80 Pages
Explore Wild India Nature Wildlife Conservation Discover Volume I Issue 06 September 2018 100
From the Dense Jungles!
The Long Path – Towards Conservation # India’s wildlife From the Hills!
Introducing Editor DEVESH KUMAR
Principal Advisor K.BIHARI, AMRAWATI
WIF India
Design PRATIBHA
Photography URVASHI PARMAR, ANUSRIYA HAZRA ABHISHEK BHATT, ANAGHA MOHAN , VARUN MANI,YASHAS NARAYAN,BODHISATYA MOOKHERJEE , AKSHEETA MAHAPATRA , SARTHAK BARDE
Consultant PRATIMA
Printing L.B ENTERPRISES G-24 VILLAGE GAZIPUR DELHI 110096
Published by YOUNG GLOBAL PUBLICATIONS B-4 VANDHANA BUILDING 11, TOLSTOY MARG NEW DELHI 110001
Side Image AKASH KAPOOR EXPLORE WILD INDIA ⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽ Published and Printed By Mr.Harinath Rai on behalf of Mr. Devesh Kumar. Printed at L.B Enterprises G-24 Village Gazipur Delhi 110096 Published From Young Global Publications B-4 Basement Vandhana Building, 11, Tolstoy Marg, New Delhi -110001 & Editor Mr. Devesh Kumar.
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PHOTO: DEVESH KUMAR
DISCOVER HIMACHAL ‘S WILD FRONTIER SAVE THE JUNGLE SAVE THE EARTH! Issued by WIF India Society Himachal Pradesh (Shimla) 171001.
DHANVIJAY THAKUR (Member of WIF India Society Group Himachal Pradesh)
Join Our Society Today Write us at info@wifindia.in and Log on to www.wifindia.in. 3
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Urvashi Parmar from Vadodara Gujarat Pharmacist by Profession photographer by . passion.
Anusriya Hazra, Zoology student from MSU Vadodara Gujarat.
Abhishek Bhatt, Photographer from Vinit Bhinde/ from Mumbai India. A Pithoragarh of Uttrakhand. nature & wildlife photographer. .
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Author Page / WIF India Mumbai Photo: Prasad Malgaonkar
As wildlife photographers, Jim Corbett is a treat to eyes. Every photographer have their priority for photography there, like many goes for Tigers, Elephant or many goes for simply Birding. As it is having vast variety of wildlife & Birding it provides ample opportunity for every photographer. My particular interest was on Elephants & Elephant Escape. Dhikala being a vast grass land provides amazing opportunity for Elephant escapes & if light is right, it's bonus for the photographers. As such Dhikala have many famous spots for Elephant Escape typically in the morning time at the Ramganga River. I was travelling with DCP Expedition which is one of the leading wildlife photography and conservation group in India. One of the advantage is it have some of the amazing photographers with immense knowledge of wildlife in India.
One day while we were taking the round in our jeep we heard some hustling sound from the woods next to road. We asked our guide what it is. He immediately mentioned there is herd of elephant is grazing. Not sure what to do we moved ahead and at around 100 meter we got sitting of few elephants & they were just about to come out on road. Knowing the Elephant's habits our guide crossed that patch on the road and stopped the jeep at some distance. Needless to say we were ready with our camera.
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The scene was very apt for the situation. The tall Sag tree were forming nice canopy on the road. The dense trees were creating nice forest mood. The only missing was the key actor for this frame that's the Elephants. In 2-3 minutes only a baby elephant appeared from our right side. We were not sure at which direction it will turn. So our guide told us if they are turning to our side then we have to move as there is likelihood of charging by young male elephant. Imagine a frame where the elephant or group of elephant is walking toward you through the tall sag tress and whole frame is filled with the mighty creatures. However disappointing to us the baby elephant turned to the other side and immediately after this one by one elephants of different sizes started appearing from same spot. While my fellow photographers were already disappointed with the herd turning other side I still continued with my clicks & told our guide not to move. Every new elephant appearing on the road from the woods was making my frames more & more rich from content perspective. And finally when all these elephants were walking on that road in a line and in that perfect ambiance, my day was already made. Such an elegant and amazing animal. I will close this with these lines by famous Urdu poet.
Majrooh Sultanpuri
⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽ Interviewed by DEVESH KUMAR on behalf of WIF India Society Shimla Himachal Pradesh India. Prasad Malgaonkar is a Photographer and Traveler. A Presentation by WIF India Society Shimla Circle.
⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽ This Magazine is presented by WIF India Society Group Ramnagar, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302007, Under: Ankita Singh Jadon // Devesh Kumar.
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Contents On the Cover: The Hornbill from the #Corbett: Bodhisatya Mookherjee Captured the Beauty of Corbett National Park.
