Look! And Thou Shall Find!

At times I get this sense that life is constantly conspiring to give a photographer a hard time …. I mean it is not uncommon for us to find ourselves in a situation where everything falls into place - just perfect!! - but nothing works, regardless 😠

Yesterday was one such day for me. I decided to arrive my usual haunt earlier than usual – at 5.30AM. I am aware that that is an unGodly hour to attempt to do any photography – I mean lighting would be so poor. But my pursuit was not photography as such – I wanted to see if some uncommon moths can be sighted in the wee hours. My thinking was that maybe I can see them before the resident birds consume them for breakfast.

And I was right! I did see a beautiful lifer (in bird watching/bird photography, a lifer is when a new bird is sighted/photographed for the first time) – lodged inside a dim crevice. It was nothing short of Bo Derek in her sublimal prime! Alas! as excited as I was, there was no way I was going to be able to photograph it. So, I gingerly went about trying to coax it out of the crevice so that I have it in full view. It was game – it did crawl out of the dank hole and presented itself in its entirity. What a moth!! Sadly, the light was so dim …. I could barely see its outline.

So, given that there is nothing else I could do, I sat down in front of the moth – and, like a vigilant sentinel, I decided to keep a patient watch over it. The long wait began ..... I waited, and waited and waited ---- for the morning light to improve. Finally, by around 6.20AM – after about 50 minutes of patiently keeping watch over it - the light was good enough …. so I began shooting the beautiful, uncommonly shaped and bi-colored moth. Thank God!! the moth was completely pliable – I first shot its Left Profile:

… Then I gently twirled it around so I could shoot its Right Profile:

 … Then I shot its Back/Top Profile so that I have its full wing pattern:

… and finally I went down on my belly and shot its Snout as well - the Frontal Profile!! It was pretty crazy … I mean no one shoots a moth’s snout – in fact I did not know that it had a snout – but it turns out that it actually does – the following will prove it .... and what a SNOUT!:

By the way, the moth is called Green Fruit-piercing Moth (Eudocima salaminia), a moth belonging to Erebidae within the superfamily Noctuoidea.

ENJOY!!!

Celebrating Life & Life Forms

There can be absolutely no doubt - the month of June has got to be very special – atleast for Bhutan and the Bhutanese people. Everything seems to be falling into place during this month – I mean look at the number of events that have been celebrated during this month – I have lost count. Some of them are still ongoing!

But for me personally, something that is truly fulfilling, is the documentation and release, early this month, of three powerful books of meaning and celebration – books that prove that Bhutan and the Bhutanese people matter – that even in the face of utter helplessness, that even when we are quite sure that humanity cannot help but bring doom to itself through our greed and recklessness, that we care – and that we are willing to give it a try, nonetheless.

Two books released by the Royal Society for Protection of Nation (RSPN) documents two of the world’s rare birds: one bird - the Black-necked Crane – a bird that has been rescued from the brink of extinction and, another, the White-bellied Heron – a bird that, from all indications, is headed for extinction.

The Black-necked Crane
The bird is still in the IUCN's (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Near Threatened list – but happily it is now out of the Vulnerable list – thanks to the efforts of Bhutan’s earliest environmental NGO – RSPN, in collaboration with other range countries.

But I suspect that Bhutan has paid a heavy price in the process. I fear that the beautiful valley of Phobjikha – the principal wintering grounds for the birds – is terminally ill and needs urgent resuscitation. I believe that it was in part because of the restrictions put on the valley - in our relentless quest to protect and safeguard the Black-necked Cranes.

The White-bellied Heron
This is the world’s rarest heron. Its global population is said to be fewer than 60 birds. Bhutan holds the pride of place as the country with the largest known and recorded population of this near-extinct birds. As of this year, we have 31 of these birds. This places huge responsibility on Bhutan. Due solely to the competent and dedicated stewardship by the RSPN, the birds’ population has seen steady rise over the years. But this could change fast.

RSPN’s book on the bird released early this month is a peerless record and science on everything related to the birds. I am proud that minuscule Bhutan can actually produce such a towering work – the invaluable information and knowledge related to everything about the birds contained in this book is unmatched anywhere else in the world. RSPN does the country proud – and their many donors who have contributed generously.

Birds of Bhutan - Habitat and Distribution
The third book I speak of – published by Bhutan Birdlife Society (BBLS) is another humongous book – it features beautiful photographs of a staggering 611 bird species found in Bhutan. I mean that is close to 80% of the total birds so far recorded in the country!! That is a near impossible feat. As a bird photographer myself, I am aware as to what it takes to achieve such a record. What a book!

The sum total of these three books go to prove that Bhutan is a country worth protecting ….. and fighting for. Let no one tell you otherwise!

Herding Tourists To The East

Every National Assembly session since the advent of Constitutional Monarchy in 2008, one subject that has been discussed with unerring regularity on the floor of Bhutan’s august National Assembly Hall, is the matter relating to promotion of tourism in the East of the country.

But this NA session saw one Member of Parliament – a Cabinet Member, no less – express a view that was in complete deviance to what has been consistently voiced by a string of MPs from the East - that the government needs to do more to promote tourism in the East. The Hon’ble MP under reference was explicit that it made no sense – that people should focus more on each Dzongkhag’s distinctive strong points – that tourism as an economic activity is not, cannot be, a fit for every Dzongkhag in the country.

The MP I am speaking of is His Excellency the Finance Minister Lyonpo Lekey Dorji.

Precisely the point I have been making through this very blog!!!! – that it makes better sense to fatten the cow with proven milk giving potential, than to lay bets on bulls that haven’t exhibited any visible attributes of promise.

Looks like only Khengpa’s are capable of thinking straight – or thinking at all.

Jokes aside, I accept that those who are relentless in their push for tourism in the East, they mean well and that they have the best interest of the people at heart. We cannot fault them on that account. However, they do have to bear in mind that good intentions are nothing more than a thin cloak in a thick winter. Understanding ground realities is important. They do have to understand that the road to good intentions is, most often, paved with dead bodies.

In the hope that people have a proper understanding of why the charming East has failed to appeal to tourists, let me present the following realities:

~  According to the latest figures released by the TCB/DoT, tourists spend no more than an

    average of 4-5 nights in Bhutan (2025 figures).

~  Round trip travel time to the east takes 4 days – minimum;

~  Clearly, time seems to be of essence - not money. Meaning that even if reduced

    SDF is offered, there may not be any takers – because of the travel time involved in

    journeying to the East;

~  Most importantly, what can the East offer that is different and distinct from that

    which the West can offer - within the same time frame?

To me, it seems like we need to be a bit more creative, rather than constantly harping on the need to reduce the SDF. For instance, if we care, perhaps the thing to do is to think of how to reduce travel time!

Now don’t tell me about Yonphula airport – taking a flight to Yonphula is like the roll of the dice – one could very well end up with a Joker instead of an Ace!