The Nagla
block is the northern most tip of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP)
and is a relatively unexplored jewel of the SGNP.It hides one of the most
mysterious and treasured forest scape.The 16 sq km Nagla block lies within the Thane
district to the north side of the Bassein Creek.
This place
being slightly out of bounds from the main city attracts visitors who are true
nature lovers (Nature Photographers, Nature Lovers, Naturalists etc) and
as a result it does not see the hustle and bustle which is seen at the main
entrance of the SGNP or even the Yeoor hills which form one more of the
entrances of the SGNP. So this place is relatively free of picnic goers,
nuisance makers and the teenage lovers which makes it a blessing in disguise
for the true nature lover. This desolateness also makes it mandatory that you
do not venture into this jungle alone ( a small group is always preferred) so
that when some group members are busy photographing there are some others who
are always on the watch out in case there is some danger lurking nearby.
The main
entrance of this Nagla block starts from a Hamlet called as Sasupada on the
Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway immmediately after the Fountain Hotel junction at
Versova after you cross over the bridge on the creek.
Me alongwith
my newly found friend Robert Jude had joined this trail organised by the
fabulous group aptly called as Nisarga Bhraman which can be best described in
their own words thus " Nisarga Bhraman, as the name suggests is the
group of trekking enthusiasts who take utmost pride and joy in the nature
wandering.The major activities conducted by us are Trekking, Nature trails,
Cycling and Biking, Adventure Sports, Camping, Tours to Wildlife Safaris and
Historical Places, Nature Conservation, Social activities".
We met at
the Fountain hotel at the end of Ghodbunder road at the Versova junction and
after a heavy breakfast started off on the trail. This trail was managed by two
energetic youth from Nisarga Bhraman :Sashank Achrekar and Rohan
Khirsagar.Our Guide for the day was the very affable and energetic as well
as very knowlegable Samrat Godambe, a Naturalist by profession. He was
also our guide on an earlier trail to the very famous Hill Station of Matheran
in Maharashtra.
The sun was not
out yet when we commenced our trail and there were rain drops all over the
place from the previous nights rain.The trail encompasses in itself both the
semi deciduous and the mangrove type of forests. The trail first passes through
some very tall specimens of Haldu and Teak and with time the trail exhibits
taller trees and denser foliage. In monsoon the 2 km long trail can easily take
over an hours’ time if one is ready to put on a magnifying glass and scan
through the ground foliage. Many species of spiders, beetles, bugs, praying
mantis, butterflies can be easily found on the trail. The trail abruptly
culminates in to a small campus of the Information Center build by the forest
department some years back but now has turned almost into ruins .
The very first
sighting at the beginning of the trail was that of a moth which landed on
a leaf just as we were about to begin our trail.The visibility of this moth was
being hampered by a pair of leaves overhanging, yet I could manage some decent
frames of this moth. Next up was a Brown Wasp with Yellow bands:The Paper Wasp
hovering from one plant to another in search of nesting material to build its
Water Resistant Nest.
 |
| The Unknown Moth in the Undergrowth |
 |
| The Wasp |
Then came the Common Silverline Butterfly -which
derives its name from the streaks of silver colour on its wings, perched on a
blade of grass in a downward direction- well a very bautiful beginning to the
nature trail. The area where the Comon Silverline butterfly was spotted was
full of grass and other small shrubs sprinkled with rain from the previous
night's rainfall- a wonderful sight. Moving just away from the Silverline
butterfly we came across this Rounded Pierrot Butterfly perched on a blade of
grass sprinlked with beautiful raindrops- A beautiful sight indeed.
 |
| The Common Silverline Butterfly |
 |
| The Rounded Pierrot Butterfly |
In between
the sightings of these beautiful creations of nature we were treated to some
beautiful songs by the birds of the forest notable among them being The Common
Tailor Bird, The Bulbul, The Greater Coucal and many others but we had not come
for birding trail but a nature trail for macro photography!!!
