Dragonfly that Crosses the Seas to Africa - Article on The New Indian Express Newspaper about Dragonfly Migration (October 22, 2014) )

This evening, look up and you will see Globe Skimmer Dragonflies (Pantala flavescens), famous in Kerala by the name ‘Onathumbi’, heading towards the south or south-western direction. A city-based group of nature watchers has started monitoring the flight of the Globe Skimmer, believed to be the longest migration trail of any insect. And guess where it is all headed to? Africa.

 Members of the group, Travancore Natural History Society (TNHS), are observing the phenomenon with interest. Eldho Pachilakadan, a TNHS member, was the first to notice a large aggregation of dragonflies. Having spotted it at a point between Cherai and Njarakkal coasts in Ernakulam district, he followed the trail. There were more aggregations on the way, apart from small clusters, confirming that the migration had begun. 

SPOT the birds - Article on The Hindu Newspaper about wetland bird destinations (October 17, 2014)

After journeying thousands of miles across mountains, vales and rivers, migratory birds have flocked to Kerala’s warm climes once again, much ahead of schedule. Thanks to its long coastline, extensive wetlands and leafy forests, the State is an ideal winter home for these birds. Local birding enthusiasts, who have been tracking the movement of the birds for several seasons now, checklist destinations nearby where you can spot the birds in plenty this year. 

KSRTC Mechanic on the trail of ants - Article on The New Indian Express Newspaper About K Manoj's work on Ants (october 04, 2014)

Migratory Birds Make an Early Visit to Winter Homes in Capital - Article on The New Indian Express Newspaper about TNHS wetland bird monitoring (October 07 2014)

Migrant birds are here already, says a group of bird watchers from the city.The migratory birds usually arrive around December, but the bird enthusiasts from Travancore Natural History Society (TNHS) say that they have already spotted some visitors in Poovar and Veli as early as October.

Dr Kalesh S, co-founder of TNHS, says that this is not very unusual as this could be the first wave of migrants.“Last time, we had spotted rare birds like Saunders’s tern and Little tern in Veli. Those haven’t arrived yet. In the coming days, we plan to go on more birding trips to Poovar and Veli. It will be a good season for four months now.”

The memento (October 1 2014)

The memento: Presented by the Honorable Minster of Forests and Environment of Kerala,to TNHS for organizing the Wildlife Photography exhibition at Forest Office Complex in Trivandrum.