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.
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.
1 comment:
I seldom leave comments on blogs, but the ideas really rocks, also I have a few questions like to ask, what's your contact details?
-Johnson
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