Natural World: The Mountains of the Monsoon

[Goatboy]

What an awe-inspiring program this was.

I was almost left wordless by this documentary. But unfortunately for you I am a gobby so and so, so please bear with me. The beauty and mysticism of India was captured in a way that I've never experienced before. Centre stage was Mr Sandesh Kadur. Arguably the finest wildlife photographer of our generation. If you are not aware of his work, then please follow this link to his website. You will not be disappointed.

Sandesh Kadur

I think the secret to Mr Kadur's work, aside from his technical brilliance, is his genuine love and passion for his subject. All the time that he was tracking wildlife for pictures, he exuded a wonder and enchantment for the animals that were in front of him. Not once did he substitute technical diversions for the love of just being there. Connecting with nature. The joy of being on our amazing planet. To all the photographers that I see on our reserves every weekend, please take note! The end does not always justify the means. Please don't forget what inspired you to be there in the first place.

My own reward for spending 50 minutes with Mr Kadur? Simple - INSPIRATION.
I think back to the Attenborough programs that amazed me as a small boy. They inspired me to get to where I am today. It is now my life ambition to go on an Indian safari. This is what the best nature documentaries should do, inspire passion. This is how I feel tonight.

I feel like a small boy again.

[Vectisbirder]

I totally agree. It was one of the best, most beautiful programmes I have seen in a long time. And, once it was finished, I Googled Sandesh and found his website.

On a negative (sorry!) note, I am disappointed to see that it is not available on iPlayer, which is a shame, I'd love to watch it again.

[tameblackbirds]

agree agree agree fantstic programme... what about that purple frog !!

[tameblackbirds]

Originally Posted by Vectisbirder

I totally agree. It was one of the best, most beautiful programmes I have seen in a long time. And, once it was finished, I Googled Sandesh and found his website.

On a negative (sorry!) note, I am disappointed to see that it is not available on iPlayer, which is a shame, I'd love to watch it again.

give it a chance try tomorrow sometimes takes a day or two not sure why

[aeshna5]

Very enjoyable programme- what a wonderful array of amphibians.

[tameblackbirds]

Originally Posted by aeshna5

Very enjoyable programme- what a wonderful array of amphibians.

and birds did you ever see such an amazing amount of colourful birds

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by Vectisbirder

On a negative (sorry!) note, I am disappointed to see that it is not available on iPlayer, which is a shame, I'd love to watch it again.

Ive just watched it on iplayer, so its there now with the other two (Cuckoo, GW Shark).

I agree it was a great program, I wonder what the cat was, perhaps just a leopard.

[Hedgehoggy]

Oh I wished I’d known this programme was on - I’ll try catch it tomorrow on iplayer.

It is now my life ambition to go on an Indian safari. This is what the best nature documentaries should do, inspire passion. This is how I feel tonight.

You don’t need to book expensive safaris to see the wildlife in India, everywhere you go, it is teeming with wildlife. Even in the built-up inner cities, such as Bangalore, there are always Black Kites and Brahminy Kites circling around, as well as many exotic species of native birds. Wild monkeys are also plentiful, even in the built-up areas. If you want to see a particular animal, book a local knowledgeable taxi driver for the morning/afternoon/day, who will cheerfully ferry you around, and at very low cost indeed.

I’ve been to India several times and plan to go back again this year. Last year we hired a taxi to take us to one of the protected nature reserves. Once there we transferred to one of the park’s safari minibuses (admission and safari cost next to nothing). It was fantastic to see endangered animals, such as tigers, roaming freely in acres and acres of their natural habitat. We saw many species of animals in this wonderful reserve, and they all looked so healthy and content.

The hotel we stayed in last year had tiny Spotted Owls roosting in the eaves, as well as many exotic birds flying around and different species of lizards lounging around too! The view from our balcony overlooked wilderness with a natural ‘watering hole’, which was frequented by so much wildlife including wild bison, many (mostly unidentified by me!) birds including cranes, storks and egrets, and I even spotted a family of Mongoose bounding along! It was a paradise haven for wildlife

As you can tell , I highly recommend a trip to India, and it genuinely needn’t cost a fortune.

[ChrisJB]

I'm really looking forward to watching this now (Sky + ed it). My old man went birding in the Western Ghats a few years ago. He still raves about it now.

Regards, Chris

[Goatboy]

thanks for the tip Hedgehoggy, I'll look into it