Lonely Tintin Diaries: December 2014

Yep ! Three cheerful Asian Open Bill Storks just greeted you :D This is surely not a dream ! Or maybe it is. It indeed is a dream come true for many of the birders and bird enthusiasts out there !
Now, every dream, in order to come true must occupy a 3-dimensional space and a fourth dimensional time as well.Let me tell you about this one.

The Place :

This dream is centered around the Kulik Wildlife Sanctuary in Raiganj, West Bengal, India.
Feel the contours of the dream.

The Kulik river has carefully crafted a beautiful oxbow lake inside the forest perimeters.Along the oxbow lake a deep forest has developed over decades to serve as the second home to one of the most majestic winged creatures ever - The Asian Open Bill Stork .
Apart from this , one can find 164 different species of birds( my amateur birdwatching eye could spot only 11 ! ) depending upon the seasonal timings.Sounds exciting right ?

Okay then ! Let's get down to the little boring but somewhat important details !

Getting There :

By road - Kulik WSL is located at a distance of 430 km from Kolkata and 185 km from Siliguri.The National Highway NH34 (infamous for footwide potholes and imaginary asphalt layering in parts :P ) connects Kolkata to Kulik.And if you've ever been to Darjeeling or Siliguri or Gangtok or to any of those Northerly places by bus or a car then you must have crossed this place.For the highway cuts right through the jungle.It is indeed difficult to imagine a forest with a national highway running through it ! The trucks are not exactly a part of the flora or fauna !

By Railway - Radhikapur Express(departing from Kolkata Station) stops at Raiganj.It is a 10-11 hour journey.Bookings can be done online at India Railways.

By Air - Nearest airport is Bagdogra airport in Siliguri which is 180 km away.Another option is Kolkata Airport at a distance of 430 km.

Place to Stay :
Kulik , Raiganj is not a tourist-heavy place.Which means lodging facilities are limited.The best place to stay will be the Raiganj Tourist Lodge maintained by West Bengal Tourism Department.Advance Bookings can be made at WBTDCL .

Time to Visit :
The birds start arriving from early June.The nesting season begins soon.And a profusion of 70,000-80,000 migratory birds flock the forest during the breeding season.Ideal time to visit : October
to Early November.

Keeping all these in mind , planning a trip to Kulik for a longer weekend can be made easily through the dimply-lit 15 inch laptop seated infront of you ! Make sure your wifi is on too :D

Now that all your plans are made ,bookings done, you're ready to roll !

Plural

The Raiganj Tourist Lodge compound has around 30 trees and in each of these trees there are 10-20 nests.Most of these are abandoned now as the birds start departing from mid November and these pictures have been captured in late December.Within a span of one month, the abandoned nests manage to invoke an unearthly sense of melancholy for what had once been ,a tree bustling with flocks of storks.The background score - a crescendo of the cacophony of a hundred birds all voicing their opinions simultaneously !

Singular

The Kulik Wildlife Sanctuary :

The gate leading to the sanctuary remains open from 10a.m till 6 p.m in the evening.If you happen to find it closed and you can't wait to get inside then I have a tip for you.Follow the barbed fencing along the highway and you will come across an opening, made solely for the local children involved in clearing of the fallen leaves and dusting the trail through the forest.

Get right in.

Climb up the watch-tower.And slowly , very slowly just sink in the scene.

An adult Asian Open Bill Stork.

Wingspan similar to a Pegasus !

A fulfilling Mother.A Hungry Childhood.

The First Taste of Flight.

Sharing the same plate over lunch.

Three is company !

Okay now too much time spent with the birdies ! It's time to get down and explore the rest of the Sanctuary.The path is laid out in the form of cute colourful, eccentric bricks.They take you around a fixed path that encircles the entire area.Inbetween you can spot the ox-bow lake,some rundown watchtowers that are out of bounds because they're falling apart real quick.For music you can definitely tune into a huge band of frequencies generated by a profusion of insects and birds.An occassional truck horn might intrude if the driver encounters a particularly obstinate cow or a goat ambling on the National Highway !

And if you're lucky enough you can definitely spot the highlights along the path and the lake, each taking turns to create a visual treat.

A watchtower without a heart.

This has to be the most heartwrenching sight ever.This clearly proves that we still lack the basic infrastructure to support these beautiful creatures.Do your bit to save them.Spread awareness like they spread their wings.And even if that results in lowering their deaths, then you can feel proud for doing good to this world.

