A visit to Kumarakom Backwaters

Recently I visited the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary situated on the banks of Vembanad Lake. It has 2.5 KM of well laid out paths for moving around within the sanctuary...

A rubber plantation was developed into this bird sanctuary by an Englishman. You can still see the decades old rubber trees from the erstwhile Baker's Estate...

I saw this boat and made up my mind to take a boat ride on my return from the walk...

 I learnt that some of the migratory birds come here from the Himalayas, and a few from far away Siberia. As this is not the migratory season, I was looking forward to sighting some native birds. This Black Crowned Night Heron with bloodshot eyes looked sloshed... 

A fisherman seemed to have caught something good... 

The Kerala backwaters are a chain of saltwater lagoons and lakes lying parallel to the Arabian Sea coast. I set out on this boat to explore the Vembanad lake...

Thought this Heron was waiting for her lover who has gone fishing... 

She looked pretty with that blue and yellow bill... 

There were some lovely green reflections...

Here's a pond Heron... Are there only Herons around here? 

The vastness and the calm. So serene...

Just when I thought I will get to see only Herons, I see a Cormorant posing like a Heroine...

There's more variety, a Black Drongo...

The kettuvallams (Kerala houseboats) are one of the main tourist attractions. They were traditionally used as grain barges, to transport the rice harvested in the fertile fields alongside the backwaters. Converted to accommodate tourists, the houseboats have become air-conditioned floating cottages with all modern amenities... 

I was zooming my lens at the shells on the bank of the lake when I noticed this kid looking at me...

This White-breasted Kingfisher just made my day... 

It was a very satisfying three hours spent at the Kumarakom backwaters...

Caterpillar

The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly.

--Richard Bach

A walk in the green

 I have been clicking less pictures during my current stay in Kerala. This place is irresistible with greenery everywhere.  But Kerala has left me deeply dissatisfied because of the almost nonexistent sidewalks for pedestrians.

Yesterday, I finally gathered some courage and went for my first morning walk. Walking along the main road was terrifying. The vehicles were racing just inches away from me. 

The small roads are even more terrifying with just enough roadway for two vehicles to cross each other without hitting.

There were photo opportunities all along...

Finally, this river side made all the risk pretty worthwhile...

Our second baby

 We have a new member in our family - a baby boy. The baby arrived yesterday (April 11, 2014) at 10 AM.

Beginning of a beautiful relationship

I found this pair of Brahminy Starling (Sturnia pagodarum) birds at Baramati. 

It is usually seen in pairs or small flocks in open habitats on the plains of the Indian Subcontinent.

Like most starlings, the Brahminy Starling is omnivorous, eating fruit and insects.