HIMALAYAN WILDLIFE

So here we are, ready to jump into the magical tunnel gliding us through glimpses of the  Himalayan wildlife, rarely seen and talked about. So here, I present, the flora and fauna of a mystic land, so get ready for the adventure!

THE LOST LEOPARD
The photograph that you see above is that of the extremely rare (extremely extremely, infact;) Snow Leopard, or the 'Barfani Tendua', as it is more commonly known among the masses. The naming scheme is obvious; note the animal's body, designed to perfectly camouflage it in its snowy suuroundings, specifically, atabove 9,800 feet in the snow capped peaks of the Himalayas. Unfortunately, only about 3500 to 7000 individuals exist in the willd today; the figures narrating a sad saga of a rare exotic species. The reason: some cruel, heartless, poachers. If not immediately catered to, the snow leopard would be a lost species.

PLACE: The Great Himalayan Nature Park, Kufri (Himachal Pradesh)




THE VELVET BED
This is one of my favourite photographs. We were having breakfast in a lovely garden in Shoghi, Himachal Pradesh, when just behind me I saw this beautiful red rose in full bloom. I captured it at several angles, and found this particular one the best: note the lovely texture visible on the petals, and the 3-D effect created by the edges. The low light in the morning, as well as the closeness of the camera to the flower produced a perfect black background, bringing up the features of this nature's exotic velvety bed.

PLACE: Shoghi village near Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

KING OF THE BLUE
This is a beautiful silhouette of a Great Himalayan Griffon, frequently spotted hovering over the heights of the Himalayas. The bird, like most vultures, has a bald white head, short tail feathers and very broad wings, infact, counted among the largest (about 3m across the wings!) of the birds. When you see a Griffon repeatedly circling a piece of land, you know there's a carcass there. Survival in these hostile conditions in the Himalayas is extremely difficult, and in my view, these vultures deserve the title of the 'King of the Blue'.

PLACE: Spiti valley, Himachal Pradesh

THE GORGEOUS GRIFFON!
The same Himalayan Griffon (please see the description of the photograph above), in a different angle of view. Magically, this photograph was shot using a 55mm lens (55mm end of 18-55mm lens, precisely) and the edges cropped. The quality was very good, and nice feature details visible. Note particularly the design of the wings, and their broadness. You are truly gorgeous, Griffon!

PLACE: Spiti valley, Himachal Pradesh

WINGS OF FIRE
Note the fireceness pouring out of the photograph: an action packed shot of a Himalayan Griffon landing on carrion. Precisely, there was a carcass of a goat lying on the road.  The green Himalayas in the background form a perfect background, and on another note look at the bird's face. Note the intent gaze and concentration, without which survival in these high mountains, wouldn't be possible.These vultures are truly the cleaners of our environment, when you don't see stinking carcasses lying everywhere, thank these birds.

PLACE: Naldehra (also a home to the WORLD'S HIGHEST GOLF COURSE), Himachal Pradesh


BIRD OR BRANCH?
If you missed the illusion, look again at the photograph: you'll see a Great Himalayan Griffon flying by the Pine tree, as if it forms the tree's branch. I spotted the bird hovering and had to release the shutter precisely at the moment when the bird formed the 'branch'. Sometimes nature presents you with marvellous gifts, don't you think?

PLACE: Tanu Jubbar Lake, Himachal Pradesh

THE GORGEOUS GRIFFON: PART 2


THE ''TAILEST''!
Really, I love the beautiful long tail of this Yellow Billed Blue Magpie, a member of the crow family. It is typically seen in the lower Himalayas; and what draws me even more towards this impressive bird is that it loves talking! Yes, this is a really very noisy bird, a chatterbox of the world of birds. Seeing this bird, I am seriously led into thinking that birds ceratinly have their own language. The way these Magpies vary their tones, pitch and loudness of their voice seems to say so. When you visit the Himalayas, do not miss this bird!

