Landscapes Of The Mind
  • Home
  • Musings & Reflections
  • Glimpses Through The Lens
    • The Feathered Beauties
    • I Saw,I Clicked... >
      • Vishnupur
      • The Tantalizing Landscape Of Uttaranchal
      • Amidst The Sand Dunes Of Khuri
      • Chatris Of Shekawati
      • Havelis Of Shekawat
    • I Saw, I Clicked Part II >
      • Hosaholalu
      • Pristine Havelock
      • Pichavaram
      • Chidambaram
    • I Saw I Clicked Part III >
      • Yosemite
      • A Day At The Vatican Museum
      • Norcia
      • Moscow
    • Butterflies & Flowers
    • Close Encounters At Corbett
    • Bijapur & Beyond
    • Enchanting Athirapalli
    • Splendours of Seatlle
    • Monet's Garden
  • Glimpses Through The Lens: II
    • Poetry in stone >
      • Brihadeeswarar Koil
      • Gangaikondacholapuram
      • Dharasuram
      • Thanjavur Art Gallery
    • In The Land Of Enlightenment
    • Charming Chitrapu
    • Exploring Orissa >
      • Mesmerizing Mangalajodi
      • Bewitching Bhetnoi
      • Daksa Prajapati Temple
    • Birding Down Under >
      • Parrots Galore!
      • Lyrical Lyre Bird
      • Honey Eaters
      • Kingfishers, Wrens, Wagtails, Warblers...
      • Orioles, Golden Whistlers
      • Cockatoos, Kookaburras & Magpies
      • Pigeons, Doves
      • Birds Of Prey, Bower Birds
      • Water Birds & In Flight
      • Others
    • Murals of Pundarikapuram
  • Contact Me

The Tantalizing Trogon

12/21/2016

15 Comments

 
It was one of the thickest forests still humid from the overnight rain. Even at noon it was eerily dark because of the heavily overcast sky. And we were in search of the ever elusive Malabar Trogon. A single dull tone call had alerted us and we made our way through the thick undergrowth. It was a bit of climb over uneven moss covered rocks amidst thorny branches. Faint sunlight filtered in through the tiny gaps in the arched ceiling of foliage, delicately lighting up the ambience.

And there it was.,.

Once the trogon is aware that it is being watched, it will sit in a position so that the belly is not visible to us. It is its defense mechanism of exhibiting it’s duller side to the observer in order not to attract attention! Photographing the trogon is a difficult proposition altogether since it does not sit on good perches and is invariably in the shadows! 

It was a fleeting moment as it sensed our presence and flew away. We tried to figure out its path and kept walking, scanning the trees. It seemed a futile search as there was no indication of its presence. Just when we were about to give up the search for a bird which we had aspired to sight for many years, it revealed itself majestically amidst the thick foliage.

We watched it, totally entranced by its beauty.

The Malabar Trogon has a black head that is separated by a white ring from the bright crimson underside. These birds live exclusively on insects. They have a heterodactyl toe (backward toe) arrangement and like woodpeckers can be seen clinging to branches when foraging for insects. The word "trogon" is a Greek term for nibbling as these birds gnaw holes in trees to make their nests.

If the avian population ever decided to hold a beauty contest, then the Malabar Trogon would be a serious contender for the title!

Sighting the Malabar Trogon is as rare as spotting a tiger!

I went walking
In search of
The elusive bird
Trees and thickets
Deep and dense
Reached out
Their arms to me
A colourful fleck
Flew across
To perch itself
With its bewitching armour
My gaze embraces
Its languid radiance

Glimpses At: goo.gl/photos/3ACjAbvNE19ykgjd8


15 Comments

MAGIC OF THE MANGROVES

12/13/2016

13 Comments

 
Mangroves are survivors. They live their life on the edge: with one foot on the land and the other in water. Like coral reefs, mangroves are extremely important marine ecosystems.

​Our first foray into the mangroves was in Pichavaram, which is the second largest mangrove forest in India. It was flooded with high decibel tourists. A helpful forest officer spotted us amidst the cacophony and arranged a small boat to take us beyond the ‘tourist’ zone. It was an amazing experience. As the boat negotiated the first turn, we entered a long and narrow rivulet completely ensconced by luxuriant green foliage. The sky was totally eclipsed by low, tangled mangrove branches. It was like entering a green tunnel! In eerie silence we negotiated one tunnel after another till we entered one of the wider channels. Mangrove forests towered on either side, dense and gleaming in the evening sun. Finally the boatman steered us into a sandbank. We walked across to one of the most isolated beaches we have ever been to. The boatman gently whispered that these stretches of beaches were often used by the cadres of LTTE in their heyday!

Mangroves in India are mostly gifts of the east flowing rivers. Last week, it was yet another foray into the mangroves. There are comparatively less mangroves in the west coast. It was a wonderful opportunity, thanks to the Pankaj of Natures Nest to explore the mangroves along Zuari esturary and further into the Cumbharjua Canal.

As we entered the magic realm of the mangroves the astute eyes of Pankaj spotted many a bird nestling among the branches hanging low on the water. Within a few minutes we saw a group of Greater Crested Terns perched on the bamboo poles. As we ventured further there was a solitary Western Reef Egret followed by Striated Heron in the shade. A Peregrine Falcon was safely ensconced under the Zuari Bridge. Pankaj informed us that it wasn’t spotted for a long time till a keen observer spotted bird feathers floating under the bridge, looked up and chanced upon the culprit! We had a wonderful sighting Osprey perched on a stump. And of course host of kingfishers….collared, stork billed and the most beautiful of them all…the black capped kingfisher! Marsh crocodile was sunning along the banks lazily!
It was a hypnotic tryst with the mangroves of the Zuari estuary. It isn’t surprising then to find out that the word ‘mangrove’ is considered to be a combination of the Portuguese word ‘mangue’ and the English word ‘grove’!

Meditating birds perched on stilts and tree branches growing out of water brought out the muse in me….

My memories
Are like
The tangled web
Of Mangroves
Rooted in the past
Sharing with the wind
Stories buried

Deep within. . . 

Glmpses At: goo.gl/photos/opwcymH4Uie7rLSUA
13 Comments

    Dr Raguram

    Someone who keeps exploring beyond the boundaries of everyday life to savor and share those unforgettable moments....

    Archives

    April 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    October 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    May 2012
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly