New Fodder for the Canon

I had sold off the Tokina 11-16 to Sujan a few weeks ago because it was too specialist a lens really. I wasn't using it much. Another major problem with the lens is that it's so wide you can't use flash with it. I have been wanting a good all purpose sort of walk about lens. And it had to be 77 mm and L. One of the problems of using an L is that you cannot buy anything less than that. I liked the idea of 24-105 but it's expensive. Tanvir said he had a used 24-70. Went to his shop to take a look and brought it home. Sixth February, 2014 to be precise.

The first impression after holding the lens in hand is, oh my God this is heavy. It is 950 gms to be precise. On POTN they call it "the brick". And on it I have added the UV filter and the CPL. So adds that much to it.

After some test shots in the room last night I am fairly happy with the lens. Obviously has some usage mark and looks old. Perhaps it has been cleaned. But it is reasonably sharp for me. Only grouse is, it is absolutely useless if you are using it wide open for something that is close. For objects that are at a reasonable distance, it's fine even at 2.8.

I think this lens is going to stay on the 450D permanently now and most definitely it is going to Sandakphu. Will have to think about selling off the kit lens. High time. Feeling a bit sorry for the Tamron 90 mm. It will be used less now. Have to devote more time to macro photography to use it. 

Big Boy's Latest Toy

I had been toying with the idea of getting a spotting scope for sometime. I guess ever since I birded in Goa's Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary earlier in 2013. I was staying in the resort Backwoods with two more guests from Germany. Their approach to birding, I found, was totally different. The moment they saw a bird they would stop and pull out their binoculars. They would observe the bird thoroughly from the distance without disturbing it. If it was really far and sitting quiet on a well lit perch they would take the spotting scope out and set it up on a tripod and would observe the bird for a long time. If opportunities arose and the conditions were right, they would bring out their camera and take a few photographs. That was the last priority really.

I was adequately impressed. 

Birding to us is something quite different. The moment we see a bird we try to get as close as possible, taking photographs along the way. We try to get closer and closer, taking what we call the insurance shots, till the bird flies away. The photographs are good or bad depending upon the photographer's field craft. We hardly observe the birds or even try to identify them from their physical attributes. We would do that later by analysing our photographs on the computer at home. Getting a good photograph is of utmost importance to us.

This is certainly another approach but much loathed by most serious birders worldwide. To me identifying a bird from its photograph is the easy, and as of now the only, way out. But I don't want to remain that way. 

I recently saw on Amazon that Vanguard, the Chinese brand of sporting optics, tripods and camera bags, has introduced the Endeavour HD 82A for a price of Rs 38k plus. The reviews on B&H were decent. I found out the distributor was Nikita and their Calcutta guy Jasraj Bishnoi told me to get it from Irfan-bhai's Foto Lite in Metro gulli. Irfan-bhai quote a big discount on the Amazon price.

I put my Tokina 11-16 up for sale and found a ready buyer in Sujan. And finally with that money and a bit more I got the scope today. I have already fixed my spare Manfrotto plate on it. I checked the scope out from the rooftop this evening. Have to try it out in day light one of these days. The scope's field test will happen perhaps at Henry's Island in a couple of weeks. Have to book the hotel quickly :-)

Coppersmith Barbet

26th Feb, 2012 at Piyali Island Village Resort

A cute little Coppersmith Barbet has taken shelter in our neighbourhood. I have been hearing its characteristic calls for quite a few weeks. I had even tried to record it unsuccessfully a few days ago. On that occasion I hadn't used the microphone and there was a lot of ambient noise disturbance as well.

Got successful today. The microphone adds a distinct hum to the recording. In the same recording I also got a common tailorbird. But posted that as a separate file on xeno-canto. I recorded in the highest possible resolution.

This particular barbet's call is interesting because the bird gets its English name from its call.

Click here to listen to the recording on xeno-canto.

More of Big Boy's Toys

I have got it at last. Ever since my Foretrex 101's small spring in the battery chamber broke I have been meaning to replace it. Today got the eTrex 10 by courtesy of Suranjanadi. The cost is Canadian $114.10. Took several photographs as I unpacked the box. Loaded the batteries and acquired satellites from the rooftop and then registered the product on their website. Here are my first impressions.