●Storyteller 12. Unexplored Corbett.
17. Spotlight! 22. Sightings: Story of Photo: Green* *Magpie*.
● People 52. Special Interview: Talk with Vasu Ahluwalia (Shimla). 58. Wildlife in Art: Shruthi Shrivastava. 59. Special Mention: Anand Nambiar.
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There is Nothing Like Himachal Pradesh! 9 ( आप हिमाचल को भुला नि ीं पाएींगे ) Photo : Pratima ADVT
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Scaly Breasted Munia is a small sparrow sized finch. They mainly eat grass seeds, flowers and small insects. We were looking for some flycatchers in Sim’s Park (Coonoor) and this cute munia was searching for grass seeds among the little flowers on the ground. I assume that its nest was nearby as it was on frequent rounds, searching for food. SD Vishal // WIF India.
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● Photo feature 73. Photo of the Month: Shubham Adhikari
Red eye Shikra (Male) perching on a roadside tree | Corbett | By Ritobroto Moitra
75. Owl: By Meenakshi Rathore ● Quick’s Facts 77. Species Focus: Andaman drongo
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Story -
This picture was taken at Jim Corbett National Park, Dhikala Zone, Uttarakhand, India, in May 2018. The tigers were in the Ramganga River in the National Park. After a long wait at Sambhar Road, both Mother [Parwali] and her male cub got into the water and play in the water. The play lasted for 5 to 10 minutes .Then they crossed the river and walked into the grass. The cub was very playful and it jumped on Paro. This was a beautiful sighting .The tigers were about 70 - 80 meters away from us. This was shot on 5th May, evening safari. I shot this picture with my Nikon DSLR, D5 with 80-400mm lens.
Anagha Mohan: Anagha is a Bangalore based young photographer who is 12 years old. She is studying in Grade 7 at Poorna Prajna Education Centre, Sadashivnagar. She started photography when she was 10 years old. She is a wildlife enthusiast and wants to pursue wildlife photography.
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EXPLORE WILD INDIA । Editor Notes
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Editor’s Note
Himachal Pradesh , the state offers numerous species of plants , animals & a great diversity. It has over more than 33 wildlife sanctuaries and around 2 national parks favourite for wildlife lovers. In this Edition You will find lots of Information Regarding India’s hills Wildlife . I Would like to thanks My all wonderful photographers Friends and My Friend Radhika for helping me. Lets Come and Save the Nature and Jungles” .
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● DEVESH KUMAR (EDITOR )
Photo : Harsh Disclaimer: All images are Copyright by their respective Owners. Unauthorized Use and / or Duplication of these images and Material Strictly Prohibited. Explore Wild India is not responsible for any error or mistakes in Articles , Pictures , Names & Spell which is submitted by Photographers and users, Explore Wild India is not responsible for advertisements, and user/ person shall bear all risks associated with the use of such content. All Images are Copyright with Particular Issue and Particular Volume.
Follow Devesh at Twitter: @Deveshdy 13
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Photo: Soumyajit Nandy 14
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It was one of the morning safaris at Corbett Tiger Reserve, Dhikala; the weather was too cold and foggy. We went around the whole forest but there was not movement of the animals. We came back to grassland and we found this herd of Elephants. The group had two calf Elephants, on seeing our vehicle they became more protective of the little ones. It was really wonderful to witness their interactions and calf‘s naughtiness. You can see in this image the adult Elephants protecting the little one.
K.S.Manju Mohan is an entrepreneur based in Bangalore, with a great interest in wildlife and landscape photography. He loves shooting the big cats and elephants. From the past five years, he has travelled to most of the national parks in India like Bandipur, Kabini, Corbett, Bandhavgarh, Ranthambhore, Kaziranga, Rann of Kutch, and Bharatpur. Bodhisatya Mookherjee
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"The image of the brown fish owl was shot in Dhikala, Corbett. We kept seeing the same owl for 3 safaris at the same spot and on the 3rd safari we saw the owl with its prey. “ --- Gopinath
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Storyline !
I went to north east for the first time and the sole reason behind this trip was to photograph this little elusive red panda. It has always been a dream to photograph this little creature as it was on my list of some rare animals to find. After consulting few close friends I decide to go to singalila national park that is close to Darjeeling city of west Bengal state. It took me 3 days to find this guy. I actually tried everything to find them. Went for drives and even on foot.
It was raining for last few days and was foggy as well. Then on the third day these guys showed up and there were 3 of them together. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was raining 18
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heavily and it was foggy too so the visibility was poor and not meant for photography but still I tried to get few decent shots but they were poor. Then we waited for almost 3 hours at the same place and finally the weather gods did me a little favour and suddenly the weather cleared and fog almost gone. That’s what I was waiting for. I did manage to get some decent shots in that 2-3 minutes time and it went foggy all again. Photo: Shubham singh baghel // WIF India.
