Satchari National Park Naturewatch, Habiganj, January 2009

Dewdrops Shine: Satchari National Park
Habiganj, Bangladesh

23 Janaury 2009


It was a crazy idea! Well, how many would come out of home at 4:00 in the morning with the aim of seeing a jungle wake up?? Yes; we did the crazy thing! Actually for birders and wildlife enthusiasts, its not an unusual practice. Animals and birds are at their most active during the early part of the day. I got a similar experience from my visit to Lawachara National Park in 2008. So, the idea was actually not total guesswork. We had some experienced bird photographers with us, whose idea of going out very early didn’t surprise me too much. But it did put me in trouble in other places. I had to convince my family that it wasn’t actually a crazy idea after all. I still don’t know whether I was successful in my effort.

Since coming back from the great tour to Tanguar Haor, bird and wildlife began to attract me. And why not? This is the season to go out for such works. The weather is tolerable and lots of migratory birds are crowding various places. I had been to Lawachara and being very close to that place, Satchari National Park almost waived at me. I was thinking of an outing for the day, and Satchari came as the first choice. Its on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway and comes before Habiganj while we start from Dhaka. This small forest of some 243 hectares is also one-sixth of Lawachara, which is a small forest itself. But the real surprise of Satachari is its avifauna. It has 218 species of birds within such a small place. It’s a paradise for birdwatchers.

Collected some friends who were very enthusiastic about it. But I didn’t even know how to reach there. Desperately needed someone to guide us. And who better than the great Zamir Bhai!! I hadn’t been with too many birders in my life. But of those whom I’ve met, Zami Bhai was the craziest. He does exactly what is required of him to collect bird photos. His dedication cannot be doubted. He was on his toes to go and so was another crazy birder, Gazi Bhai. Those two had made many birding trips together. So, we three, Kamal, Arif and me, had a couple of great birders to accompany us! It would be a learning trip also.

As we planned; Zamir Bhai came down with his car and we came out of home sometime after 4:00AM. We took fuel and our main journey started by around 5:00AM. The main thing that worried us was fog. Just the day before, we saw perfect weather with excellent visibility. But coming out of home at those early hours was a real shock! Visibility was extremely bad and we began to count time. When we started our journey, we could hardly see anything ahead of us. Zamir Bhai is a good driver and he drove pretty slowly. We hardly had a sleep at night, yet, our eyes were glued to the windshield with concern! We had to do some guesswork regarding the right choice of road several times. And that choice wasn’t helped by the thick fog.

It didn’t really clear up that much until around 6:30AM when the sun began to smuggle some light through the thick curtain of mist. We finished our breakfast at a roadside restaurant (less than five-star quality) and began moving once more. My fingers were itching to click!! There were so many subjects flying past us and I was just looking! Well, we had a more important goal and that goal required continued driving. Zamir Bhai is an old visitor to Satchari. He even went there seven day in a row! He knew the forest like anything; but even he required some guide, as he hadn’t been to the place during the last one year. He called Palash, a local trained guide, over phone and told him to be ready. Palash was trained by Nishorgo, a USAID-funded project aimed at sustained conservation and development of our forest resources.


Welcome to Satchari!!........ Entrance to the one-hour trail.......

We reached Satchari by around 8:05AM. It was foggy. Though the surrounding area was full of tea gardens, we couldn’t see a thing. We arrived at the forest almost without a warning. It just arrived in front of us! Palash was already waiting for us there. We parked our car and started walking. Palash took time to show us the activity of the primates. This is the time when the primates are at their most active. We watched several primate families around the highway. The highway actually goes through the northern edge of the forest. Some of those primates were on the northern side of the highway although the main forest lies south of the highway. Palash showed us the Pig-tailed Mccauqe. In that low light condition in the trees, we could at best notice that there were some primates in the trees. It wasn’t that easy for us to identify their species. We also saw some Capped Langurs. They moved and made sounds. Zamir Bhai was remembering his infamous welcome from these animals during a previous visit, when they were being thrown various stuff from the trees. Anyway, we proceeded. We walked along the highway northward; searching for the trail that would take us deep into the jungle.