1. The look is great but the feel is rather cheapo. Its very plastic. However, at about $100 you can't expect anything more. I just hope that it's not as brittle as it feels like. 
2. Opening the battery chamber is fairly easy. There is a knob behind that you turn 90 degrees and the back cover opens. Inserting the batteries was a little tricky. It felt a little too tight. Hopefully it will ease up. This task is pretty tough in the Foretrex 101. You need a penny to open the chamber. Indian coins don't work. In fact I have a US coin in my wallet for this purpose.
3. The instruction manual comes in 7 different languages. But thankfully each language is a separate booklet. English was on top. 
4. Satellite acquisition was pretty fast. 

Why did I buy the eTrex 10? Because of its no frills and bare bone nature. I don't really need maps and other fancy capabilities. I intend on buying a Nuvi for my car at a later stage which will have elaborate all India maps. But for hiking and general birding trips an affordable replacement for my basic Foretrex 101 is what I was looking for. The eTrex 10 is an improvement over that in the sense it has USB connectivity. Apparently the computer will read it as just another storage device. Let me see. 

I shall acquire some way points today and then see how it can be transferred to the computer.

In Foretrex I used to jot down the waypoints by hand and then key them into an XL sheet and then upload them on a map to create my own maps. With eTrex 10 that's no longer going to be an issue. 

27th December, 2012 : Few learnings from today worth noting down. Satellite capture with a clear view of the sky is super fast compared to Foretrex 101. The USB works fine and Windows could read the files but the Mac could not. Possibly because of the old OS. The system does not need to be switched on before connecting to the computer. It switches itself on - partially though. While coming back home from work left the receiver on on the front passenger seat. It never lost satellite contact. Am I missing my Foretrex 101? I think so, yes. If it had USB connectivity I would have gone out of my way to get it fixed.   

28th December, 2012: Went out to create some waypoints to check how the machine performs. It worked just fine. I went round the Victoria marking 11 waypoints in the process. When connected I could find this file that I quickly saved in my hard drive. The descriptions are typed by me on the computer.

After this I created this map, which is interactive (if I am connected to the internet) in the sense I can zoom in and out or click on the clickable elements. 

The waypoints are all marked with a blue flag and a number which is automatically assigned by the GPS. The typed in descriptions about the points can be viewed by any viewer by clicking on the flag. 

This map is created free by this website. All one needs to do is upload the GPX file on that website and they create such a lovely looking map. It is possible to add more details into the maps but I couldn't work out how to copy and paste .gpx files. Will crack that too in due course of time.

29th December, 2012: Today I uploaded the way points on the website of everytrail.com and created a "guide" for the walk around Victoria. The process is very straight forward and simple. Just upload the gpx file and then follow the steps one after the other. This is what it looks like.
A short walk around Victoria Memorial, Calcutta at EveryTrail | Download Guide to your iPhone or Android

EveryTrail - Find trail maps for California and beyond

Mr Mochi Revives My HD Boots

Last time when we went Bulleting to Shantiniketan (read the story here) I had worn my ten-year old Harley Davidsons. It was a very dear purchase for me when I went to the US in 2002. However, not having worn it for a long time the sole had got a little dry and when I reached Shantiniketan I realised that the pasting of the sole had just gone off. 

Thankfully this happened only on the right foot. Went looking for a cobbler. He put a few nails, saying his gum won't work with such heavy boots. He tried to stitch it up too but thankfully his needle couldn't make any impression on those American boots (made in China though). 

I was sad that a legend that I bought for more than $100 would perhaps have to be thrown away. 

But then someone told me about Mr Mochi. They are a shoe repairing shop on Darga Road. They pasted the soles for Rs 150 and the boots are wearable again. Bingo. I think Mr Mochi is going to get a lot of business from me. This is perhaps the first organised sector cobbler shop in Calcutta. 

