A glimpse of the monsoon in Mollem

The monsoons are here and I couldn't wait to take the full advantage of this fact. Me and Mandar set out a little late for Mollem on 15th June.
Inspite of all our previous visits to Mollem, it has something new to offer every time I visit and this time was special as this was our first visit to Mollem after this year's monsoon arrived. So we had a lot of expectations and off course, we were not disappointed but in fact got 'Ummeed se Dugnaa'.

We started at around 12:00 in the afternoon (which you can only do during monsoons) and our expedition lasted for around seven hours (which could have been very tiring if it wasn't monsoon).
But unlike other visits, this time we traveled only a small distance i.e. from Mollem to Nandran and back (Around 7 kms). This time, we spent more time in exploring the area, searching, observing and photographing which resulted in more sightings, more joy and more knowledge.

A Fungus (Click to enlarge)

Rufescent Frog (Click to enlarge)

Blue Pansy (Click to Enlarge)

Some kind of Beetle - Lots of these were gathered around two dead females of Rufescent Frog at the same place, strange. (Click to Enlarge)

A beautiful caterpillar - I seriously don't know which butterfly it belongs to. (Click to Enlarge)

Mating Snails (Click to Enlarge)

A stick insect (Click to Enlarge)

Another stick insect which mimics the Praying Mantis (Click to Enlarge)

Monsoon, in Mollem, has to offer some of those life forms which can rarely be seen otherwise. It includes frogs, mushrooms and the legendary Hump nosed pit Viper.
But the sad part of our trip was, our camera's battery got over after reaching Nandaran and some of the major sightings including the Hump nosed pit Viper had to be photographed with my mobile camera. So please bear with the quality. At least, something is better than nothing.

We found a massive Scorpion in a pile of mud. (You can click to Enlarge if you want but won't give you better quality)

This picture is uploaded just to show the sizw and comparison between two differt species. The upper one is the species which I usually see at Mardangad (a hill near my place).
(Click to Enlarge)
NOTE: This photograph doesn't encourage anyone to replicate the above act as it can be dangerous without proper knowledge and experience.

Hump nosed pit viper (This picture doesn't do justice to this animal)

A Gecko - Probably juvenile Brook's Gecko (If any herpetologists reading this, please help). I am sorry for the middle picture of the sequence but I couldn't think of a better way to get it in focus)

To those who are using LCD, my images might appear over sharpened and with extra contrast. Please bear with it as I use a really old CRT for editing my photos.

On the whole, the trip was a blast. This was one of my best trips to the wildtill today and I enjoyed it to the fullest.

Urban Amphibians

Amphibians are said to be one of the most habitat specific organisms. Many of them are known as indicator species as they are found only in certain type of conditions and thus indicate presence of such conditions around them.

But, on the contrary, several other species have adapted themselves to a variety of habitats including areas which are heavily disturbed by human activities.

The place where I live is not a part of the main city but has a considerable amount of human interference with the fragmented patches of vegetation. Right from the beginning of the rains, me and Mandar have been conducting surveys along the bypass which passes through my locality. To our astonishment, we documented various species of bush frogs, Beddome's Frog, Ornate narrow mouthed Frog, lots of Cricket frogs, Common Indian Toad etc.

Ornate Narrow mouthed Frog (Click to enlarge)

This list also includes one of the most beautiful frog species of the Western Ghats - The Malabar Gliding Frog.

The Malabar Gliding Frog is a tree frog with beautiful colouration. Its body is green in colour and the webbing in feet (which is used for gliding) is bright red.

Hind limb of Malabar Gliding Frog (Click to enlarge)

This frog can actually glide from one tree to other from higher height to a lower one.

As its name suggests, it is endemic to the Malabar (Region from Western Ghats to the West coast) region. It makes foam nests on trees overhanging pools of water. Few years back, such a nest was located near a building in the Ponda city. These frogs are common in the forests of Western ghats during the monsoon but finding them in the center of a city is a bit uncommon.

Our finding of this frog near my house might sound like a good news at first, but the part of the story is that both the specimens I found were found dead on the road. They might have bumped into a vehicle while gliding as they were not crushed.

There were several such frogs which we saw already been crushed or getting crushed under the wheels of speeding vehicles. But we can't blame the driver as most of the frogs are so small that you can't even see them, forget about avoiding them.

But atleast the bigger ones can be avoided and please see to it that you do your part when you are driving.

