Saturday, July 25, 2009

Chasing the Verditer Flycatcher

(At the outset, a suggestion for readers inclined towards increasing their general knowledge – check out one of these links for background information on and good photographs of the Verditer Flycatcher, this post will not be satisfactory on either count.)

My attempts to get a good photograph of the Verditer Flycatcher (tVF) began at Binsar and continued, albeit unsuccessfully, in Sitla and Mukteswar. These attempts were hampered by two constraints – one, the bird is small and hardly stays in one place for more than a few seconds, and two, my limited photography skills. On the few occasions when I focussed the camera on the bird quickly enough, a combination of my excitement and the stress of clicking quickly lest the bird fly away would result in a shaking hand and a blurred photograph.

Like this snap, for instance - notice the small blue blob in the top left quadrant of the pic ?

And what of my friends-and-fellow-travellers that could have taken good photographs but didn’t, you wonder. One was equally enthusiastic but only marginally better than me at photography, and the second possessed photography skills but not enthusiasm for bird-watching. (In the interests of confidentiality, I was going to refer to them as Pappu and Sadu, but they have objected vociferously to the negative names and shall therefore be known only as Poppy and Soppy in the rest of this post.)

Soppy and I spotted our first VF on the very first morning in Binsar. Our guide Purna had conscientiously cajoled us into the planned bird-watching session rather than the snooze we felt like taking after waking up early to see the sun rise over the mountains. After a short walk and many disappointing non-sightings where the bird that was calling was frustratingly close by but hidden in thick foliage, we saw a flash of blue apparating on a branch nearby. With much excitement, Soppy and I focussed our cameras, but all we got was a blue blur with trees in the background.


It took Soppy a day and over 50 wasted snaps (a slightly better defined blur, as seen here) to get used to focussing the camera quickly, while I only got the hang of it after much practise at Sitla.



Day 3 saw us driving to Sitla. From the garden at Sitla Estate, the mountains covered with snow were visible in the distance. The bungalow and garden themselves were perched on top of a hill whose slopes were covered with orchards and lower reaches with forest. Wind-chimes hanging from a tree in the garden added their notes to the rustle of trees-leaves in the wind. Poppy had spent less than ten minutes here when he complained about being in such a beautiful romantic place with only friends for company, a comment that earned him a well-deserved glare from me, the tireless organiser of the trip.

After lunch, while Soppy and Poppy grabbed a siesta, I ventured out into the garden. I selected a bench under a leafy tree that would shelter me from the intermittent drizzle and settled on it with my book and binocs. That afternoon the drizzle had scrubbed the trees clean, and the recent-rain-wet-mud fresh smell was everywhere. Grey clouds hung low in the sky and the mist was rising up to greet them. It was so beautiful and idyllic that I was reminded of this Persian quote about Kashmir, ’Agar Firdaus bar ruye zamin-ast hamin-asto, hamin-asto, hamin-ast’ (If there is heaven of Earth, it is this, it is this, it is this)

Every so often, I would look up from my book and feast my eyes on the mist weaving smoky white trails on the green hills. I could hear the chirruping and chattering of birds around me and occasionally saw them soaring across the valley or quickly flitting from one tree to another. On one such occasion, a blur of blue caught my eye, and I turned to find a Verditer Flycatcher perched on a branch on a tree nearby. The rainy weather brought out the vibrant blue of its wings and I would have loved to capture it on film, but I didn’t have a camera with me. Once again, I had to be content with gazing at it.

We finally got a snap of this bird on Day6, at Mukteswar. This time, it helpfully perched on an exposed electric wire high up in the sky. Luckily, we had cameras with us. Luckily, P’s camera had both batteries and sufficient memory. Luckily, he managed to focus on it. Unluckily, the camera did not have sufficient zoom.

tVF - One more item on my to-do list for whenever I next visit Kumaon.

