J&K logs - Srinagar-Sonamarg-Dras

J&K complete logs here.

With a lot of excitement and energy, me and Kannan landed at Srinagar airport after a long via flight from Bengaluru; and were not happy with the Go Air flight. We waited at the airport lounge itself for PK to arrive from Pune about an hour later as Amith was yet to reach.

Nothing much to say about Srinagar airport and the departure terminal hardly has anything for the visitors and being hungry we were gobbling up all the fast foods we had and PK had got some excellent chikki’s from Pune (in fact, varieties of them). After more than a couple of hours and the airport now almost closed, Amith finally came in tired crawling through the massive jams on the Jammu highway.

In terms of birding or wildlife, this would be a bumper trip for me as I would be sighting many of the species for the first time and that surely kept me excited and as it turned out by the end of the trip, I had almost 60+ new additions to my list.

Sparrows were all around the airport and so were the crows and we also managed sights of the Jackdaw and the Common Starling while on a tea break on the highway to Sonamarg. From Srinagar, we traveled to Sonamarg (about 100kms) where our stay at the army camp was arranged and the temperature dipping as the hour passed by. Reached the camp to a warm welcome and hot dinner exactly opposite to the chilling weather outside. Preparations were on at the camp for the Amarnath yatra that was scheduled to start off in a few weeks’ time.

Sonamarg camp is located away from the town, a tourist hot spot and relatively calm and peaceful. Early morning views were excellent and we ventured out for our first birding session along the highway. We went scouting in the nearby fields, streams and wherever possible and were rewarded with bounty sightings of Brown Dipper, Ibisbill (one of our prized catches), Rock Bunting, Russet Sparrow and a variety of Wagtails.

One thing to keep in mind is not to wander close to any army camp or their area, clad in birding attire (camouflage) holding the camera’s and stuff, you are bound to be questioned and chased off and if you resent, you may see a bullet or two whizz past you! That was just a warning and we did not face any such situations and to be honest the army folks were very helpful wherever we got a chance to interact with them.

After spending couple of good hours birding at Sonamarg and getting the vehicle checked, we proceeded towards Dras (about 70kms), and the journey was a very slow affair as we had to cross the dreaded ‘Zoji La’ (Zoji pass – ‘La’ means pass in many Himalayan languages) and also frequently stopping for sighting birds all along the way. The weather gods were good to us as we crossed the Zoji pass in our SX4 slowly and with caution enjoying the vistas the valleys had on offer but nevertheless to state, it’s a tricky pass to ride or drive on. Blue-whistling Thrush, Wagtail, European Goldfinch, Redstarts among others kept us occupied as we reached the Dras army camp by late-afternoon where our stay for the night was arranged and soon after we wandered off again towards Mushko valley in pursuit of some possible marked sightings.

The ride to Mushko valley was very scenic but on a narrow uphill path, enough for a vehicle to pass through and we were rewarded for our efforts with sightings of White-throated Dipper, Fire-fronted Serins and plenty of European Goldfinches along with the Common Rosefinches. On our way back, we also observed memorials (like water tanks, bus stops or just pillars) erected in memory of civilians killed during the Kargil war that brought back memories of the turbulent times the valley faced. Standing in front of the memorials and imagining an enemy shell or a rocket landing right next to us sent shivers through us as we progressed downhill to the highway and further on to the Kargil memorial site that I’ve written about here.

Back to the camp, we met up with some army officers who were inspiring to listen to and with the temperature dipping every second, it was a challenge standing out in the cold. Remember, Dras is the 2nd coldest inhabited place on earth. Our thoughts go out to those brave soldiers who have to survive in these tough conditions for the welfare of the rest of us. Hats off to them! The Dras army camp canteen has stark memories of the Kargil war in the form of holes in the walls, courtesy shells fired at the camp during the war. We retreated to our cozy beds (courtesy the thick multiple rasoi’s) with a jinxed mindset and thoughts running about the war, our trip and the valley people.

