Overnight stay in tents!
Campfire to chase the flies and keep you warm!
Treks into the nearby jungle!
Learn the basics of outdoor nature photography!

Experience all the above and more on August 9th & 10th at Camp Gee Dee, Bannerghatta, Bangalore during the
PIXETRA CLUB TWO DAY CLASS IN THE OUTDOORS!

Let PIXETRA CLUB guru, Amoghavarsha, a seasoned nature photographer, teach you everything you need to know about the basics of outdoor nature photography. Check him out at

www.amoghavarsha.com

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I have gone for workshops at PfA and have done some voluntary work for them, and been impressed with this animal shelter and the work they are doing for distressed animals. So I am happy to post an announcement from Ranjan Chacko of PfA. Do participate if you can (though I cannot understand why a marathon event should be scheduled at the height of summer) and make the event a success!

Click on this for one of my previous postings about PfA

Here’s a marathon to bring together the City of Bangalore, to create a platform where its people can gather to show that they truly
care. PFA (People for Animals) Bangalore takes this opportunity to unite Bangaloreans in also spreading the message of conservation through protection of urban wildlife.

PFA, recognised by the Karnataka Forest Department, is an organisation where we believe and work towards being committed to the rescue and rehabilitation of urban wildlife. Through the shelter in Kengeri, the members of PFA and its volunteers have been successful in giving over 7000 avian, mammals and reptiles, a new lease on life.

The marathon, organised by PROCAM, is also a way of being the voice for the voiceless. And this can be achieved through your participation and commitment.

PFA is an officially listed NGO in the marathon and participants can choose to run as an individual or as a corporate team for the organisation. Please remember to select PFA (People for Animals) in the registration form as the NGO you wish to support.

For more information on the same please contact me on 98452-09623; the event helpline: 080 23161416 or email me at ranjanchacko@rediffmail.com

Forms are also available at various branch offices of Standard Chartered, Manipal Cure and Care outlets, Nike Outlets, Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Radio Mirchi office and The Windsor Manor, Bangalore. Those interested can also register online at www.sunfeastworld10k.indiatimes.com

Please pass this email on to your friends and spread the word.

Regards

Ranjan and everyone at PFA.

Being more used to writing for the newspapers, it was nice to be featured in two newspapers today; but I have an observation to make about that….

Today’s “Mint” newspaper carried an article by carries an article Kirti Pandey, in the “Life” section, about birdwatching in Bangalore. I have been quoted in the article, as have the two other youngsters who went with me for the associated shoot at Lalbagh.

It’s here

There’s a photograph of the three of us, though it does not show up in the online version.

Also, today’s Economic Times carried an article called “Bird Whisperers”, carries an article Kirti Pandey, about a birdwatching trip that I had organized in Lalbagh a few days ago.

It’s here

(Click on “Live it up” in the list on the left-hand side, and the article will appear.)

The photographs, for which proper credit has been given, were all taken by me during the course of that morning.

But…the thing is…both these articles, are, in a sense, not “real”.

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I saw in the Deccan Herald that Magnitude Gallery in Jayanagar was having a “Wildlife of India” exhibition, so I decided to visit it

Mr Ramesh Magar, the owner of the gallery, spoke to me and explained that rather than lease out the space to various artists, he was trying a new model at Magnitude.

“We have eight artists who are employed by us,” he says, “And this frees them from the difficulties of earning their living only as and when they sell their art; we pay them a regular salary.” He has initiated “Rang De India”, a series of themes at the gallery. The last one was “Utsav”, which was on various festivals; the present one is “Junglee”, on wildlife; the next one proposed will be “Vanita”, on women. He says he asks the artists to produce painting on these themes, and then displays and sells them.

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While many of us rush off to the parks and the jungles, hoping to see birds and mammals, there are quite a lot of creatures all around us, which are, quite literally, underfoot and often not noticed.