A side lit shot of The Great Barbet // Photo: Abhishek Bhatt – WIF India Dehradun I've been trying to capture this bird for a very long time. Every time I encountered this bird, it would either be out of reach or in an obnoxious position. This time I was on a routine walk and as the call of this bird is very familiar to me, I spotted it in no time. It was sitting on an open single branch which was hidden due to branches of other trees. As the Sun was setting, I felt contended after making a photograph of this beautiful bird.
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t was a nice experience capturing image of this beautiful Himalayan bear. Dachigam
national park is one of the very few habitats of this species left out in this world. It was our first safari inside the park (walk) and we were accompanied by the great 'Mr.Nazir Malik'. It was almost sunset time and we were waiting for the bears to come out of the bushes to feed on the Acorn fruit but no luck. Finally before leaving for the day we thought of checking out the nearby path way and as we predicted this bear was sitting and playing with the grass. It was almost 5-7 minutes we had the beautiful sighting and later the bear moved inside bushes. Ranjith // WIF India. 20
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A White-Throated Laughing thrush. This bird is a bit sensitiveMore in nature. It hardly comes out the bushes and it takes off at EXPLORE WILD INDIA । Storyteller at www.wifindia.in । of Storyteller the slightest of the disturbances. Every time I went for a trek, I would see this bird jumping here and there but never really got a chance to photograph it. This time I was just going back home from a routine walk and saw a group of laughing thrushes. The light was not good and chasing this bird was not ideal.
It was repeating movements so I decided to sit and let the bird get comfortable.After 7-8 minutes of waiting, it came closer and posed liked it wanted to be photographed.
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The Elusive & Gorgeous.. *Green* *Magpie* (Cissa Chinensis) Was witnessed During a Safari at Jhirna Zone of Jim Corbett National Park, Ramnagar. It was a Moment of a Lifetime to Catch the Posture with These Beautiful Birds in Their Natural Habitat. Jim Corbett National Park Is Like A Paradise for the Nature Devotee & Additionally the Feathered Creatures and Bird Watchers. During A Recent Visit to Uttarakhand. 22
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The Blue Beauty *Verditer* *Flycatcher* (Eumyias Thalassinus) It was Found Perching at Sattal, Uttarakhand. Photo: Urvashi Parmar // WIF India.
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Malabar grey hornbill (Ocyceros griseus) | Aditya Dhiran | Sirsi, Karnataka 24
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his picture was taken during monsoon in the forests of hulekal, Sirsi(Karnataka). Sirsi
has a wide range of colourful birds, from Pittas to hornbills. About 300+ birds are recorded in and around Sirsi. Many wild animals from spotted deer to leopard are also sighted here. Sirsi is a town which is situated at the Western Ghat belt. Malabar grey hornbill is found only in the western ghat region with heavy rainfall. It was evening around 5 when I took this picture. There were lots of Malabar grey Hornbill (Ocyceros griseus) , both male & female. Many of them were singing/calling to their mate. Their body has a slaty greyish colour without a casque. Male has an orange coloured beak; female has a yellow coloured beak. These birds are mostly found to be in pair, and fly from tree to tree in a "follow the leader" manner. They feed on berries and large insects, etc. They nest in the tree hollows during January to early April. These birds are large in size & give a very distinctive call like agitated domestic chicken.
Aditya S Dhiran (Student at College of Forestry, Sirsi)
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum :Chordata Class : Aves Order : Bucerotiformes Family : Bucerotidae Genus : Ocyceros Species : O. Griseus
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Hunt- This was shot in the dragging a monitor lizard into the bushes while the lizard struggled f
ADVT
Wildlife Conservation Trust is an Environmental Conservation Organization are Working across 130 Protected Areas and 82 % of 50 Tiger Reserves in India Protecting Wildlife and Reviving Communities. Wildlife Conservation Trust 11th Floor, Mafatlal Center, Nariman Point Mumbai Maharashtra India 400021.
Advertisement Issued By WIF India Mumbai To raise Wildlife Awareness and its Conservation. 26
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Spotlight – Spotted during rafting from shivpuri to Rishikesh at Rajaji Tiger reserve Uttrakhand. -
Prateek Rehal // WIF India
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This is a shot after “ The Parade Of Asiatic Elephant” stopped near a puddle and bathed. Date: May 2018 Location: Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand Photo By: Anusriya Hazra I am a Zoology Student and an amateur photographer. Regards, Anusriya Hazra
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a
We were on our 1st day morning safari in Sillari zone, Pench national park .we are wondering in and around the lush green tress of Pench forest. Suddenly I had a glimpse of a bird tossing the berries. Immediately we stopped the gypsy and to my surprise it was the great Indian hornbill. I never taught I would see it that closer and then I started capturing the beauty of the bird the Great Indian hornbill. Photo : Hemanth Katta // WIF India .