Next notable
sighting was that of a very small moth which I was barely able to photograph
with my 50-200mm lens because of its miniature size. Well a very beautiful
creature indeed it was. The sun was playing hide and seek with us all the time
and as a result the temperature did not soar to unbearable limits but
neverthless the humidity in the air was troubling most of the group members. I
was on the constant lookout for new subjects to shoot and came across a
beautiful Dragonfly hanging onto a dry leaf below the blades of grass in the
undergrowth. Something made me stand up and take notice of this dragonfly-
Yesss it was not a usual dragonfly but one which had tentacles!!!. A Lifer for
me. Shooting this was a bit difficult what with the sun being down and it
hiding beneath the blades of grass, neverthless I managed some decent shots.I dislike using the flash for macro or any other type of
wildlife photography but in this case I had to resort to using the flash
because try as I might the snap was not upto my liking. Just ahead of the
beautiful dragonfly we came across a spider away from its web on a leaf. This
spider again was a Lifer for me as it was my very first sighting of this
species.
 |
| The Miniature Moth |
 |
| The Antlion- A Dragonfly with Tentacles |
 |
| Spider on Leaf just near its Web |
 |
| Spider on Leaf- A Different View |
All these
sightings were within the first few metres of the trail and we were at the same
place for almost over a quarter of an hour !!! We were then treated to the
sighting of this beautiful Skipper -The Rice Swift Butterfly balancing neatly
on a delicate leaf and just as we had thought of moving forward we were treated
to a second round of sighting of the Common Silverline butterfly on a very
favourable post to shoot lovely frames of this very lovable guy. Here are the
two species for you.
 |
| The Rice Swift Butterfly |
 |
| The Common Silverline Butterfly |
In between
these sightings we were treated to some fantastic sightings of some commonly
seen and some very rarely seen Grashoppers and Spiders.Notable amongst them was
the beautiful Signature Spider with a complete signature on almost all the four
sides and a grasshopper on a plant full of pink flowers. The Green Grasshopper
gave up its camouflage being in proximity to the pink flowers and so did the
Brown Grasshopper on a green leaf. And just above the plant on whih the Green grasshopper was seen we saw a bunch of caterpillars on the underside of a leaf-most probably its host plant. Enjoy these photographs.
 |
| The Signature Spider |
 |
| The Grasshopper |
 |
| The Brown Grasshopper on a Green Leaf |
 |
| A Leaf full of Caterpillars |
Next up we
sighted the and then we came across this beautiful bug known as the Shield bug
which is named so because of the shield like appearance of its back- what a
beauty. Looking at this image which was shot from the top it gives you the
impression that its a flat bug but that's not the case. Then there was a very
peculiar insect hanging over a plant stem. This looked like a Millipede from a
distance but on closer examination it was seen that it had a segmented body.
Sadly our guide could also not identify it. There was a surprise in store
for us, we sighted so may different species of Grasshoppers and Spiders that I
have lost the count.
 |
| The Shield Bug |
 |
| An Unknown Insect |
As I was surveying the surroundings for different subjects
I came across a White Crab Spider on a green leaf at a higher level than my
height and just as I was moving backwards to get a better glimpse of the spider
I spotted something black and green balancing itself delicately on a green
leaf, well it was a Black and Green grasshopper trying to hide from my prying
eyes but alas it could not. I had to resort to using the flash to get a decent
shot. This and some more photographs are posted below for your visual delight.
 |
| The Black and Green Grasshopper |
 |
| Grasshopper of a Different Type |
 |
| An Unknown Moth |
 |
| A Cricket |
Across the length and breadth of the trail were all nature lovers and
photographers seeking to watch and photograph the pristine beauty of nature in
its full bloom.
We came across a pair of mating skippers perched delicately on a leaf at a very perfect position for eye level photography.Next
noteworthy sightings were that of a Black and White spider on a green leaf, a Garden Lizard showing off its delicate balancing capabilities and a shield bug on a leaf. !!! Enjoy
these shots.
 |
| A Pair of Mating Skippers |
 |
| A Black and White Spider |
 |
| A Delicate Balance- A Calotes on a Leaf |
 |
| A Shield Bug |
Next up we saw a Yellow Wasp sucking nutrition from the
moist ground, a Weevil like bug on a leaf, plenty of Grass Demon butterflies
and a Carpenter Bee with its head coloured yellow most probably because of the
yellow pollen of the flower that it might have been nectaring on !!! Enjoy.