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Misty morning at Satchari..........01

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Art of Nature..........01

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Just like the witch-tree!!

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Bamboo chaos!!



Sound of dewdrop shower.........


It would be hard to describe the mystery surrounding those mist-covered threes. The road vanished into that ghostly haze and the trees barely announced their presence. It was a perfect setting for a thriller movie! We found our trail soon enough and entered the forest proper by around 8:45AM. Anticipating some mobile phone network problems, we finished our talk before we vanished into the forest. The entrance to the forest was full of leaning bamboo trees, almost creating a gate of nature. And there were birds composing the welcome tune! Couldn’t help recording the sound of that. We crossed one of the several wooden bridges there. These bridges are built across some narrow streams that were completely dry at that time. Needless to say, these streams are quite a handful during the rainy season. The appearance of Satchari wasn’t too different from that of Lawachara. My experience at Lawachara told me what to expect in a rain forest. Yet, I couldn’t hide my excitement. I continued to enjoy the beautiful tone of Nature and the mystery of the environment. The continuous sound of dewdrops on dead leaves amazed me most. I couldn’t help recording that beautiful music.



Laughingthrush sound.........


Our first find was a noisy bird in the bushes. The bird was making some really interesting noise, but we couldn’t see it. I was able to take a peek at the yellowish bird through very thick vegetation. Our birdwatchers identified the bird as a kind of Laughingthrush. We were able to record the sound of the bird, but failed to shoot a picture. This was one of those encounters that would be repeated many times throughout our hiking. This was the same experience I got at Lawachara. There too, we were able to hear many types of birds, but we could hardly see them. Vegetation here is very thick and the trees are so high that a bird sitting on top of a tree would be difficult to see even with good equipment.



Barking Deer sound............

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Art of Nature.........02

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Spiderweb..........01

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Ant-house!!!

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Art of Nature.........03

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Art of Nature.........04

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Art of Nature.........05

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Art of Nature.........06

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Art of Nature.........07



By around 9:20AM, Palash alerted us to listen to Barking Deer. It certainly sounded like a dog! And that’s why its called Barking Deer. Our hiking took us past numerous spider webs. I hadn’t noticed that many spider webs at Lawachara. At Satchari, they were noticeably more in number than at Lawachara. We took our time painstakingly documenting the spiders in our way. The spider webs were also something to see. Dewdrops on those webs formed pearls in the air! They looked like latest designs from international design houses! Their beauty and complexity made me wonder how small we are in terms of making things. All our achievements go down the drain when Nature defeats us with these simple creations. And how dare we that we proceed to destroy the things that we can never make! That’s foolish arrogance!

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Spiderweb..........02

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Spiderweb..........03...... this was the biggest spider web I had seen!!

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

They also dwell at Satchari...........

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Collective presence!!

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Not bigger than a waterdrop!!

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Big antennae........



On the way, I discovered the biggest spider web that I have seen in my life! It was hanging from a tree and didn’t have the spider on it. But it was huge! It was several feet in length. By around 10:20AM, we found a bit of an oasis! It wasn’t pleasant to see some clearings right in the middle of the forest though. We spent some time there recuperating. Also started a bit of competition to find as many species of insects as we could find. Zamir Bhai was always leading!

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Spiderweb..........04

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Believe me, its a spider and its alive!!

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Noisy dwellers of Satchari........01 (Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher)

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Noisy dwellers of Satchari........02 (ID please!!)

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Small but stylistic!


By 10:45AM, we were on the move once more. Soon, we found a particularly interesting spider. To the untrained eye, the spider might look like a dead one or even the prey itself! It had an uncanny ability to fool its victim or predator alike! We spent some time photographing that marvel. By around 11:30AM, we arrived at a place where we got convinced that we could get glimpses of quite a few birds. The birds were very busy, so we had a tough time shooting them even with our big lenses. We brought out our field guides to get some instant ID. And we got ID on at least three species.

