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...

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!

“Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush” - Doug Larson Slushy snow covering the woods at Medway Creek After four months of waiting and facing the last snowstorm, the weather changed its course within two days. The temperatures rose to above 10C after a long, long time and the snow started to melt. Today there’s hardly any snow around. In the meanwhile, the snowmelt and rain gave Thames River and its tributaries a fearsome flow. The water levels increased dramatically – a makeover to the slow, clear water that flowed calmly all winter. Spring is technically here, but the trees are yet to reincarnate themselves in shades of greens. However, the warmer temperatures did attract some creatures that I’d like to call the harbingers of spring. Spring is not only a climatic change, but many biological changes take place as well. Life blooms. It is a peak season to see migratory birds, when reptiles and mammals come out of hibernation, insects metamorphose and p...

...a trail during January Thaw “Whose woods are these I think I know His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow.” - Robert Frost, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Medway Creek - as seen from a bridge I was growing impatient for the arrival of spring. This was a month ago, in January – a month considered to be the bleakest of all. Spring is yet far from now. I continued my daily chores of going to school every day, missing the song of the birds and merry squirrels that would scour on the ground. The snow filled the landscape, so much so that I hardly ever saw anything that’s green and not white. The weather was ever in transit – once it was cloudy and windy and sometimes bright and calm. I welcomed the sun every time I saw it thawing the icy mounds. Then came a week in January, of something unexplained and loved by all – January Thaw. January Thaw is a climatic phenomenon of unseasonably warm temperatur...