Another chase is more successful

Due to the aforementioned lack of photography skills, I was soon relegated to role of bird-spotter-cum-camera-carrier, with Soppy or Poppy essaying the key role of photographer. Not content to play a supporting role, I resolved to improve and spent one rainy day in Sitla taking snaps of birds on a tree near Poppy’s room. The tree had a red flower / fruit that attracted them all – common Himlayan bulbuls in droves, a pair of shy green jackdaws and many others I could not identify.




For every four blurred photos I clicked, one came out clear. I got a lot of clear pictures of the Himalayan bulbuls though. Bulbuls were so common that there was no excitement and no hurry to click, even if 2-3 had flown away, there would still be only 20-30 of them on the tree.


Though normally not very attractive birds, they looked really cute in the rain with ruffled puffed-up feathers.


Suddenly a pair of Red Billed Blue Magpie (RBBM) were there too. The cool demeanour and steady hands I thought I had cultivated over the morning just fell apart. The first few snaps I clicked in an excited hurry were blurred as usual due to my shaking hands.


The pair flew away, but returned in a few minutes. Once I realised that I had enough time, my hand steadied and I took some snaps in which you could actually identify the bird. Though some were a bit random as I clicked at any angle, just so I got a snap, no matter what.


Finally I got some good snaps – notice the RBBM’s magnificent tail in these.




These are some links for information on and snaps of this bird. Please note that ahem ahem my snaps are not too bad. Maybe I will get the Verditer Flycatcher too on my next vacation.

By,
Zen

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Kumaon Trip - Basic Info

Kathgodam station is the railhead for most of Kumaon. The most convenient train to get here is the Ranikhet Express which leaves Delhi at night and arrives at Kathgodam early the next morning; during the return trip it leaves Kathgodam at about 8:30 p.m. and arrives in Delhi early the next morning. Be sure to book tickets well in advance - tickets tend to get over very soon during holiday season.

There is also a train from Nainital, but if you take this train you spend daytime sitting in a train rather than being out on the hills. Also, you end up spending time in Nainital, which is crowded and noisy and not pretty any more.

Digression over with, let me get back to Kathgodam. From Kathgodam station you travel by road to your destination. Booking a taxi in advance is preferable. Don’t miss Bhimtal which is on the route out of Kathgodam and is quite pretty. Naukuchiatal which is a bit further off is apparently very beautiful too, but it was off our route and we never had the time to visit it.

Sitla is about an hour and a half from Kathgodam Station. Vikram Maira’s Sitla Estate is the best place to stay. Vikram has converted an old English Bungalow into a hotel with all modern amenities without losing the quaint charm of the place. The Estate has a lovely garden, orchards on the slopes of the hill and woods at the base which merge into Corbett National Park. Do not miss the bench in Vikram’s orchard that is situated at the perfect spot for a panoramic view of snow-covered peaks.







The garden at Sitla


Nandadevi and her circle of courtiers - viewed from Sitla

Sitla Estate is an oasis of tranquillity; if you’re idea of a holiday is lolling in front of the TV during the day and visiting a crowded pub or disco at night, you will be sorely disappointed. On the other hand, if it’s reading and chatting with friends/family, gazing at the mountains, bird-watching, long walks, and other such activities that appeal to you, this is the perfect place to be. Frequent long walks confer the added benefit of helping you burn off the calories you gain eating the absolutely yummy food whipped up by Vikram.

Mukteswar is about 30 minutes drive from Sitla, you can also walk up along the road in the evening if the mood takes you. The town is tiny and quaint and worth walking through. Near the main post office is a small shop where you can get a cup of chai and some biscuits to give you strength for the walk back.




We drove down to Mukteswar and stayed a day at Camp Purple for a day. The camp was very different from what I had expected, quite a relief on the last day of the holiday. It’s a camp for urban-dwellers who haven’t had much interaction with the outdoors, and want to begin with controlled amounts of exposure. There’s not much roughing-it-out involved here; the tents are pitched on raised cement platforms and have proper beds inside ! There is a separate row of clean bath/loo tents with running water, these facilities are kept surprisingly clean.

