Vishnu, Om, Naveen, Sarayna (at the back), Shiva,Saranya(back), Kavin,Nischita (back), Aadav (front) Deepta, Kavya, Latha (who went to the Zoo) with the young one hiding her face, Shalini, Sudhanva, Swarna, Savitha, Bear Rescue Centre, 150524
Announcement on Nature Kids, asking people to email me if interested. Final email:
Hello,
Welcome to the Walks Populi/DMW visit to the Bear Rescue Centre run by Wildlife SOS, at Bannerghatta.
To confirm your participation, please join the WA group for the visit at
I will be giving all the details on the WA group tomorrow, once all four parents have joined the group.
Those of you who have not yet paid, please pay Rs.150 per person (adult/child) to my Gpay number, 9980010366, and send me a screenshot on email, so that I can check. This amount is the fund I am raising.
Fixed up with Darshan and Dhanalakshmi (Asst Professor, Dept of Zoology) 32 students and 6 adults including Damini and me. After Kalkere we went to the Zoo and wasted a lot of time getting a 50% discount for the students, which was not appreciated. The teachers were Chaitra, Dhanalakshmi and Roopa.
Never been here, would explore the lake surroundings.
shall limit to 5/6 participants.
Wear: Forest-friendly clothes, Dull coloured clothes, Comfortable shoe, Hats/Caps, Sun protection (Sunshades, Sunscreen etc). (No Perfumes/Deodorants please)
Bring: Binoculars, Camera, Field guides (Book or Apps), Field journals to take notes, Sketch Book etc. Don’t forget to get water, Fruits and Healthy snacks.
Black-hooded Oriole nectaring on flowers of Silver Oak
Praying Mantis in the flower of Tecoma stans
Snack time
Coloured Sterculia (Sterculia/Firmiana colorata)
Munish brought delicious Passion Fruit from his garden
Parasitized pupae
View of B M Kaval kere (lake) from Neralu Farm, which Anirudh manages for his father, a doctor
Anirudh sells us vegetables fresh off the field
f
Sudha and Nagaraj are the N and the S ofthe very successful NASA Davengere Benne Dose Hotel, on Kanakapura Road, that they managed on Kanakapura Road. It was our favourite brefus joint after a visit to Ravugodlu. They have now moved to a new location off Kanakapura Road. One A in NASA (Abhishek) is also there at the eatery, helping them; the other A has married and has a young child of her own to look after now!
Shalini and I have been invited by Divya of Kaav to stay with her. Apart from this, Vanah Homestay (about 1.5km from Kaav) is offering a stay for 2, or 3, people to share a large room at their homestay. Both the places will get allocations for the jeep safari (not boat or canter or the Govt safari) on Monday evening and Tuesday morning. We leave on Monday morning (11th March) and return after the safari on Tuesday. (12th March). Departure from Casa Ansal at 5.30am.
Costs:
Sharing of fuel and food costs on the trip from Bangalore to Kabini (on Monday morning, we reach the homestay and the resort in time for lunch).
At Vanah, the room rates are as follows: If there are 3 people sharing: Rs.2000 per person for non a/c room.Rs.3000 per person for a/c room. If there are 2 people sharing: Rs. 2500 per person for non a/c room.Rs. 3500 per person for a/c room. (only one night stay) Those who come with us (two or three) will have to share one room, as I cannot negotiate for multiple rooms. Food at Kabini: The Vanah stay includes all 3 meals. I think this will be Monday 10th lunch and dinner, and Tuesday breakfast.
Safari: 3a.n the JLR safaris, seats are allocated to various resorts. Kaav has two and I think Vanah has two, also. 3b.We are doing two jeep safaris, on the evening of Monday, 10th March, and the morning of Tuesday, 11th March. 3c. The safari cost for those staying in Vanah can go up to Rs.3500 per safari (plus camera costs), depending on availability (it could be less if the homestay’s own allocation is available, I am giving the highest possible cost, if they have to buy allocations from other resorts. 3d. Shalini and I are taking the safari allocation of the resort we are staying in (Kaav.). So there will be no more safari seats available with them. Vanah will try and get two jeep safaris OR negotiate with another resort for extra allocation. So the total costs will be fuel costs + home stay tariff+ two safaris + food etc expenses on the road. If anyone wants to stay back, they will still have to pay their share of the fuel expenses. Sorry, otherwise, the costs go up for us. Please call me back if this is OK for you. If not, also call and let me know so that I can give the seat to the persons who have inquired after you.