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“Intrigued to sight a big cat in the lush green habitat, we took an evening safari in kabini, Nagarahole National Park. Unfortunately, a sudden downpour reduced our chances of any sightings. Although, animals are relatively less shy in kabini, this female sambhar deer took a secret glance through the monsoon foliage and quickly disappeared “.
Thank you, Prajwal Dhananjay // WIF India .
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THE GORGEOUS BIRD
This is my favorite picture because I clicked this picture in the night. At that time I see five owls. And this is a very beautiful moment. We should also love and joy every moment in our life.
A Night Capture Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes, which includes about 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers adapted for silent flight. Exceptions include the diurnal northern hawk-owl and the gregarious burrowing owl. Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish. They are found in all regions of the Earth except Antarctica and some remote islands.
The Asian barred owlet (Glaucidium cuculoides) is a species of true owl, resident in northern parts of the Indian Subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia. It ranges across north central and northeast India, Nepal Bhutan, north Bangladesh, and Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam). Its natural habitat is temperate forest.
Owls are divided into two families: the Strigidae family of true (or typical) owls; and the Tytonidae family of barn-owls.
Photo: Deepak Garg Sharma // Location: Shimla
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he yellow-billed blue magpie or gold-billed magpie (Urocissa flavirostris) is a
passerinebird in the crow and jay family, Corvidae. It forms a superspecies with the Taiwan blue magpie and the red-billed blue magpie. The species ranges across the northern parts of the Indian Subcontinent including the lower Himalayas, with a disjunct population in Vietnam. Photo: Deepak Garg Sharma // Location: Shimla
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The Terai region has a huge amount of biodiversity, and the landscape is too good to be true. Tall grasslands, interspersed with river in forests as well as massive tracts of Sal forest. Within these moist and dense forests, is a very healthy population of Sloth bears as well? This particular male(making an educated guess due to its size) was spotted in an area of the Sal forest with termite mounds are in abundance, a big source of their food, are always seen freshly dug up. An elusive animal despite its size, the best way to see these fascinating creatures is by maintaining an acceptable distance from it as they are easily alarmed. Who knows, one day you may be able to observe it digging for some termites with its long claws yourself. A truly marvelous behavior! This one crossed our vehicle quietly, watchful of our presence, giving us one last glance as it went along its way probably in search of food considering its size in proportion to its diet.
Varun Mani // WIF India.
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I'd like to introduce myself; I'm Varun Mani from Bombay. Switched careers, to being a Naturalist about 3 and half years ago out of an unexpected interest and love for Indian Wildlife. This photo was taken one afternoon in the Terai jungles. One usually expects Rhinos to be found grazing in grasslands or occupying waterholes where they lie immersed in water, feeding on aquatic plants, wallowing in mud(to be rid of ectoparasites which get into their deceptively soft skin). However, we were lucky to chance upon this female rhino who was chomping on some tall grasses within the Reverie forest. As we approached carefully but within safe distance, she refused to leave our gaze. We then discovered why: her young one of maybe 3-4 months was just in tow, itself feeding along with her!
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He was lost amongst the grass and the enormity of his mother's imposing figure, it doesn't help either that these cautious mothers don't allow even a few meters of distance between themselves and their progeny in these dense forests of the Terai - lest a brave tiger decide to capitalize on the situation. As an observer, one must be careful when in such a situation, as one wrong movement can result in an attack by these Mega herbivores of almost 2000 kilos! Varun Mani // WIF India.
Munshi// WIF India. Sighting of a family of Asian Elephant at Kaziranga National Park: In the vast grassy landscape of Kaziranga, seeing an elephant is a common sight due to the increased number of elephant safaris but the feeling of spotting a wild elephant is a whole another story. We were doing an evening safari and observing rhinos and swamp deer’s. We spotted a pair of elephants from a distance and decided to get a little close. It was my first time spotting a wild elephant and i was pretty excited to observe it in its natural habitat. On arriving at the swamp, we saw not just a pair, but a family with a little calf. The parents were teaching the young one how to bath and it was the most intriguing and relatable acts of nature.
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- Play of Babies
It was a delightful sight of the baby monkeys in their own world of friendship and fun unearthing the joys of childhood somewhere in the dense green forests around Chandragiri Fort. The Bonnet Macaque is endemic to the southern part of India, with its distribution limited by the Indian Ocean and the Godavari, Tapti Rivers.
