Sunday, August 18, 2019

Agumbe 2019

Hingaara Nature Stay 2019





As I was busy in my Official work, casually called Dinesh regarding information needed about macro lenses, as conversation progressed i asked Dinesh when and what is your next programme/outing for Wildlife etc, he mentioned that during second saturday of June i am planning to visit Agumbe (Hingaara Homestay) will u join he asked, i said i will let u know by tomorrow, soon i called my good old friend (kuchiku) Mr. Vishwanath are u free this second saturday can we plan to visit Agumbe, immediately he agreed to join the programme, as i was little busy didn't call Dinesh and informed Vishwanath to have a word with Dinesh regarding Programme and further courses and finally we three decided to chart out programme for Agumbe, Dinesh informed to book the Bus tickets immediately as it was an weekend it will be full (Only SRS Travels Sleeper Coach is available to Agumbe).

and on Ramzan Day we decided to have a small meeting to discuss regarding the programme, we had discussion what are all things to bring for Macro Photography and we all finally ready, as I didn't have proper gear for Macro Lens,

Dinesh informed to me to buy a filter called Raynox DCR250 and then searched Amazon and Flipkart to buy these as we had little time to get this gear, finally i found it on Amazon and ordered a filter RAYNOX DCR 250 as i was an Prime Member the product came very next day 

Dinesh informed to bring the following items without fail,leech socks, rain boots, rain pants, raincoats, long umbrella, 100mm macro lens and extra pair of clothes,  we booked the tickets for 6th Night from Bangalore to Agumbe (Guddekeri) and return ticket to Bangalore on 9th Night

Day 01:  (06th June 2019)
I and Vishwanath met at Anandarao Circle SRS Bus Stand by 8-45 pm, as the bus is scheduled to leave at 11pm, I informed Vishwanath to be early to Bus Stand as Bangalore Traffic can not be predicted.  Severe Rain Started in Bangalore by 9-15 pm till 10-45 pm heavy rains lashed out Bangalore, Bus Left exactly by 11pm, Dinesh Joined in Yeshwanthpur and journey towards Agumbe started......


Day 02 : (07th June 2019)
Reached Agumbe by 6-30 am, Dinesh called Shashank (Owner of Hingaara Homestay), they sent vehicle we three reached the Homestay, had nice morning tea and freshned up and had breakfast Poori Saagu and Chitranna

Met Mr. Girish Gowda, Naturalist of Hingaara Home Stay, charted out the day's programme
Day -01 in and around Hingaara, Agumbe SunsetPoint, Malgudi Home etc
Day -02- in and around Kundadri Basadi Parshwanatha Swamy


Agumbe is a small hill village with very limited visitor accommodation, hence we stayed in ‘home stay’ @ Hingaara

Let have some little information about HOMESTAY

PROGRAMME STARTS HERE......

"Hingaara" - The Nature stay
(Home stay with a Difference)

a 350 year old heritage home. I am old and rocking! I have seen 5-6 generations in this house. The secret to my youth lies with the people who visit me. They come from all over the world and exchange travel stories, warmth and experiences. You are most welcome to stay in our cozy Malnad heritage house and experience the nature & rural life as it should be. We are a unique home stay; we focus and put sincere effort to give our guests the experience to remember for lifetime.

Information about AGUMBE

Agumbe is approximately 350 km west-northwest of Bangalore ( 6 hour drive) and is approximately 55 km from the Arabian Sea. As part of the Western Ghats mountain range, Agumbe lies in a UNESCO World Heritage Site (thank God for the same, as some sanity sure will prevail in the region, with regards to conservation) where we were served with awesome food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and southern hospitality

Highlight of this place is it’s location, good food & decent hospitality

Best part of the place is location, which is surrounded by lush greenery with no signs & sounds of traffic

Malabar pit viper, few lizards, fungi cup, wild flowers, and more. It was an interesting experience walking in thick darkness, following sounds of frogs, and searching for them based on the sounds. 

I was amazed at the speed and accuracy of Sri Girish was able to spot nightlife, and giving us opportunity and guiding how to photograph them.  It was taking about an hour to get everyone a chance to photography a snake in the round robin approach, all in the midst of rain and darkness















GREEN VINE SNAKE

Ahaetulla nasuta, also known as common vine snake and long-nosed whip snake, is a slender green tree snake found in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

It is not to be confused with Oxybelis fulgidus, "green vine snake" found in Central and South America. In Tamil, it is known as pachai paambu, In Marathi, it is known as shelati snake, among dozens of other vernacular names.

The green vine snake is diurnal and mildly venomous. This arboreal snake normally feeds on frogs and lizards using its binocular vision to hunt. They are slow moving, relying on camouflaging as a vine in foliage. The snake expands its body when disturbed to show a black and white scale marking. Also, they may open their mouth in threat display and point their head in the direction of the perceived threat.

