain localities. Their doom means proliferation of the harmful rodents that will grow in large numbers and like the fable of the “piped piper of Hamelin” we will need one to eradicate the rats. So next time you see a snake do not kill it but admire its stealthy legless snakes and their survival techniques. A snake after all is God’s creation and a farmer’s true friend.
Love Season for Painted Storks
By Mr. N.Shiva Kumar, Senior Manager (CC), Mathura Refinery
November 26, 2008
 On a hot day when young birds are baking in the treetop nests without any sunshade many fledglings tend to dehydrate fast and even die. To keep the chicks from certain death do you know how a bird brings water for its young thirsty chicks? Birds like the Painted Storks gulp water not sip from nearby fresh lake or a large pond and regurgitate (vomit it back) when they arrive at the nest for the benefit of the chicks. This keeps the chicks happy and thirst free and to further shelter the young little birds the parent birds open up their big wings and stand for hours in the nest protecting the youngsters from the scorching Indian sunshine.
Storks and Cranes are majestic and not-so-brilliantly- coloured birds with fantastic capabilities to fly high and low over the thermals with ease for long distances.
There are 8 kinds of storks:Painted Storks, Open-Billed Storks, Black-necked Storks, White-necked Storks, Whites Storks, Blacks Storks and the extremely rare Greater Adjutant Storks and Lesser Adjutant Storks. Out of these, the most commonly seen is the Painted Stork even though their total number in the country is just over 10,000 birds. The Painted Stork is a broad winged soaring bird and like all storks, it flies with its neck outstretched not tucked in and often seen in a family groups of four to five.
Bold and not-so-beautiful the Painted Storks are mostly found in India. It is a tall but awkward bird, which matures to a height of 93-102 cm. With an open wing span of almost 5 feet across it is a delight to see these birds in flight especially while soaring in the blue yonder. The bird is mostly white in color while its wings and chest feathers have black and white markings like zebra stripes. Normally called the painted stork because of the ‘fabulous’ pink that is delightfully dabbed with brush-like strokes on its upper tail feathers.
They are mostly bald and not-so-pretty without any feathers on the head and part of the neck region. The head of the Painted storks have a sagging neck flap, skin folds and only partly covered with feathers and is orange in colour. The outstretched wings which look black actually glisten with navy blue and deep purple in the Indian sunlight. The Painted Stork walks slowly and steadily in shallow waters or adjacent we and grassland seeking its prey, which, like that of most of its relatives, includes fish, frogs and large insects. It sweeps its head from side to side with its bill half open in water as it hunts for fish.
Being a big bird the painted storks bill is equally bulky and big, almost a foot long and yellow in color and curves Painted Storks towards the end. The beak is perfectly suited for catching its food prey with ease even in deep waters as the bird is able to wade through with its long gangly legs. Once in the water, it effectively uses its large beak to swish and sway in the water searching for some edible stuff. The female painted stork is a little smaller than the male but it is usually not noticeably in the wild until and unless you are a regular bird watcher. The young ones, when born are pretty in white fluffy down feathers and as they grow big they turn dull brownish grey in colour. Only after they become two to three years old, do they get the full adult feathers or plumage that is attractive and you can recognize them as Painted Storks. Complete maturity comes around the age of four years and then it is time for the birds to be seen in the mating and nesting seasons when the bright colours are with full fresh feathers that help distinguish Painted storks from other storks and cranes.
Painted Storks in India prefer to eat fish as it is a major portion of their regular diet. However, many a time they gleefully consume frogs, snakes, lizards and snails also. Occasionally they also lookout for large juicy insects, big earth worms and sometimes even offal if need arises. When hunting in waters of large and small lakes, river beds the stork puts its head inside the water, with its bill being partly open. The bird keeps swinging its head back and forth in shallow waters, till it catches a prey, which is a typical behavior of many large water birds. The painted storks actually love walking and stalking in the marshes.
Apart from India, the big bird is found in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Vietnam. A small population of the Painted Storks also lives in Thailand. Unfortunately this brave big bird is slowly dwindling in numbers at a fast rate due to polluted waters, lack of wetlands, marshlands and massive deforestation across the country. Hence it has been given the status of highly “threatened” species by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) as it is becoming rare and sparingly visible.
Painted storks are normally seen occupying Indian freshwater marshes, ponds and flooded fields where there are good chances of catching a excellent meal anytime of the day. The Painted Stork nests colonially and some of the famous nesting colonies include the ones in the island trees of the Zoological Park of New Delhi, the Bharatpur Bird sanctuary in Rajasthan. The ones nesting in Bharatpur and Delhi have raised a good number of chicks because of the good rains this year. Kokrebellur and Ranganathittu - two small rustic locations near Mysore in Karnataka are also favored. The peak breeding season is from September to November and sometimes continues well in to December and this is the right time for them to be nesting. Even the Ecological Park of IndianOil’s Mathura Refinery in Mathura which is presently having nearly 700 painted storks mating and making nests and rearing chicks that have become too large for the nests. It is a delight to watch the young begging for feed from their parents as soon as they arrive from their food fetching trips.
Another Painted Stork colony is located at Uppalapadu village which is about 10 km towards east of Guntur town in Andhra Pradesh. This is basically a nesting colony of Grey Pelican and Painted Stork who come in thousands during their nesting season from November to April every year. For feeding the chicks they bring fish from sea shores and river islands and river eddies which is about 45 to 50km from the nesting site. Being surrounded by villages and ever increasing demand of land and absence of patronage from the local government the future of this sanctuary is not very bright. Small populations of painted storks are also found in Gujarat and Uttar pradesh. The nesting seasons of Painted storks vary from North India and South India depending on the monsoon, as they totally rely on the vast ponds, pools, lakes and rivers that need to be filled with water so that their food can propagate. The breeding and brooding season starts just after the rains for ample supply of amphibious food.
