Nature's Lap

The week had been a hectic and tiring one so I opted to go on my third nature trail as it was near by and it was for a short duration.My earlier trails were to Yeoor hills,Thane and the Mahim Nature Park at Dharavi. I was a complete novice at my earlier nature trails and it was at this trail I realised that I had not made the most of my nature walks. I had failed to observe keenly and had missed out on many of the wonders of nature.This nature trail changed it all for me.

It is said that every experience has something for us to learn and that is so true.I learnt many things at this trail and most importantly I experienced that sometimes even our wrongs lead us to something right.I had registered myself for the DCP nature trail to Nagla Block,Vasai Creek and as per the schedule, I reached Fountain Hotel at Ghodbunder road at 7.15 am.on Sunday morning.Seeing a group there I asked whether they were there for the Nagla trail and got an affirmative reply.I met the trail leaders Swapnil ,Samrat and Rohan and also met Robert Jude who was my Facebook friend (Though he claims he has met me earlier at another trek, I disagree).Unknowingly I joined the Nisarg Brahman group which was also heading to the Nagla Block as I did not confirm which group they belonged to.A few metres away from the hotel we started our trail after having breakfast of garam chai and misal-pav, poha and vada pav.Once at the starting point we had the introduction round where a passionate nature lover Samrat Godambe told us the do's and dont's during the trail.He told us to observe and listen and take in our surroundings instead of concentrating on just clicking photographs.His passion for his field was very obvious and I really admire all those who love the work the work they do, as only then do we give it our best.Each one of us had to shell out Rs 300 for the trail which I found to be more considering that I had registered for a free nature trail with the DCP group, but then I could not complain.
Lesson learnt-when you are on a trek or trail confirm with the location and the group name before you join in,otherwise it will be a case of  Jaana tha japaan,pahunch gaye cheen ,samajh gaye naa!! and we may end up with the wrong group and wrong destination.

So we began our trail and saw a few other groups there too,mostly shutter-bugs out there to get a few great clicks.It was a really hot and humid day and we were all sweating profusely.Surprisingly,there was no cool breeze as we all had expected, in spite of being in the heart of the green cover of the SGNP. We walked leisurely and took in our surroundings.We walked,stopped ,looked,called others when we found something interesting,discussed and clicked pictures.The sounds,the beauty and the smell of nature never ceases to amaze and mesmerise.To actually see the little creatures one has to be really observant.Chatterboxes are not needed at such nature trails as silence is not an option here but a necessity.We had a sixty-five year old ajoba who had just had his by-pass surgery with us on this trail.I admire him for keeping up with us and enthusiastically clicking pictures and asking about the various species of creatures we came across.The rest of the group was much younger.Everyone had a great time reaching out to nature instead of being surrounded by the concrete jungle.many queries were asked by the group members and Samrat,our knowledgeable and erstwhile guide did not let us down .he patiently answered our queries and kept updating us with many things that we were unaware of.Butterflies,moths,caterpillars,spiders,lizards,ants,snakes and snails were the creatures we came across on this nature trail.As we went along I came across the DCP group which also had their event that day.My conscience made me introduce myself and I told them how I had registered with their group and came with another group by mistake.The leader,Soumen was quite understanding about it and I hoped we could meet again at another trail.I had shared this little secret of my blunder with Robert and now of course,it is no longer our little secret!

I was happy to try my hand at macro photography for the first time with my cell phone and my point and shoot camera.I did not do a great job but I have made a start at least,and that is enough to keep me going.After the short trail we reached the Vasai creek side and rested awhile for some snacks.We made our way back and the return trip was less eventful as we moved a bit faster and reached the starting point.My photographer pals got some great pictures at this trail.It was a nice and eventful nature trail for me.I came back as a much better nature trailer(I know there is no term like that!) had a great time with my new pals specially Robert and Samrat who kept me hooked on to their photography and their love for nature.Nature trails teach us that if we have good observational skills and patience ,we can get the best sightings nature has to offer.

Here are a few snapshots of the nature trail.

The caterpillar having its fill.....

The introduction round where Samrat told us the do's and donts of nature trails

Lovely,colourful butterflies

Do you know how to differentiate between butterflies and moths?

Beetle alert! Clever camouflage!

Here a beetle,there a beetle!!!

The dead and decaying trees are where these common woody mushrooms grow.

A colourful caterpillar makes its way up

Mushrooms growing on the bark of the tree.

The fruit piercing moth.....what a strange shape!

Nature has its designs on me!!!

These cute mushrooms look like little white flowers.

Abhi to partee shuru hui hai!!!A spider eats its prey!

Robert catches some ants in action on the ant-hill.

A look at the Vasai creek side.....

It was a pretty sight and much cooler here.

My trail mates sitting pretty at the creek side.

A snail makes itself at home among the leaves.

A grasshopper among the greens....

The designs made by the caterpillars....