THE LAND OF THE SANGHAI

May 2016

It takes a lot of heart to plan your first official birding trip to Manipur. But plan we did, thanks to the Centre for Conservation of Nature and Cultivation of Science (CCNCS), Manipur led by Mr. Birjit, IBCN State Co-ordinator who did a wonderful job planning the logistics in a place that is not completely geared to entertain tourists. This was Mrugaya Xpeditions first official birding tour and that we took the risk of planning a trip to Manipur was to some extent a result of the participants we had. Piran Elavia is no novice to the North-East, Delwyn Dsouza was up for the challenge of the unexpected, Satish did not mind any difficulties as long as he could see birds and Marvelyn, the only lady, is tougher than any of the males in the group and could smile through any difficult situation.

Our original itinerary went for a toss thanks to the Bandhs, rains and landslides that we encountered. So much so that one of the site, Dailong in Tamenglong district had to be completed skipped. But that is what NE is all about. Be prepared for the unexpected. The rains also disturbed our rythm and if rains did not the fog did. The weather Gods were surely not on our side but we made up for all these with the birds that we sighted. I can just imagine how it could have been if we had encountered clear weather.The first two days were spent at the Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP) commonly referred to as the Loktak Lake. The Eurasian Cuckoo and the Common Hawk Cuckoo called from all directions. It is at Loktak that we had good sightings and photography opportunities of the Rufous-necked Laughingthrush, Slender-billed Babblers, Straited Grassbird, Yelllow Bittern, White-tailed Stonechat, Lesser Coucal, Burmese Shrike, Yellow-bellied Prinia and the Jerdon’s Bushchat.From Loktak we travelled to Sirui. Roadside birding yielded the Black-Francolin, Crested Bunting, Scarlet Minivet, Chestnut Munia etc. Rains followed us wherever we went. But that did not dampen our spirits though photography was huge challenge. 

We encountered some interesting species while birding around Sirui especially three species of Yuhinas (Straited, Whiskered & Stripe-throated), Yellow-bellied Fantail, Blue-winged Siva, Red-tailed Minla, Green-tailed Sunbird, Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird, Nepal Fulvetta, Slaty-headed Parakeet, Spot-breasted Scimitar Babbler etc. Satish had his eyes on Mrs. Hume’s Pheasant and managed to persuade a local hunter to take us deeper into the forests in search of the illusive lady. While, Piran & Delwyn decided to trek up the Sirui hill to get a glimpse of the endemic Sirui Lily, the remaining three of us followed the newly established contact into the forests of Sirui. The thick canopy, uphill climbing made things difficult but we did manage to sight quite a few birds that included the Streaked Spiderhunter, Nepal Fulvetta, Chestnut-vented Nuthatch, Black-throated Tit etc. The highlight for me was the Little Pied Flycatcher that we managed to trace from its call. What a handsome fella!!

Since Dailong had to be cancelled, Birjit suggested we go further deeper into the forests to a village called Phuba. We agreed since there was no other option. The forest on the road to Phuba was a revelation. I had just heard, read and made a mental picture of evergreen forests with huge trees, their branches laden with moss, fog engulfing them and one hearing calls but seeing nothing. That day we experienced it and no words or a picture can do justice to the spectacle. Though as birders not getting to see the Pygmy Wren Babbler when it’s calling from the bushes nearby or seeing the Slaty-blue Flycatcher perched but not getting a decent picture due to the overcast conditions was a slight dampener. The Rufous-vented Laughingthrush too kept on calling from the undergrowth but refused to give us a glimpse. One day at Phuba was completely washed out due to heavy rains and the road that we travelled on needed a four-wheel drive to get us out. So much for an adventure. 

But the birds did not disappoint. Some of the highlights were the Golden Babbler, Grey Sibia, Slaty-backed Forktail, Crested Finchbill, Striated Bulbul, Flavescent Bulbul, Ashy Bulbul, Lemon-rumped Warbler, Grey-hooded Warbler, Chestnut-crowned Warbler, White-browed Laughingthrush, Rusty-fronted Barwing, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Golden-throated Barbet, Blue-throated Barbet, Crimson-breasted Woodpecker etc. The most intriguing was the Mountain Tailorbird. This bird has a melodious song that had us intrigued for a long time until we had a good sighting of it. The White-throated Fantail too was nothing like we had seen before, with only a small collar instead of the complete white throat that we are used to seeing.

All in all a wonderful trip with 127 species sighted inspite of the inclement weather. The State Bird of Manipur though has eluded us and it will be the magnet that will attract us back to the forests of Manipur in the future

HOW I HAPPENED TO BE A BIRDER

Date: January 24, 2011

I was lying on an armchair in the courtyard outside Nitesh’s house in Vengurla after a sumptuous lunch of rice and prawns curry. The courtyard had a huge mango tree and a couple of chikoo trees under whose shade I was resting. Overhead I could hear a continuous pook-pook call resonating from the canopy. I had heard this call before on a number of occasions but could never find the source however hard I tried. Enquiries with friends also did not help. I had no intentions of trying this time around especially after the heavy meal. Suddenly a movement in the tree caught my attention. Something moved near a small hole in one of the branches. The hole was a perfect circle with clean chiseled sides. A yellowish black face with vermilion smeared on its head peered outside. The pook-pook call started emanating from this beautiful bird while it bobbed its head and puffed out its throat at every bob. I was awestruck by the beauty of the bird and intrigued by its identity. It would be nearly a year from that event that I would eventually put a name to the bird - the Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala)- but the seed of observing birds was sown then.