Karthik , the Chief Naturalist of Jungle Lodges and Resorts, who conducts the Naturalists’ Training Program that I attended , had mentioned that he had been seeing glow-worms in a park near his home. Each year, for a few days around this time, he has been seeing the glow-worms in his own garden; but this year, he didn’t find them there, but in the park where he goes for his evening walk.

Since I was interested, I called up Pallavi, Vittal, and Anush. Vittal brought along his wife Santrupti and son Adu (dare I call him very cute?!) and we all trooped off to Karthik’s place where he gave us delicious Darjeeling tea, and we then walked (risking life and limb in the traffic, may I add) to the Nanda Road park.

Here’s a picture of a glow-worm in Adu’s hand:

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Dear all,

The 2008 HSBC Bangalore BirdRace will be held on January 20, 2008.

The Bangalore BirdRace Team (Sunjay Monga, Swarna Venkataraman, Madhukar
and Subramanya) are very happy to announce that the REGISTRATION for the 2008
Bangalore BirdRace is open. Please register your name with full address and
contact details (Mobile, Phone, E-mail) at

bangalore.birdrace@gmail.com.

Please DO NOT post your registration details on this list (Bngbirds).
Please direct all your correspondence related to the 2008 BirdRace to:
bangalore.birdrace@gmail.com.

Registration closes on Jan 15,2008. It will be fun event, so do join in!

Want to know what happened at the first Bangalore Bird Race? Here’s Subramanya (Subbu)’s account of it:
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Today, I went to watch Shekhar Dattatri’s documentary on the Indian Monsoon at NMKRV college in Jayanagar 3rd Block. The screening, along with two other documentaries to be screened in the afternoon,(see this link was organized by GrowingWild, an organization that works with wildlife issues.

The documentary, made in the days before digital cameras became ubiquitous, had some beautiful, haunting and humorous moments…for example, the Travancore Tortoises seem to make both love and war in exactly the same fashion, butting each others’ carapaces! after the screening, Shekhar had an interactive session with the audience.
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The Government of Karnataka, Forest Dept, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, British Council, Wild Screen U.K, Vodafone, Radio Mirchi, and Epson, are together organising “Aranyam 2007- Wild Life and Environmental Film Festival” a film festival with WILD LIFE and Environment as its theme in Bangalore on 5th 6th and 7th during Wild Life Week on October 2007.

Aranyam 2007 will be held at Gurunanak Bhavan, Jasma Bhavan Road Off Millers Road Vasanth Nagar Bangalore, Karnataka, 560001. India.), Bangalore on 5th, 6th and 7th Oct 2007.

The festival will start the screenings of documentaries, animations,PSAs, music videos and feature films from 17:00 to 21:00 hrs on the 5th and 10:00 A.M to 8:30 p.m.

Aranyam is a three-day special event showing films about wildlife and nature. Films will be presented with discussions and the gathering will include consumers of eco tourism, environment organizations,wildlife organizations, forest department and documentary movie producers.
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Soon, the migratory birds will begin to arrive in the environs of Bangalore. In preparation for this, all over India, the new inititative, Migrant Watch, has been formed, so that a network of ordinary citizens can give information about migratory birds, and in particular on the nine species of birds, namely,

Northern Shoveler, Marsh Harrier, Wood Sandpiper, Common Swallow, Grey Wagtail, Brown Shrike, Black Redstart, Greenish Warbler, and Rosy Starling.

Dr Suhel Quader, from The National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore (a centre which conducts research in all areas of biology.) is co-ordinating the effort in Bangalore and its environs.
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Following up on the Snake Workshop that PfA (People for Animals) had held some time ago, they had the second workshop on the rescue and rehabilitation of various animals today.

I apologize for the picture quality; the light was pretty poor.

Alpana Bhartia welcomed the gathering.

Prem Koshy, restaurateur of repute, is also someone who has grown up with a lot of animals and birds being brought to his family farmhouse in Kerala; he has, therefore, immense experience in the field of animal rescue. He showed the gathering the tools used in catching snakes,and the best method of doing so. He used a wooden snake for the demo!

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