CANIS

It was May 2015, I have already left job at BNHS in April and after having good days spent at home, again I wished to leave for some place close to nature. So after a discussion over emails and Phone with Sunith and Shekhar, I was informed that few seeds of Grasses had been purchased to restore the front part of estate into grassland with trees on the boundary. This time I asked Aditya Singh to accompany me, Aditya and I met on the same project “MP Caracal Conservation Project” of Shekhar Kolipaka when we both volunteered on it, since then we are travel partners till he got married earlier this year. Aditya is expert in Ecology and Nesting behavioural studies of Wetland Birds and worked on Sarus Cranes in Palwal and Jhajjar District of Haryana. So, after planning we took train and left for Kotdwara.

On the next morning we reached Kotdwara, this time we planned to go to the estate by bus, so Shiv Prakash informed us that there is only one bus at 11 AM from Kotdwara, so we can take a room and rest, but who wanted rest so we started roaming around eating on most of shops we came across. Suddenly my eyes stopped on a flash wavy flight, and mind just recalled it Asian Paradise Flycatcher, the beautiful bird which reminds me of my second volunteering opportunities when I chased it for half an hour to get a record shot. Even this time we chased it for forty minutes but as usual just few glimpses before it flatters from one tree to another. After eating, walking and birding we reached Sidhbali Temple in between Koh river bed. It is believed that Lord Hanuman while carrying the Himalayas for Laksman got down here and had water from the river. After roaming around the temple we reached back to bus stand where Shiv Prakash was waiting for us with all things ready.

Soon we started from Kotdwara, crossing Duggada then entering on hill ways with deep and steep slope on one side and high hills on other. Although I have seen the route earlier but this time this landscape looks different, I have seen a monsoon-scape and this is summer-scape. Soon after 1 hour we reached Rathuadhab, where we had good simple but tasty lunch and we started again. In an hour after crossing Son Nadi Wildlife Sanctuary, we reached forest Rest House of Maidavan, this time the forest was little dry as all mosses and ferns on tree barks dried off and bark were easily seen. After going around a kilometer the forest road turned to the north on the edge of Mandal river valley. Flowing down the valley was a crystal-clear stream which had its birth in dense forest of Sonanadi wildlife sanctuary.

On reaching the edge of gorge of Mandal River, we found this time water is not that much and major part of river bed was dry. In river bed we saw our Budda Ji one of local staff looking after the estate cutting grasses for cattle brought for ploughing the estate for grass seeds. Enjoying the view of valley and many birds like Drongos, Thrushes, Fire tailed Sunbird, Babblers, Scimitar Babblers, Minivets and many small birds we were unable to recognise as they were fluttering from one tree to another. Due to dry and hard soil we were not able to see any registered pug marks and hoof marks as were have seen last year during monsoon. At one spot a small water pool was created with rain water now left very little we found few scratch marks on the trees and one of local staff informed us while coming back from his village he saw a big male tiger at this spot two days ago. After reaching the river we found only one old clump of Elephant dung which shows that during summer they occasionally visit the area.

Crossing the river we reached the ridge, where once a small hamlet was present now scheduled to restore into forest and luxuriant grassland accommodating a good wildlife throughout year. The place is now known as “Khetiyo” with a small hut for locals and a fiber house to accommodate guests with all facilities and exposure of living within dense forest of Jim Corbett National Park. Here sambhar and cheetal can be seen feeding in late evenings and early morning and in beautiful forests behind the bungalow live leopards, tigers, and a wealth of bird life.

Soon we were ready for refreshing bath in chilled water of Mandal River to relieve out tiredness of the bus journey. After good bath and food we rested for an hour. In evening Shiv showed us the seeds of grasses Sunith and Shekhar ordered for development of grasslands. These includes seeds of Cenchrus, Vativeria, Desmostakia, Sporobolus Heteropogan, Cymbopogon and few species I couldn’t recognise. We planned and explained shiv and his staff the techniques of grassing through ploughing fields, making Seed bombs using Dung Manures etc.

The red glow from the setting sun had faded from the western hills on the other side of Mandal River and sound of birds had started going down. Soon while chit chatting with local staff in their mud house, we heard Barking deer from far in the northern side of the estate, followed by a belled sambhar deer on the slope of northern side and continuous alarm calls predict that a carnivore is on move toward the northern part of estate. After an hour or so the alarm calls lasted in the northern estate depicting that our guest have reached, but it was too risky for even me and Aditya to follow the calls and get sight of carnivore, so we dropped the idea. We settled down to have dinner and all of a sudden faint growl of tiger can be heard, probably it have settled down behind thick lantana bushes in the northern estate. Even I am not much interested in Tigers but this time I was thrilled to hear the growls while having dinner.

After having dinner, we looked around with the help of torch and found hundreds of cheetals, sambhars and few barking deer in the open space of the estate, and all were standing with full caution regularly keeping eye toward the northern estate, depicting presence of carnivore in very close proximity. Even its May, when all the Northern India is having high temperature, this place was cool and occasional valley breezes were chilling. We settled down remembering our earlier field works with each other and enquiring about our few common friends and soon we slept. Night’s silence was broken with occasional alarm calls of animals far away from estate.