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Art of Nature.........08

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo........ have a look at its exotic tail....



We moved on when we thought we had disturbed them enough. Our voices probably also gave them enough scare. The hiking got a bit harder after that. We had to do a bit of climbing. It wasn’t too easy with all the heavy photographic equipment hanging from our shoulders and neck. But the hard work paid off by around 12:30PM. We spotted a single Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo. Its exclusive tail made it my catch of the day. It was hard shooting the bird, with all the undergrowth restricting my view. We also spotted 4/5 other species of birds there. Even Hill Myna was there, as spotted by Palash. But we failed to get a real glimpse of them. As usual, we could hear more than we could see.

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

The crime scene!!

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Evidence!!



One thing that I cannot help mentioning is that we’ve witnessed the same pathetic logging at Satchari. We heard people cutting down trees and saw numerous freshly-cut trees. I’m not whom to blame here. But simple blame game wouldn’t be able to save the rare species that call this place home. I’ve seen this at Lawachara and now, I’ve seen this here too. It breaks my heart and makes me wonder what we are about to leave for our next generations.

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Who lives in there??


By around 1:00PM, we arrived at something like a cliff! When we climbed a pretty much vertical surface (almost 60 degrees) that had no support on it, we knew we would have to come down from there. So, when we arrived in front of an even steeper fall, the shock was just a wee bit lesser than absolute. Some of us wanted to go down. It must’ve been at least 40 feet at 70 degrees with no support whatsoever. Others objected. Palash suggested an alternative route, which took us through thick undergrowth and through yet another cliff, which was a wee bit easier to negotiate. We were constantly worried that someone might lose his footing and take all the others below with him. But fortunately, we were able to reach the flat trail once more. The trail that we had been negotiating, was a relatively new one. It still had stems of cut-down plants and its surface, wherever steep, didn’t have any support. And there was constant fear of losing grip.

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Spiderweb..........05

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Spiderweb..........06

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

The giant!!........ This was the biggest spider we saw at Satchari of the day......

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Deadly, but colourful.......

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Evil mark left by humans........ Whoever is reading this, please help stop these nonsense activities.......

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Spiderweb..........07

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Primates go about their activities.........01 (Capped Langur)

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Spreading wings........

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Colours of Satchari........



It was around 1:30PM and we were well on our way back. Palash’s tough detour saved us some time. Our aim was to leave the place as soon as possible. It was necessary for a quick return to Dhaka. We still went on shooting as we walked. By around 2:00PM, spotted some Capped Langurs on our way back. We also clicked yet more spiders. We got our biggest spider of the day. Don’t know the species, but it certainly was big, black and majestic. Other smaller ones also didn’t disappoint. Their colours and designs were truly wonderful. Nature is not just beautiful here, its intelligent and deadly too!

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Primates go about their activities.........02 (Rhesus Macaque)

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Primates go about their activities.........03 (Rhesus Macaques)

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Catching the sun........

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Face-to-face......... (Common Myna)

We reached the end of our hiking by around 2:40PM. Spotted some Rhesus Macaques in very much playful mood. We ended our day of shooting with them. By that time, we were pretty tired. Didn’t have a lot to eat whole day. Took some rest and boarded the car by around 3:15PM.

From Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

Tea gardens...... we completely missed them in the fog!


This was the when we began to realize what the mist kept from us. We raced through tea gardens and the vanishing layers in the horizon forced me to think that it might not have been a very bad idea to stop the car. But we had our priority once again. Reaching Dhaka within a reasonable time was first priority. We stopped by a roadside restaurant and a late lunch. It was refreshing. Generated enough energy to reach home safely. The return journey wasn’t as exciting as the journey in, but was enjoyable. With the kind of adventurers I had on that day as my biddies, it was never boring. It was hard work, but great fun. It was interesting as well as inspiring. It almost seemed liked a teaser for more visits there. And the sound of those dewdrops would push me until I pay another visit there.