Painted Storks prefer to nest with other storks, ibises, spoonbills, cormorants and herons in large colonies as there is safety in numbers. Sometimes three to four different species of water birds nest on a single large tree. Male storks gather most of the sticks to make a bowl like nest and are lined up with fresh leaves. Up to 100 nests together are built in close proximity to each other without much elbow space. While the clutch size is three to four eggs and incubation is about 30 days, fledging in about 60 days, however not all survive to adulthood. While young storks are able to call loudly by 18 months they become practically voiceless and only make a clatter with their beaks.
The painted stork has been scientifically recorded that it can live almost up to 30 years in captivity and probably a little less in the wild as poaching and vagaries of nature play a big role in the bird’s longevity. Painted storks are adorable despite their comical appearance, ungainly behavior and awkward walking. This is very reason India, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam have issued special stamps in admiration of the Painted Storks. In fact, India has issued special colour stamps not once but thrice in different years which is indeed highly honorable as no Indian bird has been ‘decorated” thus. Not even the national bird.
Owl’s ogling is an occupational hazard
By N. Shiva Kumar, Sr Mgr (CC), Mathura Refinery
July 18, 2008
 Do you know what a group of owls are called? Parliament. Do not ask me why? It is probably coined by some wise elderly British gentleman who has seen plenty of people and their behaviour in his lifetime. Now let’s talk about the actual family of owls and are they really ominous fools.
Notoriously nocturnal and chiefly crepuscular (i.e. active mostly during the dawn and dusk timings when twilight fades in and fades out) one of India’s most common birds, the spotted owlet is not easily noticed and rarely seen. Found in almost all parts of the country this small, fluffy, cute and plump bundle of feathers does a valuable service to mankind. How? These efficient hunters by the night eradicate disease spreading rats and mice that linger in and around filthy human habitation. Man, the most callous polluter regularly and ruthlessly contributes to the air, water and solid contamination and this naturally draws swarms of vermin like the rats and mice.
Fortunately to stop the fast breeding rats and mice we have the spotted owlets also residing close to human habitation and playing a major role in protecting our health and wealth. By health, I mean disease carrying rodents capable of creating plagues and by wealth, I mean the vast food stuff that is stored in our houses, offices, granaries and warehouses which is consumed by these ever hungry rodents. So much so almost 40% to 50% of agricultural produce especially rice and wheat in the country is lost to the marauding rats. Do we have a solution? The answer is NO but the owls are there to save us. We only have to ensure the existence of the owl species and their coexistence with mankind and perhaps we have some way out.
The spotted owlet is one of the thirty odd small and big owls found in our country and almost all of them are night-time rulers scanning with their very large glaring eyes that have a dash of bright yellow. These large black and yellow staring eyes are appropriately placed in a large round head that is pretty big for its body. However the eyes and the head serve a specific purpose for the bird in “pealing” open even the darkest of the nights and to help find food in the form of rats, lizards, large insects etc. The eyes of the owl are specially equipped with stereoscopic visualization for nocturnal ambush.
Usually in pairs, the owlets spend the day snug as a bug in tree hollows or tiny chambers that occur naturally in tree trunks or even abandoned houses and ruins. Some even spend the day closely huddled together on a safe and sound tree branch that is thick with vegetation and well concealed from the prying eyes of humans. Heavily dotted with brown brush strokes like markings on the body feathers, the spotted owlet perfectly merge with its surroundings where it lives. After all, for the owls, camouflage is the best bet against predators though there are very few that can pin down an owl due its ever vigilant demeanour. I find them exceptionally comical when one eye is closed and the other is open to check out its surroundings, it is almost like winking at a lovely young lady on the sly.
The spotted owlets do not hoot like some big owls but make some screeching, chattering and chuckling noises. While they are hunting individually in the darkness the calls are meant to keep in touch and also seem to voice their concerns of the night. But when it comes to talking to their offspring or protecting their young from intruders they make a different sound that is almost like a low and loud hiss of a snake. The best commotion they create is when two or more owlets group together they combine their calls into long drawn duets to announce their presence to the world but all the while they remain invisible to the human eye.
While stalking for prey in the nocturnal hours they position themselves cleverly on a tree stump, milestones, telephone pole, compound walls or any suitable spot where they seem to become part of the structure and surprise their victim. From its launch pad the spotted owlet will silently and smoothly with a single point programme go for the kill. The big eyes conclusive latch and lock on to the moving object and without blinking aided by precision focus the bird gets airborne. The targeted rat or any other victim will not have a chance to escape because all the while it has not seen or heard the super silent flight of the spotted owlet. Stealth is the key factor even in the darkness and the sharp talons of the small bird fasten on to its victim that has no escape from the hook like claws. Even while the rat is alive the owlet will transfer the rat to its beak while flying, reach a comfortable spot on a tree branch and tear it apart by holding the hapless creature in its strong leg grip.
If there is young brood to be fed then all the rats better scurry because the owlet will hunt again and again until the young are content with bellyful of food. Besides a majority of the birds, even the owls have a high metabolic body rate and need to feed often to keep up with their hyperactive body needs. Birds do not and cannot store fat because that will hamper their flight pattern and wing-to-air trajectories. That is the reason we do not have fat birds or thin birds, they are almost always the right size according to the needs of the species.
