Native Place Easter Special

This Easter weekend we had a fun Easter Egg Huntat the Native Place Guesthouse followed by a special ‘East Indian’ Easter lunch. We had invited children from Palegaon ( the nearest village) to take part in the hunt. 

The children arrived at 10.30 and sat shyly in a group. We invited them to join us blowing up balloons. This worked as an icebreaker and soon they were all running around helping with the decorations.

To continue the mood of excitement we played a game - anyone heard of ‘Mamachya patra haravla’ ? It’s the local version of ‘a tisket a tasket’ a kindergarten game I’ve played myself as a child. Such a simple delightful game – one could feel the nostalgia as our garden crew and the paragliding crew spontaneously joined in the fun.

Before we knew it chairs were being called for and musical chairs was next on the plan – have to say it was so much fun that the Nirvana Adventures paragliding students and guests also wanted to play

Next came the Spoon and Lime race – Vinod won hands down – he seemed to have a cheat code of some sort but we never figured it out J .  

 Finally it was time for the Easter egg hunt but i have to say that it did not last too long – the kids were so sharp eyed that within 10 minutes all the goodies were in the bag or should i say basket.

It was a fun morning and everyone had a great time – we are inspired to do it again next year

Mark the dates and see that you show up.  

Astrid Rao

info@nativeplace.com

Native Place Off Site

Last week we had a young energetic group of people from the IT field visit the Native Place guesthouse for a weekend of team adventure, bonding, fun and relaxation. House of Code comprised a 45 strong group.

Zip Line Demo 

All Smiles on the Zip Line 

Low Ropes Course Team Building Activity 

They arrived mid morning to be led through the zip line, valley crossing, and the low ropes course by the Nirvana Adventure Crew. The day flew by with a small break for lunch – Led by the Nirvana Adventure Crew, the participants got into the mood and enjoyed each activity.

By the evening they gathered around the bonfire and entertained themselves with a bunch of fun party games, and BBQ followed with dinner.

Panoramic Views from the hill top 

The next morning there was a trek to the hills above to spend some time in the wilderness and enjoy a panoramic view from above.  They returned lounged around in garden and departed after lunch happy and rejuvenated.

Native Place offers corporate groups a range of  adventure and nature activities to choose from
Click here for more details


Astrid Rao
www.nativeplace.com
www.flynirvana.com

The Palash Tree Cafe at Native Place is now open

This year our  Palash tree has flowered in January – a curious thing because it usually flowers in March. Another significant thing for us is that it has flowered vigorously – the whole canopy is aflame with its blossoms making a striking picture. Is our late bloomer making up for its tardiness or is this also a result of global warming - one just isn't sure. 

Each day the flowers drop onto the steps that lead to the main door adorning them as though someone has painstakingly strewn flowers to welcome the Native Place  Guesthouse visitors  and Nirvana Paragliding students. . 

I went up to the terrace to get a better view and spotted a number of birds and squirrels attracted by the nectar full flowers. As i sat there i also smelt the Madhu Malati flowers and realized that the fragrance is quite strong in the early mornings.

Pasaba has started to use them in her floral urali decorations 

Coming back to the Palash tree – we are collecting the flowers to make a holi color – again this year. Did you know that the flowers were used to dye monks’ robes?  The flowers can also be  used to make a drink a herbal tea that helps one beat the heat.

For the next few weeks the terrace is going to be my morning go to place .  It is delightful to watch the soft early morning sun’s rays turn the canopy into a fiery orange thereby signalling the birds that the cafe is open. Cause soon after this the birds and squirrels arrive to feast on the sustaining morning beverage (nectar) their antics lead to the dropping of the flowers onto the steps. 

All this while i breathe in the crisp morning air scented by the beautiful flowers of the Madhu Malati vine 

Sheer bliss :) 

Astrid Rao 

www.nativeplace.com 

www.flynirvana.com

The Permaculture Patshala comes to Native Place, Kamshet

December 2^nd 2016, a varied group of 28 eager participants converged at Native Place for a 3 day Introduction to Permaculture Course. Attracted by the opportunity to learn the basics of growing their own food , mangling soil fertility, setting up regenerative systems,  water harvesting,  biodiversity regeneration etc  and to understand the inter-relationships among all of these.

Under the guidance of Narsanna Koppula, India’s pioneering permaculture practitioner, with his decades of experience in this field, this 3 day course turned out to be a power packed learning experience fulfilling the needs of the various participants - some were working on their land, some had plans to buy land, some were involved in urban terrace farms and some were simply curious.