Next day, we would be traveling towards Leh…

Tiger, Tiger burning bright - It's time to save them right!

Home to more than 70% of global tiger population, we sure have a far larger responsibility in ensuring their protection and survival. Tigers are apex predators and sit at the top of the food chain that implies saving one tiger saves an entire ecosystem!

How?
To illustrate in simple words, a tiger needs a territory (roughly about 100sq km forest area) and a good prey base (ungulates and other prey) to survive; and for the prey base to be abundant, the vegetation needs to be good and for that there should be no habitat destruction or human interference (like forest degradation, cattle grazing, habitat destruction, poaching). So, in short you end up saving a large piece of fertile forest, a lot of wild ungulates and countless other species that survive in that protected land…; all in all to save a tiger.

Also to state we are currently in a situation that can be aptly described as – ‘Now or Never’ and the threat of our future generations seeing tigers only in zoo’s is a genuine possibility unless we act.

So, how can a common man contribute in saving the apex predator…? (Is it just limited to posting rants or anger on social media... does that really help!)

Let’s see a few ways on how every individual can contribute to tiger conservation:
1. Education & Awareness – Before anything get yourself educated about the tiger, its behavior, feeding patterns, its habitat and all about it. That way, you would realize the importance of saving the tiger in particular and the habitat in large.

2. Social media influence – Spreading the word helps, but we need to careful and sensitive of what we are posting.

a. A Facebook post about a traffic violator inside a tiger reserve may reach large audiences and finally end up with the department intensifying their patrol.

b. Another Facebook post about a tiger death (without knowing its cause and reasons) may induce a lot of hatred and negativity on the social media (about the forest department or people involved) with no much significance and from people who would not even know what is that all about. (A ‘tiger death’ can be made out to be a very sensational news by opportunists).

c. Do not get carried away by some social media posts. Do your research, collect facts and then post your views. A social media post in anger can cause more harm than good.

d. Write articles or blogs about tiger conservation and submit them to newspaper, magazines and other media sources (but again, know the facts before it ends up in print).

3. Responsible tourist behavior – Be responsible and act judiciously.

a. While on a jungle safari, everyone wants to see a tiger…, but you need to be aware that wilderness has much more to offer and appreciate than only tigers.

b. As a visitor, respect the laws of jungle and not create havoc on not seeing anything.

c. Avoiding bright colored clothes and using plastic (please remember you are not on a picnic drive).

d. Discarding waste or plastic items in the jungle (again please note this may get consumed by many animals out there and may end up killing them).

e. Respect wildlife, do not tease or feed them.

f. Educate others – you might see people shouting or doing something wrong… speak to them and educate them, do not pick up a fight.

4. Watchful eyes and ears (to help curb poaching, illegal cutting and hunting).

a. Report any illegal activities to the forest office. We, as normal people can play an important role here.

b. Be alert while on treks or when inside the jungle, look out for snares or traps set up for poaching animals. Hear out for any distress calls of birds/animals, specifically in reserves where there is human presence.

5. Educate Kids in particular – they can be ambassadors for conservation work.

a. Kids can play an important role, sensitize them about the wildlife and its importance.

b. If possible, visit the fringe areas of a national park and interact with the local students and educate them. This can help a lot in managing human-animal conflicts in fringe areas.

c. Educate kids in your locality, school, apartments about wildlife and its importance. Take them out for a nature walk or a safari.

6. Educate locals – The locals who live around the national parks or sanctuaries are the most distressed lot due to human-animal conflicts.

a. Involve them in workshops and educate them about wildlife and its behavior -- Why would an elephant cross over from a forest to the field to graze? (food availability, degraded forest areas due to domestic cattle grazing, wood logging leading to loss of green cover, etc…)

b. Support them in times of need or crisis.

