Will Sultanpur go to the dogs?

It was in March last year that I stole a trip to Sultanpur, a few minutes by road past Gurgaon, Haryana. It seemed every bit like the wetlands of my dreams. It was the end of a prolonged winter, and the last stragglers -- shovellers and gadwalls -- were rehearsing their departure. There were nest boxes placed by the DelhiBird group but, much like government-subsidy housing, they had not found takers. Peafowl and Nilgai aplenty. And among sundry distractions, a Rhesus Macaque that had earned the ire of a murder of crows. But I was here for another reason. I had heard from my friend Gopi Sunder that a pair of Sarus Cranes (Grus antigone) were nesting at Sultanpur. But, he warned me in the same breath, that few chicks had survived predation by dogs. Attempts to remove them from the park have been met with tepid enthusiasm from the park officials. Watch, and you'll see why they are dangerous.

Horsley Hills

Horsley Hills struck me as the Nandi Hills of Andhra Pradesh. But these straggling hillocks of the Eastern Ghats, about three hours from Bangalore by road and within hollering distance from the town of Madanapalle (once known for its sanatorium), are wooded and beautiful. It's here that I sighted - for the first time - the elusive White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus) and the rare Yellow-throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus xantholaemus). Suresh Jones, a wildlife researcher who lives in Madanapalle, was our guide. The vegetation of the region, he pointed out, is mostly exotic. Eucalyptus, lantana and acacia have replaced most of the native flora. Pockets of native Ficus trees still stand. We also saw Grey Junglefowl, Red Spurfowl and what looked like a Black Eagle. Of course, only the Shama was captured on video, the bulbuls being uncharacteristically scarce that day. Take a look... but pardon the music.