Narsanna skilfully guided the participants though the fundamentals , the basics of permaculture practices and principles.  Lectures & Interactive discussions, plenty of hands-on practicals, Palikade Farm site visit and tree identification walks.

The Native Place garden, a permaculture project in progress, spread over many levels, packed with bio diverse plantings and an impressive list of native trees - provided the perfect setting. After the initial talk in the yoga room a semi open meeting space at the bottom of the garden, Narsanna led them out into the garden where he preferred the many shady seating areas in the garden  much to the delight of the participants.

Each day the program went on till late in the evening followed by dinner,  a short film on permaculture,   singing and bonding.

They were a lovely bunch of people from Mumbai,  Pune, Nasik, Bangalore, Germany and Canada.  They came together as individual participants but emerged into a cohesive group bound by common interests and the promise of growing sharing and supporting each other in the journey to apply permaculture in their lives. 

Cheers to the Permaculture Patshala and all who energize it

 Astrid Rao & Sneha Shetty 

www.nativeplace.com

www.flynirvana.com 

Narsanna Koppula is a permaculture pioneer in India. Along with his wife Padma Koppula, he founded the organisation AranyaAgricultural Alternatives that works with rural farming communities in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in applications of permaculture and natural resource management. In recent years, through his Permaculture Patshala, Narsanna has also been sharing the wealth of his 30 years of experience with urban folks from across India and the world, who are attempting to return to land and live in harmony with nature. His organisation is also hosting the 13th InternationalPermaculture Convergence in India in November 2017. 

Cormorants Galore!

Last week at Native Place i happened to go up to the terrace after breakfast and was rewarded by the sighting of a huge flock of cormorants hunting for fish. A whole swarm of them were encircling an area presumably there were lots of fish there. From the distance they made a magnificent sight – the surface of the water was disturbed with their flapping wings as they swirled around creating a huge circular cauldron, diving in, running on water and flapping about. A few straggler egrets added to the drama creating a black and white canvas against the blue waters.  

I checked out this new phenomenon that seemed to be unfolding right in front of us for the next few days just to be sure and yes – it was happening every day. Wow!!!  Such a wondrous sight!

For the first time one can see what seems to be the entire colony fishing together and it makes quite an impact on the senses.

Cormorants have been a common sight by the lake shore at Native Place. Through the year one could spot the odd group in the mornings by the lake shore, diving for fish and perching on tree tops and bushes by the shores wings spread out to dry in the sun.  During summer evenings one had these exhilarating sightings where one looked up by chance to suddenly spot wave upon wave of V shaped flocks akin to migrating geese as they flew back to their roosting spots for the night (or so i believed)

In the recent years an entire colony has  taken to roost in a grove of acacia trees on a narrow spit of land that juts out into the lake  just a few years ago becoming our neighbors. J

Since then we have had the pleasure of watching them at sunset time as they circle around the area and then head for a tree. Lots of squawking and shoving goes on at sunset until they go quiet for the night.

It’s lovely to have a pristine water body before you and spot lake shore birds but to see an entire colony intently at work circling low over the lake is surely special!

The pictures above simply don't convey the largeness of the phenomenon - you have to see it to feel it ! Come connect with nature at Native Place.

More about Cormorants: - Cormorants are large black, fish eating birds with a long,  hook tipped bill.They  are daytime feeders that hunt alone or in flocks.  Cormorants feed by diving and swimming underwater. They can dive to depths of 5 to 60 feet below the surface and stay under water up to 70 seconds. They eat mostly fish and sometimes small invertebrates. Cormorants use their webbed feet to propel them underwater. Cormorants run along the surface of the water to gain enough speed for flight.  Watching these diving birds by the lakeside is a wonderful way to spend time.

Connections: - Recently i came across an interesting piece of info relating the presence of cormorants to tarpon fishing -

When you eat like a cormorant — which is a lot — you poop like a cormorant — which, again, is a lot. This potent concoction falls from the cormorant's precarious perch, entering the food chain only a few feet below. Bacteria then grow in this enriched, (let's call it fertilized) water. Soon the plankton count their lucky stars while feeding on this heaven-sent bounty. Small invertebrates and protozoa’s gorge on the plankton, and on and on it goes up the line. Shrimp, crabs and sardines bless father cormorant before gorging on the millions of minute krill or the collected organic detritus they leave behind.

At the top of this food chain are the tarpon. They come for the bounty the cormorant droppings provide and, with the tarpon, come the anglers. It is simple math: more cormorants mean more food for the tarpon's prey. More guano creates more food and more food means more tarpon.  