PLACE: Near Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

THE HIDDEN WORLD
We were in Sarahan in Himachal Pradesh, known for its magnificient Bhimakali Devi Temple, when on a wall I saw a dense green undergrowth. I took a macro shot and was astounded on the details brought out: look at the small leaves of the nearly microscopic plants, so tender and delicate. You can even see a small flower shaped white structure. Undoubtedly there are many things Almighty God has created in this world, although some nearly invisible, that make you marvel at His intelligence and artwork.

PLACE: Sarahan, Himachal Pradesh


THE ART OF LIVING
Well,this is a very common mountain Lizard, one of the most commonly seen animal in these high mountains, probably beacuse it is so well-adapted to living on such terrain and in such climatic conditions, where food is scarce and every day is a challenge. We humans are 'characterised' by never ending complaints and grievances, forever unhappy and dissatisfied. We must learn from simple creatures like these, who battle against death everyday, cheerfully. We, the intelligent beings too must remain happy, tranquil and thankful to the Almighty. And you thought you knew the art of living!
PLACE: Sangla, Himachal Pradesh


READY TO JUMP!
Yet another shot of the mountain Lizard. Notice its long tail, helpful for balancing and negotiating shart turns when it jumps and moves over the cliffs. Here it is ready to pounce upon a prey, as you can note from its eyes. (Note the 'smile' on its face! Another testimony to my philosophy of the art of living described above)

PLACE: Sangla, Himachal Pradesh


IRIS THROUGH THE IRIS
This is the extremely beautiful Iris flower, growing in a garden in Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh.Oh, watch out!
Do not let your fingers probe this seemingly lovely flower, for its seeds can cause allergy and leave you breathless (though when you only look at this wonderful flower's beauty even through your iris (the part of our eyes that controls the amount of light that gets inside the eye), you are bound to remain breathless!). So, dear friend, we'll admire your radiance through our irises.

PLACE: Van Vihar, Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh


IRIS ON THE IRIS
A second view of a second Iris. This one here appeared so after a light drizzle; as if little droplets, or "irises"  hanging about on the Iris flower. Majestic sight. A photograph to behold! But, again, touching isn't allowed!
(In case you saw this description before going through the photograph above--let your iris first take in light from the photograph and the description precceding this shot!)

PLACE: Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh



LEATHERY UNDERGROWTH
This photograph shows almost (not strictly) microscopic tiny feathery plants, which formed the undergrowth in Van Vihar, Kalpa, H.P. I had to take a macro shot (close-up) to reveal the splendour of these often ignored forms of life, for they remain hidden underneath our very eyes. The plants look so leathery--I guess the angle of light has a role to play--and so does the texture of the plants. Lovely lost world, won't you say?

PLACE: Hidden  beneath the trees in Van Vihar, Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh



MOUNTAIN GOAT
We were on our way to Kaza in the Spiti valley when we saw this lone mountain goat alongside the road. Ask me how I knew it was a goat and not a sheep. Well, you see, look at its tail. It goes up, which happens only in goats. Sheep tails remain hanging down. Interesting, isn't it? Even more interesting is the beautiful mountain range in the background which forms a perfect backdrop. By the way, every backdrop in Himachal is perfect anyway. (Also note that this goat isn't wild probably--note the blue mark on its horn. It probably went away from its herd and came on the road looking for food. So this is Himalayan domestic life, not wildlife!)

PLACE: Spiti valley, Himachal Pradesh













8 comments:

  1. Please add the comments soon!!!
    surabhi

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  2. @Surabhi mausi: Yes mausi, will add the comments soon! Thanks for visiting and do keep coming back for new photos, videos and updates!

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  3. wow, please put the descriptions !

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  4. @Visitors: Thank you dear visitor, for your appreciation and interest. I have added the descriptions now, please check out the additions and be sure to comment! Hope you like them. Keep visiting!

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  5. great pics devaang...and ur diverse background and skills has surprised me.great going..keep up the good work..
    Anuradha

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  6. @Ms. Anuradha: Thank you for your appreciation.....

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  7. @Chekuri Gouthamaraju: Thank you for your kind words dear visitor...please keep visiting for exciting videos coming soon!

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