More at http://www.sanctuaryasia.com |In the Field
This Rufous-bellied Woodpecker drilling sap wells will use the brush-like tip of its tongue to lick
the tree sap.Dense canopy cover is especially important in supporting greater species diversity. Excessive lopping opens up
the canopy signifi cantly, becoming a cause for concern.TARUN MENONhit by excessive fuelwood and fodder
extraction. This is a cause for concern,
because pine forests support a lower
faunal diversity than oak forests.
What is more, chir is also fi re-prone.
Its highly infl ammable dry needles and
cones that litter the forest fl oor cause
devastating fi res every summer.
OAK FORESTS AND THEIR
BIRDLIFE
For my master’s thesis, I spent six months
in these hills, with fellow-researcher and
fi eld assistant Ritobroto. We wanted
to understand how these extractive
activities aff ected the structure of
the oak forests and consequently the
diversity of resident bird species in the
mid-altitudes of the Kumaon Himalaya. I
teamed up with the Centre for Ecology
Development and Research (CEDAR)
since my study fi t neatly into their larger
project focused on the eff ects of land-
use change on faunal species in Kumaon.
Their help and involvement were critical
to my study design.
Once I had my sites in place, I had
to record the birds found within a 30 m.
radius. Counts began at dawn and driving
a scooter on frosty winter mornings to
our study sites, often 15 km. away, was
an unforgettable experience (especially
for my fi ngers).
This was the fi rst time I was birding
in the Himalaya and while sighting of
the 150 or so species was not always
possible in the dense understory, we
were able to confi rm the presence of
most by their calls, probably the most
challenging and rewarding part of my
fi eld work. The incessant cry of the Great
Barbet resonating through the hills, the
cacophony of the gregarious White-
throated Laughingthrush and the almost
inaudible high-pitched whistle of the
Bar-tailed Treecreeper are etched in myIntroduced in 1921, every village
or village cluster has a legally
demarcated patch of forest, which
is managed by an elected van
panchayat, and its natural resources
shared by the village communities.