Myths and mythology has copious concocted stories to offer about the nocturnal habits of the owls and thus have a bad reputation but they are some of nature’s marvels which are overlooked by the layman and hence have notorious connotations. Mesmerising and unblinking eyes, funny habit of bobbing of the head, staring at you if they are disturbed, a unique head that rotate almost 180 degrees without moving their body etc are some of the “funny” features the owls have. Because of these many strange attributes and attitudes, the owls have over the ages been associated with bad omens and ugly happenings as part of human existence. Of course none of them are factual and most of them fictitious because we do understand the real world of owls as we persist on the highly imaginary and uncalled weakness of the human mind. Next time you see an owl why don’t you ogle back at the bird and really understand its effectiveness to the natural environment and mankind.
Until the next episode, happy nature watching.
The Lion in his lair is languishing
By N. Shiva Kumar, Sr Mgr (CC), Mathura Refinery
June 12, 2008
 Of all the big cats that once roamed the wilderness of the Indian subcontinent, the fastest animal of the lot, was pushed to extinction. Today we do not have the Indian cheetah a known speedster exhibiting his fast and furious chases that literally scorched the earth with its high speed runs for catching prey. A similar situation is happening to the Asiatic lions as there was a time in the past when the lion roamed and roared most of central Asia. Now it is the time for extinction?!
It was once the most visible big cat in India but alas today the lion is cornered and ‘jailed’ in a little location called GIR in the arid state of Gujarat. What a sad end to a king of beasts that was formerly considered the most handsome of all the five big Indian cats’ viz. the stealthy Leopard, the brave Tiger and the elusive Snow Leopard, while the Cheetah has lost the race to survive in India. All this is happening due to heavy assaults on natural environment by ruthless mankind.
Lions before independence
We are all to be blamed because not very far in time, when the British ruled India lions were found roaming the forests around Delhi. Can you believe that! Both lions and human beings evolved together over several thousands of year’s never really intruding into each others domain. Even if they did, they respected each other as they saw no danger in such close encounters.
Just when the British were getting ready to leave India and the country was on the verge of independence the lions fast lost its earlier ground and became extinct in the rest of the Indian continent. As large game hunting was rampart and all big cats were bagged with impudence. The Indian lion also called as the Asiatic lion, once ranged from Greece to central India. This majestic animal has played a major role in the symbols and folklore of Indian culture for over 2000 years. The lion and its magnificent mane and regal demeanour live on in art and culture to the present day. But the actual lion itself is nowhere to be seen.
Lions in art and culture
The late Prime Minister of India P.V.Narashima Rao and the present Prime Minister Manmohan Singh both have the “lion” in their names. The Asiatic lion has long been celebrated as Lord of Beasts, and it became a symbol for human power and independence. In ancient times in India, to fight face to face with a lion was considered to be the crucial test of courage and total control. This steadily shifted to more symbolic sign of a person in command by clothing himself in a lion skin, or hanging a lion claw like a pendant in the necklace. Having a stuffed lion head as a trophy or even killing a lion by hunting on horseback or an elephant back was thought to be valiant. Kings and queens in India also used the lion as a powerful symbol of their leadership. Asiatic lions have long adorned currency and coats of arms as symbols of nations and nobility. Why does this cat have such international appeal and yet languish.
There are decorative depictions of lions amongst the shore temples of Mahabalipuram, in the grand hilltop Stupa at Sanchi, in the massive temples of Khajuraho etc. The most important use of the lion as a symbol of power and strength was associated with the Emperor Ashoka in Sarnath. This portrayal of a lion eventually became a conspicuous symbol for the Republic of modern India.
As India’s human population grew manifold and in the name of development vast stretches of lush jungles, thick forest and rolling scrublands were battered. The Asiatic lion was squeezed nearly out of existence. Early this century the west coast of Gujarat was afflicted with a terrible famine brought in by severe drought. Because of the devastating effect on the dry and deciduous environment in the region both the lion population and human population were shattered. In 1910 there were fewer than 100 lions were left languishing in the wild.
Asian Lions vs. African Lions
The Asiatic lion Panthera Leo persica is different from the African lion in its genetic make-up, skeletal structure and appearance. It has a loose skin fold on the belly region and its mane (shaggy hair on the head and neck) is less dense. Asiatic lions are slightly smaller than their African cousins, although the largest Asiatic lion on record was an imposing 2.9 m in length. Though they have a less well developed mane, Asiatic lions have thicker elbow tufts and a longer tail tuft. The Asiatic lion once roamed the hinterlands of Asia Minor, Arabia, Persia and India. By the 1880s, it had become extinct in the rest of India and other places in the world except Gir in Gujarat.
At present the Gir National Park and Lion Sanctuary is the only place to see Asiatic lions in the wild, and the Indian government has begun to do more to make this unique spectacle visible to tourists and wildlife enthusiasts. Guided jeep safaris through the Gir are available for observing lions. Because the lions are not afraid of people or vehicles these safaris can offer very intimate views of the big cats and other animals and birds.
In the early years of independence lions were not used to crowds and colourful clothing’s hence when the first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi visited the Gir forest they had to wear long overcoats with subtle colours so as not to irritate the wild lions. However, now the annoyance for the last of the Asiatic lions is not the tourists who come in droves but the encroachment of the jungle surrounding the limited woodland spread nearly 1400 square kilometres. Poaching, poisoning, epidemic disease, tussle with the local tribes, inbreeding and decreasing prey base is causing serious trouble for the King of beasts.
Diminutive domain
Faced with a shrinking domain and encroaching humans, the lions at Gir are hanging on to an impossibly small portion of their former territory. How far they are going to stretch their stressful life is a very difficult question and how long they going to last is even more difficult to answer. Not long ago the earthshaking roar of a mighty lion made big and small creatures tremble with fear. Will the roar of the lion die out in our lifetime? Do we really care even when a magnificent species is on the edge of extinction due to our own folly.