Comparable costs at JLR Kabini (which is the cheapest resort there) Dormitory: Rs. 7500 + 18% GST (1350 + forest entry fees + camera fees. Common Toilet for the 14-bed dormitory. Includes lunch, dinner on Monday and breakfast on Tuesday One jeep and one boat safari depending on availability. (NOT two jeep safaris) Plus transportation costs.
Breakfast at “Old original Vasu Mylari” (very so-so). Lunch, snack, dinner at Kaav/Vanah. Breakfast at Kaav/Vanah. Lunch skipped, snack/coffee at Mysore restaurant. Dinner at Poojari Fish Land.
eBird ids: S Sivam, Vijayarani,Parita, shalini_ukunge, Ddpopper (Divya Pant)
Butterflies: Awl, Common Banded Baronet Blue, Pale Grass Blue, Tiny Grass Coster, Tawny Crow, Common Emigrant.Common Jezebel, Common Mormon, Common Pansy, Chocolate Pansy, Lemon Rose, Common Rose, Crimson Tiger, Blue Tiger, Plain Tiger, Striped Yellow, Common Grass Yellow, Small Grass
Trees, plants and flowers: Very numerous! Partial: Arjuna, Buttercup tree,Flame of the Forest, Coral, Crocodile Bark, Mexican Lilac, Teak Silk Cotton, and so on.
Announcement: Kalkere Biodiversity Walk: Saturday, 10 Feb ’24
The Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bannerghatta, is pleased to announce the Kalkere Biodiversity Walk for February ’24.
Where: Kalkere Reserve Forest
When: Saturday, 10 Feb ’24
Meeting Time: 6 15am.
The groups will start the walk by 6.15am. Each group will be accompanied by at least one Forest Guard/KFD official.
The walk is restricted to 40 people in 2 groups of 20 each.
Since sunrise is now later, we will have the walk in a single phase, from 6.15 to 9.30am.
There will be a forest entry fee of Rs.150 per participant (Children, and students who show valid ids, will be exempted.) The fee will be collected by the volunteers and given to the KFD staff (BY CASH) before the participant joins the walk.
Those who are interested in participating can register on the form at
(please read the instructions carefully before you fill the form)
The registration will open at 7 pm on Monday,5 Feb ’24.
Each participant, whether adult or child, has to be registered individually. Please do not include a spouse or other family member in the registration.
If there are children to be registered, please give their names and age (on separate registrations) on the form, registering separately for them. You will have to use a different mobile no. for each registration.
Selected participants will be confirmed ONLY when they join the WA group for the walk. Further instructions/guidelines will be given on the WA group.
IMPORTANT, please read and fill fhe form carefully:
Please fill all fields. FULL NAME required (there are often two identical first names like Srinivas or Pirya, etc.) Improperly filled forms will have to be disqualified for selection.
2.. Please give only a mobile no.on which you use WhatsApp. Selected participants will be added to the WA group for the walk on that number.
Your proper postal address is required. “Bangalore” is not a valid address as everyone joining this walk is likely to be from Bangalore
4.. Please wait for the confirmation email which will also give the link to the WA group to join. This may take a little time as the KFD has to release the list. do not pass on the WA group joining link to others. The link will be reset after all the selected participants have joined the WA group.
Please check for the confirmation on the same email id that you have given on the form. PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER TOO .(There have been repeated problems with people not checking their spam folder and saying they have not got the email)
If you are not selected, please do not arrive at the Reserve Forest Office asking to be included. This is unfair to participants who have taken the effort to register. Unregistered/unconfirmed participants will have to sit in the office until the walk is concluded.
Welcoming you to the walk,
DCF/ACF/RFO, Bannerghatta. KBW volunteers
Selection email:
The Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bannerghatta, welcomes you to join the Biodiversity walk on Saturday, 23 December, ’23
Please go through all the information in this email carefully, as it is relevant.
Please confirm your participation by joining the WA group for the event on this link::
PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU ARE CONFIRMED FOR THIS WALK ONLY WHEN YOU JOIN THE WA GROUP.
(only ONE participant can use this link . Please do not add multiple people on this link. Those whose names are not on the KFD selection list will be removed from the WA group and not allowed to join the walk.)
If you are unable to join for the walk, please let me know at once, so that another participant can join.