Thanks, Shalini
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Jungle View
Title: Jayamangali Blackbuck Reserve Photo: Shalini Jai Located in Tumkur district of Karnataka, the Jayamangali Blackbuck Reserve is a great place for wildlife lovers to be at. The widespread plain grasslands make it a suitable place for the Blackbucks. One can take their own vehicles inside the reserve and the best part is that the nature is totally preserved here without any touristy crowd. I feel being amidst the jungle, when out of nowhere the blackbucks cross past me suddenly. Every time I visit this place I get a different perspective to photograph, few posing at me and a few shying away. The blackbucks are diurnal and the long, ringed horns are generally present only on males. The coat of males shows two-tone coloration. While the upper parts and outsides of the legs are dark brown to black, the under parts and the insides of the legs are all white. 37
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Sushant Jadhav
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Harsh Maheria // WIF India ., Location: Jim Corbett National Park Caption: Oh! WAIT! Stop where you are! It was warning for us to not to go close to this animal anymore! Yes, they warn you by doing this! . Captured this shot during safari in Jim Corbett National Park! Oh! WAIT! Stop where you are! It was warning for us to not to go close to this animal anymore! Yes, they warn you by doing this! . Captured this shot during safari in Jim Corbett National Park. 39
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onelli's Eagle with Northern Pintail kill at Kumbhargaon, Maharashtra.
Kumbhargaon is at the tail end of the backwaters of Ujni water dam. It's a great birding location in winters. The birding here, happens with riding a non mechanized boat. On winter dusk in January 2016, my boat was sailing, while more than 500 ducks of various species were roosting on the shore. All of a sudden, all ducks flew off. As the boat was far from the shore, we were not the reason, which could panic them. Therefore we scanned the sky to check if a raptor was a cause, but there wasn't any. Then we scanned the shore and 40
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my boatman saw a raptor on the shore, clutching something. Distance was too much to id the pray and the predator, hence we decided to go as close as we can.
Water was shallow and boat was unable to slide on. The vigorous boatman got down and pushed the boat by hands and somehow we could get ourselves at a fair distance from the action. By the time, the eagle had ripped apart the duck and collected the flesh in the crop, as seen in this image. It was a Northern Pintail, a heavy duck, and the eagle was not willing to fly off with the heavy kill even after our close presence. This gave me a good opportunity to click some images of the Bonelli's Eagle with kill. Dhananjay Joshi // WIF India.
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum :
Chordata
Class
:
Aves
Order
:
Accipitriformes
Family
:
Accipitridae
Genus
:
Species :
Aquila A. fasciata
Least Concern - Bonelli's eagle
Bonelli's eagle is a dexterous, generally quiet seeker; its unmistakable klu-klu-klu-klee call is heard predominantly when it is close to the home or when mating. The plumage on the upperparts is dull darker, while the white underbelly is designed with dim groups, and the underside of the tail is white with a solitary expansive dark band toward the end.
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I was on birding. It's near to noon. I have found a hornbill came to eat ripe bananas. Then I tried to take photo of hornbill eating it. But it has found me and flew away from the banana plantain and perched on a tree. I was so afraid of humans. After that I have hide behind a tree to capture it. And I captured the shot! Location: Cheruthuruthy, India Vishnu K Cheruthuruthy // WIF India.
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Campus Wildlife Debaprasad Sengupta Project Biologist Sariska Tiger Project- Phase II WILDLIFE INSTITUTE OF INDIA
From Our Instagram Page @wildlifeindia It was a bright sunny day, a holiday of course when I and two of my friend went to Malsi Deer Park (and to my knowledge its the first time ever for me) at Dehradun. Being a wildlife researcher, we all are focused on our relative field. Memories down the lane, I always have cherished my relation with reptiles. We visited the park to get a health checkup for the captive turtles. We all went near the periphery and started our work with prior permission. Suddenly, to my surprise, something crawled over my shoe and climbed up my pants. The captive manager shouts at his peak saying, "Kachua chad raha hai" (A turtle is climbing), and then I saw this tiny approximately a month old hatchling of Indian Roofed Turtle (Pangshura tecta) climbing. I then got hold of it carefully and put it on the ground. To my surprise, the gentle turtle halts there instead of walking off staring at me. What now, I got my device out and clicked a few pictures for this memory. This turtle belongs to the Geoemydidae family and can be distinguished by the distinct 'roof' at the topmost part of the shell. They are found in the major rivers of South Asia. They are a quite water turtle, occurring in quiet streams, canals, ponds and man-made water bodies. It is listed in CITES as Schedule I as it is highly traded for a pet, also its a very common turtle pet it Indian subcontinent.
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Ravi Patel EXPLORE WILD INDIA । Storyteller
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Explore Wild India Nature Wildlife Conservation Discover
In the westernmost corner of Uttarakhand state lies the Dehradun district which is famous for its culture, education, natural beauty and tourism.