Morning at this place is something I wish to experience for whole of my life, chirping of birds, misty chilled breeze, calls from langurs and black tea of Budde Ji. As soon we finished our breakfast, I and Aditya started up for birding and sign survey of animals in Northern part of Estate. Northern estate is on the slope of hill of reserve forest so this patch is most of time occupied with cheetal deers, sambhar deers, langurs etc. and Tigers during evening and nights, with occasional visits of Asian Elephants. After enjoying silence of the northern estate, we started looking for birds and ample of Flycatchers, woodpeckers, Parakeets, Magpies, Warblers, Drongos, Minivets can be seen flattering from one canopy to other. We were standing on a tree which was bordered with lantana bushes on forest side, a covey of kalege pheasants rose out and went deep in bushes again before we could get a good glance.

Jim Corbett once said “civilisation has deprived human being of the keen sense of scent and hearing enjoyed by animals in his book Temple Tiger and other Man eaters of Kumaon”, seems very true but the passion for forest and wildlife has evoked those senses in people like us. We tried to follow all sounds and tracks of birds, animals, and insects. This time birding in the estate was fun as both of us know how to scan whole area without missing a simple birds, a common strategies we utilized at different field works and visits. This time we got good fifers such as Great Slaty Woodpecker (the largest in India), Grey headed Parakeets, Kaleej Pheasants, Yellow billed blue Magpie, Racket tailed Drongo, Streak Throated woodpecker, Yellow Indian Tit etc. apart from birds we saw one Kashmir Rock Agama Laudakia tuberculata basking in sun over a rock but seeing us it hurried in bush.

Coming back to the estate we found Budde ji was ploughing the field, Chotu was preparing manure and Shiv was supervising them with seeds. We too joined them and soon I and Aditya took the charge of mixing seeds and making seed bombs. We scattered the seeds in the field made seed bombs and helped them sow them in ploughed fields. We were expecting them to sprout in coming monsoon making the place a luxuriant grasslands of variety of native grasses.

Again sun rose over the head and we were wet in sweat to the bones and all we need a good splash of Mandal River water and soon we headed toward it followed by Shiv Prakash. In crystal clear water of river had variety of fishes and one Crested serpent Eagle was hovering over the river and a dozen times it banked steeply, closed his wings and dropped and again flapping its wings before reaching the water surface, rose flapping to regain height for his next cast. At last his patience was rewarded, a fish had come to the surface below him and without a moment’s pause he went from flight into a lighting drive through a hundred feet of air and plunged deep into water and came up with a good sized catch in his needle-sharp and steel strong talons.

As we arrived back on the estate food was ready and served soon. All I was experiencing at this estate was the things which I expected for the perfect happy and healthy life away from cities, building, stressful life, people and technologies. Soon Budde ji left with his four oxes to feed them with grasses and water in river bed.

I and Aditya was having a power nap after having good bath and food, suddenly our sleep broke up with shouts of locals “shahib sher, shahib sher”. We rushed in the southern direction of estate from where cattle were stampeding toward estate followed by Budde ji and young boy. Both were out of word the time they came up in estate and then Budde ji informed us that his cattle has suddenly stampeded out of ravine on the side of estate and when he looked for reason he found a big Tiger jumping out of bushes onto the one of ox, which he had taken to the river for water and grasses and without doing anything he run toward estate shouting for us.

From last 2 years I have made a hobby of reading, and interpreting jungle signs. In present case I had the account of Budde ji the eye-witness who saw Tiger Jumping out of bushes and cattle stamped toward estate, but exactly what happened in his views is not fully reliable, as seeing a tiger in aggression once mind get struck and the only thing he had done is running toward estate, whereas jungle signs are a true record of all that has transpired. But going there at this point would not be safe as a tiger will settle down nearby to return back on kill once the disturbances ceases. So I asked chotu to bring our camera and binocular to the edge of river bed, and we settled down over a big rock on this side of the river looking for tiger and kill. One of staff was send to the Maidawan Forest house to inform forest department about the kill.

After forest staff arrived, Budde ji explained what happened and showed them the carcass of ox which was brought 2 days before, for ploughing fields. On arrival at spot very carefully I observed the signs and due to rocky and granny stones very less can be interpreted. Looking around the spot I was sure that the tiger could have approached the cattle only through bushes, without being seen. Looking at the bite mark on the upper neck bone, it was clear that it’s a sub adult as indicated by the space of canines going deep breaking the neck bone. The spot where ox had been killed was a pool of blood. No one knew whether the tiger was a male or female, but all knew it was a very big animal, the fear of which was now so great that budde ji was not in sense to remember other than the canines of the animal and stampeded cattle.