As I have mentioned earlier, many species of amphibians which are specific to a particular habitat are pushed into the danger zone due to large scale habitat destruction. Climate change has also threatened the existence of the species which are adaptable to only a narrow temperature range. In Goa, yet another cause for decline in their population is their consumption, especially of the Indian and Jerdon's Bull Frog.

Please don't get involved in Frog poaching and consumption activities. If you find someone else involved, contact the Forest Dept. or call me (9545436161)

Drive responsibly during the night.

Don't use harmful pesticides in your fields or gardens which can affect the surrounding amphibians.

PLAY YOUR PART TO SAVE THE FROG

On the ocassion of the World Environment Day

It has been around seven to eight years now that I have been traveling the unbeaten paths trying to explore more. May it be forests, grasslands, stream side etc. But it was very recently (around 4 years back), I started to look at all this in a different way. Earlier, I used to roam through forests but never used to observe the birds; as I was living on the fringe of a reserve forest, snakes used to come in our house but I used to kill them. 
 With a boost of inspiration from various personalities, I learned to observe my surrounding. Observation and comparison led to increase in knowledge, knowledge led to sense of belonging to my environment. With the bond with the environment and its inhabitants being stronger, the urge to explore grew. These day long or week long explorations brought out some extremely exciting facts. But in addition, there were fact which were not so pleasing and some, which still prick inside my heart.

With advancing urbanization and so called development, people are going far from nature. They say environmentalist are supposed to care of nature. I only ask them a question - "Are environmentalist the only ones who get benefited by nature? Are they the only ones who breath oxygen, drink clean water, use furniture made out of trees, eat food and use other articles directly or indirectly derived from natural resources?"
You can not deny the fact that every single being is dependent on its natural environment for its survival. Then why is it that only few have to bear the task of taking care of the environment? Everyone avails the rights but few perform the duties. Why?

The only reason I can figure out is due to lack of belongingness. People have become so used to a concrete environment that they don't realize the fact that natural forest lie on the same land as that of the concrete jungles. We have started forgetting that we are a part of nature which is existing for millions of years and are becoming part of what we are creating today, which is pushing us towards devastation.
We humans, are not only putting our future into danger but also of those millions of beings which share the planet with us and can't fight on their own for their survival. Several organisms are getting extinct before they are even discovered.

Look around you. You will see various beings living around you. Take out time on a weekend and go to a place which is a bit far from human habitation and experience nature. Enjoy it. 
Thats when you will truly realize that if you are taking something from it, you should give back too.


What you can do?
You can start from your home:

1)The water which comes through your tap is actually harvested from a river which is a source of water for various other life forms. Even lot of money is utilized to harvest the water and channelize it towards you. So use water very carefully. 

Close the taps while brushing teeth or shaving. Don't use a hosepipe to wash a car but use a bucket and mug.

When using flush, only flush out required amount of water

Immediately fix leaking taps and tanks. Use floaters in tanks.

Report immediately if you see a broken public pipeline.



2)Garbage is a major problem which leads to pollution of our ecosystem and on top of the list is plastic.

Don't accept new plastic bags. Carry one which you already have at home while going for shopping.

Try to use those articles which are recyclable or those which can decompose over a period of time.

The best way is to minimise your requirements. Don't keep on buying unnesessary things.

Dispose the garbage at proper places like municipality garbage bins and not into streams and other such locations.

Don't throw around wrappers of candies, chips or such things anywhere. Keep them with you and throw them when you come across a dustbin.

3)Bear compassion towards living beings.

Keep in mind that there are also other creatures living with us on this planet with an equal right to live. And off course our future depends on their survival.

So please do your part and don't get involved in activities like consumption of meat of wild animals. If you stop eating, there will be decline in demand and hence decline in poaching.

Please don't kill animals like snakes if they enter your house. There are many wildlife rescue volunteers in Goa. Call the one who is nearer to you and he will rescue the snake and release in a suitable natural habitat.
Call me if there's a snake in your house on: 9545436161

Here's is a list of other snake rescuers listed out by Nirmal Kulkarni on his blog:

Snake Rescue Volunteers In Goa

If you abide by the above things, you can help in the cause of protection of environment. Be a responsible citizen and always think how your actions affect your surrounding and always try to minimise the effect.
Lets join hands and make an attempt to safeguard our environment.

If you want to join our group MITRA and take part in activities like awareness regarding environment and wildlife, tree plantation, trekking, birdwatching etc,
then contact me at: rahutherebel@gmail.com

                        or on: 9545436161

Happy World Environment Day to all

Click above to view the Photograph