Ranjit Lal

Lal is an author, environmentalist and bird watcher.

Down in Jungleland: Stealth Bomber

Sun, Nov 11, 2018

The barn owl is the silent killer that all rodents fear. The barn owl has a spine-tingling repertoire of shrieks, screams and banshee-like screeches, and other owls (like the eagle-owl) have deep booming hoots and calls.

Down in Jungleland: Tool Story

Sun, Oct 21, 2018

Much like humans, animals have fashioned their own tools — with far less devastating consequences.

Down in Jungleland: Badass Badger

Sun, Oct 14, 2018

There’s nothing sweet about the honey badger except its intention to kill. Be warned, this guy is no Gandhian and has retained the Guinness Book of World Records title as “the world’s most fearless creature” on what seems to be a permanent basis.

Down in Jungleland: Call Me by Another Name

Sun, Oct 07, 2018

One day, we’ll be hauled up for the kind of names we have given to animals around us. Let us see what kind of case they may have and what arguments the defence (ourselves) may come up with to counter them.

Down in Jungleland: Bird of Wonder

Sun, Sep 30, 2018

The life and times of the enigmatic hoopoe found in Africa, Europe and central Asia, and, in India,

Down in Jungleland: Family Ties

Sun, Sep 23, 2018

On our closest relatives in the natural world. Since, like it or not, we are all related in this natural world, we might as well make the best of it.

The Wild Places

Sat, Sep 22, 2018

A hands-on approach to conservation from those working in forest lands that don’t get the attention they deserve.

Down in Jungleland: Wonder Wings

Sun, Sep 16, 2018

A list of favourite birds, from the magpie-robin to the rose-ringed parakeet.

Down in Jungleland: Best Beasts Forward

Sun, Sep 09, 2018

On the list of favourite animals is a badass ballerina: the rhino.

Down in Jungleland: Lesser Mortals

Sun, Sep 02, 2018

The poaching of small animals, especially pangolins, isn’t talked about as much as they should be.

Down in Jungleland: The Road to Ruin

Sat, Aug 25, 2018

Highways and aerodromes on wildlife spaces are terrible news. The proposed highway, it is said, will cut the distance between Kotdwar and Ramnagar by almost 80 km — imagine the savings in time and fuel. Also imagine some of the other things that are likely to happen.

Down in Jungleland: Shooting Birds

Sun, Aug 19, 2018

The digital art of capturing birds.

Down in Jungleland: The Hunter and the Gentleman

Sun, Aug 12, 2018

The incredible life of Jim Corbett. Having spent a lifetime roaming the Kumaon and Garhwal forests, Corbett was an expert tracker, reading the faintest signs left behind by his quarry.

Down in Jungleland: Singing in the Rain

Sun, Aug 05, 2018

How the rain rejuvenates nature and the many lives it nurtures. Here, the summers are blazing, with everything in sight bleached white by the sun. There is dust on every surface around us.

Down in Jungleland: Death of a Tree

Sun, Jul 29, 2018

The munificence of trees is lost on a people bent on destroying the very thing that gives them life. It’s not as if nature makes life easy for trees. A tiny undigested seed may be deposited in a dung heap by an animal that has just munched a delicious fruit.