The rainforest around the riverbed is, by its very nature, secondary forest; not only cleared for logging in the 1970s but also by virtue of the fact that it lines the ever-changing riverbed. The seasons and monsoons change the river’s mood from shallow fast flowing to deep and full flow, sweeping away riverbanks, trees and …
After a hot, hard and uncomfortable night at Sikundur research station, we awake at six and are greeted with an amazing breakfast in the kitchen. We finish packing our rucksacks for the journey upriver. Today we are heading north to find a specific location in the forest where previous research on forest structure and …
the real adventure begins…….Up at 8am with a five hour drive ahead of us to the river at Tekong. We pack up all our belongings and set off for a bumpy ride. Our aggressive and somewhat unpleasant driver dodged the sea of transport that managed to somehow occupy the narrow main road with its usual array …
Up at 6am awoken by the exotic calls of the Thomas Langur monkeys and the meaner looking long-tailed macaques. These were accompanied by the myriad of birdcalls and the arrival of the rainforest day-shifters.... it is impossible to sleep on. Time for a cold shower and to gather our kit wearing our forest clothes (to …
I remember him well. A small, neatly dressed, elderly gentleman from Ceylon. His name was Leslie Kodituwakku. He lived next door but one and was very proud of his garden. Coming from a family of gardeners and with great enthusiasm for my new garden, it wasn’t long before a special kind of acquaintance was borne …
It is a lovely bright morning, the calm before storm Imogen. I set out to try and retrace my steps from last year when I happened upon a long tunnel of ancient hazel coppice. Hazel, a lovely sounding Corylus avellanas in Latin, is a mythical tree which if coppiced can last several hundred years. It’s …
Today we travel from Medan to Bukit Lawang which is a village situated on the banks of the Bohorok river and on the edge of the Unesco world heritage listed Gerung Leuser National Park. Lonely Planet describe the park as one of the world’s most important and biologically diverse conservation areas; often described as a …
This is an extract from my wildlife travel diary - Sumatra 15-31st January 2016 on an expedition with the LEAP programme: For more information about LEAP (Landscape, Ecology and Primatology) project visit: http://go-leap.wix.com/home ............................. Preparation time between New Year and the date of departure rapidly disappeared. Kit gathered, arrangements made and now the journey ahead begins. I am …
As much as I love my forays overseas, it is always a joy to be back in the English countryside. The Sumatran rainforest was full of exotic delights yet it is so welcoming to feel the cool, crisp air on my face and to slosh my way through familiar mud and puddles. In the …