The Wildlife Institute of India (Dehradun), established in 1982, is one of the most important achievements for Uttarakhand and India. It is tasked to protect the Wildlife of India. Spread over 4.5 sq kms, it has labs well equipped with latest technology, library, and botanical gardens and training fields. Photo: Upamanyu Chakraborty / Text: Abhishek Bhatt
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It offers a variety of courses which help in providing training for conservation of wildlife and also acts as a platform for research. It allows only one batch every 2 years and 70% of the training is done on the field. Uttarakhand, called the land of gods, will amaze you. From gigantic mountain ranges to low plains, Uttarakhand has so much to offer.
Photo : Upamanyu Chakraborty / Text : Abhishek Bhatt
It has a plethora of fauna and flora. The main wildlife based attractions of Uttarakhand are: The Jim Corbett National Park, The Rajaji National Park and The Nanda Devi National Park.
The Jim Corbett National Park (Est 1936) is in the Nainital district and covers an area of 520 sq kms and has waterholes, grasslands and the hills. Over 600 species of birds, the Royal Bengal Tigers and the Asiatic Elephants are there to please your eyes.
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The Rajaji National Park (Est 1983) comes mostly under Haridwar district and is bigger (820 sq kms) with the Striped Hynas and Bengal Tigers waiting to give you a experience worth remembering.
Photo : Upamanyu Chakraborty / Text : Abhishek Bhatt
The Nanda Devi National Park (Est. 1982) is the home to the highest mountains peak of Uttarakhand i.e. The Nanda Devi Peak (7816 m). At 3500 m, The Park blesses you with the sight of the elusive Snow Leopards and The Musk Deer’s. Having numerous species of rare and exotic birds like the Himalayan Monal and the Himalayan Quail under the belt and over 17 rare flowers including the Brahma Kamal, the riot of colors and the blooming of variety flowers await you.
Uttarakhand is a complete package of fauna and flora and it requires high efforts to sustain the natural balance. Visit it any time of the year and you'll never regret it. Every season 47
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here has so much to offer and the wildlife here is safe and secure, always ready to give you a enthralling experience. Photo: Upamanyu Chakraborty / Text: Abhishek Bhatt
There is a line in the Uttarakhand Tourism song which goes like this : Dali dali phoolon ki, tujhko bulaye re musafir, mere Uttarakhand main. Which means : Hey traveller ! the branches of flowers are calling you to my Uttarakhand. I request you all to plan a trip to Uttarakhand. It will be such an experience that you would feel proud and happy while sharing with your friends and family. 48
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. ADVT Wildlife SOS was established in 1995 by a small group of individuals inspired to start a movement and make lasting change to protect and conserve India’s natural heritage, forest and wildlife wealth. Today, the organization has evolved to actively work towards protecting Indian wildlife, conserving habitat, studying biodiversity, conducting research and creating alternative and sustainable livelihoods for erstwhile poacher communities or those communities that depend on wildlife for sustenance
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Jungle! Inbox
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I see something very interesting in there! -
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Another one from the series of Myna and Female Barasingha's cute conversations or rather I say their cute bonding. -
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Prasad Takale
EXPLORE WILD INDIA │SEPTEMBER 2018
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Sushant Jadhav
EXPLORE WILD INDIA │SEPTEMBER 2018
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World Trending Talk with Vasu Ahluwalia (Shimla). WIF INDIA SOCIETY // SHIMLA
The forest of Himachal Pradesh offers the most wonderful experience of a lifetime which is simply exhilarating. Witness the untamed and ferocious side of bad tempered animals from great Himalaya in their natural habitat. The national parks of Himachal Pradesh are rightly famous amongst wildlife aficionados worldwide.
There is no better way to rejuvenate and relax than to visit some of the natural wonders of Himachal Pradesh. Thanks to Himachal Pradesh's varied geography and sparse human population, its national parks offer some of India's best places to observe wildlife. Nature summoned all the colors of its vast palette and applied them in exquisite, liberal detail to the Great Himalayan National Park and Pin Valley National Park, the two major national parks of Himachal Pradesh.
The best way to explore the rowdiness and spontaneity of Himachal Pradesh is by trekking through the arduous and spectacular terrains of these national parks. The high-altitude national parks of Himachal Pradesh tickle the adrenaline of wildlife enthusiasts.
Vasu Ahluwalia talks about himself & wildlife., Recently Vasu Ahluwalia has been Interviewed By WIF India‘s Editor Devesh Kumar. 52
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Photo: Vasu Ahluwalia
1. What is Your Opinion about Indian Wildlife Conservation? Indian Wildlife conservation is the practice of protecting wild plant and animal species and their habitat. Wildlife plays an important role in balancing the ecosystem and provides stability to different natural processes of nature. Tigers are the best example as their number has grown rapidly thanks to Indian Wildlife conservation.
