I was always fascinated by hornbills (called 'hangrayo' in the locally spoken language Nepali) as a child. However, I live at an elevation of around 1600m, and hornbills are rarely seen in the forests around...

One morning, just after dawn, I ventured into the forest with my binoculars and notepad, ready to record sightings. The sky was overcast, and a gentle drizzle had started, creating a serene atmosphere in the...

One memorable experience from my fieldwork in the Kargil Suru Valley involved the fascinating courtship behavior of Eurasian Magpies. When the snow had just begun to melt in the spring, I spent early mornings...

I was always fascinated by the diversity in the North-East India and Eastern Himalayas. Finally, an opportunity came up and I was part of a team to survey riverine biodiversity along Lohit river in Arunachal...

An interesting incident that made a strong impression on me and drove me towards a career in wildlife was during my first internship at Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS), Karnataka. I interned for a...

For one of my PhD experiments investigating hierarchical imitation, I had to train two Blue-throated Macaws in a problem-solving task. One of them was called Sherlock, and the other Charlie. Both of them have...

Sometimes, words alone fall short of conveying the true significance of a story when you are deeply immersed in it. Which of my field experiences has not enriched my life? Traveling between districts,...

I have had many exciting experiences related to birds during my days in the field. The one that comes to my mind was during my field work in Patna, when I saw a bird that is commonly seen in South India but...

My home town, Darjeeling, was going through a political turmoil and everything was shutting down, businesses, educational institutions, etc. I was in the final year of my Masters in Zoology course and I knew...

During a morning walk in SACON campus, I had an unforgettable experience with an Indian Pitta, one of India's most colourful and elusive birds. It was early morning, and the forest was shrouded in mist. As I...

It was in the midst of post-monsoon in Pakke Tiger Reserve, a tropical semi-evergreen forest of Arunachal Pradesh where I was volunteering with the hornbill project at NCF. Fruits form a main part of the diet...

My background is in chemistry, and until graduation, I never formally studied biology. However, I've always been passionate about wildlife and nature, thanks to my childhood spent along the banks of the Ganga...