7. Volunteer – If possible, approach your local forest office and offer to volunteer for them in patrolling forest areas, picking up trash, conducting medical camps for the department staff, conducting camps for the children of the staff, contributing basic things for them, etc…

8. Financial support (to NGO’s as well as staff) – This probably is the easiest way, donate to someone who is doing the work and sit and relax!

a. Be wary of unknown setups as they may be portraying themselves but not doing anything worthwhile at ground level.

b. Research about the org/NGO you are about to donate, make a note of what are they doing and how are they contributing.

c. Follow up with them on the activities and action plan and results that come out of it.

9. Do not buy tiger or wildlife related products (tiger skins, tiger nails, Ivory etc…)


As an individual, we have many ways to contribute towards tiger/wildlife conservation – we just need to make up our mind and spare some time and we can contribute significantly in conservation of a prime species like the tiger that in turn saves a whole lot of other wildlife and a large piece of habitat for them and others to survive.

Aircel, has been championing the cause of tiger conservation since 2008 through its ‘Save our Tiger’ campaign and its commendable to laud a big telecom giant take the lead in such a wonderful cause for the benefit of wildlife, for the benefit of us.

They have been associated with WWF India, Wildlife Trust of India, NDTV & WCT and Sanctuary Asia in championing many projects for the conservation of tigers like support in providing basic infrastructures across the tiger reserves, conflict management plans across many reserves, the Save out Tigers telethon campaign, developing and deploying Rapid Response Units, and involving kids with a unique campaign called ‘Kids of Tigers’ in association with Sanctuary Asia.

You can read more about their projects here.

I am writing for “You Are The Power Of We”, campaign by Aircel as part of their continuing #AircelSaveOurTigers campaign and blogging contest. Each one of us can make a difference. So, go out and help save the roar!

About the author:

Traveling, wildlife photography, bird-watching, trekking, blogging are some of Santosh’s hobbies. He involves himself in conservation related activities. Participating in the Naturalist Training Program and the Volunteer Training Program have helped him appreciate a lot of small things in Nature and the need for conserving them.

J&K logs - some more landscapes

It's been a year (June-July 2014) since I had been to J&K - Ladakh and my memory is still afresh with all the tripping we did and all the sightings we had throughout our two week sojourn from Srinagar to Ladakh and back to Srinagar.

In this post, I will just brief on the places we covered, more details will be shared in a later post.

Srinagar-Sonamarg-Drass-Mushko valley-Jozila pass-Leh-Khardungla-Panamik-Leh-Changla-Pangong lake-Karu-Chumathang-Tsumdo-Tsokar-Taglangla-Rumtse-Leh-Drass-Manasbahl-Srinagar-Dachigam-Srinagar

We (myself and Kannan) traveled by GoAir from Bengaluru-Srinagar via Mumbai (and return via Delhi) and were joined by PK (Prashanth) from Mumbai and Amit picked us up from Srinagar (he had flown in two days earlier to pick the car - SX4 that was to be our vehicle for the entire duration).

To start off, I would just share a few landscape shots (nothing excellent by any measure) that I was able to take throughout the journey. J&K is so beautiful that you just can't stop clicking, be the green valleys beyond srinagar that changes over to brown once you are in Ladakh region and the himalayas in the distant background and those stunning vistas you get to see at the high altitude lakes... everything is just so beautiful!

Also, to note J&K is the place where unrest is real and happening and Srinagar town has army presence everywhere...and sometimes you do get that eerie feeling seeing so many army people. Another thing I would mention is the presence of army camps all through the way from Srinagar and covers entire Ladakh region, you pass one and you get another... and the huge convoy of army trucks in those narrow hilly stretches.

Let me stop boring you and take you to the pictures... enjoy!

(many such fields and sights makes on wonder - why go elsewhere)

(the huge mountain ranges and home to some of the inhospitable army posts)

(glaciers, streams and mountains...)

(valleys, hills and mountains...)

(landslides...not a day without them!)

(Himalayan ranges as far as you can see!)

(snow...ice... sheets of them everywhere!)

Follow the entire J&K logs here...

J&K logs - Kargil war memorial!

