Liked your article Rajesh ji.
Regards
Nalini
Am 13.06.2011 15:14, schrieb Rajesh Sachdev:
“Sorry Rajesh, just can`t join you for Matheran trek, due to heavy
spell of rains, shall do it next time”. This was SMS, from my Mumbai
based friend, received in my mobile inbox at 01.30 AM of 12^th June,
2011. I would say he was lucky enough to have his Camera saved from
the heavy rains or was he unlucky enough to feel the magic that was
transforming the ‘WILD MATEHRAN’
On Sunday, at Neral Station, Nilesh Bhanage and me were waiting for
our two more companions, who were suppose to join us from Thane in
next coming train. Neral station, being on the fringes of Sahyadri
Mountains has several streams and small fresh water bodies, during the
monsoon, with very good tree cover. This resulted in good birding
activity with sighting of around 15-20 Black Crown Night Herons, more
than 10 Little Cormorants, around 5 Indian Cormorants, pair of
Oriental Magpie Robin, pair of Jungle Myna, solitaire Asian Pied
Starling scavenging on litter and a lone hovering Shikra. A toy train
was just teaming up with its engine and tourists were ready to get
aboard for their two hours journey to Matheran, which was not our
plan. Our plan was to hire the cab till Dastoori and then walk till
panorama point (3kms) and thereafter trek down through the narrow
gauge railway tracks till Jumma Patti (10 Kms). Till the time, my two
friends joined us, I photographed the flora around the station,
including Cleome rutidosperma (Nili Tilwan), Heliotropium indicum
(Bhurundi) and Tonningia axillaris (Bechka).
The tourists were getting themselves photographed in front of train
engine to pose “Yes, I was there” and we were waiting for our friends,
having sip of tea. At 7.30AM my friends arrived and immediately we
hired the cab to Dastoori (Around 7 kms of uphill drive).
Viraj Kute (A botanist and photographer), Shubham Darveshi (A Class
Tenth student), Nilesh and me adjusted in Taxi, reached at Dastoori
Naka and had a quick breakfast and ventured into the deep forest,
walking towards the Panorama Point. This patch of forest, in the heavy
monsoon resembles to the rain forest of North East, very deep and
dark, almost impossible to photograph anything without flash based camera.
The start of this trail and we were greeted with sighting of Orange
Headed Thrush (cynotus race) , perhaps no one could photograph it,
since we were not suppose to use flash, to shoo away the bird. But
photography was not a major concern for all of us, we wanted to
document “the transformation” as much as we can, which had just
started. A single Amorphophallus commutatus (Shevla), among the dry
leaf litter, given us a satisfying pose. The continuous calls of
Malabar Whistling Thrush, Brown Headed Barbet, Red Whiskered Bulbul,
White Rumped Shama and Puff Throated Babbler were chasing us like
ghost but not giving their appearance. And these birds had a reason to
not give us the appearance. In every five minutes, there was hoard of
people (tourists), wearing red, white, yellow and what not, passing
through us, and shouting, on this trail. We allowed those tourists to
go ahead of us, for at least 500 mtrs., so that we can have some
sightings, in tranquillity.
This traditionally used strategy worked well, Nilesh pointed out to a
medium size bird perched high on a dry tree branch. The otherwise
difficult to locate, in such dense tree cover, White Cheeked Barbet,
at Matheran, was clearly exposed on this bare branch. The bird, which
is endemic to Sahyadri, is my second sighting in last 7 years of
birding, the earlier being at same place in 2009, during MBC birdwalk.
The forest floor was full of monsoon flora such as Arisaema murrayi
(Padhra Sap-kanda), Curculigon orchioides (Kali-Musali) & Curcuma
Pseudomantana (Ran Halad). The shrubs of Carvia callosa (Karvi) were
also abundant, but with none among them flowering. My usual sighting
of a parasitic shrub Tolypanthus legenifer (Pela band-gul) had its
permanent location, which we all photographed. According to Viraj Kute
(my companion of the day and Botanist as well), this shrub also
flowers at Yeoor, which I am eager to document in the said area,
during this monsoon. My search of unIDed flower is still not ending,
which I have been looking for from 2009. And in 2011 I found another
quest, one more flower to ID. We decided to have some pet pooja and
after that we had a group photo as well. The place where we had taken
our group photo, had a single small herb of Lamprachaenium
microcephalum (Brahmadandi).What Nilesh and others missed out wasa
single Crested Serpent Eagle, flew above me and went towards the town.
The butterfly activity was absolute nil but several beetles and other
insects were seen busy in mating. My team was high on hope for
sighting (if not photographing) of Indian Giant Squirrel (Ratufa
indica) and Green Vine Snake (Ahaetulla nasuta), but the heavy rain,
that spilled over at 700 mtrs (MSL) of elevation, spoiled the game.
But this rains also brought many Malabar Whistling Thrushes giving
their identical whistle call at very other curve, perhaps every time
in pair, since this is their breeding time (I assume). These birds,
would surely not give us any photograph and perhaps with no more
chances of photographing in such heavy rain, we packed up our cameras
& binocs, and decided to trek down to Neral via Toy Train railway
track. This was suppose to be more than 15 Kms of route, but we were
excited to JUST DO IT.
As usual Nilesh was busy attending and forwarding his rescue calls and
due to poor mobile network he had to speak loudly at occasions and
often, which was little irritating, but that was part of his noble
cause and was sustainable. The topography of railways tracks (Neral
Matheran Railway Track)is based on hill slopes and is fantastic
platform for opportunistic flora Photographers, I proudly claim to be
one, but this was little early for the season, or late to say.
Chlorophytum bharuchii (phulbhajji) has just started flowering and
Pancratium triflorum (pan kusum), Ecbolium ligustrinum (Ekboli),
Abutilon persicum (Madam) were over on this the 12^th June, 2011. But
finally we got few good sightings and record shot (With Nilesh) of
Malabar Whistling Thrush, which was just an end of the day.
The calls of Malabar Whistling Thrush are yet echoing in my mind. Am I
still near a stream of Matheran?
The “Transformation” is series of my next few field trips and would be
updated accordingly, having next destination at Malshej Ghat –
Harishchandra Gad.
http://rajesh-sachdev.blogspot.com/2011/06/matheran-transformation.html
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Regards
Rajesh Sachdev
http://www.facebook.com/leopardguy
