Starting from the southern tip of Gujarat, traversing through the States of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala and ending at the southern tip of Tamil Nadu is one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. This 16,000-km-long range of hills and dales, called Western Ghats, runs parallel to the beautiful west coast of India. Some of the flora and fauna in this region is endemic and unique to this place. Unfortunately, this 7,953.15 sq km. expanse houses random sanctuaries and national parks interspersed with barren patches formed due to reckless mining and deforestation.
Much before it acquired the coveted UNSECO World Heritage Site tag on July 1, a few scientists have been fascinated by this region. They have made repeated forays into these dense forests for in-depth studies for decades. Even amateurs have been working silently over the years on cataloguing various flora and fauna.
Recently, Dr. K. Prabhakar Achar and Shivashankar, who hail from the region, have come out with a compact bi-lingual volume on the avifauna of coastal and hinterland Karnataka Birds of Southern Coastal Karnataka . The book’s novelty lies in the photographs of birds shot in the wild and its bilingual approach. While Dr. Achar is a biologist by profession, Shivashankar is a software engineer who took up the arduous task of data collection and photo editing. In a freewheeling interview, amateur birdwatcher and environmentalist Shivashankar says he prefers to be in the jungles in his free time chasing winged wonders.
What provoked an engineer to bring out a book on birds? When did you take up bird photography?
I used to spend my free time taking photographs of birds in my backyard at Karkala near Mangalore. In 2004, when I came back following a stint in the U.S. and Singapore, I again gradually took up bird photography and ended up exploring various bird habitats in and around my hometown. After four years, I realised that my collection of bird photos was quite substantial. Once I acquired the necessary equipments and paraphernalia for bird photography, there was no looking back.
How long did it take to prepare the draft for the first and second editions?
The first book was named Birds of Dakshnina Kannada and it took two years to complete it with the help of Bhuvanendra Nature club, Mangalore. It had black and white drawings of 212 birds. The successor to that book is named Birds of Southern coastal Karnataka. The second edition also took two years for data mining, photo shooting and editing.
What was the objective behind authoring the books?
Apart from educating students and scholars alike about the wealth of birds in the region, the book would also be a photo guide for information seekers. I hope it spreads awareness and contribute to nature conservation.
Can you share an experience where you tracked a bird for long to click its photograph?
The Sri Lankan Frogmouth, a nocturnal bird is very hard to find. I had to conduct several surveys to locate its presence and wait patiently during dusk when they are active. Once it was located, I spent more than 15 days to find the right spot to shoot the bird using flashlight by night. My wife and two kids were along with me when I shot the first photo of a Frogmouth. That was a memorable day for me.
Which areas did you cover for photographing birds?
Mangalore, Mulki, Udupi, Kundapur, Karkala, Moodabidri, Agumbe, Kudremukh, Puttur, Belthangadi, Sullia and all other part of the Western Ghats.
Which of the all the 224 species depicted in photos and the checklist of 389 bird species indicated mentioned in the books is your favourite?
Malabar Trogon, a brilliantly coloured forest bird but elusive and rarely photographed. Only few good photos of these birds are available as of today and it adorns the cover of the book.
Have your photographs been published elsewhere?
I have contributed images/articles to India Birds magazine and books like Rainforest Safari (Carlton Books Ltd), Glimpses from India’s Natural World (Broadway publishers), Birds of Kolkata and many more.
Do you plan any more books on nature in the future?
Yes. I am planning to cover the variety of butterflies, plants and trees, maybe mammals as well in this rich bio-diverse region.