The Brown Shrike of Metro Park

Towards the end of last winter I noticed a lone Brown Shrike perched on a small tree (possibly an Acacia Arabica) on the plot of land next to Biplabda's house. I was pretty thrilled by its presence. I heard the bird after a few days - very early in the morning, as I was going out on some birding trip.

This time, even before the full onslaught of winter, on 23rd September to be precise, as I was coming back from a day's birding at Rajarhat, I found a Brown Shrike perched on an electric line right in front of Salil Babu's house. I parked the car in my garage and came back with my camera. The bird gave me all the poses very quietly, albeit from an artificial perch. It was a juvenile.

Subsequently I heard the bird several times, particularly while going out for early morning birding trips when the area was still in the dark. I also saw the bird on several occasions.

A few weeks ago they started making a house in the plot next to the one where the shrike was most frequently seen. There is a lot of human activity there now. I had thought the bird must have called it a day and flown off to some other locality. But this morning at around 10.30 am, I heard her loud call. I went towards our stair case and saw the bird on the "Madhabilata" tree just outside. The distance between the bird and me could not have been more than 3/4 feet. I was on this side of a glass louvered window.

I quickly went and got my Edirol. Had to set it up with card, battery etc and then recorded the call. There was a lot of environmental noise over which I had no control. I wonder if she will come back to my locality all the way from Mongolia next year. I hope she finds a better place to spend her winter next year.



However, if she finds the Madhabilata tree in my house safe enough, it will always be there for her and other birds that want to use it.

According to IUCN Redlist the bird's population is decreasing. It is yet to reach the vulnerable stage. However, that is due to its large distribution range. 

Two Men To Shantiniketan

                                             On the way to Guskara

A few weeks ago my friend Shilbhadra and I went to Shantiniketan on my Bullet and came back without a problem. I wasn't in the right frame of mind to write about it earlier. But now I suppose I can because as of last Sunday Monisha's father - whose fast deteriorating health was keeping me disturbed - is no more. 

Initially I was invited to join a Bulleteers' group to go to Shantiniketan. I had planned to go alone with them but was a little skeptical because I don't know any of them except one whose participation was doubtful. And then Shilbhadra wanted to come along. I asked the group if it was okay to take a pillion who is not a Bulleteer and they didn't reply to my SMSes. So I decided to give them the boot and go on my own.

The journey started from where Monisha's parents were staying - near Deshapriya Park in a house on Satyen Dutta Road. It was Saturday 15th September. SD and I met there to start together at around 6 am. We put our belongings inside SD's bag and started with just one rucksack.

Earlier in the morning I had to wake up my mechanic Dilip to borrow a spare clutch cable from him. Mine was kept in a bag that could not be found (which is rather common in my house). I carried a clutch and accelerator cable, a spark plug, a bulb and the usual tools.

                 I took this pic in SKtan. Rest all are by SD

We went without any major drama upto the Dankuni bifurcation of GQ and Delhi Road. From there we wanted to take the old GT Road (via Delhi Road) but serious jam prompted me to stick to the main four-laned GQ. 

I was crusing along fine on the GQ (incidentally GQ is toll free for two-wheelers) but at Baidyabati - just before the abandoned Nano factory the right exit to GT Road looked inviting. I wanted to explore GT Road and took the exit to Baidyabati town. Soon enough we hit GT Road and the real journey started. 

I have been using the GQ ever since it was born. God only knows how many times I have used it going mostly to SKTan or Katwa. It is a flat, featureless, smooth and almost empty road with no villages or towns in the vicinity. You just drive on the road at your top speed. There are green paddy fields that  often extend up to miles on end. But otherwise there is absolutely nothing to see or do on this road. It is often difficult to just stay awake on this extremely boring road.

This is the reason why I chose this opportunity to explore the old GT Road. Here you get to see semi-urban life of Bengal in action. I am not in too much love with it but this journey down GT Road quite appeals to me and I always wanted to do this. This was the opportunity and I grabbed it.

Soon enough our good old Pal Sweets of Bhadreswar came. The shopkeeper recognised us and even before we could say anything he said, "the stock of jilipi is exhausted sir. I had some leftover from yesterday and that's why didn't fry too many this morning. This stock is not worth eating really."