As we moved
down the trail the forest became more denser with less amount of sunlight
reaching the ground. It is in this type of forests that you find rare species
of insects, birds and bugs. We soon came acros a rare species - The Common
Redeye Butterfly, a type of skipper known so because of its distinctly
noticable red rounded eyes. What a treat to watch it is with its eyes glowing
in the dark. Another rare sighting was that of the caterpillar of the Fruit
Piercing Moth which for Rohan and myself was a lifer and Rohan had been hoping
for its sighting since a very long time. Patience does pay off.
 |
| An Unknown Miniature Spider |
 |
| The Common Red-Eye Butterfly |
 |
| The Common Red-Eye Butterfly |
 |
| Caterpillar of the Fruit Piercing Moth |
We also were
able to spot two Moths- The Yellow Moth-the id of which although specified by
the guide I am unable to recollect now and The Spoted Swallowtail
Moth. Enjoy the shots.
 |
| Yellow Moth |
 |
| Spotted Swallowtail Moth |
Notable
amonst the next sightings was that of the Baronet butterfly which is a very
beautiful butterfly and one of the most colourful ones. It was followed
up with the sighting of a dark brown butterfly the Common Acacia Blue, balancing
itself on a leaf at a very odd angle. As I was shooting this butterfly Rohan
called out to me that there was a Snake. I immediately ran back to the spot
where he was and yes indeed there was a juvenile beauty on a leafy bush -The
Bronzeback Tree Snake as identified by Samrat Godambe our beloved guide. Well
this was a shy little guy and the moment it was surrounded by a posse of people
swarming around to have a look and click photos it went into the undergrowth
where it became extremely difficult to shoot it. I managed to click some decent
shots of this beauty which can be enjoyed below.
 |
| The Baronet Butterfly |
 |
| The Common Acacia Blue Butterfly |
 |
The Bronzeback Tree Snake
|
Soon the
snake was in a position from where we could no longer sight it leave alone
shooting it. So with heavy hearts we started to move ahead. Rohan was hoping
for a sighting of the Monkey Puzzle Butterfly which is said to be common here.
And as luck would have it we were blessed with a sighting of the Monkey Puzzle
buterfly-rather a pair of them. But we cold not take a single shot of any of
the two as they were always sitting at a great height away from us.Moving on we
spotted a Cricket, a Caterpillar with beautiful growth of tufts on its back and
a beautiful spider.
 |
| A Cricket |
 |
| The Unknown Cat |
 |
| The Beautiful Spider |
Just as we
were moving ahead to a part of the jungle which has a steep downward incline to
it, I spotted a common sight -that of a Grass Demon Butterfly nectaring on a
Begonia flower. But there was no movement of either its wings or the proboscis.
This made me curious and on a closer observation I observed that the butterfly
was Dead-the killer being a White Crab Spider beautifully camouflaged within
the Begonia flower. This was the kiler and he was cooly sucking out the
nutrients from the butterfly even as we ventured closer to have a proper look.
Nothing goes to waste in nature and there are a lot of things to observe in a
forest, provided that we leave aside our obsessions with the larger giants of
the jungle, particularly the Tiger.
 |
| The Grass Demon Butterfly meeting its end at the Hands of a Crab spider |
 |
| The Prey and the Predator in Artificial Lighting |
Moving ahead we came across a pair of mating cotton bugs, a pair of unknown bugs again involved in mating and a black wasp hovering about from one plant to another. Whew.
Moving
forwards there was a steep incline where we were taken near a small stream
meandering through the forest but the water in it was only flowing in a
trickle. A Large Blue Oakleaf Butterfly greeted us in this region and just as
we were shooting it we sighted an Angled Sunbeam butterfly resting closeby. As
the attention was transfixed on the Sunbeam the Oakleaf made an escape and as I
was trying to gauge its next landing spot, I observed a pair of eyes glowing in
the dark background that was ner the stream.The eyes were watching me and they
belonged to a white spider whcih was glowing in the dark background. I made
some quick snaps before it escaped below the leaf on which it had surfaced up.
What a sighting. Whew !!!
 |
| The Oak-Leaf Butterfly |
 |
| The Sunbeam Butterfly |
 |
| The Glow in the Dark |
Ahead of
this there is a Machan mounted on a tree and further ahead is a downtrodden
checkpost of the forest department which is no longer in use now. We sat
momentarily at this place taking in the sights and sounds of the jungle and
trying to feel the peace in nature. Just ahead of this checkpost the trail
comes to an end with a small concrete jetty like structure built at the creek.
We were relaxing at this place and enjoying the superb view nature had to offer
when a greenish streak flew near us at a very fast pace.It was fluttering
continuously looking for food and from its colour and the flight I quickly
identified it to be the Common Nawab butterfly. Now we were hoping that it
would rest on a perch or somewhere nearby form where we could shoot it.And
luckily it sat on the concrete structure very close to us so that we could
manage some decent shots. What a beautiful creation of nature it is.