On my last year's trip to Kashmir-Ladakh, one place that we didn't want to miss visiting was the 'Dras war memorial' (or Vijaypath) located in Dras, an the foothills of Tololing peak.

Across from there, you can see a glimpse of the Tiger hill and way beyond is the Siachen glacier peak, all strategic and important posts for India. This memorial is situated right on the Srinagar-Leh highway on NH1 and is hard to miss.

A must visit to pay your tributes to the brave soldiers and officers of the Indian Army who gave up their life fighting the Kargil war, something that should have never happened.

You get an eerie feeling passing through the NH1, Srinagar-Leh highway as the war happened right beside the highway on the hills like Tololing peak, Tiger hill from where the highway is clearly visible, I had goosebumps.

Back to the memorial, it has a huge epitaph with names of all officers and soldiers who laid down their lives in the war. There is a gallery beside, named after Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey, a Param Vir Chakra recipient - the highest military award honored who displayed extraordinary courage and leadership and laid down his life for the country, all at the age of 24.

The gallery houses pictures of soldiers marching on slopes, cooking food at high peaks, recovered arms from the intruders, celebrating victories and mourning deaths of fellow men. Going through the gallery, you cannot hold back not getting emotional and also wish there should be no war...!

Just can't imagine how the war was fought in hostile conditions, inclement weather and the enemy seated above in strategic places seeing all your moves. It requires nothing less than exemplary courage to move forward and charge being in the line of fire and we are blessed to have an army like that and apt are the words on the memorial says - "the martyred soldiers who gave their today for our tomorrow".

If you are ever passing through the place, please pay a visit and offer your tributes (and on my behalf too). Most of us do not even have an iota of idea as to how the army people manage critical posts, that are high altitude places almost in isolation, temperatures dipping way below zero, hostile weather and nobody to even talk except your partner with whom you would be manning the post for weeks or months at a stretch.

Imagine yourself locked up in a remote high altitude place in a bunker, unable to move out due to inclement weather and having to survive on packed foods for months with no communication with the outside world except for the communications with the base camp; and this for weeks or months together till you are swapped with another person who in most likely would have to trek up to the place with all necessary materials in his backpack...!

I can't describe anything beyond...! Let's respect our brave men who are sacrificing their today for our safe and better tomorrow.

P.S. the photos are not of good quality - never realized it!

Magadi lake - a conservation success story

Hello,

(a delight to watch... Bar-headed Goose)

I was so keen on sighting the Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus), that I took few others scanning lakes around Magadi, close to Bengaluru a couple of years ago in search of them and our efforts paid fruit when I could sight them at Markonahalli reservoir but at a very far distance. It was enough for me to glee that I was able to see the prolific travelers (they visit from as afar as Mongolia flying over the Himalayas...!)

Last year having heard more than enough of another 'Magadi (tank) lake'; this one near Gadag town in North Karnataka about 350kms from Bengaluru, that hosts more than 3000+ of the Bar-headed Goose every winter when they come visiting was enough to set me packing to go and witness it live.

(early morning high key images)

Saandip Nandagudi, prolific birder and wildlife photographer, Yogananda Thandra and comedy king Avinash Kannammanavar okay'd to accompany me and we drove down to Lakshmeshwar, about 350kms away and the closest town to the lake. We had contacted Somanna, the forest department temporary guard there for directions and accommodation options and he was of great help for us and one should accolade the hard work he puts in for the protection and conservation of the species for the entire period they stay here.

I am fond of North Karnataka style and varieties of food and an roadside eatery catered to our early morning pangs so much so that it set Saandip on fire because of the spices; well... I enjoyed it :) We stayed put at the PWD IB at Lakshmeshwar that is okay, a better choice would be a hotel near the bus stand that offers decent accommodation as well as food (hotel below and lodging on top) and the food was good while we stayed there.

'Toilets' and 'use of toilets' are something non-existent even today in many places and Magadi town is no exception to this and having a lake is like an attraction where many people openly defaecate in the early hours of the day. I'm stating this to highlight not only the good things but also the practical ground realities that exist and would see if visiting there.