Perhaps we shouldn't be so judgmental about cormorants and their greedy eating and pooping habits. Perhaps we should be glad these ancient avians do their digesting where they do. Perhaps we should be glad they haven't better mastered the air. Perhaps we should be pleased they only use flight to get to the fishing grounds and then trundle home again, straight for the mangroves.

Some guides in Mexico say that they kill cormorants because they eat baby tarpon. Gentlemen … haven't you learned by now that it is best not to mess with Mother Nature? Let her be. She has things pretty well worked out, and her devices usually work to the benefit of the angler. Mess with her, and you just may be killing the goose that laid the golden egg. Although in this case it may not be a goose, but a cormorant, and it may not be an egg, but a pile of … OK, OK.  You get the picture. So let's all bless the cormorants.

 Astrid Rao 

www.nativeplace.com

Announcing the arrival of the Malabar whistling Thrush in the Native Place Garden

Folks – they have arrived!  We spotted a pair last week scouting around the Nirvana Cottage Wing for a nesting space. Heard the predawn song a few days ago a sweet whistling and had an easy spotting soon after. Watched the pair happily at work – seems like they too are happy to be back (they have been nesting here for a few years now) We will now have the pleasure of watching them as they select a nesting spot and build their nest, bring new chicks into he world and then work hard together to feed the young chicks who have voracious appetites.

Ah – so looking forward to this ! J

Also known as the ‘Whistling Schoolboy’ for the whistling calls that they make at dawn  - a slow soft mellifluous call with a sense of aimlessness about it.  Sounds like a carefree schoolboy whistling to himself as he strolls along.

The species is said to be resident in the Western Ghats although it visits the Native Place Garden to breed and raise its young.  I have read that they can be spotted near rocky streams and in riverine habitats either in the shady undergrowth or in a really difficult to spot location and are usually most active at early dawn or dusk making them difficult to photograph

This large thrush appears blackish with shiny patches of blue on the forehead and shoulders. It is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects. crabs, frogs, earthworms and berries.

The Firefly Phenomena in the Native Place Garden

It happens in the transition of seasons, when summer is on its last legs and the SW monsoon winds begin to penetrate inland signaling the beginning of the monsoons season.  Every night starting at the end of May the Native place garden comes alive, lit up by magical fairy lights. It begins with a single spotting, a few days later a few more and soon the numbers increase until they reach an amazing intensity by the time the monsoon arrives.

Even in the light of the waxing moon these fairy like creatures are mesmerizing to look at.  Fireflies can be seen all over the garden lighting up shrubs, hedges and tree canopies but they do seem to have preferences for certain flora.

Look out from the Native Place  terrace into the canopy of the little Ain tree to see smatterings of ephemeral lights gliding about, floating up and sinking down like graceful glowing embers from a bonfire.  The whole tree seems alive with the many random, slow, fluid movements and lighting rhythms. Watching these guys for a while brings on a sense of awe and quiets the mind. 

Another Ain tree a little further away has another vibe going on altogether. Here we see lots more fireflies going off in a pulsating synchronized  fashion  sweeping up from the bottom or the top or even initiating spontaneously from the middle of the tree canopy. Sitting on the steps looking up at this insignificant by day tree one can’t help but feel lucky to be here right now witnessing the energy that dwells in it.

 My fancies are fireflies, specks of living light twinkling in the dark.

Tagore

When was the last time you saw fireflies?

For many of us who have been born and raised in the city, fireflies may have well been the subject of fairytales and myths. But you too can have this special experience by simply booking a night’s stay at the Native Place guesthouse at Kamshet (3 hours from Mumbai and one hour from Pune

Come experience the magic of the fireflies in the Native Place garden. These seemingly magical insects will be on show in full intensity for the next couple of weeks. 

This phenomena begins at the end of May and continues to increase in intensity until the monsoon begins in full swing – a short period of a few illuminating, magical weeks . Come make the most of this opportunity.

Mail us at info@nativeplace.com

Visit our website www.nativeplace.com

Follow us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Native-Place/147992775230428

Astrid Rao 

www.nativeplace.com

www.flynirvana.com

 

Whew! The Vadivali Lake is full

Vadivali Lake  -  A view from the Native Place Guesthouse

The monsoon did not start so well this season. There was an air of concern at the Native Place guesthouse. All our staff and most people plant rice and the delayed rain was definitely a problem.

With the signal of the first rains most people had planted out their paddy seeds (they usually save up seed from the last harvest to use the next season) now with the rain playing truant the sun scorched the young paddy seedlings. People had to bear the expense of buying seed and replanting.