When we finished out dinner and walking around the estate, we heard a Barking Deer started barking in top of hill opposite to us, on which slope Ox was killed in evening. The tiger/tigress was on the move, but going from straight down to the hill it had stopped for few minutes, apparently sensing all situations and approaches toward the kill, for Barking deer was standing still and barking. Then after analyzing things, it started moving as other animals on the way started making alarm calls as tiger passes nearby them, the understanding direction based on alarm calls and wildlife signs, is jungle experience which I have learned as a fine art and of which I am very proud. I repeatedly heard sambhar, barking deer and langurs giving their alarm calls, and with eagerness, I traced the zigzag way the animal was taking may be due to steep slope of the hill. Soon after an hour alarm calls all settle down in dead peace with occasional calls of sambhar deer far away. I was sure that tiger might have reached to the kill and may be started taking its meal. We wanted to visit the river bank and watch the tiger feeding on kill but as outside estate the area is reserved forest so we cannot disobey laws. With hope to have a sight of almighty beast in early morning before we leave for Delhi we settled down to sleep.

Arrived very early in the morning, we sat down to have a look with binoculars and see if we can see the tiger/tigress. The kill was not at the place where it was last evening so we were sure that animal would have returned late night and had taken the kill down in between rocks, eaten good amount of kill during the night, and would have certainly lied among the rocks. But after scanning all areas with field glasses we found nothing and suddenly further some ten feet from the carcass last seen, an orange flash caught my attention behind the rocks, with past experiences I was sure that it’s a Tiger. Possibly the animal have taken the kill in between rocks presumably to eat the carcass without been seen. We waited for half an hour without making noise to let the tiger come up and show us the magnificent beauty, but it didn’t turned up, so I made a small whistle and it worked. For a long minute I could only see the ear and a corner of eye of the animal and with binocular can clearly see the curiosity of the animal and then I transferred binocular to Aditya. With increasing curiosity it have showed us whole face glowing in early morning light and I clicked few photographs. For few long minutes it stood with head held high observing us without moving its eyes and in the newly risen sun the animal was magnificent sight, with head turning now to right seeing us and now to left, it walked up to the hill. It was a tigress, a comparatively young animal. She was observing us, very slowly, behind the six foot high boulder in the river bed and was looking straight toward me. With only head exposed, she thought I will not notice her until she make movement. So with my camera resting on the flat rock, we sat perfectly still.

At first we could see nothing, and then we caught sight of a tigress going diagonally up towards hill. After few minutes few more strips attracted my attention, and shortly after the tigress seen diagonally up, followed by two small cubs. It is interesting to see the pains the mother took to impress on them the danger of the proceeding and the great caution it was necessary to exercise. The behavior of the cubs was as interesting as their mother’s step by step they followed in her tracks; never trying to pass each other, or her, avoiding all obstructions.

The visit was fruitful and I was excited enough to blur the pictures of Tigress and her cubs. We came back to the estate where Budde ji was waiting with his special tea for us. After our arrival we were surrounded by everyone and we started our experience of sighting the tigress and her cubs. Soon breakfast was ready and we had enough for the whole day. This time as Shiv Prakash decided to stay back for few more days and finish the work we started.

With happiness of tiger sighting and wonderful weekend spend at right place we started from estate with promise to visit again. After crossing the estate boundary we were welcomed by White-crested Laughingthrush and we were busy in watching them with our field glasses, all of a sudden I heard a whistle of Aditya and with excitement my eyes moved toward him, as I was sure that he found something very special. When eyes got fixed in the direction of river as signaled by Aditya, I saw something flashing through river water, and my mind suddenly recalled it “bhai otter” and yes it was a family of Smooth-coated Otters Lutrogale perspicillata. Otters are small mammals and found in areas where fresh water is plentiful. They are social and hunt in groups. They are mainly diurnal, and have a short lull in activity during midday.

They spend the night in dens dug in dense vegetation, under tree roots, or among boulders. They use scent to communicate both within the otter species, and with other animals. Each otter possesses a pair of scent glands at the base of the tail which are used to mark land or objects, such as rocks or vegetation, near feeding areas in a behavior called sprainting. They also communicate through vocalisations such as whistles, chirps, and wails. Fish comprise over 70% of their diet, but they also eat reptiles, frogs, insects, crustaceans, and small mammals.

Major threats to Asian otter population are loss of wetland habitats due to construction of large-scale hydroelectric projects, reclamation of wetlands for settlements and agriculture, reduction in prey biomass, poaching, and contamination of waterways by pesticides. In most Asian countries, increased human population during the last century, inadequate and ineffective rural development programmes have not been able to address the problems of poverty, forcing people to be more and more dependent on natural resources. Consequently, most of the wetlands and waterways do not have adequate prey base for sustaining otter populations. Wetlands and waterways are polluted by eutrophication and accumulation of persistent pesticides such as chlorinated hydrocarbons and organophosphate through agricultural runoffs.

There were about 27 otters we counted in one go and can be seen beautifully flashing in the crystal clear water and catching fishes. All of sudden with my shoes a rock slipped on slope and they realized something watching them. One of them kept his eyes on us for a very long time and after getting assurance of safety they started fishing again. Sometimes I forgot to click as I prefer enjoying beauty is more than hurrying up for shots, but this time this family have given enough time to enjoy their sighting and to have clicks also. After watching them for half an hour we decided to leave as we have to trek three more kilometers and board the only bus for Kotdwara.

While returning back we had another session of birding and finally we reached Maidawan Rest House, from where we took bus to Kotdwara.

The River Khoh