Blood Sucker, My foot! It’s a Miniature Dinosaur alive?
By N. Shiva Kumar, Sr Mgr (CC), Mathura Refinery
May 15, 2008
 It’s called a blood sucker, it is described as a devil in disguise, it is branded to change colours in a jiffy and even enter into your dreams. This blatantly accused individual is actually a beautiful garden lizard. I am positively not talking about the house lizard or the common gecko inhabiting our homes. The garden lizard is the outdoor kind, very docile and a harmless creature taking care and making sure that this living world is not run over by marauding hordes of harmful insects. One of nature’s best angels sent to save mankind. Are you wondering how come? Read.
We humans talk a lot about Going Green, Global Warming, Climatic Change and many high sounding syllables that serve very little or no purpose at all. It is a warning all right. But do you essentially understand what all this noise about Carbon Footprint is? Or how do we account for the Melting Glaciers? Vanishing species! Clean Energy! Lengthy lingo and more Jargon is all that we do by sitting in cosy conference rooms and pass judgment of what we do not really understand. The planet is in Peril is completely TRUE. Are we actually saving this only planet of ours? No way. Most of us do not comprehend a wee bit how fragile and dramatic is Ecological Balance. By the time we wake up to the reality, maybe it will be awfully late.
Nature Conservation should be a cultural imperative and fortunately incredible India is even now endowed with plenty of natural wealth. Much of it, though, is gone in the name of development. Vast wealth that is certainly going to influence our collective health needs to be discovered and deftly dealt with definite and everlasting demonstrations. What you and I can do individually is more important and will be very vital to this beautiful blue planet of ours. To start with do not kill this pretty “bloody” creature when you see it. That itself can earn you a “green belt” in the parlance of Nature Conservation. I will tell you how.
Enter the Dragon
You will find this pompous little creature in every nook and corner of a small and big kitchen garden or backyard. I was fortunate to photograph to this handsome lizard specimen shedding its old skin and putting on a new attire. Every little and large tree will have more than one or two even a dozen of these lizards crawling effortlessly and meticulously in search of food in the form of insects. Running up and down the branches and tree trunks they scramble about preferring to devour mostly the crawling and creepy kind. They eat and relish malaria causing mosquitoes, terminate termites that can bring down buildings with their wood perforating habits. Catching stinging bees, vicious bugs, and hurtful wasps is the lizards’ forte. To keep pestering insect population under check very effectively is what they are born for. So why kill the little lounging dragon like garden lizard.
Miniature Dinosaur
Once upon a time when the earth was very young the deadly dinosaurs ruled the earth in large numbers. Very large creatures like the triceratops, pounded the ground with their immense weight and proclaimed their territory. If you have seen the realistic animated dinosaurs in the film Jurassic Park you will get a feel of the large cruel looking lizards that relentlessly roamed the earth thousands of years when humans did not exist. They are long gone and have become extinct, literally drowned by their own weight. Today we are left only with this small garden lizard like creatures all over the world. It is also called Calotes Versicolour in the scientific phraseology and ‘girgit’ in Hindi. I t is a replica of the giant lizards of the yesteryears. So if you have seen a garden lizard at close quarters, as in the picture, you will know what I mean.
They look like mean-machines and very good at chomping insects by the hundred in one single day. They eradicate creepy-crawly creatures in a natural way so that we do not have to resort to buying costly pesticides and insecticides to kill harmful insects that destroy our crops and vegetables. So why kill the useful garden lizard that is constantly and continuously helping nature remain in balance and also at the same time saving food plants meant for human consumption. Just imagine if you have a dozen of these garden lizards in your kitchen garden you can be assured of having a good harvest of tomatoes, spinach, okra, cabbage or even cauliflower.
Alpha Male
The people of this planet like you and I have very little are no knowledge Life on earth and its wonderful beasts that inhabit alongside us which silently but surely nurture nature. The voice of the wilderness is everywhere beckoning us to stop, not stoop and listen to nature’s ingenuity at play 24x7 before pollution and human population takes over. To find out how environment impacts us all and how much we have learnt from the creative concepts of nature read the fantastic book “Bio-mimicry: Innovation inspired by nature”.
Before I digress let me complete the chat about the humble lizard who is attired in dull brown suit of scales for most of the year and more or less remains unnoticeable. As spring and summer sets in the lazy lizard acquires a wonderful blood red colour and it is time to fall in love. At first it emboldens it self with brash colours and not drink blood to get the red hue. To show off its alluring colours of deep orange-red upper body and jet black neck patch, the alpha male now becomes prominent against a brown tree bark and announces its manhood. To find female lizards the alpha male will constantly bob its red head and swing its strikingly long tail to attract attention and find suitors and thereby pass on its pedigree to its progeny. Watch out, you will certainly see more lizards at the onset of monsoons in your garden. That is your friendly neighbourhood insect eater. Do not kill at will.
The hornbill hubby is a happening husband
By N. Shiva Kumar, Sr Mgr (CC), Mathura Refinery
April 25, 2008
 From Bengaluru to Beijing and Bangkok to Baghdad no husband is worth his weight in gold when compared to the Hornbill. A bird blessed with immense patience, persistence, self respect and self sacrifice. Welcome to the world of bird brains. A definition with which we, so called higher human beings, tend to delight in describing other creatures with utter disdain. Read the rest of the report and you will never again label any bundle-of-feathers as bird brains or peanut brains. Instead you will respect them for their attributes and attitudes.
