Wildlife

One of the delights in our city is to watch the various flowering trees, and at this time of the year, one of the spectacular sights is that of the Flame of the Forest (Palash...the scientific name is Butea monosperma). The name of the tree is well-deserved...the bright orange flowers of the tree look exactly as if tongues of flame were engulfing the tree. At this time, the tree sheds all its leaves, too, and the effect is stunning. But there is an even more interesting aspect to the flowering of the Flame of the Forest...that is, the flowers, and…

Dear birding friends,A quick note to ask whether you might be interested in joining us in a funbirding event on 14-18 Feb. On those dates, birders across the world willbe taking part in the Great Backyard Bird Count (www.birdcount.org), run byCornell University's Laboratory of Ornithology.The basic idea is to spend some time (minimum of 15 min) listing all thebirds species you see, together with a rough count of each. Despite thename of the event, one can participate from anywhere -- from a balcony orrooftop or garden, to a market or farm or wetland or forest. And it doesn'tmatter if you…

A group of ecologists and experts including Dr M B Krishna, have come up with a report called"Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta Lake - the role of bird photographers. From the report's introduction:"The Hesaraghatta lake bed is facing another assault. Parts of the lake bed have become barren and have been laid waste due to heavy vehicular movement on the lake bed. In this case most of the damage is due to nature photographers chasing migratory birds using cars and SUVs."A rapid assessment of the impacts caused by nature photographers driving on the dry Hesaraghatta lake bed reveals a wide…

Cartoon by Rohan Chakravarty. Bird Race time again! Or to be more precise,The HSBC Bangalore Bird Race is what it's known to the wise.As soon as the registration was declared open,Thirty-six teams registered, every person hopingThat he or she would be the one to sight so many birdsThat "You're the best!" would be the judges' appreciative words.The Bird Race team consisted of a lot of names with S's...Srihari, Subbu, Sunjoy, Swarna..to sort out all the messesAnd successfully stage the event.Thanks to their work, it all wentSmoothly, with sponsorship from HSBC...A day of being in the open air, sighting birds happily.One…

It's been my experience that when re-introducing people to Nature, two kinds of instruction are necessary. I call the process a re-introduction, because all of us are part of Nature; it's only that in the rush and stress of urban life, many of us lose touch with the environment that we were created in. We are fortunate to have Bannerghatta forest at our doorstep, with so much scenic beauty! Here's a photo of a pond near the Bannerghatta Zoo: Kingfisher Pond in the Bannerghatta Zoo area. Pic: Deepa Mohan On one hand, I feel strongly that a hands-on approach works…

Earlier in December, the Karnataka High Court issued a judgment saying dogs deemed a menace or seen to cause nuisance can be exterminated by Bangalore authorities whether or not there is evidence of their having mauled or bitten children or adults. An independent dog with collar companion to indigent humans. Chief Justice Vikramjit Sen and Justice B V Nagarathna failed to define the terms "menace" and "nuisance". Bangalore-based voluntary organisation, Voice of Stray Dogs, has made a detailed assessment of the judgment. The lives of the independent dogs in Karnataka's capital would thus depend on arbitrary definitions that may be…

We build ourselves many different types of houses, but Nature provides a great variety of housing for Her creatures, too! Let's look at some of the smaller beings...Here's a Weaver Ants' nest; the ants "weave" together the leaves with a paste that they generate, and make a water-proof home. Pic: Deepa MohanHere are two Paper Wasps, beginning the construction of their nest (yes, it is a kind of papery material, hence their name. Pic: Deepa Mohan When they finish, the wasps' nest looks like this... such a beautiful globe, with its crescent-shaped patterns. However, do not approach too close, for…

Merrily Tobin visited Jalvayu Vihar (JVV - where I have lived since retiring from the Indian Navy) for the first time in 1993. JVV was then just three years old. She recalls, "There were hardly any birds out here. The trees were just about picking up and the campus had a dry, barren look about it JVV site, circa 1987. Courtesy: Wg.Cdr.KJ Batt Jalvayu Vihar: Under Construction – 1989 – Barren Main Road & water tower. Pic: Wg.Cdr.KJ Batt In the next few years, JVV grew greener; the birds began to take notice and slowly moved in and so did…

Recently BBMP, decided that it would put up an “adventure sports hub” on the hillocks of Turahalli forest on Kanakapura road. Nature lovers who regularly trek to the  forest decided it was time to protest.Old-timers of Bangalore will recollect Turahalli as a lovely forest, set with hillocks, where everyone could go, and did.Over a period of years, the pressure of population in Bangalore has meant that the once pristine forest has been “developed” into various layouts. All that remains is just a couple of hillocks. These are beloved to nature lovers, cyclists who organise downhill runs here, rock-climbers for whom…

We are taught, from childhood, to abhor and fear “creepy-crawlies”... those life-forms which we see under stones, on walls, or even on our vegetables! But it can be a revelation that these creatures, which we regard with fear and loathing, and usually kill at the first opportunity, can sometimes be on their way to becoming very beautiful beings!Take a look at this fat green caterpillar, for instance. Common Lime: Green Caterpillar. Pic: Deepa Mohan This may look gross and fat. It is fat, because it is, right now, a larva. It is eating enough to last it through the next…