Anamalai, May 2007

Hunt for the Loris!

It was almost 6-months since we visited (some part of) the Anamalais. So the long memorial day weekend in May turned out to be a blessing and we rapidly arranged a trip to Top Slip. Giri and Suraj joined us for this 3-day trip.

We spent the first night at Top Slip (Magazine godown — an erstwhile shed for explosives) and the second night at Sethumadai at a homestay called Hornbill’s Nest. The loose objective of the trip (Nandini’s suggestion & kind offer!) was getting a glimpse of the Slender Loris at the foothills (Sethumadai / Alayar ranges). This led us to a very long nocturnal foray on the second night starting at dusk at Alayar (Navamalai road) and ending at 3:00 AM at Sethumadai (Sircarpathi road).

In Top Slip, we covered the customary Karian Shola and the customary frogmouths (my favorite birds). The spot lighting trip was extremely productive and included all sorts of creatures including a tusker, a leopard, owls, palm civets, nightjars, scorpions and finally, of course, a loris! I will certainly be back for a more focused nocturnal photography session to the area. Please also see my non-wildlife images (general, landscapes, people, etc.) from the trip hosted here.

Cheers, –ramki Bangalore | July 2007