Hornbills are a group of bewildering birds distinguished by very large, long, strong and down-curved beaks. If that is not enough some of the Hornbill birds have an extra projection called casque on the upper part of the beak and the precise use of this outcrop has not been deciphered by scientists. The use of big beaks in these birds is also a question mark because why do these group of birds need such a big beak that is almost as big as their body. I sometimes wonder if the bird will topple forward with its own weight of the oversized beak. The tough looking beak however is not that heavy as it looks because it is perforated inside and air filled to make it light weight. Perfectly built and suitably streamlined the skeletal beak of the bird is just right to fly like an airbus with a “nozzle nose” in front. The big beak is however dexterously used to precisely pluck ripened berries from trees tops.
Speaking to a few scientists at the 120 year old Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) based in Bombay, of which I am a life member, gave me this additional information that says - Hornbills are the only birds in which the first two neck vertebrae (the axis and atlas) are fused together. This probably provides a more stable platform for carrying the big beak deftly. Doesn’t that astonish you! But Nature always comes up with some strange solutions and methods that are incomprehensible. That’s evolution, doggedly defined over hundred of years to go well with the environmental necessities.
The Indian Grey Hornbill (see picture) is not so easily located in the Indian subcontinent due to its camouflage. It is mostly arboreal preferring to be on tall trees and is generally sighted in pairs as they tend to be lifelong couples with an aura of cupid. The body feathers are in shades of subtle steel grey all over with soft white belly feathers. The big beak horn like projection is black with a casque extending up to the point of curvature and terminating into a sharp tip.
The most exceptional aspect of the Indian Grey Hornbill is that they nest in naturally ‘prefabricated’ holes of large trees refurbished with love and care. A very peculiar characteristic of this bird is that the pregnant female stays inside the nest and is literally jailed. The male assisted by the female from inside seals the nest hole leaving only a small opening for feeding the female. By this strange modus operandi the birds protect the eggs and hatchlings from possible predators.
While inside the nest, the female becomes naked and sheds all her large secondary feathers and uses it to line up the nest bottom to cushion the delicate eggs and the chicks as and when they hatch. The fresh growth of feathers in the female hornbill corresponds with the maturity of the young chicks at which point the nest is broken open. All the while, the female is at the mercy of the duty bound male that has to feed not only the mother bird but also the fast growing chicks. In the process of tough toiling male bird becomes emaciated. When the chicks and the female are too big to fit in the nest chamber, the mother breaks out of its self imprisonment.
The nest entrance is once again sealed and then both parents feed the ever hungry chicks through a small crevice. After they grow big enough to flutter about they are set free. These birds usually feed on berries and small fruits, ones that can be swallowed whole. Neem fruits, a variety of juicy figs and occasionally small crunchy insects, lizards, even small snakes etc are devoured. Hornbills cannot swallow food caught at the tip of the beak as their tongues are too short to manipulate it, so they toss it back to the throat with a jerk of the head.
Unfortunately many of the unique Hornbill species are now endangered due to distressing destruction of forests and woodlands in the name of development and construction of concrete jungles. Hornbills as you have understood by now cannot live and procreate without trees with large trunks. It is indeed interesting to note that while a tree permits the hornbills to make a house in its lair, the birds in turn provide rich nutrition in the form of bird excreta that is rejected from the nest and serves as rich manure for the tree. A perfect example of mutual benefits and that is Symbiosis in action. After twenty years of Bird watching in the vast Indian subcontinent I have been able to finally see a fantastic family of Hornbills breeding and brooding this year. Cheers.
Bottlebrush is flush and lush with mushy nectar
By N. Shiva Kumar, Sr Mgr (CC), Mathura Refinery
 Commonly called the “Bottle Brush" this pleasing plant puts on some very pretty flower-bearing inflorescences (many small flowers bunched together and look like one single entity is called an inflorescence) The bunch bearing flowers at the tip of the branches resemble bottle brushes in their shape, hence the common name Bottlebrush. Flowers in densely crowded cylindrical spikes 5 to 10cm long, with long scarlet stamens projecting stiffly outwards form one single inflorescence. (See accompanying picture) The flowering may be observed intermittently throughout the year, especially from February to November they bloom in abundance. But they are very obvious in the onset of summer and spring season when green growth in nature is at its best.
Slow and steady seems to be the dictum for this very attractive and interesting ‘pondering plant’ and its growth is very controlled without any spreading branches. Except for the main trunk all branches mostly droop gracefully. The trees have pendulous branches, often grown on roadside and in gardens. Particularly the feathery flowers are fascinating and colorful like the recently celebrated Holi festival that seems to have in them the colors of joy!!
Flower heads vary in colours with different species. They have different shades of magical magenta, rosy red, and even sometimes in shades of creamy white and pale yellow. Flowering is normally in spring and early summer, but conditions may cause flowering at other times of the year, as mentioned earlier. The obvious parts of the flower masses are stamens, with the pollen at the tip of the filament, while the petals are inconspicuous (see picture). I found the flowers are exceptionally beautiful when they are lush and fully flush with nectar and the flowers can be spectacular and irresistible to nectar-feeding birds like the Sunbirds and Ioras and Mynas. Insects like the honey bees, wasps, drones, butterflies etc simply adore the freely available sweet nectar and in the process pollination takes place. In the nocturnal hours, when we are asleep and dreaming the moths and bats fall in love the calorie filled nectar of the bottlebrush flowers.
Bottlebrushes are members of the genus Callistemon and belong to the family Myrtaceae. Botanists are currently studying these plants to determine how they can be best classified. There are 34 species presently called Callistemon. The popularity of bottlebrushes as garden plants commenced with the introduction to Britain by Joseph Banks in 1789. Many species can tolerate damp conditions, yet most are very hardy and will endure drought with limited maintenance. They grow well in a wide variety of soils, except those which are highly alkaline. Plants grown in full sunlight generate the best flowers. Bottlebrush plants can be flippantly pruned after flowering to keep them in ship shape condition.