Pal Sweets - Bhadreswar. The man is sweeter than the sweets

I am yet to meet such an honest shopkeeper. In fact he went and got us some fresh jilipis from another shop somewhere nearby. But those weren't half as good. Anyway, post breakfast we moved on again. We crossed Chandannagore, Chinsurah, Hooghly and Adi Saptagram where old GT Road meets with Delhi Road. On the way we had to take a few rain breaks. Road conditions were awful and there were lots of level crossings. All these kept our speed slow.

The next significant towns we crossed were Pandua, Bainchi and Memari. More rain breaks. Significantly bad roads. But traffic is obviously less. And urbanisation is also waning. Bainchi is quite rural in fact. Memari has a big Axis Bank. One of our school juniors is the manager of this branch but I gave meeting him a miss to learn later that he was no longer posted there in any case.

After Memari the road bends to the left and meets with the new 4-laned GQ just past the Palsit toll plaza. I calculated later and realised that this detour via GT Road cost us an extra riding time of close to 5 hours.  But I have no regrets.

                                                Rain-break at Bainchi

Our next stop is a dahaba beyond Shaktigarh near the entry into Bardhaman. Had ridiculously cheap food and moved on again. I was in two minds about choosing the next route to SKTan. I can either go via Panagarh along the smooth GQ. Or take the smaller road connecting Bolpur with Bardhaman via Guskara. This route is far shorter, has zero traffic and is very pretty. But and this is a big but - there is one short stretch of the road that goes under the railway track. Those few meters are generally under waist deep water in monsoon. How will I manage that part?

The GQ route via Panagarh/Ilambazaar means about 30/40 km of extra travel but on mostly excellent road.

We were running pretty late and so I chose the shorter route. I shall cross the water when I come to it, I reasoned. This road connecting Bardhaman with Bolpur used to be a red morrum one with a fairweather bridge over Ajay that used to be operational only in winter. We had used it way back in the early 90s to come to Calcutta riding a scooter. It's a proper road now with a concrete bridge over Ajay.

There were several rain breaks and photography breaks for SD, especially over bridges to take photographs of "kash ful".

                        Crossing the Haldi river near Guskara

Soon we came to that uncrossable stretch of a few meters under the railway track. Over the years the roads on either side have been raised for repairs and relaying etc. But the stretch just under the rail track has been kept low to let trucks pass. Therefore that stretch has now become way lower than the two sides and collects water. It's like a cistern basically. I stopped in sheer fear. This stretch cannot be crossed with a bike because I have no clue how deep the water is. Presently a large ambulance, which is basically made out of a truck, came along. I realised the water was deep enough to touch my seat. A couple of trucks came along and one of the drivers told me there is another route for smaller vehicles.

I changed track and went via Guskara railway station where there are other exits that are dry. But these exits can be used only by two-wheelers or small cars because they are very low tunnels. From here reaching SKTan is like a cake walk. We had to stop in Bandhgora for buying our supply of Old Monk. A bottle of rum. We put up for the night in a homestay kind of guest house in Purba Palli. 

The guesthouse is nothing great. No AC. But it was just the question of one night. Next morning we started after a brief breakfast. We came back via Ilambazaar, Panagarh and the 4-laned GQ. Lots of rain breaks on the return journey also. One funny thing worth mentioning here - on the way back I suddenly realised that I had finally forgotten to take the spare tube that I had bought the day before !! But thank God it wasn't needed.

The return journey was completely featureless except the huge jam due to President's movement on the highway before Dasnagar near Kona. We took an exit through the interior roads of Howrah and discovered this new route via Benares Road and Kadamtala. It might be useful sometime in future.

                           Shilbhadra Dutta at the guest house

Another great spin off benefit of the trip - Dilip, my mechanic was hugely impressed by the news of my completion of this trip. When I went to see him after coming back he seemed terribly impressed. "Dada you have courage. Hats off," he said with a smile. I must say I am more impressed with his skills as a mechanic than he with me for my riding courage. The bike gave me just no trouble. 

This page has a few more photographs, if you are interested.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.443272765710879&type=1