Western Ghats 2013

For your reports/images, made outside Europe and the "Mediterranean" countries. Not to be too narrow minded and limited to our European/Mediterranean herps.

Western Ghats 2013

Postby Markus Oulehla » Tue Sep 10, 2013 7:35 pm

Hi,
My last trip to india, in the dry season, really impressed me, so I wanted to see it again during the monsoon.
With some help of a german herpetologist and after lots of mails we planed the tour.
After a long flight and stay-over at the delhi airport we reached the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station.
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As we thought the weather was really wet, hours of heavy rain with short breaks. The station is in the montains, so it was a bit cold and couldn't warm up because of the cloudy sky. But still, lots of interesting animals around us, so we were fine :lol:
Just for our cameras the conditions were quite bad, so I just took my small Nikon Coolpix out in the rain, but it was better in the next days...
The people there were really kind, helpful and always ready to go for a walk through the area...
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first snake crossing our way, juvenile checkered keelback, Xenochrophis piscator
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Nephila sp.
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Little later, during a heavy rainstorm we found a malabar pit viper in the foyer of the station. A beautiful, big female, she stayed there for one or to days...
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Right next to our house, big indian rat snake Ptyas mucosa
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flooded meadow, with many rocks to flip at the forest edge
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(sorry for the hands on the pictures, but it was impossible to get a picture on the ground...)
Ramphotyphlops braminus
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Lygosoma guentheri
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one more malabar pit viper on the side of a river (with the small camera again :x )
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It was the first short stop on our journey, after 3 days we moved a few kilometers further to the Kalinga Center for Rainforest Ecology, where we spent the most time of the trip.

regards
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Re: Western Ghats 2013

Postby Jeroen Speybroeck » Tue Sep 10, 2013 8:35 pm

More! More! More!
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Re: Western Ghats 2013

Postby Markus Oulehla » Tue Sep 10, 2013 9:00 pm

Well, here is Part 2 ;)

As I said next stop was at the Kalinga Center
main house
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Calotes sp.
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Hoplobatrachus tigerinus
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Heterometrus sp.
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grumpy tarantula
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Buthidae (Lychas nigristernis ?) in the leave litter
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and then...
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Hypnale hypnale
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Ahaetulla nasuta
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monkey skull on the trail...
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and one more malabar pit viper during a nightwalk...
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nice orb weaver, Gasteracantha dalyi
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Ctenidae, Ctenus cochinensis
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We had a really great time at this place!
The people at both stations were soo kind, helpfull and always ready for a walk to show you some wildlife.
Beside their fieldwork these guys also do snake reascue and on one lucky day we were allowed to attend.
At a local house about 30 minutes away...

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Too bad that we just got some quick pictures of the release, but nevertheless it was a great experience!
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For me it was amazing to see the reaction of the people in this area. If I think of the people in our country freaking out just because of an aesculapian snake, these people stay really cool.


The last week we spent in Kerala, the pictures from there will follow tomorrow ;)
regards
Markus
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Re: Western Ghats 2013

Postby Borji Heras » Tue Sep 10, 2013 9:09 pm

Amazing !!!! !!!! !!!!!
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Re: Western Ghats 2013

Postby Sebastian Holzki » Tue Sep 10, 2013 9:47 pm

Seems that it was a really great trip. Nice pics.
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Re: Western Ghats 2013

Postby Niklas Ban » Tue Sep 10, 2013 10:07 pm

Very very cool impressions! Ahaetulla is my favourite (it is one of my favourite snakes at all :mrgreen: )
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Re: Western Ghats 2013

Postby Jürgen Gebhart » Wed Sep 11, 2013 5:26 am

One more wetland-Report?
I hope that I can read at least one Desert-Report this Season!

But anyway, not bad, the Hypnale is very special – congrats on that!
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Re: Western Ghats 2013

Postby Jeroen Speybroeck » Wed Sep 11, 2013 8:42 am

Jürgen Gebhart wrote:One more wetland-Report?
I hope that I can read at least one Desert-Report this Season!

http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Grumpy
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Re: Western Ghats 2013

Postby Alexandre Roux » Wed Sep 11, 2013 8:50 am

Very nice pictures, I would have loved to be there !
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Re: Western Ghats 2013

Postby Jürgen Gebhart » Wed Sep 11, 2013 11:20 am

Jeroen Speybroeck wrote:
Jürgen Gebhart wrote:One more wetland-Report?
I hope that I can read at least one Desert-Report this Season!

http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Grumpy



:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Yes, that`s me, Grumpy old Bastard! :lol:
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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