Our guide
though had other plans, he had kept his mobile phone camera on the ground level
and we were wondering what he was upto when the Nawab appeared straight in
front of his phone camera filling up the entire frame and he was clicking
happily with the Nawab obliging him with its beauty. He had placed the mobile
camera near a bird dropping where he knew the Nawab would come for
nutrition.Whew!!!
 |
| The Common Nawab Butterfly |
 |
| The Common Nawab Butterfly |
We rested
for another half an hour and started on our way back. Immediately on the trail
I came across a moth resting on a leaf. As I took some snaps and bent down for
a closer inspection, I came across a banana leaf with an extension of
tentacles!!! A closer inspection revealed a very large grasshopper camouflaged
behind the leaf with its head and tentacles exposing its presence.This I was told was a Katydid. As we moved
further up the trail on our way back we were treated to the sighting of the
Dragonfly with Tentacles again - The Antlion.
 |
| An Unknown Moth |
 |
| The Katydid Grasshopper |
 |
| The Katydid Grasshopper on a Tree Trunk |
 |
| The Antlion |
Our lady luck was definitely smiling on us that day because the one butterfly that had elued us from taking a decent shot was sitting perfectly at eye level on a begonia flower, enjoying the sweet nectar. Yes it was the Monkey Puzzle butterfly and we shot many shots of this eternal beauty. Next up we sighted a Common Dartlet
skipper nectaring on an unknown tiny flower.What a lovely sight it was.
 |
| The Monkey Puzzle Butterfly |
 |
| The Common Dartlet Butterfly |
 |
| The Common Dartlet Butterfly |
As we moved
up further we came to the exact spot where we had spotted the Crab Spider with
its Grass Demon prey. I went for a closer examination and to my astonishment
there was neither the prey nor the predator in sight. I looked besides the
flower and the plant and found the Grass Demon butterfly fallen motionless on a
leaf but the spider was nowhere to be seen. This is nature at its best-survival of the fittest.
Further
ahead we found a few Tortoise Shell Beetles resting on a leaf, nearby there was
a moth about the size of a nail happily resting on another leaf.
 |
| The Dead Grass Demon Butterfly |
 |
| A Tortoise Shell Beetle |
 |
| A Tortoise Shell Beetle |
 |
| An Unknown Moth |
A few metres
ahead we were greetd to a sight to behold. A few Angled Pierrot butterflies
were nectaring on a cluster of small white flowers. Then we were treated to a
sighting of the most commonly seen butterfly in this part of the SGNP- The
Yamfly.We spotted at least eight specimens of this beautiful butterfly
fluttering from one leaf to another.
 |
| The Angled Pierrot Butterfly |
 |
| The Yamfly Butterfly |
 |
| The Yamfly Butterfly |
The Baronet gave us another sighting this
time in excellent lighting and on a perch where it was a treat to watch and
shoot. The Plum Judy gave us a fleeting glimpse before it flew away into the
underbrush.Another peculiar sighting that we had was of a Brown Awl,
which I had earlier seen at Yeoor only on the underside of leaves- this time it
was more active flittering from one flower to another in search of
nectar.Awesome sightings.
 |
| The Baronet Butterfly |
 |
| The Plum Judy Butterfly |
 |
| The Brown Awl Butterfly |
At the end
of the trail we came across a sighting of the beautiful multi-coloured
grasshopper happily basking in the afternnon sun which was not as harsh as it
may be in the summer days.Both adult and juvenile of this species were seen.
The last sighting was that of a pair of carpenter bees hovering above a
flowering plant continuosly for a long time.
 |
| The Multi-Coloured Grasshopper |
 |
| The Multi-Coloured Grasshopper |
 |
| Juvelile Multi-Coloured Grasshopper ??? |
 |
| The Carpenter Bee in Hovering Mode |
Thats all folks. Thanks for your patience.Hope you have enjoyed my snaps.Criticisms and comments are most welcome.
Equipment : Olympus EM-1 Mirrorless Camera
Olympus 50-200mm (f 2.8-3.5) lens
Olympus Extension Tube-EX-25
P.S:
I am not a biologist, so you will not find any scientific names of the insects, flowers or plants in the blog. I am a true nature lover with a passion for photography but by no means am I a professional photographer. So excuse me if you do not find the quality of the photos upto the mark. I may have made some errors in the identification of some insects, flowers etc, please do feel free to correct me wherever you find the information to be wrong.
Truly appreciate your patience in reading this one lengthy blog.