(Brahminy Shelducks)

(they fly in formations...)

(typical landing amidst chaos...)

Getting back to the Geese's, they are called so because of the bars on their neck and are known for their long distance flying, all the way from Mongolia and other European regions to peninsular India crossing over the mighty Himalayas. They breed in the high altitude regions of Ladakh and China and fly down south to pass the harsh winters up north. Another intriguing as well as mind blowing fact about them is that they return to the same wintering hotspot year after year, retracing their path with the help of tailwinds and are capable of covering more than 1000 miles in a single stretch!!!

Their routine is very simple: As the dawn breaks, they all take off in batches with their 'honking' sound and disperse off the fields to feed on groundnuts, corn, rice and other crops and travel long distances in search of food. Sometime between 8-9 am, they all return back to the lake and spend the rest of the day in the lake. They repeat the feeding cycle once in the evening and congregate back by nightfall and prefer to spend the night in the middle of the lake, the deepest part to avoid predators and dogs.

(long distance flyers...)

Specific to Magadi lake, the forest department has done a commendable job in ensuring its protection and declaration as a conservation reserve. Mr Vijay Mohan Raj (VMR), IFS officer is one of the pioneers who played a role in conserving this lake. Somanna, the guard has been given a field scope by the North Karnataka Birders Assocn and a 3-tier watchtower is built by the department to keep a vigil over the lake and also to keep a track of the 'ringed' birds that come in every year. Somanna is keeping a log track of all the 'ringed' birds that visit the lake every year and the information is communicated back to the originator that helps in understanding a lot about the species and their lifestyle. Somanna once rescued a goose that was injured and nursed it back to health on his own with the help of a local vet and is happy that it joined the group back in good health; but his hard work needs to be recognized by the department and sufficient grants/privileges should be released to ensure he can sustain his family while working for conserving the lake and the species that visit them. If he moves on in search of greener pastures and more income, that would be a great loss for the lake and its visitors.

(Painted Stork in flight)

(Northern Shovelers in flight)

(pair of Indian Coursers from a nearby field)

Not only the Bar-headed Goose, we also saw a plentiful of other species such as Brahminy Ducks, Painted Storks, Egrets, Cormorants, Northern Shovelers, Indian Peafowl, Bonelli's Eagle's, Caspian Terns, Hume's Whitethroat and many others, epitomizing the fact that 'you save one species, a hundred more get saved with them'. We were also lucky to sight Indian Coursers in a field where we had wandered off losing our way.

I will list typically what to do and what not to do if you are visiting there:

• Do reach the place early, in fact before dawn and position yourself closer to the banks (empower yourself with the knowledge of east direction)

• Do sit still without movements till they feel comfortable in your presence

• Do not move around like crazy or keep frittering around. A little discomfort... and off they go!

• Patience and perseverance pays

• Afternoon is hot, ideal to end morning session by 10am and return back for evening session by 3pm. Winters will be awfully cold in the morning, tendency to dip low.

• Be a silent visitor and leave no traces of your visit.

• Inform and report any unusual sightings to the guard over there. Try and collect more information about any ringed birds you see.

Other Information:

• Magadi lake is in Magadi, a small village of Shirahatti Taluka in the district of Gadag. Lakshmeshwar town is 11kms from the lake and Gadag is 26kms from the lake. Bangalore is at a distance of 350+ kms and the road is good enough for a self drive and takes about 8hours.

• Magadi (tank) lake houses the Magadi bird sanctuary and spread over 140 acres is a biodiversity hotspot and declared as an IBA (Important Bird Area).

• Accommodation and Food at Lakshmeshwar (PWD IB or a local hotel near bus stand)

• Time to visit: November to February

(difficult to catch loner in a frame...)

(end of a long day...)

Also, please read these blog written on and about the same place...
Saandip Nandagudi's blog
Yashpal's blog
Dr Arun's article on JLRexplore