The name Ahaetulla in Sinhala means 'eye plucker'. It earned this name, and similar ones in Tamil and Indian vernaculars, due to its habit of staring and striking at the eyes when picked up. It is believed that can blind its human victims.

The species is viviparous, giving birth to young that grow within the body of the mother, enclosed within the egg membrane. They may be capable of delayed fertilization (parthenogenesis is rare but not unknown in snakes) as a female in the London zoo kept in isolation from August, 1885 gave birth in August, 1888.



Kundadri is a hill (826 mt) with dense forests in the Western Ghats located in Shimoga District Karnataka State, India.It is 70 km from Udupi city. This hill is known for 17th century Jain temple dedicated to thirthankara and the place is known to have given shelter to Acharya Kundakunda during earlier centuries. The main deity of this temple is Parshwanatha, 23rd tirthankar. Two small ponds formed by the rock on one side of this temple provided water to earlier sages. Government of Karnataka joined hands with a philanthropist from Mumbai to construct an all-weather road to the top of the hill.



More than two thousand years ago, a jain sage named Kundakunda Acharya stayed here and prompted the birth of this jain holy place.A temple is constructed with stone statues of jain sages. As the place is secluded, there has been efforts to damage stone statues to find hidden treasure.


Transportation
Kundadri is at a distance of about 80 km. from the district headquarters, Shimoga and about 20 km from Thirthahalli town. From Shimoga, one has to take the National Highway NH-13 (Thirthahalli road) to reach Thirthahalli. Then take State Highway SH-1 (Agumbe Road) up to Guddekeri and then take left deviation. The total distance from Bangalore to Thirthahalli is 332 km. From Mangalore, one can take NH-13 to reach Thirthahalli. The distance from Mangalore to Thirthahalli is around 146 km. There are numerous mini-buses from Udupi to Thirthahalli. From Udupi railway station 86 km to Thirthahalli.The nearest railway station is in Shimoga. The nearest airport is Mangalore International Airport.



Malabar Pit Viper ( Trimeresurus malabaricus Jerdon, 1854 )










BULL FROG
The dorsal (upper) surface of the bullfrog has an olive-green basal color, either plain or with a mottling and banding of grayish brown. The ventral (under) surface is off-white blotched with yellow or gray. Often, a marked contrast in color is seen between the green upper lip and the pale lower lip. The teeth are tiny and are useful only in grasping. The eyes are prominent with brown irises and horizontal, almond-shaped pupils. The tympana (eardrums) are easily seen just behind the eyes and the dorsolateral folds of skin end close to them. The limbs are blotched or banded with gray. The fore legs are short and sturdy and the hind legs long. The front toes are not webbed, but the back toes have webbing between the digits with the exception of the fourth toe, which is unwebbed.

Bullfrogs are sexually dimorphic, with males being smaller than females and having yellow throats. Males have tympana larger than their eyes, whereas the tympana in females are about the same size as the eyes. Bullfrogs measure about 3.6 to 6 in (9 to 15 cm) from snout to vent. They grow fast in the first eight months of life, typically increasing in weight from 5 to 175 g (0.18 to 6.17 oz), and large, mature individuals can weigh up to 500 g (1.1 lb). In some cases bullfrogs have been recorded as attaining 800 g (1.8 lb) and measuring up to 8 in (20 cm) in length.




Malabar frog

The bicolored frog or Malabar frog (Clinotarsus curtipes) is a species of frog endemic in the Western Ghats of India. The tadpoles of the species are black and form dense and compact schools in slow moving streams in forested areas.


The lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus), also known as the bruh, is an Old World monkey endemic to the Western Ghats of South India. 

The hair of the lion-tailed macaque is black. Its outstanding characteristic is the silver-white mane which surrounds the head from the cheeks down to its chin, which gives this monkey its German name Bartaffe - "beard ape". The hairless face is black in colour. With a head-body length of 42 to 61 cm and a weight of 2 to 10 kg, it ranks among the smaller macaques. The tail is medium in length at about 25 cm, and has a black tuft at the end that is similar to a lion's tail, although this tuft is more pronounced in males than in females.





Gestation is approximately six months. The young are nursed for one year. Sexual maturity is reached at four years for females, and six years for males. The life expectancy in the wild is approximately 20 years, while in captivity is up to 30 years.







SUN SET POINT AT AGUMBE
CROWING GLORY AT HINAGAARA HOMESTAY




Dining Hall and Interpretation Hall






Mouth Watering Dishes






 I sincerely thank Mr. Shashank and Mr. Girish and All team of Hingaara for providing a nice stay and mouth watering dishes

For Further Details Please follow the  link-
http://www.hingaara.com


Contact
Shashank Hegde
Jayaram Hegde
Girish Gowda

ADDRESS
Guddekeri Post, Thirthahalli Taluk, 
Shimoga District, Karnataka. INDIA

EMAIL
Info@Hingaara.Com

PHONE :  
+91 94815 34099, 
+91 99006 02529,   
+91 94486 00096

WHATSAPP-99006 02529