2. Corbett or SGNP which one you will select to Photograph Wild Animals? I'll choose Corbett because I have special attraction towards big cats like tigers and leopards and both are found there in a healthy amount. And second reason to choose Corbett is its mountain areas.
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Photo: Vasu Ahluwalia 3. How do you see India as Wildlife Country?
India is a vast country varying from cold desert wildlife in areas of Spiti and Leh to Thar Desert in Rajasthan to Kabini in Karnataka to Sundarbans in Bengal, no other country offers such a tremendous amount of wildlife variation.
4. When did you first realize to select Wildlife Photography? I've grown up watching Discovery channel, National Geographic channel from a very small age. And watching animals of different species, colors etc have always excited and attracted me. And then I got shifted to Shimla, Hp from Jammu. In Shimla, I discovered great forms of wildlife, but it was eventually in 11 class when I got my first Nikon DSLR which allows me to shot my beloved Wildlife from a better perspective. I want to Thanks my Dad and mom who have always supported me.
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Photo: Vasu Ahluwalia
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Vasu Ahluwalia, from 12 class in Shimla, HP. He has a special love towards wildlife Photography and he wants to make his passion his profession i.e. Wildlife Photographer.
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Wildlife in Art
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The watercolor painting by artist Swagata Sarkar features a Red-eyed Tree frog (Agalychnis Callidrysis, conservation status: Least Concern, IUCN 3.1). These adult redeyed tree frogs usually have striking green with blue and yellow side stripes, orange or red feet, and bright red eye with extremely expressive face. They are most commonly found in the rainforests and lowlands of Mexico, Central and South America. The bright colors serve well as a defense mechanism. They spend a lot of time hiding in the trees and their natural colors help them to blend in with the tree leaves. These frogs are much more active at night and spend time hunting for insects.
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Swagata Sarkar (Artist)
EXPLORE WILD INDIA │SEPTEMBER 2018
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Peacock Sketch is made by Shruthi Shrivastava.
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pecialMention
“Footsteps in fresh snow, A snow leopard basking in morning light “ Photo : Anand Nambiar / WIF India .
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Vedant Patil
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“ Sarthak Barde took this picture last year in Kanha National Park while in Safari “
Rufous treepie Kingdom: Animalia | Phylum: Chordata | Class: Aves | Order: Passeriformes | | Family: Corvidae | Genus: Dendrocitta | Species: D. vagabunda
Least Concern 61
EXPLORE WILD INDIA │SEPTEMBER 2018
Sunal Kumar Roamin EXPLORE WILD INDIA । People
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It was a fine day as the weather was as splendid as thousand sun’s, so I thought it would be great day for birding, I was going leave. My papa called me as he was sitting in the balcony, when he spotted the tiny bird which was there for only a couple of minutes. Since it was was quick shot needed! I was lucky to capture the {moment} tiny little bird with a vibrant sparkling body for me it was more than a treasure. Sandeep BalaKrishnan / WIF India .
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Aksheeta Mahapatra // WIF India . Kingdom: Animalia | Phylum: Chordata | Class: Aves | Order: Passeriformes | Family: Zosteropidae | Genus: Yuhina| Species: Y. Gularis Least Concern - Stripe-throated yuhina
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The teesta riverine mix sal forest is a home of many rare reptiles and amphibians. This mildly venomenous Foresten's cat snake (boiga foresteni)is a climber. Feeding mainly on small rodents, birds,lizards, frogs, eggs etc. Baikunthapur, West Bengal Avijan Saha // WIF India .
Kingdom - Animalia | Phylum - Chordata | Class - Reptilia | Order -Squamata Suborder – Serpentes | Family - Colubridae | Genus – Boiga | Species - B. forsteni
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Save the Jungle! Save the Earth
A humongous tiger from beautiful forests of K.Gudi, B.R.Hills. This is the biggest tiger I have ever seen.
By Yashas Narayan // WIF India Mumbai
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Wildlife of India: The Past, Present, and the Future Picture: Paresh Deshmukh
ADVT
The jungle has so many beautiful moments to offer, if one decides to look for them! While returning from a morning drive in May, we stumbled upon one such amazing natural moment. The "caw-caw" of a group of crows brought us to a halt on the main road. Though it was behind a cluster of tall grass, it did not take us long to realize what was going on. Through the grass, we could first see a pair jackals running around with small pieces of meat in their mouths. Then arrived a family of wild boars, followed by two vultures. The jungle crows were in their company all along. We could not believe our luck, as, within a few minutes, we had all the jungle's major scavengers in front of us in the same frame.
