26th
April, 2015, will be considered a memorable day, as one of our group members
puts in, because that was the first time we went out together as a team to
explore the wilderness. Being research scholars and Masters Students of Tezpur
University, weekend seems to be the perfect time for us to involve in daylong
activities. Thus, one fine sunny morning we set out for a trek inside Laokhowa
Wildlife Sanctuary, which is a part of the world-famous Kaziranga Tiger Reserve
landscape. A one hour ride from the university campus, this sanctuary is home to
a diverse species of flora and fauna, some even with threatened status as per
IUCN guidelines. This sanctuary is also the abode of the freshwater mangrove
species, Barringtonia acutangula,
locally called “Hijal”.
Photo credit: Debabrata
Phukon
The
freshwater mangrove (Barringtonia
acutangula) forest of Laokhowa WLS.
The
trek from the Beat Office of the sanctuary to the mangrove forest took us an
hour, while observing and photographing the moist deciduous forest and grassland
that falls on the way. We observed a diverse world of invertebrates including a
huge millipede and many different species of lepidopterans and odonates. At the
start of our trek we observed a Changeable hawk eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus) perching on the tree top, its eyes scanning the
area for prey. While it was busy with its hunting spree, we managed to get some
photos of this feared killing machine, as it is considered in the avian world. A
few steps ahead, we came upon a pair of Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis) perched a few meters above us displaying
courtship behaviour in full vigour. With a variety of interest, our team was
looking both up, for birds, as well as searching the ground for some probable
herpetofauna that might find comfort in our company and give us some good
clicks for the day.
The
busy Indian Roller pair displaying courtship behaviour.
The
grassland of Laokhowa offered us to observe many species of grass-dwelling
birds like Striated Grassbirds, Paddyfield Pipits, and Chestnut Munia. Just at
the end of our grassland trail we came upon an anti-poaching camp where we were
greeted by smiling faces who offered us tea and drinking water. These frontline
staff of the forest department is the real force behind protecting the rich
biodiversity of our protected areas. While chatting with them we came to know
that a herd of wild buffaloes have been spotted few minutes back near the grass
patches of the camp. So, we set out in search of these fearsome mega-herbivores
with careful steps and minimal sound, as these beasts have a sharp hearing
sense. Few meters ahead of us a stream rolled down the undulating surface of
the grassland and ahead of it we could see the grass blades making frequent
movements. On reaching a higher ground we could now see a beautiful herd of the
reported wild buffaloes in the midst of the lush green Saccharum sp.
The
wild buffalo herd grazing peacefully in the grassland of Laokhowa.
While
observing these mega beasts for few minutes, I could feel a sense of immense
pleasure to realize that Nature has nurtured life in such beauty and grace.
Satisfied with the unexpected encounter, we started on with our trek. The
grassland slowly gave way to the most important attraction of the sanctuary,
the freshwater mangroves. The very first sight of these mangrove species
reminded me of one of my trips to the Bhitarkanika mangrove forests in Orissa,
but this one lacked the spiny-looking pneumatophores that protrude out in case
of the latter. During the monsoons, these freshwater mangrove trees (Barringtonia acutangula) get submerged
in flood waters more than half of their length. Forest staff patrol inside
these forests using small boats during the flood season and would often
encounter snakes hanging from the branches, a refuge from the harsh waters.
When we were promised by our guide that we would be taken for a boat ride
through these forests in the next flood season, I could see lot of smile
pouring out from the sweat-drenched faces. Entering these thick canopied
forests, our sense of sight soon took to the ground, observing for any
movements. Soon enough, two of our expert herp trackers (as I often called
them) ran after some movements on the forest floor litter and came up with a
skink, Eutropis sp. This little
fellow was a true beauty with golden on the dorsal part of the body and orange
colour running down its laterals.
The golden and
orange beauty Eutropis sp. skink.
We
managed to get some good shots, enough to do some identification work, which
most of the herp lovers are interested in. But still, we felt that something
was missing, something which we felt would made our day. Keeping our fingers
crossed, we started off again, stopping at each possible movement on the ground.
Though our group maintained silence, which should be followed when someone
enters the forest and communication should only be made through some whistle or
signals, still I could hear the discussion on snakes from my group mates at the
back. A whistle from one of our mates few meters ahead made the whole group
stop at once. It’s a cobra, a Monocled Cobra (Naja kaouthia) it was!
The
enigmatic Monocled Cobra (Naja kaouthia).
The
serpent was probably lying beneath the shade of a Hijal and cooling off when it
raised its hood on hearing our footsteps. The whole scene took a dramatic turn and
a rush of adrenaline was felt through my veins. The enigmatic hood and the
hissing from this super beast bring in a terrific feeling to anyone who comes
face to face with it. The whole scene of encountering the cobra, followed by
photo sessions and the farewell scene when the snake disappeared into the
thickets took about 10 minutes, but the very sight of it stayed with us till
the end of the trek and followed few more days. Each one of our group cherished
this sighting as the best one for the day. After few hundred steps through the
forests, we came back to where we started, the Forest Beat Office, which meant
that our daylong expedition ended.
“Into the heart of the freshwater
mangroves we went,
Into the heart of the
one less known,
More we explored, more
we knew
Beauty of Nature,
maybe a few”
so much diversity surround us :) thank you for sharing
ReplyDeletegood one brother
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