Another bird that triggered my curiosity was the Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia). The long extended whistle like call was amusingly attributed to the Rat Snake (Ptyas mucosus) thanks to the stories made up by Babi Gawde in Amboli. I always wondered at what the snake does in the canopy but never in my dreams thought that it could be a bird. It was in Amboli that I finally saw the male perched on a twig of Anjan (Memecylon umbellatum) tree and calling blissfully unaware of my presence, that realization struck.

There have been many such occasions, when ignorance has taken the better of me, such as every bird that was white would be an Egret. It was only in 1996 while on a holiday from college, I was spending time in Goa and my father realizing my interest in birds decided to show me a book on birds which was lying unused in the college he taught. The book, which was never used since it was bought by the college, turned out to be the Handbook on Birds of the Indian Subcontinent – the compact edition and which I would learn later, is every birder’s envy and a collector’s item. It was while surfing through the pages of this book, I learnt that we in Goa have 7 different species of Egrets. It was time now to give names to all those birds I had seen and observed, shot and eaten. As a youngster, I have committed the crime of shooting birds for the pot but which I comprehend allowed me to have a close and upfront look at them. This book has been my trusted companion over years and even today when a certain Warbler causes identification problem, I turn to the Handbook for help. Though inbetween the pockets guides by Salim Ali, Inskipp and Grimmet have been companions on the field, the Handbook always has its special place in my cabinet.

Within no time my tally of birds grew and I was enjoying every moment of the time spent in the field. Every day a new bird name was being discovered. Nothing can compare the joy of going out into the field looking for birds, merging with the surrounding, getting as close and possible, observing without a binocular, making notes on various characters, scribble line-drawings and then spending the next day looking for the names in the book.

It was only in 2000 that I finally had my own binocular. But the story of acquiring it has to be told. My association with the WWF-Goa Chapter was taking me places in Goa and my skills as an upcoming birder were being tested. The period of “no binocular” had made me pretty adept at putting names to the bird calls since visibility is much restricted. One day I received a call from Hotel Cidade-de-Goa requesting me to speak to a guest who was a birder. Mr. Roy Crosby from Yorkshire was given my contact from the WWF office. Having difficulty communicating with him over the phone I volunteered to visit him in the hotel and take it forward. I rode our old but trusted Vijay Super scooter to the hotel to meet Mr. Crosby seated in the lobby. The sight of a 64 year old man with a many pocketed jacket and armed with binoculars, spotting scopes and bird books intimidated me. On interacting I realized that the gentleman knew much more than I did and it was no point wasting his time. Hence, after saying exactly that, I started back home. Half way down the road a thought struck me. If I accompanied him to the field, I would get to learn. Turning back to the hotel, I called upon him and expressed my feelings. Fortunately, he not only agreed but appreciated my eagerness to learn. We went out to the field regularly for the entire week to varied habitats from forests to wetlands. The spotting scopes were a revelation at the Carambolim wetlands, where I got to observe the waterfowls very closely and what seemed to be at a hands distance. My presence around Mr. Crosby was not entirely useless though, since my skills with bird calls helped him locate birds in the forests. Mr. Crosby returned to England, probably a satisfied man but not before promising to send an old pair of binoculars with his friend Mr. Dickie Bird, who was visiting Goa in a couple of months time. Thanking him for thinking about it, I forgot the episode only to be surprised one afternoon by a call from none other than Mr. Bird. I met him at Hotel Beira Mar in Baga where he presented me with my first binocular a heavy, metal 8-15x40. I was thrilled. Thrilled is an understatement, I was ecstatic. On the request of Mr. & Mrs. Bird, I accompanied them on their field visits, who before returning back home gifted me the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Salim Ali on my birthday. Mr. Crosby would return back for the next two seasons before health forbid him travel and I would join him on his birding forays. The enthusiasm to spread knowledge to the younger generation took its toll on the binocular and in due course of time was replaced by a lighter Olympus 8x40 but I have always treasured my first one and put it away safely in the cabinet as a reminder of those earlier days and ofcourse, Mr. Roy Crosby.

There have been people who have moulded by birding journey. If not for my father and his encouragement to observe the denizens of the forest and then the bird book, I would have been groping in the dark. Mr. Crosby and Mr. Bird who gifted me the binocular and the bird book respectively. Gordon Frost, who unassumingly helped a local boy interested in birds to look more closely at waterfowls. If not for him, it would have taken me years to sort out the difference between females and juvenile males of waterfowls. Nitesh Parulekar who tagged along during my field visits has an excellent eye for birds and behavior observation. Carl D’Silva taught me the finer details of ringing, taxidermy and provided unstinting support at every step. Heinz Lainer whose Birds of Goa was a huge motivator to document further. Pankaj Lad infects me with his zeal of single mindedly following his dream of taking up birding as his career.

Being a member and then the State Co-ordinator for the Indian Bird Conservation Network (IBCN) brought me touch with the likes of Dr. Asad Rahmani, Dr. Subramanya, Dr. P.O. Nameer, Dr. Priya Davidar, Dr. Anwaruddin Choudhary, Rajat Bhargava, Ian Barber from the RSPB, Adesh Shivkar, Raju Kasambe, all excellent birders who added to my knowledge on avian fauna. My association with these people gave me greater impetus to focus on scientific documentation and conservation. The reporting of the White-naped Woodpecker (Chrysocolaptes festivus), the Spotted Creeper (Salpornis spilonotus), Streaked Weaver (Ploceus manyar) and the Slaty-legged Crake (Rallina eurizonoides) for the first time from the State of Goa are fallout of this association.

I have moved on to studying insects, especially Odonates, but I owe my entry into the wildlife circuit to birds and cannot help myself focus my binoculars into the tree canopy or on a hunting party with a hope to spot a “lifer” everytime I move into the jungle.