His gaze should cheer up your spirits.The depth of his eyes equal the phantom depths of the mysteries still left in this world.His wings have given mankind, another new realm to conquer the infinite.the blue sky.

Two young guns sharing a private moment together.This picture describes what is meant by binary in this universe.

"The Sense of an Ending "

Dreams end.And we go on living happily ever after.It is during the short duration of our dreams , that we explore a new kingdom complete with its own set of characters and colors and stories.This dream was of a special kind.Freedom found a new meaning, perched atop the wingtips of these storks.Time stood motionless as a testament to the thousands of kilometres these birds travel in their lifetime.Each one has a unique story a million miles long.And that sets each one apart from the other.Just like in us, humans.

We differ.

And we unite.

In countless dreams.

For centuries and beyond.

The Stance

The first time I heard the name "Santragachi", steam engines,diesel engines,locos and pantographs and railway-stuff crowded my mind ! I have crossed that railway station countless number of times,oblivious to the fact that it houses rather in a clandestine manner - a full fledged lake or Jheel capable of supporting thousands of migratory birds ! If you haven't been there, you might find it very hard to believe!Many photographers and bird watchers and bird enthusiasts flock this Jheel in huge numbers to catch a glimpse of these foreigners from faraway shores!And incase you were wondering why , read on !

The Jheel Blends in with the Locality.A dreary sight indeed.

Getting There

You climb down the Santragachi bridge, make a left turn, proceed along and reach the railway crossing.Most probably a train will be there before you and so you have to wait up until the coast(or the track) is clear again ! Cross the railway lines and enter the bazaar.Take a right turn and soon you will reach the lake-shore.

The First Sight of the Lake

All About It !

At first , you feel like you have come a long way from the city.You will start to miss the honking and the shouts and the city-noises immediately.The cacophony of the birds is the only sound punctuated by tired train horns.There is greenery all around and they manage to enhance the ambience of the Jheel very easily.By now you are ready to take the first shot !

Cleanliness next to Godliness !

A flock of lesser whistling ducks greet you ! "Cheerio" , they say ! Say "hi" to them !
Okay so now that we are done with the greetings and formalities we can proceed further !
They have given you permission to take their photographs !

And your shutter goes on and off , on and off .. And the results are quite stunning !

A Common Egret ! A Spotless White !

Amidst a sea of Lesser , something Greater !

The Castaways Starring a He and a She !

Whiling Away ! Whistling Less !

The Lesser whistling Duck (Dendrocygna javanica) is found in profusion.
Sadly I am not an authority on Lesser Whistling Ducks or their habits and habitat.I just love to observe them and take their photographs ! If you are interested in knowing more about them, you can always consult Dear Old Wikipedia !

Wikipedia Link !

The common Indian pond heron is indeed a beautiful creature.It holds itself in a very graceful stance most of the time.

Camouflage

Sandwiched between two Lesser whistling Teals !

For all your heron-ry needs it is advisable that you give Wiki a visit !

WikiHerons !

Calcutta winters can be a bit gloomy and overcast.But you have hit the Sunny Side Up time of the Day ! Thanks to the Sun's "happydent smile" the surroundings , the lake waters and the birds offer a beautiful contrast and you go clicking happily ever after !

The Majestic Cormorants !

An Egret Affair !

And because the light conditions were favourable here's an Egret captured in Monochrome !

The following picture presents the relativity between time and space for three "very" different kinds of birds ! A Common Crow , A Cormorant and A Flock of Lesser Whistling Teals frozen in time in a single shot.

Translated into Bengali , one reads : " Ek Dhil e Teen Pakhi ! "

"Ek Dhil e teen Pakhi "

These migratory birds are a joy for ever.They have been travelling for the greater part of their lives.The word dynamic has found a new meaning in these birds.They come here every winter and go back when their time comes.They leave behind a few precious shots that we cherish for an entire year and then revisit the Jheel to get new pictures.Sure they age but they never grow old.And everytime I see a bird taking flight I am reminded of Jonathan Livingston Seagull.A bird that taught us to keep chasing our dreams irrespective of the wind direction.This blog is dedicated to all these foreigners and local birds who flock the lake shores and give us the inspiration to keep flying higher and higher every moment.