We, in India have are blessed with number of indigenous and exotic flowering trees, which can be effectively exploited to beautify our cities, towns, villages and our very own homes. Beautifully planted avenues with flowering trees are pretty with the colours and beauty that not only provide a pleasing sight but give us assured supply of oxygen in the day and improve our well-being. The value of bottle bush trees is very functional because they are both labor saving and attractive to the residents of any private garden and withstand drought and moisture with equal aplomb. Many trees burst into bloom beautifully, while others afford a pleasing contrast with their decorative foliage. On such tree is the Bottle Bush that will beautify your environment.
This Egret has no regret playing Saint and Sinner
By N. Shiva Kumar, Sr Mgr (CC), Mathura Refinery
March 12, 2008
 At the edge of a pond, pool or puddle this all white bird standing on spindly legs waits patiently like a seductive statuette. Frozen like icicles in a fridge it will, with immense persistence stand absolutely still, totally unmoved and without even blinking its beady eyes. Until, only until, a juicy fish swims past within reachable distance. Once the unwary fish or frog comes close enough, with lightening speed it strikes using its razor sharp beak and clamps hard on to its prey. All the while it was a saint, just watching, meditating and abruptly it turns into a sinner to kill. If it is a fish it will invariably toss it up in the air and gulp it down making sure it goes head first. If it is a frog it will dismember it and pull out its entrails and devour the amphibian and not swallow. Do you know why the fish is swallowed head first and not the other way round? Read on you will find the answer.
Egrets are classic birds that have typical characteristics of being silent, solitary and sanguine with surprisingly pure white feathers as if white-washed with surf in a washing machine, which stands out in any background in nature. All egrets are fish lovers but also consume plenty of juicy insects, small amphibians and reptiles. Only the preference varies among the four species of egret birds that flourish in our country and also depending from place to place they inhabit marshes, cultivated waterlogged fields, wetlands etc.
During the British era in India, many a bored English memsahib were mostly engrossed in propping up their beauty by numerous and appropriate props like large fancy hats, frilly frocks, sinuous extravagant glad rags and all pervading perfumes. One such item in demand were the ‘aigrettes’ the flimsy but beautiful cluster of ornamental plumes developed by the egrets in the breeding season. Thousands of egrets were either slaughtered or ‘milked’ in captivity in special cages were egrets were bred in large numbers akin to poultry farms today. In fact they were exported from India in large numbers to England and the plumes were sold by the dozen to women who could afford because these fine feathers were almost sold at the cost of silver.
Of the four egrets that occur in the Indian subcontinent, the most common species is the Cattle egret. So called because of the bird’s untiring habit of trailing any cow or buffalo diligently. Only to quickly catch insects that gets disturbed in the process of grass eating by the cattle. In any village in India you can be very sure if, you follow cattle, and there you are certain to see the cattle egrets in hot pursuit of bovines. The egrets are true friends of the farmers as they eat up numerous harmful insects that destroy precious crops. However, with dwindling use of cattle for tilling and ploughing the earth, the egrets have cleverly learnt to follow the tractors and harvest the disturbed insects. Who said that they are bird brains?
The Cattle egret is smallest at 51cm then we have the Little egret at 63cm and the Median egret at 80cm and the largest of them all and also not-so-easily seen is the Large egret at 91cm is very tall and handsome white bird (see picture). However from a distance they all look alike. Puzzled!! That’s bird watching for you, a fine art that keeps the heart aflutter in the beautiful bosom of Mother Nature.
Less FLASH, more DASH : That’s the nature of Rhododendrons
By N. Shiva Kumar, Sr Mgr (CC), Mathura Refinery
February 25, 2008
 As part of the multi task team that was sponsored by Delhi Tourism and was fortunate to be chosen to indulge in Ornithology and Photography and gauge the location suitability for adventure sport. We were assigned to explore the Dhauladhar range in the Himalayas and off we went from Delhi in high spirits loaded with cameras, binoculars and guide books for plants, birds and butterflies.
The team of ten started early and by the time bright sun climbed up we were safe in dense shade of high mountain cliffs. We met many trekkers but found no Indian among them. It was mostly young foreigners from across the globe exploring the Himalayas. It''s a long walk with gradual ascending pathways intermingling with crusty snow patches. The fabulous spot I am speaking about is the tantalizing trek to Triund, an invigorating trudge of 17 km. from Dharamshala town, at an altitude of 2,827 metres. The snowline starts just 5 km. from Triund and affords a breathtaking view of the snows above and the valley below. It is a popular picnic and trekking spot easy to some but extremely difficult to others depending on the state of healthy fitness one is and the state of mind one preferes to be while on the move.
Simply sitting at the desk, like a fat toad for most of the time and as most office going chaps, over the years my body has turned lethargic. However as a lover of the great Indian outdoors I indulge and imbibe Nature to refresh and shed toxins of the daily grind as and when time permits from the drudgery. While the mind is inclined the body trudges along with resistance as I found in the trek to Triund recently. It was indeed arduous as the incline up the snowy slope was steep and the path along the walls of the high hills rugged. Puffing and panting, I was not sweating because the cold conditions, but definitely stopping now and then to catch my breath. A breath of fresh air - full of crisp lingering oxygen, what a feeling after having to breath the ‘tormenting’ air in Delhi.
These intermittent pauses were like a balm soothing my innards with the lovely valleys and scenic beauty. Now and then an energetic bird flew into sight and we went scrambling for our binoculars trying to identify the hill birds. Wild animals were not to be easily sighted but there positively was a vast variety of interesting flora and the most outstanding were the red and rowdy Rhododendrons, they seem to be gleeful and giggling at me and my ungainly and laborious walk up the hill.
