The most beautiful thing you will watch today. Great #Hornbill male is feeding the female who has locked her inside nest. This he will do for months !!
This is a story about hornbills which are perfect couple and which are also called as Gardner of the forest. How ?
There are 9 species of hornbills found in India. From Great to Grey. Hornbills are generally monogamous. The pair lasts long. Here a Wreathed Hornbill couple.
They move together and live very long.
When the couple is expecting they go shopping for a house. A nest.
It can be a natural cavity in a tree or nest of some other bird or their old nest.
After finding that house the female will enter. She will occupy the nest and will seal the nest from inside with whatever material is available. Just a small slit will be kept for open food. Like this one. A female hornbill is inside it.
Now time will test them. The lady will stay inside for next 3-4 months with just small opening in nest. Looking outside & waiting for husband. Soon with kids.
So now male will roam around the forest. Collect the food and bring it to the family. As the kids grow, he has to increase frequency of the trips. This is his daily job, many times a day. He need to feed himself & collect everything for family.
Not all fruits are delivered, some simply get dropped on the floor while the exchange takes place. They swallow the fruits as whole and in this process the seeds are taken to long distances. Male remain nearby nest. If male doesn't come or gets poached the family dies waiting.
They swallow the fruits as whole. They spread them wherever they are going and they especially where there are nests.
Just example. Seeds of different species of trees below three such tree with hornbill nests. They will soon grow. This is how nature manages the forest.
All pictures and videos are taken by me. It took quite some time in collecting all.
Thank you all for the good response. The story is published in all national dailies. That is the purpose of such documentation. It is not about the good pictures but about the process.
The total documentation is spread across many days. Including camping. But it was worth it.
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Do you know Northwest #India just recorded the hottest March in 122 years, or since the records are maintained. In all probability a severe heat wave spell is looking at us. Which will impact millions. Brace.
Heat waves impact the health of millions directly. They results in heat strokes and are fatal in many cases. This has severe impact on children and old.
But we also need to understand how heat waves impact many other sectors. 2/n
Heatwaves have direct impact on labor productivity. Since this extreme temperature reduces the working hours.
Whether it is agriculture field or a rikshaw puller. This impacts all human labor. And in all probability these extreme events will increase.
On this day in 1966 at Mont Blanc #Bhabha lost his life in a flight crash. Father of Indian #Nuclear Programme, Bhabha came to #India during WW2, joined IISc. Later established TIFR & BARC. In picture Bhabha with Albert Einstein (relativity), Yukawa, John Wheeler (black hole).
He joined IISc Bangalore after coming to Cambridge. Time when Vikram Sarabhai was also at IISc, who became father of Space programme. CV Raman was director of institute. Later Bhabha established Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. Giants walking the same corridor.
Bhabha conceived India’s three stage nuclear programme, ambitious one.
- Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor
- Fast Breeder Reactor
- Thorium Based Reactors
We haven’t achieved third yet. From L-R: Neils Bohr, Homi Bhabha, JRD Tata and Jamshed Bhabha.
Dear friends many thanks for your continuous support to Bonphool honey, the brand doing good now. Now this Sundarban honey is available in new packaging & multiflora. Every bottle of honey purchased contributes to conservation & provide livelihood to traditional people.
Interesting thing is; People own the company as well as brand. The traditional honey collectors of Sundarbans. So every single rupee goes to them.
They were struggling once, now doing good. All bcz of your support. Do check the new product here;
You see the people. They own the company. Collectively. Started everything with loan, from active support of Panchayat department, handheld by forest department.
Last year 1.5 crore was their turnover. Women in the Sundarbans who belong to Mouli families are also involved.
प्रकृति: रक्षति रक्षिता ! Mangrove forest after a cyclone. The line of defense after a cyclone.
#Mangrove; not only home for various species but also a tool against #Disaster. Tropical country like India, with densely populated 7500 km long coastline, will be effected by cyclones more due to #ClimateChange. This salt tolerant species acts as a shield against cyclones. 2/n
So how it works. Reposting my old tweets. Mangroves create a maze & dense habitat. With species which are salt tolerant & special adaptations. They act like buffer & consume the winds & energy. So after passing the storms get dampen. 3/n