After four months of desk work in Mysore, I was really looking forward to fieldwork in Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh with my Lisu friends. The Lisu are one of the local communities around Namdapha. On day 1, I was marking a transect with my Lisu friends, Ngwayotse and Adusey,when suddenly Ngwayotse, whispered ‘Paigolo’. […]
Something strange in a bangle shop!
Notice anything strange in this picture? Something that would be absolutely out of place in a bangle shop? Look close, that isn’t a stuffed toy near the necklaces on the right. It’s a Malabar giant squirrel! This squirrel is the size of a small dog, has a gorgeous burgundy and cream coat and spends most of its day jumping […]
Finding drama in everyday life
A spider pretending to be an ant to avoid being eaten by other spiders. A gross ball of spit that nobody wants to get close to, but is actually a clever insect hiding itself from lurking enemies in frothy plant sap. A cheeky little insect-eating bird—a black drongo—mimicking the call of a bird of prey to scare away mynas […]
எனது பறவைக் கனவுகள்
சிறு வயதில் ஒரு அருமையான கனவு எனக்கு அடிக்கடி வந்து கொண்டிருக்கும். கனவில் நான் பறந்து கொண்டிருப்பேன். பறந்தேன் என்று சொல்வதை விட மிதந்தேன் என்பதே சரியாக இருக்கும். எனக்கு மிகவும் பிடித்தமான கனவு அது. கனவில் என்னால் தரையில் இருந்து எந்த வித உதவியும் இல்லாமல் அப்படியே மேலே எழும்பி மிதக்க முடியும். இறக்கைகள் எதுவும் இருக்காது ஆனாலும் உயரே படிப்படியாக மேலே செல்லவும், தேவைப்படும் போது கீழே வரவும் முடியும். எல்லா கனவுகளைப் […]
From the outback: looking for Sarus Cranes and Brolga in Australia
by Gopi Sundar Sarus Cranes are one of the 11 threatened species of cranes in the world. They are spread out across south Asia, south-east Asia, and Australia. Along with the International Crane Foundation, NCF’s Cranes and Wetlands Programme has initiated long-term work in several locations in south Asia. Now, working with colleagues at the […]
Super Groupers: An Instagram Series
Rucha Karkarey is a research scholar with the Oceans and Coasts Programme at NCF. She has spent the last seven years stalking groupers (these really interesting fish) underwater, trying to understand how they are coping with climate-change. She took over our Instagram for a week, and shared stories about curious behaviours of groupers from her fieldwork in […]
A snow leopard family album!
Our camera traps have captured a series of photographs over five years of a snow leopard family! In the remote Spiti valley in Himachal Pradesh, we’ve been working on a variety of projects to better understand snow leopards and implement conservation initiatives in collaboration with local communities and governments. Camera traps are one of the […]
Sulli the unknown bird
Reaction from the bird community on the news of Chief Minister’s chopper making an emergency landing after a bird hit (see news reports below). By Birds Press Trust of India (BPTI) | May 07, 2017. Possible image of Sulli. For representation purpose only, actual bird may look completely different. Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons Sulli is […]
Elephant Early Warning Systems now in Gudulur!
Our early warning systems—which inform people about the presence of elephants to avoid surprise encounters—have now been set up in Gudulur, Tamil Nadu! NCF’s M Ananda Kumar and his team have been running these systems in Valparai, Tamil Nadu, since 2002, in collaboration with local people, plantation companies, and the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. In […]
Basheer’s Hawk Eagle
Read the Tamil version of this article here. The car was moving from Valparai towards Pollachi through the Ghat road with curves and hairpin-bends. Sitting in the front seat, I was looking out at the roadside of the forest area. When we passed Attakatti we came upon a bare open space . A few metres […]