GOING GREEN

Sunset over Sundarbans

Photo: Debal Sen / Sanctuary Photolibrary

Luck is not half as important as patience and knowledge.

Bittu Sahgal

Where to look

You may sometimes stumble across an animal - a deer, a wildboar or even some carnivore. But such encounters are rare. More often than not you have to seek out wild animals, which prefer certain fixed areas at more or less fixed times of the day. Waterholes and open grassy clearings are ideal to observe herbivores, which often gather here to feed in the early mornings and again in the evenings.

Jungle paths, including forest roads are ideal too, and if you are observant you can sometimes track down animals, including panthers and tigers, by looking out fro, and following tracks and pug marks. Besides the animals, many ground birds such as pheasants, jungle fowl and partridges come to open clearings and by the roadside. While most of the little birds sneak up in the leafy branches or low in the bushes or amongst fallen leaves, flowering leaves bring out many birds in the open. These trees are feeding spots for an army of birds, besides such animals as squirrels and monkeys, notably the langurs, which invariably bring in their wake the spotted deer or the chital. To make the most of your outing, it is advisable to inform yourself about the wildlife of any area you any intending to visit. This way, you will know what to look for.

Triodax procumbens

Photo: Dr Anish Andheria / Sanctuary Photolibrary

How to look

Today, in most of our wildlife reserves there are well laid out trails that have made it quite easy to observe wildlife, without causing much disturbance. Let's imagine how you can watch birds and animals within the confines of an enclosure known as a 'hide'. Sitting still and quiet is an art, particularly more so with mosquitoes and midges and a host of other insects bombarding you from all quarters, particularly when you are in the thick grass or some bush. A hide reduces some of these problems in that it affords you some liberty of movement, besides enabling you to gradually come quite close to your subject. But making and putting up a 'hide' correctly is an art too, requiring a good knowledge of the subject besides a lot of patience.

Hide rules

Making a hide is easy and quite inexpensive. All you need are some bamboo poles, about eight square metres of cotton cloth or fine umbrella cloth (particularly if you are working during the rains, or in a heavy rainfall area), safety pins, some rope and string and a small folding chair. Instead of bamboo poles, you can stick, or old aluminum/iron rods if available. Old curtain cloth may serve as a good as a good substitute, but try to keep the colours close to brown, green of shades of grey. Make sure, however, that the cloth you use is opaque, so that it prevents you from being seen from outside. You will need at least nine sticks for a sturdy hide. Five of these should be at least six feet long, the rest four feet (DO NOT CUT WILD TREES). Once you have acquired these, tie these sticks as shown in the illustration.

If you have access to a wooded patch, where you know of sites frequented by wildlife, the best way would be to wait absolutely still, fifty metres or so from the spot. Using natural cover of surrounding grass and bushes, either sit quietly or lean against a tree trunk (not behind it). Check out if there is any tree easy enough to climb and which could afford you a good view. Check also that the branch you choose to sit on is sturdy and does not creak with your weight.

Important: Never go into a wilderness area alone, unless you are very, very familiar with it. You must keep the local wildlife authorities informed of your plans. Always wear appropriate clothing, carry basic provisions including a small first aid box. Never disturb animals or take unnecessary risks. Last, but not the least, remember to take your nature diary, binoculars, camera, etc.

Bittu Sahgal is the Editor of Sanctuary Magazine