Red-eyed Reef Crab (Eriphia smithii)

Red-eyed Reef Crab (Eriphia smithii)

The marine life around Socotra is rich and diverse, but I am focusing on the flora and fauna on land. However, I had a short window of opportunity during low…


Red Sea Ghost Crab (Ocypode saratan)

Red Sea Ghost Crab (Ocypode saratan)

Erissel is the easternmost point of Socotra. It is a windswept low-lying area governed by the elements. During cyclones the wind and sea wreak havoc on the…


Red Sea Ghost Crab (Ocypode saratan)

Red Sea Ghost Crab (Ocypode saratan)

Erissel is the easternmost point of Socotra. It is a windswept low-lying area governed by the elements. During cyclones the wind and sea wreak havoc on the…


Red Sea Ghost Crab (Ocypode saratan)

Red Sea Ghost Crab (Ocypode saratan)

The north-facing beach of the tip of Erissel is wide and deep, with a large part only tasting the waves during monsoons. This is perfect conditions for the…


Inversed Fiddler Crab (Cranuca inversa)

Inversed Fiddler Crab (Cranuca inversa)

I found plenty of this species at this location and no signs of competing species. They thrive here next to a large date grove, where I rested in their…


Koklass pheasant (Pucrasia macrolopha)

Koklass pheasant (Pucrasia macrolopha)

Encountering this koklass pheasant peacefully feeding off the juicy spring shoots and buttercup flowers was a wonderful experience. Not a sound of human…


Koklass pheasant (Pucrasia macrolopha)

Koklass pheasant (Pucrasia macrolopha)

The many species of pheasant found in the Himalayas is incredible, and seeing them up close on the road like this is exiting as it is surprising. Yet it is a…


Himalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus)

Himalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus)

The state bird of Uttarakhand, and and incredibly beautiful bird. In Chopta and by most temples this is a commonly seen bird that will come up close, and…


Red junglefowl (Gallus gallus)

Red junglefowl (Gallus gallus)

This is a common species, but nonetheless a beautiful one, especially when you can see it in the open like here, where it was foraging in the leaf litter and…


Kalij pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos)

Kalij pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos)

On my way down from an amazing sunrise near the Dochula Pass I encountered this gorgeous male strolling leisurely with his mate which was blending in perfectly…