Sahyadrica

Last year I was fortunate to observe a few Eastern Garter Snakes late in March. I had set out to track when and how life returned to Medway Creek , without expecting to find any snakes so early in the season. After stumbling upon many Garter Snakes and being amongst a few individuals that I photographed for the first time, I started following one unique fellow with a rather dark abdomen compared to the others around. His name is Toby and this is his story. Toby is just another male Garter Snake in this vast country who spent the cold months huddled in a hibernacula with his fellow mates. Now he is out and about, exploring the dense woodland surrounding a fragment of Medway Creek – a tributary of Thames River in London, Ontario, with one important mission – to find a mate and pass on his genes. (The script of narration is provided at the bottom) If you watched the documentary, you may have had the same question in mind – was it really a female or just a trickster male? I was quit...

Co-existence or encroachment? As rapid urbanization advances, Sweri, one of the few remaining staging areas of Lesser and Greater Flamingoes in Mumbai faces a serious threat. The International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) has nearly come to an end. Like every year, many ambitious, successful projects were implemented this year – from community based conservation of backyards and watersheds, to national projects pertaining conservation of forest corridors, to international programs such as the Tiger Summit and the expeditions to discover new species of plants and animals. Other recent findings such as the discovery of microbial communities deep beneath the sea floor and bacteria that can substitute phosphorous with arsenic, made sure the IYB had a successful ending. But the end of this fruitful year is in fact a kick-start to the conservation efforts whose results will be seen in years down yonder. Although many conservation projects were undertaken this year, it didn’t really turn ...

Wanderer's Eye: Medway Creek Reflections by Aniruddha H D I wanted to create a single document containing all the photographs and observations done at Medway Creek since a long time. For complete articles on Medway Creek published on Wanderer’s Eye: Autumn Walk Medway Creek – January Thaw Medway Creek 2 Sounds of Spring Among the Garter Snakes Stalking Spring Last Walk at Medway Creek A Walk by the River – Thames River Thanks for reading!

Cicindela sexguttata , photographed in early spring at Medway Creek, 2010 Patience is virtue, but if there is an insect that knows how to test your patience, it has to be a Tiger Beetle. Belonging to the order Coleoptera, family Carabidae , subfamily Cicindelinae (all Tiger Beetles belong to Carabidae, but not all Carabidae beetles are commonly called Tiger Beetles; they were previously considered to be under a distinct family Cicindelidae), these beetles are commonly referred to as Tiger Beetles for a very good reason. We all know that tigers are carnivores, earning the rightful throne of being on top of the food pyramid in their prime habitats. Their hunting tactics involve ambushing, stalking, chasing and surprising the prey, making them efficient – if not supreme – predators of the Indian subcontinent. Likewise, Tiger Beetles are known to use all these tactics while hunting for food. Only difference between the mammalian tiger and an insect tiger is their apparent size, but if w...

The air now carries the remains of summer’s warmth and the early coolness of fall. It is pleasant, but the place I live in is devoid of natural woods and shrubs. Whatever grows are horticulture plants or weeds on wastelands providing ecological services to the scarce but valuable biodiversity predominated by bumble bees, bottle flies and cabbage whites. Soon the landscape will transform into myriad of colors, from violet to red, but this time it’s the leaves. Thence the diversity will drop, hitting the lowest in January as winter grips onto southwestern Ontario. By March, green shoots will sprout from bare branches. Sign of life. As days roll by, the very first butterfly will make its appearance in the open, basking in the early spring sun. It will be a tattered Mourning Cloak – one of the butterflies that overwinter for months only to greet the season of spring – and will continue its lifecycle by laying eggs for summer. A Pearl Crescent decides to sip minerals off my finger It h...