Water level on the  21st July

The next question was would there be enough rain to fill up the lake. Our gaze turned to the lake in front of us and the brown banks all around it.  Each time we visited the guesthouse I took pictures from my balcony to monitor the levels of the lake.

Imperceptible change in level on the 27th  July 2014

Last week we drove up to Native Place on Wednesday evening. It was dark when we got there but the next morning (Thursday) I woke up excitedly and stepped out into the balcony camera in hand hoping for a steep increase in levels and there it was – yeaaaaaaaaaaaaah the lake is full. The paddy is thriving in the fields and all is well in our world.

3rd August 2014 - Full to the brim 

The rains played truant in the month of June but thankfully made up in the July.   

Astrid Rao 

www.nativeplace.com

www.flynirvana.com

Kingfisher Tales

Two weeks ago we drove up to Native Place early in the morning. We got there in good time and as usual I ran into the garden to see how it was getting along.   There had been a few drizzles and everything was green ad growing vigorously in the humid weather. The gardeners Anil and Eknath were quietly working on the slope above the veggie patch and I made my way towards them.  As I walked towards them I was greeted by an incessant scolding sound that seemed to be coming from high up in the trees. I spotted the familiar flash of blue immediately. ‘Now what’s her problem’? I thought. 

Then last week Anil showed me these tunnels bored into an unsightly bank of land that had been the result of overenthusiastic leveling of the slope to plant veggies last year. Big blunder it was and I cringed each time I laid my eyes on it praying for inspiration to help me disguise it.  Anil told me he had seen a kingfisher entering the tunnel and  beckoned me closer to listen to the sounds the chicks were making – I could see the scat at the entrance of the tunnel and as I leant forward. Once more on cue the kingfisher began to scold me for daring to go to close to the tunnel and I retreated not wanting to cause the poor mama any undue worry.

Kingfisher nest - Dont miss the white scat!

And then the penny dropped. Ah yes had read about this somewhere a while ago. Kingfishers make tunnels high on the mud banks of the river. They dig out the soft mud and lay their eggs there. Now this was by no means the lake or river bank but it did serve the kingfisher’s purpose.  Clever birds!!! They had found a suitable nesting place not even a hundred meters from the lake.  We were all delighted – to host the family of kingfishers but as far as mama bird was concerned she was not at all happy to have us lurking around. Hopefully she will get used to having us around – after all we do have vegetable plants to take care of. Until then we will have to tread lightly and put up with her rude calls. 

Back Home at Native Place

Dwane sends me proof that the Palash is in flower :) 

Last week I visited Native Place for the weekend after a very long time.  In fact I had last been there during the Diwali holidays in November. My son’s exams had kept me busy in city and now finally I was able to get to Native Place. 4 long months of being away and yet once I was there it was like I had never left. Of course I had missed out on the flowering of the Palash and the Red Silk Cotton tree. I had missed many a harvest of vegetables from the garden and the birds too seemed to have gone away for the summer.

On Saturday morning I woke up and went into the balcony to see and hear a bunch of about 40 Bulbuls fooling about in the trees – there was a constant movement within the canopy of the Umbar, Jamun  and the Mahua trees as pairs chasing each other from one tree or branch to another – what a glorious site it was to see these birds at play.

Blue Flycatcher in the Naive Place Garden

It struck me then that Bulbuls was all I had seen – where had the ioras gone to I wondered – not many sunbirds to be seen either and as I thought these thoughts I spotted a flycatcher yes a Blue Flycatcher right there on the Umbar tree – a beautiful sight it was and made me very happy.

Then later Eknath the gardener showed me a Bulbul sitting in its nest – wonder if there will be chicks in the nest when I go up next. I showed it to Saumya – Vrinda and Chetan’s little girl and she was thrilled. Oh! The simple pleasures that fill the heart.

T
Another treat in the garden was the Petrea Volubilis in flower. -  such a graceful climber - here is a picture taken from my balcony

And now to look forward to a glorious summer with lots of paragliding, bird watching,  gardening and perfecting the art of sitting in a hammock and doing nothing 

 Peace Bliss and Happy Landings 

Astrid Rao   

The Flight of the Hornbills

Hi All,

We have had sightings of the Grey Hornbill at and around Native Place for the past year or more now.  From the sightings we concluded that there was definitely  a small  community of these fascinating creatures living in the area.  I uploaded one silhouette picture that i managed to take in the Native Place Garden a while ago. 