Rhododendrons are fleshy and fascinating flowers usually growing in large bunches with upright stalks and sticking out of the mother plant. At Certain altitudes the species of Rhododendron groves, plants and trees grow with vigor. There are few species are found in the hills of Darjeeling including Sikkim, but these flowering plants with variegated flowers are fast disappearing from this region because of being ruthlessly felled down with dual purpose of obtaining fuel and construction of more houses for the masses.
The only solace of trekking to Triund was the numerous trees laden with rhododendrons and at every twist and turn up the hills they seem to be greeting us with bouquets of scarlet flowers. The arrival of the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, along with thousands of followers to Dharamshala in 1959 made the life livelier and surprisingly Nature reigns and for most part the landscape is ‘bushwhacked’ with flora and fauna. Dharamshala is the primary township of Kangra and has the charming suburbs of Mcleodganj and Forsythganj which still retain the essence of a colonial lifestyle.
Nestled amidst thick coniferous forests, Dharamshala is a perfect getaway for the jaded city souls. As you look up, the green fringes merge with the snow-clad mountains and as your eyes shift downwards, the vast panorama of the Kangra valley rolling into the yonder. It’s an ideal place for watching many species of Rhododendrons different hues of red, ruby, scarlet, vermilion and the likes. .
Darjeeling is another excellent spot for lavishing on Rhododendrons as it also has a rich and unique vegetation, comprising of Non-flowering plants and Flowering plants. Rhododendrons generally occur in Conifer Forests. In the surrounding areas of Darjeeling town a few species of Rhododendron grow but are scattered. There approximately twenty four species of this genus found in the hills of Darjeeling and its adjoining areas. Rhododendron is derived from the Greek word - Rhoden means rose and dendron means tree.
It is usually thought that only the high snow capped mountains have these bright and beautiful flowers but down in south separated thousands of kilometers Rhododendrons are found in the Nilgiri mountain ranges as well. Three years ago while on another trek to Silent Valley I was shocked to find Rhododendrons in the Shola forests snugly growing in tight groves away from prying eyes and the hustle and bustle of the villages, towns and cities. There is no snowfall in the Nilgiri Mountains but plenty of rainfall and almost every night there is a drizzle that keeps the vegetation lush and ideal for the red and rosy Rhododendrons to thrive. The onset of summer is right time and it is right time to go bird watching and botany hunting for Rhododendrons that are immensely alluring. Many popular hill stations located in the Himalayan range have a variety of Rhododendrons growing luxuriantly only make sure you are there at the right time and you will not be disappointed with their “gleeful” bunches of flowers.
A thousand eyes but blind with loveA thousand eyes but blind with love
By N. Shiva Kumar, Sr Mgr (CC), Mathura Refinery
January 24, 2008
 The male has iridescent blue plumage and the so-called "tail", also termed as the "train", is not the tail quill feathers but highly elongated upper tail feathers. The long train feathers have a succession of eyes that are best seen when the tail is fanned and fully opened. Both the male and female species have an erect head crest and it can be easily be reckoned as one of the most beautiful bundle of feathers in the world. By now you should have guessed what the bird we are talking about our national bird the Peafowl commonly called the Peacock. In the scientific parlance it is Pavo Cristatus.
In the true sense, the male should be rightly called as Peacock and the female as Peahen (but sab chalte hai). Here we are talking about the Blue Peacock that is found naturally in the jungles of the Indian subcontinent. This species is probably extinct in Bangladesh, Pakistan and even Nepal as it is hunted both for its lovely feathers and meat that fetch a good price in the market. The Blue peacock presently occurs in the wild only in India and Sri lanka. However, the Green Peacock not-so-common bird is found in Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Java Malaya etc. It is also a very pretty bird but is not as popular as its blue cousin.
Once upon a time, the Indian peacock was very highly regarded for its beautiful plumage and was on the wanted list of all the foreign invaders like Alexander the great. Even King Solomon was gifted with this colorful bird. Slowly and steadily the beautiful birds’ popularity grew in leaps and bounds and spread far and wide across the world. Because of their wonderful appearance, the peacock has long been famous outside of its native country India. Today, the peacock in the bird trade has been domesticated to a large extent and has produced several mutations in captivity. These include the Black-shouldered, in which the male has the wings blue, green and black, and the Pied, in which the normal plumage of the Indian Blue is irregularly marked with white. The so-called ''Spalding'' variety is a hybrid between the Indian blue and the Green species. So much so the Peacock is readily available across the United States and a whole industry thrives in the name of Peacock breeding, for feathers, meat and as pets as well. The Indian peafowl being hardy are commonly kept and do all right in cold climates. The Indian Blue Peafowl can live and breed in parks and gardens without any serious attention. Hence it thrives well even in European countries.
Recently on 17th January a poacher was arrested for killing peacock in Waan Sanctuary in Akhola, Maharastra. Wanton slaughter for feathers and meat is an on the rise as it fairly easily to catch these heavy birds. In the wild form in India these magnificent birds do not migrate but are highly localized and thrive in scrub jungle and woodlands. A peacock, dancing in full plumage, is surely among the most gorgeous birds in the world. The male peacock in the summer constantly utters its not-so-melodious call which can be heard for a long long distance. The Peacock is said to come out and dance on seeing clouds and rain, but that is not true because a Peacock has acquired such a pretty plumage as it needs to impress all the females in its harem. At the beginning of the hot weather the male peacock attires itself with colorful feathers and retains it until the first rains by which time it has mustered enough time to impress the four to five females. While in love the peacock has to put in a lot of energy to ensure all his girlfriends get equal attention. That is why it is said that even with a thousand eyes the peacock is blind strutting with all his might. Peahens are excellent mothers, but Peacock does not play any role in rearing the little peachicks. A clutch of five or six eggs are laid but not all survive to become adults. When young it is near impossible to differentiate the male from the female as all of them have this same feather cover on their bodies. The young, like all wild denizens quickly learn how to live off the land. Though a ground bird the peacocks and peahens roost (sleep) on the tall trees and the young also learn this at a very young age to escape predators.