( Kalkere Reserve Forest Office, off Bannerghatta Road)
Meeting Point time: 0615 hrs
(Several cars can be parked in the compound of the RFO, but car pooling is strongly recommended and will reduce the number of vehicles.)
The RFO is on the routes of all BMTC buses going through Bannerghatta Road (365, 366, 369,371, G4, etc.)
IMPORTANT:
Please report at the Reserve Forest Office, Kalkere (location given in the WA group description) for the first session, a little before the meeting time, in order to pay the cash, take the group photo, etc. The two groups will be accompanied by forest guards. Latecomers will not be able to join the walk.
Bring: Binoculars, cameras, bird books/apps, pads and pencils if you like to sketch or take notes.
Bring plenty of water as the weather is still warm in the daytime. You can fill up your water bottles during breakfast.
Washrooms are available on the first floor of the RF Office.
If you are driving, enter the gate and take the left-hand side path and drive down until you reach the forest office. The guards sometimes make you park near the gate, but tell them you are coming for the walk and drive in.
Both groups meet up at the office building after both parts of the walk: At 8.30am, to have breakfast and at 10.30am, to disperse.
Please do not bring unregistered friends or family members along. They will have to sit out the walk. KFD allows only those participants who have been selected AND have joined the WA group (registered children are allowed with their parents)
This is a forest area, so please ALWAYS keep with the group and do not stray away. (this is especially for those who are using cameras.) If you find something interesting or want to photograph it, please draw the attention of the volunteers to it, the whole group can stop. Do not stop without informing the group.
Please upload your images to the album, on this link:
Please feel free to email me with any other queries (mohandeepa@gmail.com). But please do not email me without reading all the information above, which has been given in detail.
Cheers,
Deepa Mohan for Kalkere Biodiversity Walk Volunteers.
and on behalf of the DCF/ACF, Bannerghatta Karnataka Forest Department.
Blue, Lesser Grass Blue, Pale Grass Blue, Tiny Grass Emigrant, Common Emigrant, Mottled Forget-me-not Jezebel, Common (both live and dead specimens) Pansy, Chocolate Pansy, Lemon Pierrot, Common Rose, Common Rose, Crimson Tiger, Blue Yellow, Common Grass Yellow, Small Grass
The Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bannerghatta, is pleased to announce the Kalkere Biodiversity Walk for January 2024
Where: Kalkere Reserve Forest
When: Saturday, 20 Jan ’24
Meeting Time: 6 15am.
The groups will start the walk by 6.15am. Each group will be accompanied by at least one Forest Guard/KFD official.
The walk is restricted to 40 people in 2 groups of 20 each.
Since sunrise is now later, we will have the walk in a single phase, from 6.15 to 9.30am.
There will be a forest entry fee of Rs.150 per participant (Children, and students who show valid ids, will be exempted.) The fee will be collected by the volunteers and given to the KFD staff (BY CASH) before the participant joins the walk.
Those who are interested in participating can register on the form at
(please read the instructions carefully before you fill the form)
The registration will open at 8.00 pm on Thursday, 11 Jan ’23 (it may be a few minutes later)
Each participant, whether adult or child, has to be registered individually. Please do not include a spouse or other family member in the registration.
If there are children to be registered, please give their names and age (on separate registrations) on the form, registering separately for them. You will have to use a different mobile no. for each registration.
Selected participants will be confirmed ONLY when they join the WA group for the walk. Further instructions/guidelines will be given on the WA group.
IMPORTANT, please read and fill the form carefully:
Please fill all fields. FULL NAME required (there are often two identical first names like Srinivas or Pirya, etc.) Improperly filled forms will have to be disqualified for selection.
2.. Please give only a mobile no.on which you use WhatsApp. Selected participants will be added to the WA group for the walk on that number.
Your proper postal address is required. “Bangalore” is not a valid address as everyone joining this walk is likely to be from Bangalore
4.. Please wait for the confirmation email which will also give the link to the WA group to join. This may take a little time as the KFD has to release the list. do not pass on the WA group joining link to others. The link will be reset after all the selected participants have joined the WA group.
Please check for the confirmation on the same email id that you have given on the form. * PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER TOO* .(There have been repeated problems with people not checking their spam folder and saying they have not got the email)
If you are not selected, please do not arrive at the Reserve Forest Office asking to be included. This is unfair to participants who have taken the effort to register. Unregistered/unconfirmed participants will have to sit in the office until the walk is concluded.