One day Hornbills will visit my garden

Years ago I used to watch an animated tv series called the Wild Thornberries with my son Sunith.   A show about a little girl called Eliza Thornberry who travels the world with her famous nature show host parents and falls into exciting wildlife adventures.

On one such show the Thornberries were on an expedition somewhere in India hoping to film a species of a rare Hornbill. In the episode they were camped out in the forest clearing near some huge trees laden with wild fruit that the Hornbill loves to eat.

This episode stayed with me and when I first started planting trees at Native Place I looked for species that attracted birds. I had imagined the whole thing unfolding in front of my eyes. Planting the trees…watching them grow and bear fruit… the birds arriving to nest and feast on the fruit

Much later I got to know that the Hornbill’s loved to eat wild figs. This was amazing to me -  they loved the fruit of the one lone large specimen i.e. the Umbar tree that existed in Native Place garden. I quickly jumped to the happy conclusion that since we have an Umbar (wild fig) in the garden that fruits copiously we should be graced with Hornbills.  Rather simplistic thinking considering that these noisy, social, omnivorous birds need large tropical forest areas with many fruiting trees throughout the year to survive. But there were forests in the hills around and so I continued to have hope. A couple of years ago we spotted our first pair of Hornbills in the garden and soon they became a regular sighting in the Native Place garden.

I put a picture up a few weeks ago on facebook and Anand Pendharkar congratulated us as the Indian Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros birostris) is an indicator of intact forests and deserves conservation attention.

We are so grateful for our beautiful Umbar tree  and all the denizens in the garden that it supports and nurtures.

Shine on Umbar tree!

Peace Bliss & Happy Landings

Astrid Rao
www.nativeplace.com
www.flynirvana.com

Small Minivet in the Native Place Garden

Hi All,

For the last few weekends we have been noticing this elusive brightly colored bird flitting about in the tops of the Umbar tree but have been unable to identify it or capture it on camera. We have been spotting them in pairs or more in the late afternoon, flitting about and then moving on.  They were easy to spot because of their bright colors yet not so easy to capture because of their restless habits. But finally we got lucky last weekend.

We were able to identify it after taking the above picture. The weather was dull and the picture is not sharp but it was enough for us to identify it.

The Small Minivet is said to be a widespread resident in our area and prefers open wooded areas. Has it started to visit the Native Place garden recently or is it that we have never noticed them before. Whatever may be the case – Welcome Small Minivet.

Astrid Rao

www.flynirvana.com

www.nativeplace.com

A New Discovery

Black Winged Cuckoo Shrike - Our first sighting at Native Place

We spent the latter part of last week at Kamshet. It was my Birthday on Thursday and I was keen to spend it at Native Place. Sanjay wanted to throw me a party in Mumbai but I insisted I wanted to spend my birthday with my trees at Native Place a wish that elicited a rolling of the eyes from him.

Bex sent me birthday wishes hoping my dreams would come true and this made me reflect - a lot of my dreams have come true we have to say. And I have so much to be grateful and joyous about.
Building Native Place was one such dream, growing a garden was another, having my family enjoy the space with us was still another. I often tell people about how I grew up in a little village in Mumbai and then the city grew leaving us with no open spaces or trees to climb. It was a dream to build a home where my kids and family could continue to enjoy the wild unbridled freedom of running barefoot exploring nature around us.

Well here I was in Kamshet with husband, son and nephews Dwane and Daniel on my birthday, enjoying a walk in the pouring rain, listening to the birds call and feeling at home in nature. My dream surely has come true and I wish the same to all of you

Peace Bliss & Happy Landings

Astrid Rao
www.flynirvana.com

Summer Fruit

Mangoes, cashews, love apples, papayas, lemons, chickoos star fruit, jackfruit, bananas ... my little haphazard orchard filled with the trees of my childhood are all bearing fruit. I planted most of these trees about five years ago. Five years of tending has borne fruit. Walking through this tiny patch filled with little fruit trees ... feelings of achievement, bounty, happiness immense satisfaction and gratefulness to nature fill my heart

The beautiful red lilies and their pink and white relatives have been flowering profusely for the past two weeks. Then last week this beautiful salmon pink lily flowered for the first time and what a beautiful sight it made. On browsing through a book I found that Hippeastrum (Red Lily) is its name of these bulbous plants with narrow strap-shaped leaves and that two other kinds, one having salmon-colored flowers and the other having white petals with pink veins are also commonly grown. All kinds flower at least once a year and even a short period of dry weather seems to stimulate growth. So I guess the acute water shortage we are facing has an upside after-all with all 3 colors represented in the garden.

Astrid Rao