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EXPLORE WILD INDIA । Photofeature
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EXPLORE WILD INDIA │ SEPTEMBER 2018
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The magic of golden light and cold winter mornings from bharatpur, Rajasthan. .
Photo: Abhinandan Sharma // WIF India.
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EXPLORE WILD INDIA । Photofeature
Scientific name: Chilobrachys fimbriatus.
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Photo: Vineet Perla
Subfamily: Selenocosmiinae – Chilobrachini Common name: Indian violet (earth tiger). Previous name: Ischnocolus decoratus Tikader, 1977. World spider catalog Type: Burrowing bird spider. Category: Old world tarantula. Venom: Depending the location of the bite and the amount of venom released, this might be a painful experience. However, no valuable scientific research has been done yet. Behavior: Nervous and defensive. The spider will try to flee at first. Persistent provocation can result in a bite. The Chilobrachys-genus is known to create beautiful webs and a tunnel system below the surface. At broad daylight she’ll stay deep inside her burrow, waiting for an unsuspecting prey at the entrance of her burrow at night. When older, you’ll see them more out in the open.
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Kingdom Phylum
Animalia Chordata
Class Order Genus Species
Amphibia Anura Raorchestes R .luteolus
Photo: Suraj Poojary // WIF India Raorchestes luteolus (Coorg yellow bush frog)
Raorchestes luteolus (some of the time known as Coorg yellow hedge frog) is a types of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic toward the Western Ghats, India, where it is just known from the province of Karnataka. 71
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Bengal monitor Varanus bengalensis
The Indian Bengal monitor lizard is found all over the Indian subcontinent. They are usually found on the ground, but sometimes they are seen on the trees as well. Habitat loss is one of the biggest problems these creatures are facing, resulting in increase of conflicts with humans. As a result, these creatures sometimes enter the human habitats in search of food. People unaware of these creatures, tend to kill them. The snout and as well as tail of these creatures resemble with that of snakes, sometimes it gets difficult for the layman to differentiate between the two. Rescuers are often called thinking it’s a snake. In the last couple of years, rescue of Indian Bengal monitor lizard has increased. At the end of the day, we need to realize these are harmless creatures and they enter our houses only for food or shelter and not to harm us. By Aniket Khaire / WIF India Mumbai.
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This Image of Bicolored frog is taken from Amboli!
Photo of the Month Photo: Shubham Adhikari Shubham Adhikari s Photo has been selected as Photo of the Month -The image was taken from Amboli hills! Amboli Ghat is a small part of the green lies in Western Ghats i.e. a bio-diversity hotspot of India and for the world. However, during monsoons, it looks very beautiful with full greenery all around . July to September is the best time for exploring species in Amboli. . The bicolored frog or Malabar frog (Clinotarsus curtipes) is a species of frog endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It is a medium sized frog, olive yellow to cream on dorsum and black on the dorsal sides and hence named as "bicolored” because of two different colors. It is a terrestrial leaf-litter frog & considered as NEARLY THREATENED (NT) in the red list category. 73
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Elephants and trees Photograph by Mahesh Reddy at Corbett National Park.
Kingdom - Animalia | Phylum – Chordata | Class – Mammalia | Order – Proboscidea | Family – Elephantidae | Genus - Elephas | Species - E. maximus
Endangered // Asiatic Elephant Photo: Mahesh Reddy // WIF India.
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EXPLORE WILD INDIA| ।Quick Quick EXPLORE WILD INDIA FactsFacts
O
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wls are enigmatic birds by turns mysterious lovable or spooky with over 200 species
living on every continent except Antarctica. Owls have super turned sense that helps them hunt prey and they are pretty darn cute too. They are intelligent and sociable and are natural pest control for farmers.
Meenakshi Rathore // WIF India.
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EXPLOREWILD WILDINDIA INDIA। |Online Species Focus at www.wifindia.in | Species Focus EXPLORE Discussion More More at www.wifindia.in। Online Discussion
It
was gloomy morning at
Shoal Bay, South Andamans with occasional rain showers. I sat patiently near the bushes hoping for a singing Andaman Shama to come out in the open. After 10mins of waiting, a pair of Andaman Drongo and a Greater Racket-tailed Drongo flew in and perched very close to where I was sitting giving me ample time to frame my shots until it started to rain again. Shakti Vel
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Dicruridae Genus: Dicrurus Species: D. andamanensis
Near Threatened - Andaman drongo
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Photo: Kunal Khinwasara Total Likes: 2000 Share: 95 Topic: Motherhood: All love begins and ends there. 78
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Photo: Vasu Ahluwalia at Shimla Himachal Pradesh India. .