Welcoming you to the walk,
DCF/ACF/RFO, Bannerghatta. KBW volunteers
Selection email:
The Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bannerghatta, welcomes you to join the Biodiversity walk on Saturday, 20 Jan ’24
Please go through this email carefully. The information is relevant.
Please confirm your participation by joining the WA group for the event on this link:
PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU ARE CONFIRMED FOR THE WALK ONLY WHEN YOU JOIN THE WA GROUP. ‘ (Registered children who are not using mobile phones can come with their parents)
If you are unable to join, please let me know at once, so that another participant can join.
(Several cars can be parked in the compound of the RFO, but car pooling is strongly recommended and will reduce the number of vehicles.)
The RFO is on the routes of all BMTC buses going through Bannerghatta Road (365, 366, 371, G4, etc.)
IMPORTANT:
Please report at the Reserve Forest Office, Kalkere (location given in the WA group description) , a little before the meeting time, leaving yourself enough time to park the car, make the forest entry payment, set your cameras, and so on. . The two groups begin their walk at 6.30am and will be accompanied by forest guards. Latecomers will not be able to join the walk.
Bring: Binoculars, cameras, bird books/apps, pads and pencils if you like to sketch or take notes.
Bring plenty of water.. Water will also be provided at breakfast.
Washrooms are available on the first floor of the RF Office.
If you are driving, enter the gate and take the left-hand side path and drive down until you reach the forest office. The guards sometimes make you park near the gate, but tell them you are coming for the walk and drive in.
Both groups meet up at the office building after the walk, at 9.15 am. A simple breakfast will be served after the walk.
Please do not bring unregistered friends or family members along. The KFD has the list of registered participants who have joined the WA group. Others will have to sit out the walk.
This is a forest area, so please always keep with the group and do not stray away. If you find something interesting or want to photograph it, please draw the attention of the volunteers to it, the whole group can stop.
Please upload your images to the album, on this link:
Booked tickets on 12975 Mysore-Jodhpur Express (2nd a/c, cost around Rs.2650), W/L 8 till the date of departure (1310 hrs dep from City Station) got confirmed at 8am.
Return,booked on 12650 YPR (Yeshwantpur) Sampark Kranti Exp. W/L 5 till 1pm, so cancelled. Returned by New Diamond Bus from Nagpur to Hyderabad, overnight, cost Rs.1200 . Very difficult to get tickets. Guru managed with the help of a tout. He booked TSRTC (Telengana State Transport) double axle bus to Bangalore Majestic, very comfortable, cost Rs.1300
From Nagpur to Amaltas camp, shared taxi, 4 people with Ishita, Rs.900. From Amaltas Camp to Nagpur, shared taxi, cost Rs. 750 (4 people with Manjula Rao)
Taxi from Paradise stop to MGBS (Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station) Rs.65 (3 people)
No Airtel connectivity after Paoni. Only Jio works there, not even BSNL.
Got food poisoning, probably contaminated food at closing ceremony lunch (did not eat anything else). Suffered through the bus journeys as toilet stops are always an issue. Sick through the bus journeys back so no photos. Left my sweater on the bus. Got the TSTC website and got the driver’s number. Went back and found the cargo office, found the driver and the bus and got back the sweater!
Should book the train early as one registers for a survey. Can be cancelled later. Last minute waitlisted tickets cause problems.
We first walk along the bank of the reservoir and bird along the area, and then go to the valley.
We go down into the valley via granite steps. At the bottom, after we cross the small cascade, there is a single file path that can be tough to negotiate (some of us bird along this area without going along the further path.) This is not a circular walk. People are free to leave whenever they wish to (they will have to climb back up the stairs.) The view from the two pavilions on the way down is very good.
Washrooms available at the Mayura KSTDC hotel nearby, after 7am. (We don’t eat there as there is only omelettes available and they charge extra for parking as well.)
Bring: Binoculars, cameras, bird books/apps, pads/pencils if you like to take notes/sketch. Plenty of water, and snacks if you like to share (we do!)
We are usually asked to pay Rs.30 per vehicle when we are leaving after the outing. There may be a further charge if you park in the paid parking area of the Pearl Valley Mayura restaurant.
Those who would like to come on the outing, please join the WA group for this outing at
Deponti to the world 