The staff is friendly and take good care of you. There are a lot of adventure activities that are organised based on demand. There’s bird-watching and trekking for the wimps (like me), for the more active ones, there’s rapelling, rock-climbing and jumaring conducted by the Camp Purple folks at a place nearby called chauli-ki-jaali.

The KMVN (Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam) guesthouse at Binsar is right at the peak of Mt. Binsar, in the middle of Binsar sanctuary. It is the best place to stay in at Binsar as it has the best location. Have also heard good reviews of a resort called ‘Kalmatia Sangam’ from some friends of mine, though it is undoubtedly a swankier place than KMVN, it is outside the Binsar sanctuary and lower down the slope than KMVN. KMVN is fairly functional and basic - the rooms are large, comfortable and clean, food is simple, tasty and available in plenty, and the staff is nice. Cold water is available through the day and one bucket of hot water is given in the morning. At night, one bulb in the room is powered by solar power, but only till 9:30 p.m., so carrying a torch along to Binsar is advisable.


Sunrise at Binsar

Sunrise at Binsar - lighter patch on peak of mountain grows bigger

Here comes the sun

Sleeping early is advisable in Binsar as you must wake up early, sit on the terrace and watch the sun rise over the peaks of the Himalayas. Use all your willpower to stir yourself out of bed at 5:30 a.m.; braving sleep, the bitter cold and the biting wind is well worth it. The view is amazing, from the left the peaks of Trishul, then Nandadevi and Nandakot to the right and finally the five peaks of Panchuli or the ‘kitchen of the Gods’, over which the sun rises. As a reward for braving the cold, KMVN staff bring out hot tea at 6 a.m.

The Binsar sanctuary is quite beautiful, there are various tracks through the forest for hiking enthusiasts. You can hire a guide for the day, we were lucky enough to get Purna who was a veritable fount of information about the flora and fauna of the area.
If you want a long walk, you can walk from Binsar to Jageshwar and Dandeshwar temples. Alternately, you can hire a car and driver there or travel by bus from Almora. For some other temples worth visiting check this link.

Kausani and Munsiyari are other great places to visit – I heard about these from fellow travellers during my Kumaon trip. Have added these to my must-visit list, partly because they are small settlements snuggled right next to the mountains, partly because these are what I call ‘new towns’ and used to be villages not long ago. Apparently Munsiyari was a village till about 1982, there was no electricity there and no roads either – people trekked up to it from the nearest bus-stop. Then the UP tourism deptt realised that tourism could be the major source of revenue in the hills and looked for sites to set up KMVN. One was this village. It was only during the 80s that Munsiyari was connected by road and the electric power lines were extended to it. Though some might say that this is not an altogether good thing for the erstwhile village !

By,
Zen

p.s. Contact details of some of the places mentioned in the post above:
Sitla Estate, Vikram Maira – Ph: 05942-286330 or 286030, email i.d. : maira_40@yahoo.co.uk
Camp Purple, Mukteswar – 011-29531036,29531037 (Delhi Office number)
KMVN Binsar – 05962 – 210176, +919412996535; bookings need to be made through Nainital (05942 – 231436,236356, 236209) or Delhi office (011 - 23712246, 23746433, 23746431)
Puran Singh, In Toto Birdwatcher, Binsar - +919411518056, +919410765414.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Addendum

Groucho Marx once said (or wrote),"I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member."

Zen's addendum : I don't care to worship any religious or spiritual leader who wants to have followers.

Addendum 2 : Especially during their lifetime
(I mean the leader's lifetime, not the followers)

Friday, July 03, 2009

Air Travel

I’m sitting in my seat as the aircraft is teetering at the edge of the runway. The engine is at high power and its entire body shudders with pent-up energy. It’s straining at its leash like a deliriously slobbering but tied up puppy confronted with his lovely lickable master. And then suddenly, with a roar, it is off bounding up the runway and leaping eagerly into the big blue sky.

It’s not just me, but everyone around has temporarily stopped whatever they were doing and all attention is riveted on experiencing this wonderful growl, the surge and thrust of the engines… on these defining moments of the trip, this transition from earth to sky. you stop, you hear and you FEEL! Thrilll…and we’re off!