P.S. This blog contains only some of the images from the tour. For more pictures, please visit the following link:
Satchari National Park, Habiganj, January 2009

For a collection of videos, please visit the follwoing link:
Satchari National Park Playlist

Jaflong & Madhobkunda, August 2006

Those Mist-covered Mountains......

04-05 August 2006

It was too early when I reached Kulaura Railway Junction. Dawn had some way to go. So I waited; waited until it cleared up a little. I started to move around the station and when finally it was clear enough, I brought out my camera.


Dawn at Kulaura Junction........ 5:19AM






the structures of the rail station provide the living place for some........... for them anything suffices.......... even an open space under the covered foot-overbridge..........

I took my breakfast at a nearby restaurant; watched them open their shop actually. Wasted some time in the nearby areas just to make sure that I wasn't too early for Madhobkunda Eco Park. My aim was to reach Madhobkunda by 9:00AM. So, I was already travelling by 8:00AM. I reserved a three-wheeler taxi for the whole return journey. I didn't want to take any chances with the availability of vehicles at the Park.


On my way to Madhobkunda.........


A Part of the great Hakaluki Haor wetlands......


Tea plantations just outside Madhobkunda Eco Park.........

I was at Madhobkunda by around 9:00AM. It rained quite recently;so, the roads were wet and sometimes muddy. But rain made the place even more beautiful. It was green all around. Nature was at her best. The flow of water by the road reminded of the waterfall nearby. The road actually went along the stream.


The picturesque road through Madhobkunda Eco Park.......


Nature was showing her colours that day..........


The stream at the Park.......

When I reached Madhobkunda Waterfall, I realised the advantage of reaching a place first. There was nobody there. There was me and nature; none in between. It was rainy season and the fall was at her best. The sound was loud, but cheerful. tiny water droplets covered my face and reminded of the difficulty of photography in this environment. But did I come here to keep my camera confined in my bag? What the heck? It was too grand a subject to ignore. The stones around the place were wet and slippery. I had to be careful. Still I managed to slip and got myself hurt a little, not too seriously though. I was able to treat myself, as I always carry some first aid with me while travelling.


The queen of Madhobkunda..........



There was a concrete tower almost beside the fall. I presume it was there to help people watch the fall from a little bit of height. I wanted to go up that tower. But all my efforts went down the drain. I simply couldn't find the key with anyone there. Somehow the tower has been a show, and nothing more. Anyway, I went to the small restaurant that the park authorities maintain. There was a narrow concrete stair that went up beside the restaurant. When I inquired, they told me that this stair goes right to the top of the hill and the height is good enough to allow a view of Sylhet City, some 50km away. I got interested. I began to climb. But after a while, I realised that it was not possible to achieve this with all my baggage. And the stairs also got a little scary actually. It was almost like going up through a horror movie setting! I decided to come back. Talked to the people at the restaurant once more. They gave me assurance that this hill is climbed by typical tourists everyday. They gave me strength and recommended a climb, even though it may be a little tiring. I gathered strength once again. After having some refreshments, I left my baggage at the restaurant, took a bit of refreshment and my two cameras with me.


The way up........


Steps down from the heavens........

It was a long walk. I paused at every possible place. But it wasn't ending. My cameras became burdens. They were cutting my neck off! My feet were hardly moving. Then I discovered that a couple of young men, tourists actually, were coming down quickly. They mentioned that they got scared and couldn't climb to the top. I got curious. Why on earth would they get scared? If they were afraid of height, they shouldn't have climbed it in the first place. Actually this was the end of the concrete stairs. I had climbed almost 450 steps. I was tired. Now its the turn of the muddy steps. The restaurant people told me that the last few steps are not paved, but its worth going up. I looked around and found that there was no way I could take a panoramic pic from that place. There were too many trees around. And the trees were so dense that I could hardly see how high that place was.


The second waterfall of Madhobkunda, seen from the top........


A view from the top........ great wetlands of Sylhet can be seen in the distance....

