White bellied Minivet, Masinagudi, Tamilnadu, October, 2014 For over 18 years, we have tracked tigers across the country from the comfort and security of a jeep. Yet, last month, we missed a tiger by barely 100 metres while on foot, next to a remote village near Masinagudi adjoining the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve... The enticing smell of a wood fire greeted us as we walked through the tiny hamlet in the wee hours of predawn. It was quite a task to avoid skidding on the cowdung-strewn dirt track in the village! A small path ahead led us closer to an open grassland adjoining the reserve forest. Fragrant dew drops caressed the grassy blades while we scanned the shrubs for Shrikes and Babblers. Gleefully, we were treated to the call of a young Crested Hawk Eagle, perched high up on a tree..... One is not permitted to enter the adjoining reserve forest, as wild elephants are a real threat in the region. Our guide was always a few paces ahead, on the look out for birds. He was wary as he warned us that this village was often visited by wild elephant herds. Suddenly, we saw the guide stop dead in his tracks. Alarm calls of peacocks filled the air, and a Grey Jungle Fowl took to a terrified flight. Our guide turned back, and wildly gesticulated to us to hurry - he had seen a tiger sleeping just a few meters ahead! By the time we scrambled to catch up with our ashen faced guide, the tiger had melted into the forest. The alarm calls of the peacock and the grey jungle fowl continued to follow the sauntering cat deeper into the forests. Then there was just silence, except for our hearts furiously pumping adrenaline. Cursing our luck at having missed the lifetime opportunity of seeing the majestic animal on foot, we didnt hear the unusual bird call. The birds patiently called us again and again. Finally, we looked up and saw a pair of the elusive Whitebellied Minivet. The reclusive minivet couple had flown in from the nearby reserve forest, having heard the unusual commotion created by the fowl. A tiger this close to a village could well be a cattle lifter, and possibly a threat to humans on foot. Yet, the gentlemanly King of the Mudumalai forests ignored us, as it probably considered us humans a nuisance! The beautiful Whitebellied Minivets continued to flit around us, enquiring about our welfare, and left us only after we assured them of our wellbeing! Image courtesy-PV Subramaniam
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 05:29:31 +0000
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