6 days at Nagzira Wildlife Reserve; day 4
Feb 21st, 2008 by andrew skeoch
Our driver and guide have disappeared. Well, they’re not where they’re supposed to be. When I go down to wake them, the car is not there and all is quiet. I suspect they have stayed over at the canteen for the night, but I’m not willing to risk a walk through the forest in the pitch darkness to find out. Once again, those precious minutes before dawn tick away.
Then I see the lights come on nearby at Rageet’s lodge. He’ll be preparing for an early departure too, so I make my way over there and ask his assistance. He drops me off at the canteen and sure enough, there they are fast asleep. Rageet’s guide ‘kicks them out of bed’ with a barrage of stern language, while I stay silent. Satish in particular looks sheepish and they both keep to themselves. I am sure that they have simply not appreciated how important an early start is to us. It is very difficult to know what to do in circumstances such as these. To get angry does not go down well in many Asian cultures, but to just take it in one’s stride and say nothing often encourages even more problems.
We pick up Sarah and our gear and head into the forest, aware that we’ve already missed the predawn birdsong. So, another hasty change of plan; we’ll head for the riverine area and spend the morning there. Luckily this spot turns out to be a winner, with a variety of Pigeons, Bulbuls, Flameback Woodpeckers, Orioles, Prinias, Fantails, Drongos, heaps of small birds and best of all, a pair of Hornbills. This is our first good morning of recording at Nagzira.
However Sarah, staying back at the vehicle, has been having more problems trying to keep Satish and Radisham quiet. Repeatedly shushing them is having little impact. Its difficult to be stern with them, as they are having such a good time together and becoming friends in a way that only Indian men can. The physicality and intimacy they are displaying is commonly seen between young men in many Asian cultures. Yet whilst Sarah and I are familiar with this, and know it doesn’t imply anything less than innocent, nevertheless we can’t help feeling that perhaps we should be ‘looking the other way’. Now they are sitting in the back of the vehicle, heads together whispering in each other’s ear, sharing confidences. Satish is holding Radisham’s hand and tracing out letters on it. When I finish recording they emerge and walk toward me with broad smiles, arms around each other. It is time to talk.
“Guys, you have caused us a big problem this morning”… They’re looking sheepish again. “We are employing you to do two things: be available when we need you, and be quiet when we need you to, do you understand?” Heads nod. They can see I’m not angry with them, and the big grins return.
Meanwhile Sarah has come up with an obvious strategy; when we’re recording we simply separate them, Radisham can stay with me and Satish with the car. On the way back we try it out, with partial success. Unable to converse, Satish occupies himself with a spontaneous burst of car polishing.
That afternoon we discover another likely location, a narrow valley in among the hills, and plan to return there in the morning. Satish is beaming that evening; “Tomorrow morning sir, five and a half!!”
Established in 1993 by nature sound recordist Andrew Skeoch and photographer Sarah Koschak, Listening Earth offers a range of beautiful nature sound recordings from around the world.
"Our albums feature only the sounds of nature as you would hear in the wild - no music or other distractions. Recorded in often remote and pristine locations, they bring you the relaxing and beautiful sounds of our living planet. Listen, and let our recordings take you there."
[...] Read on: day 4 [...]