As a nature enthusiast, I was always fascinated by various ecosystems, especially arid landscapes; but one visit to the Anamalai Hills was captivating enough for me to stick to this magical landscape.C ombining my interests in landscape ecology and in understanding how wildlife responds to a large scale changes in habitat, I studied Great Hornbills for my masters’ dissertation at NCBS in 2016, looking at their behaviour and breeding biology in the human-modified landscape of Valparai and surrounding protected areas. Currently, I am in Valparai trying to understand hornbill populations in the Anamalais.