The Million Rupees Food Chain : Tokay Gecko

Tokay Gecko, (click) are the largest geckos of India, the second largest in the world and are found in the north eastern parts of India.

   Though classified as Least Concern in the IUCN red list, their survival has been seriously threatened in recent times due to indiscriminate poaching.

   The poaching is fuelled by its demand in traditional medicines, especially in China, with some even claiming it to be the remedy for AIDS.

   Depending on their size, a single specimen can even fetch up to Rs 80-100 lakhs. They are becoming so scarce that there are reports of even monitor lizards being dressed up with an attempt to pass them off as geckos!

   But these guys have found safe havens for generations in the old colonial bungalows of tea estates and forest rest houses of the northeast.

   They come out at night in significant numbers to keep other insects at bay.

Gear : Nikon D 7200,  AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR

Shot: 1/60 sec., f/6.3, 210mm  ISO 450

Location: Heritage Hollong Forest Rest House, Jaldapara National Park, West Bengal 🌏

#Jaldapara #nikon #d7200 #endemic #duar #forestresthouse

Relief of a surprise

 

Relief of a surprise

Golden Langur!!!

Relieving!!!

Species: Gee's Golden Langur

IUCN Redlist Status: Endangered

Population Trend: 6500 and decreasing

Clicked on: Mar 2018

In: Sonapur, Digaru, Assam

Gear: Nikon D7200

Focal Length : 92 mm (35mm equivalent : 138mm)

   Well well well..they are supposedly found only in western Assam (between the Manas River in the east, Sankosh in the west and Brahmaputra in the south along the Indo-Bhutan border) and the foothills of Black Mountain.

Range of Golden Langur (courtesy IUCN)

   Also reportedly there were two pockets of introduced populations.  One, on the Umananda Temple Island in Guwahati the second some where close to Silchar.

   I visited Umananda temple hoping to see them, but we reached there only by dusk and were unable to see them.

   Totally unexpectedly, clicked these Langurs frolicking around on a forested hillock close to Sonapur (about 25 kms southeast of Guwahati and 14 kms southwest of Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary).

   Only on seeing the images on computer did I realize that these were not the ordinary Grey Langur which I had presumed them to be.

#geesgoldenlangur #goldenlangur #endangered #endemic #newhabitatalert #nikon #d7200 #nikond7200 #wwfindia

You may now kiss the bride

You may now kiss the bride

Name:  Oriental Pied Hornbill / Indian Pied Hornbill

Clicked:  Jan of 2016

In: Duars

Range: India (North, East and Northeast) and South East Asia

Gear:  Nikon D7000 with AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300MM F/4.5-5.6G ED VR

   Hornbills are mostly monogamous and have a pretty well laid out protocols for domestic life. For egg laying, till hatching and thereafter till the young ones grow up big enough to fledge, the females seals herself up in a tree cavity with just a small vertical slit left open. The male transfers the food for mother and kids from this slit.

   Here a prospective couple of Oriental Pied Hornbills are seen indulging in a courtship behaviour, which is a probably a practice run of the days to come...

#Hornbill #Oriental Pied Hornbill #Nikon D700 #Birds #Duar #Courtship #birdphotography #birdsofindia #hornbillwatch

Collared Kingfisher

Name:   Collared Kingfisher

Subspecies:   T.c. davisoni

Gear:   Nikon Coolpix P610

Mode:   Bird

Location: Sundarban Delta, India

   Collared kingfisher is a magnificent bird. I captured it in Sundarbans. The collared kingfisher is seen rarely. The book 'Birds of the Indian sub-continent' says that the subspecies davisoni of collared kingfisher is only found in one area and that is Andaman. So that means I have discovered a new territory of this subspecies of collared kingfisher.

   When I went to Sundarbans my father was not there with us. I had gone there with my mother, my younger brother, my friend and his mother. Our trip was of six days. We spent three days in Sundarbans. It was the second day in Sundarbans when I saw the bird. We had gone to rehabilitation center, there I saw a bird fly and sit on a tree. I did not know which bird it was, but it was looking very beautiful so I captured photos of the bird. On coming home after the trip, I first identified the bird and learnt that it was collared kingfisher. Then then I did some research about it and found that it was only found in one area of India. Then I told it to my father. He said that this bird was very rare.

   I will tell about the Sundarban trip in the next blog, till then keep reading and stay connected.

-Elder son 

#collaredkingfisher #sundarbans #habitat #mangrove #Nikon #coolpix #p610 #birds

Our Weekend Trip to Dudhwa : Day 3 Part III - Drive Back

   New Post Alert...now live...'Our Weekend Trip to Dudhwa : Day 3 Part III - Drive Back' (click here) or access the complete Dudhwa travelogue under the travelogue tab.

Our Weekend Trip to Dudhwa : Day 3 Part II - Museum and Miscellaneous

   New Post Alert...now live...'Our Weekend Trip to Dudhwa : Day 3 Part II - Museum and Miscellaneous' (click here) or access the complete Dudhwa travelogue under the travelogue tab.

Our Weekend Trip to Dudhwa : Day 3 Part I - Misty morning in Machaan

   New Post Alert...now live...'Our Weekend Trip to Dudhwa : Day 3 Part I - Misty morning in Machaan' (click here) or access the complete Dudhwa travelogue under the travelogue tab.