Anyway, I began to climb again. It was muddy. And it rained last night. So, it was soft. The height of the muddy stairs began to go up. Now I was literally climbing! And now I started to realise why those two guys said they got scared. Because that scare gripped me too! I stopped; I stopped right in the middle of the stairs. Turned back and found out how high that place was. I could see the second waterfall of Madhobkunda that is not visible from all angles. I could see the great wetlands far away. Even though I couldn't get a panoramic shot, my heart allowed my cameras no more than this much. I took some shots from this place and began to go down slowly. It was around 10:15AM. The stairs were not just scary, they got risky after last night's rain. One slip and people could find me at the bottom of the hill!! My climbing at Madhobkunda was finished.


On the way from Kulaura to Sylhet........ a journey by train



By around 10:45AM I was on the move once again; going towards Kulaura. I reached there in about an hour. I began look for the alternatives available to me to reach Sylhet. Sylhet is around 50km from Kulaura. The best option seemed available to me at that moment, was the railway. The train to Sylhet leaves Kulaura at 12:30PM. So, I jumped in and began to enjoy the nice views that Sylhet always has to offer.

Reaching Sylhet I found a goodish hotel and took some rest. I planned to go to Sylhet Eco Park near the airport in the afternoon. I went there in 1997. That memory waived at me once more.

Sylhet Eco Park is a nice place to spend your afternoon. Not too far from Sylhet City, which adds some advantage to the place. During the previous visit there I saw the airport from hill top. I could see airplanes flying from the airport. But this time around, I found the hill-tops completely covered with trees. The trees were so dense that I could hardly find a place from where I could take a picture of the surrounding place. There was a nice little amusement park for children set up at the bottom of the hills. But I decided to stay on top as long as I was there. I saw the sun going down; going down pretty quickly, in fact. I stayed there almost up to 6:45PM. Then it was time to call it a day.

I had quite a hectic day. Had a night journey by train and started the day before dawn. Went up the hill and came to Sylhet by train. And then went out in the afternoon once more. I needed rest. I had big plans for the next day. I had to be strong to make the tour a success.


rain over tea gardens, on the way to the north-eastern border region of Jaflong.....


rain-soaked roads on the way to the north-eastern border region of Jaflong......


children running.........


stone crushers on the way to Jaflong.......

The next day, 05 August, I started early. It was raining from the start actually. But I decided not to change my plan. Jaflong is a beautiful place by the Indian border. I went there only once before. But that was way back. The memories needed to be refreshed. I just can't let weather dictate terms here. I boarded a small human hauler and began my journey. It rained for a large part of my journey. But just like Madhobkunda Eco park, the picturesque road to Jaflong was a beauty. While we neared Jaflong, we could see the distant hills of Indian state of Meghalaya. There were quite a few stone crushing plants by the road. Stones were quarried from the Jaflong River and brought here for processing.


Those mist-covered mountains........




The beautiful Jaflong River........


Gravels of the Jaflong River..........


Boats in the Jaflong River.........


Rain clearing up over the hills..........


Right over there is the Indian border........


Waterfalls along the Meghalaya hills......


Indian settlements on the Meghalaya hills......

I reached Jaflong during a drizzle. It was almost noon. At least, it wasn't too much rain! I held my umbrella up, but I also brought out my camera. How could I miss those beautiful clouds hanging over the hills? They reminded me of the song from Dire Straits: "Those most covered mountains are a home now for me.........." It was an amazing sight. The Jaflong River flowed under these rain clouds with the half-blind hills on guard. Winter months never produce sights like these. One has to come here during the rainy season to enjoy the beauty of rain.

I quietly continued with my photography until around 1:00PM. I had a bus to catch at Sylhet for Dhaka. So, had to leave the place. These amazing hills didn't want me to go. But sadly enough, I had to leave; may be until another time.

Those mist covered mountains......
Are a home now for me........
But my home is the low lands.......
And it always will be....... (Brothers in Arms: Dire Straits)