The peafowl is tame when close to village life where it is regarded sacred, but in the open grassland and forest areas, it is very wary. I found by experience that taking photographs of the peacock or peahen at her nest was not as easy as imagined. I had found a nest in scrub with five eggs in it and did not take any pictures because we photographers have dictum that is followed strictly avoiding nest photography. However shooting with my extra long lens from the confines of my car does not scare away the wild peacocks.
Almost every major ancient monument in India is adorned with a graphic representative or a creative motif or realistic depiction of the peacock. Be it the Tajmahal or temples of Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, the multilayered temple complex of Dwaraka and Palitana in Gujarat or the Lepakashi temple in Andhra Pradesh they all have it. We in the big cities, today fail to appreciate the nuances of Nature like the spectacular peacock. But we all know that the peacock is the national bird of India but then do you know that the logo of the Srilankan Airlines is also the Peacock? And the American Television Network NBC has used the peacock as its emblem in many forms over the years. Point to Ponder : Why does the peacock has such a dazzling, extremely spectacular network of feathers!!
The bold and beautiful Blue Jay
By N. Shiva Kumar, Sr Mgr (CC), Mathura Refinery
January 14, 2008
 The Indian Roller also commonly called the Blue jay and Neelkant in Hindi is a medium-sized with heavyset features and stout looking bird with relatively large head, short neck and short tubby beak. It has a brilliant blue in-flight and dull shade of blue while at rest. Equipped with that of strong beak and firm gripping feet they have broad, long wings and a rather broad tail for perfecting flight maneuvers. The most striking is however the brilliant blue feathers displayed only while on the wing. There are three species that occur in our country and the common names are - The Indian roller the most commonly occurring through out the country side, the European Roller not easily seen and cannot be easily distinguishable from the Indian roller. Only a keen birdwatcher can distinguish this migratory bird counting in the cold climes above the Himalayan Ranges. Finally the Dollar bird so called because of a white spot the size of a dollar coin on its wing and occurs only in certain areas like the Corbett National Park and lack the usual bright blue of the Roller birds. They however have a royal blue colour that tends to look black from a distance. These following three species are found in India: -
Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis) widespread resident
European Roller (Coracias garrulus) local resident & migrant
Dollar bird (Eurystomus orientalis) local resident & migrant
Sizes of bird species varies from 26 cm to 37 cm and have smartly colored plumage in tones of blue with tinges of olive and chestnut, though all of them look the same size like plump well-fed birds. The juvenile birds mostly resemble adults with paler colours. These birds are strong lover of juicy insects and can catch flying insects in a jiffy. Their short, wide bill is well adapted to aerial feeding. Basically Rollers are lowland birds, frequenting habitats that vary from tropical or subtropical woodland. They prefer most types of open country, including grassy hillsides with scattered trees, scrublands, cultivated fields, and urban parks or gardens where plenty of prey likes insects, lizards and grubs are available in plenty.
All three-bird species mark their territorial boundaries by calling noisily and flying high from treetops. Especially in the mating season they display spectacular rolling flight in midair, which gives the birds their collective name - Rollers. The flights feature prominently in marking not only their respective territory and during courtship but also in times of marking their social status. The rolling demonstrations is made with powerful wing beats as they fly up at a steep angle, then abruptly tips forward and plunge down with rapid wing beats while twisting and turning the body from side to side before loosing altitude. Strategically sitting on vantage perches looking for prey they are active in the cooler parts of the mornings and evenings. Activity levels obviously decline during very hot noondays and pestering rainy weather. Vantage perches are often sought after as they can launch their aerial attacks and swoop to capture prey on the ground or sally forth to catch flying insects. While the small prey is swallowed whole larger prey is brought back to the perching branch and struck repeatedly against the perch before being swallowed in a gulp.
Courtship displays of Rollers are accomplished by spectacular rolling aerobatics followed by bowing and bobbing the heads while perched facing each other. Copulation occurs after flight of fancy and more frequently after the bowing and bobbing display. Nest construction is to the minimum, as they mostly prefer holes in trees trunks, but sometimes in crevices in cliff faces or building walls in ruined forts or old buildings. Three to five off white eggs are laid, and incubation is about 18–20 days, which is, undertaken by both sexes with equal gusto, though the female mostly indulges the chicks. Newly hatched chicks are naked as all new born babies, with pin feathers first appearing at about seven days and full feathering appearing after about 17 days. Both parents again feed nestlings with love and care for about 30 days and thereafter the chicks are taught to feed on their own.
Accompany this text is a picture taken recently of the Roller bird / Blue jay in the sprawling township of IndianOil’s Mathura Refinery colony at Mathura. Readers may get in touch with the undersigned at the e-mail Ids given below for reporting of Blue Jays / Roller birds in and around IndianOil installations or in office and townships at various locations across the country. nshivakumar@iocl.co.in OR naturenib@gmail.com. We Indians regard sighting of blue jay during festival times as auspicious, especially festival times for what reasons, I have no idea but readers are welcome to write to me with inputs on the subjects. Also information on Vernacular names of the blue Jay is a joy to receive.
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