The kuk-kuk-kuk of the swamphen carves through the otherwise-silent night. The Phragmites rustles in the gentle breeze, creaking like old wooden stairs. We pad along the bundt, silent as panthers, flashlights off, Subas da in the lead. Himaja yawns, already bored before the watch has begun. Slowly, my eyes adjust to the lack of light;…
A swamp at the edge of a road leaves Priya with a sense of urgency. Explore Venkateshteertha through her eyes as she learns more about this sacred swamp...
Learn about the dark forest, Kathalekan, and how this paradise may soon vanish with encroaching human land use in the wild heart of Karnataka...
When interviewing locals to learn about their knowledge of swamps, Rohan and I stumbled across the legend of the krishnasarpa. But what is the krishnasarpa?
Deep in the heart of lion-tailed macaque country lie multiple hidden Myristica swamps. Rohan and I spent hours driving the (surprisingly) well-maintained roads, past faded signposts and countless towering arecanut plantations, past colourful houses and dry brown paddy fields, past patches of dry deciduous forest interspersed by cool, wet evergreen forests, until we finally reached…
Don't forget to check out my first post on SCCS Cambridge HERE before delving into this one! The second day of the conference dawned much like the previous one. After another scrumptious breakfast (see my earlier post for the delicious details), we headed back to the Zoology Department for another round of student talks. The…
The David Attenborough Building towers over the Department of Zoology, the many hues of grey stone blending neatly into the grey sky. Cambridge, like most of the United Kingdom, is shrouded in rainclouds for most of the year. But the atmosphere inside the building is filled with excitement and enthusiasm as students from around the…
The landscape of the Sharavathi river valley is unparallelled in its beauty. Lush forests line the tarred roads, descending deep into the valley to where the mighty Sharavathi roars. From the winding road, the wind whipping through my hair, I can smell the river and its rich soil from kilometres away. I close my eyes,…
A tryst with freshwater swamps....and unfolding projects surrounding these rare systems...keeps me on my toes!
Cloaked in sleek night and windy stripes, Slinking, barely rustling, an arrow taut in the string of a bow, A heady scent on the breeze, old blood and rotting flesh, Cheetal bark, tails flashing, legs leaping, Fangs flash silver, hunting knives, Rounded pugmarks pressed into the moist earth, a promise. Whiplash! A snake-like tail flashes…
On Life and Wildlife 