Agumbe: Tread Carefully in the land of Kaalinga

 It had been a year since we trekked through Periyar and the year-end vacation was coming close. On a whim, we decided to visit Agumbe, the kingdom of King Cobra, also called the Cherapunji of southern India.

The king chose not to give us Darshan, but instead sent a few minions to greet us.

The proverbial journey of the thousand miles begins with a ....... In our case, it was a small thud! Our first coffee break was eventful. As we stopped parallel to the road, the front wheel went in a well-camouflaged uncovered portion of a 3-meter-deep drain. Slightly shaken we all stepped out of the car. Soon there was a crowd, a very friendly one. Eight to ten people pushed the car upright and in less than 2 minutes it was out of the rut. We thanked profusely, had a coffee, and in no time were on the way. This was the second such incident in the last twenty years of driving in the southern states. The kindness of strangers is always overwhelming.

We had an amazing time tracking the creepy crawlies. The first day was slightly scary, and we did not venture anywhere without our guide, however, by the next day we had gathered enough courage to go around on our own.

What is common between the Malabar Pit Viper and the Vine snake?

Yes, both are ambush predators. They are well-camouflaged and blend with the surrounding habitat. They stay steadfast in one place and wait for the prey to venture within striking distance.   The expert guides with us could help spot 3 vine snakes, two of them even during the night trek!

The pit viper (shown in the picture) was recuperating from the removal of the RFID tracker and was about to be released back into the wild in a day or two. We got a chance to go along with the research intern and disturb him as he went about making the daily field notes. 8 pit vipers were being tracked. The daily recordings included wind speed, humidity, location, and temperature, to name a few. 

We came to know that scorpion has bioluminescence and glow under UV light. Look at the one on the forest floor. Very difficult to spot in leaf litter on the floor. There were 2 scorpions that we could spot on our trek, including the one on which we went on our own without a guide. 

Till then, I had seen only dead scorpions as road-kills in our neighborhood of Kengeri. 

There is something eerie when you spot one of these. They are not as intimidating as spotting a snake and yet evoke thrill and fear.

 

The rainforest has encouraged various adaptations. The lizard on the right is called a "flying lizard". It glides from one tree to the other. The Malabar pit viper has adapted to carry the eggs within its body. The research intern also explained how everything in the forest is interconnected. Lesser rains resulted in fewer frogs, the staple diet for Malabar pit vipers. This in turn resulted in the vipers unable to accumulate enough fat to survive the winter. Normally, by now, they would have identified a nice cozy nook or corner to rest through the winter, but this year, they were still moving around looking for food.

It wasn't only insects and reptiles. We saw a few birds as well. The trek up a small hill gave us a glimpse of a changeable hawk-eagle. We had disturbed its post-lunch siesta, and it flew away from its perch with a few powerful beats of its majestic wings.

The morning birding was lucky. We spotted many birds: yellow-browed bulbul, plum-headed parakeet, vernal hanging parrot, white-throated kingfisher, Malabar wood shrike, Ashy drongo, orange minivet, Chestnut-headed bee-eater is what I can recollect.

Every morning around 6:30 am, we woke up with a nice orchestra: The musical whistle of none other than the Malabar whistling thrush accompanied by the barbets, sunbirds, and rooster. Two nights are not enough for a rainforest, but then something is better than nothing! 

Leaving you with a few other pictures. Do plan a visit to the rainforests of Western Ghats - tread carefully, in the land of Kaalinga.