A shikra (female) hidden in the dense canopy on a neighbourhood street on my morning walk yesterday
A three-striped palm squirrel absolutely still basking in the sun on the trunk of a largish neem tree
A large Peepal with mostly unripe and a few ripe fruits. Not much bird activity in yet
A purple rumped sunbird feeding on the nectar of a Peltophorum tree
There are many Drumstick trees (Moringa oleifera) in my neighbourhood, in people's gardens or in empty plots. Love drumsticks. Now the fruits are ripe but most are also flowering. Love drumsticks, must plant one in my garden.
The Lagerstroemia are not in flower any more, most trees are now heavily laden with unripe fruits, and this one had an old dehisced ripe fruit, possibly from the previous year.
As I am more home bound since last year, been watching, documenting and photographing the plants in our neighbourhood, and noting how they change as the seasons go by, who flowers and fruits when, which species flower at the same time...
Learning of some I did not know - both native and non-native and whether any birds or other animals use them
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A thread on how climate change may be affecting hornbill breeding. For almost 22 years, we have monitored hornbill breeding and for 17 years, the patterns in ripe fruit availability in the Pakke Tiger Reserve.
In 2017, we first noted early breeding in most of the active hornbill nests we monitored of the Great and Wreathed hornbill. Prior to that, nesting initiation (with female entry into nest cavity) occurred usually from 2nd week to last week of March. Median date being 15 March.
In 2017, they initiated nesting in February. Earliest being 14 Feb. 29 days earlier on average than what we had observed for close to 17 years. We thought this unusual early nesting would impact their breeding success in some way.
As part of our ecological restoration project in the Pakke landscape since 2014, we have raised seedlings of 75 native tree species. Among these, we have grown and planted two of the critically endangered (IUCN status) tree species.
Vatica lanceifolia is an important non-timber forest produce and is used for firewood and charcoal-making, while the bark is used as incense. Large scale illegal cutting and felling for firewood is a key threat to the survival of this species.
Aquilaria malaccensis is a source of agarwood, a resinous heartwood, used for perfume and incense. The incense is used against cancer and other treatments. Rising demand for agar-wood, poor monitoring and an increasing illegal trade, this species is on the brink of extinction.
Sapria himalayana - a rare root parasite in Namdapha TR, Arunachal Pradesh. Earlier, it was known only from Namdapha within India, but in recent years,it has been found in a few other sites in Arunachal. #ArunachalPradesh#rootparasites
Its pollination and seed dispersal systems remains unstudied - the fruiting bodies are believed to be dispersed by rodents - so many mysteries in the rainforests that we still need to find out..
I saw it in several different locations in Namdapha. Finding some patches with these startling bright flowers on the dark forest floor was always exciting.
Sharing some thoughts/experiences from my time spent there years ago. This will be a long thread:) @mdmadhusudan@prashanthns
It sounds as if the ALG is a completely new one. The ALG in Vijaynagar has existed for many many years and has been in operation from the eighties till very recently. And Russian AN-32 planes have been landing & coming here from Mohanbari airforce base (Dibrugarh).