Nature’s Layers Unravelled – Encounters with birds, beasts, and relatives
Agumbe! What a name! It is resonant with deep, dark mystery.
Agumbe is arguably the wettest place in the Western Ghats of India. We say arguably, because statisticians and meteorologists are still debating that fact from monsoon to monsoon. Either way, this rainforest plateau is the gateway to the Western Ghats for man, beast and weather alike. The monsoon here is spectacular, making it the perfect location to observe not just the poetic mood swings of the rain but also the creatures that thrive in it. Reptiles, amphibians and insects all make for very absorbing subjects.
Enjoy this series of posts on encounters with amphibians, reptiles and other animals from Agumbe, where the first Green Ogre Monsoon Conclave was held.
Its serpentine structure and moist, clammy skin gives the caecilian the appearance of a frog masquerading as a snake. Chances are you’ve seen this intriguing amphibian before but never taken a second look at it!
Our very own Golden Frog, a Western Ghats endemic, gave us the cherished privilege of a long and uninterrupted audience
The two faces of a forest stream are so unlike each other
Little did we know that we were being watched by a silent and mysterious presence on a wooden beam behind us
Pardon me for exaggerating the danger posed by leeches, for experience has not been kind to me
For three days we roamed Agumbe despairing that no snake had slithered across our path. And then we had a stroke of Last Day’s Luck!
For the dung beetle, crap doesn’t just happen. It’s very happening!
Monsoon in top gear is a season for an unabashed green orgy, and we voyeuristic Green Ogres clicked away shamelessly. So much for the birds and bees…
It’s tiny and blends in completely with the leaf litter but once you spot it, the Bicoloured Frog is unmistakable
Bright yellow, almost 12 inches long and half a foot across, it seemed almost artificial among the bright green leaves where I found it. I wondered first if it was a life-like miniature kite that was stuck in the leaves. I called out to the Green Ogres and exclaimed “Butterfly!” and got a curt rap on the knuckles. “Moth!” Well, most of the moths I had come across hardly had the vivid patterns I was looking at, so I knew this one was special. We were looking at the Malaysian Moon Moth (Actias maenas)
Those are pretty orchids, yes, but why are they crawling with slugs?
After a long, wet, leech-infested weekend in the rainforest, you return like Noah after the flood, intolerant of anyone complaining about rain
On a dark, wet monsoon night in Agumbe we met the very kissable blue-eyed prince of frogs
Photo: Sahastrarashmi Taken at Agumbe The Green Ogre – Birds, Wildlife, Ecology and Nature notes from India.
Photo: Beej The Green Ogre – Birds, Wildlife, Ecology and Nature notes from India.