Once up in the air the momentum seems to ebb. The five year old in the seat behind remarks “it was going so fast, why has it become so slow now”. The pilot banks and I strain to make out my building in that fuzz of trees and street, I think I may have it but it has gone past too quick. We’re now over the sea and it glitters menacingly, beautifully. I think about the sharks in the water and how deep the part we are over must be.

Sunny day, fluffy clouds….a lovely aroma of warm bread floats through the cabin and now all I can think of is the big hole in my stomach. It’s way past my breakfast time. This is torture. Why does it always take so long for the cart to reach my seat.

Meal gobbled. o look a pat of butter. This is more butter than I should eat in a week. Oh well I guess a little with a bit of bread won’t hurt. Umm ummm umm. Now I’ve eaten the whole thing, it’s gone. There isn’t a crumb left on my tray. Can’t believe how much I can eat these days, I don’t even seem to be able to exercise any quality control any more, i.e., gorge only on things that are totally worth it. I will stuff myself with anything that’s in front of my face. Can’t believe this is the same person who would turn her nose up at most food and take 3 hours to finish lunch.

Now I have to visit the restroom, so I strain around awkwardly, but a trolley blocks the aisle. At least I don’t have to squeeze past fat men with spready thighs to get out. I think fondly of my travel agent for tele-checking me into an aisle seat. I love the aisle seat – easy access to bathroom, easier to control panic bouts of claustrophobia and no strategic battles for at least 1 arm rest.

Ping! The seat belt sign pops on. Ah! We are in for a spot of turbulence. Nothing like a bit of turbulence, it’s like a ride at the amusement park, good bang for your airline ticket price. Especially when the air craft falls through an air pocket and my stomach detaches itself and lurches about inside of me. Of course, theres a thin line between ‘what fun’… and the point when the stomach reaches the base of my throat. This is the point when I wonder if I should worry about this possibly becoming the last few minutes of my life. Am I ok to go yet? What’s done is done, what’s not…well I won’t be around to worry about it. But now I think about my family, will catty be sad...or devastated? What about my parents? O terrible. To see your child go before you. My eyes prickle with tears at the sadness they will feel. And I haven’t made a will. Would Catty know whom to give what. I picture him and my mum picking morosely through my silver jewelery. I run a visual list of my silver earrings through my mind and think about who to leave them to. Zen may like the fish, but so would Namrata. Maybe I should leave the hanging long types for Zen and the traditional ones for Namrata. But Zen likes coloured stones, I can’t remember if I have any. This is very tedious. I realize that the aircraft is coasting peacefully now. A troubling dilemma shelved until further turbulence.

I fall into a deep deep restful sleep. This often happens during the aircraft descent, I think it’s because of pressure or something…or maybe because I’ve been waking up every half hour from 2 a.m. worried that I may oversleep and miss my flight.

I’m rudely awakened during the best part of my sleep by loud announcements to stow the table etc. My lids keep drooping. Now we are going to land, I see the outside whizzing by and the aircraft’s screaming again. Why is the pilot revving the plane, shouldn’t he be slowing it down right about now! We are coming in very fast..too fast!…too fast!…is this my last landing??! I wait for the sickening sounds my tummy’s a tight knot, goodbye Catty I love you. Bang, roar, ROAR ROAR, break, squeal … no not this time…squeal , brake. Damn the pilots of this airline, thudding out of the sky like this. I guess their performance isn’t rated on good landings.

Anyway, Phewww! Aircraft taxies to a halt. Greasy Smart Alec beside me has been yabbering on his phone number one since 5 seconds after touchdown, while his second one rings and flashes. I glare at him to no effect.

Engines off, lights on. The cabin is suddenly crowded by the participants in the off-the-aircraft Olympics. They are jammed and stooped about in uncomfortable positions between seats for about 5 minutes until the ladder hits the plane with a slight tremor. Why they don’t just sit comfortably until the doors are opened, I can never understand. I sit in my seat and feel superior to all of them.

By,
Nafisa