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Thursday, July 11, 2024

A Monsoon Misadventure

The monsoon has settled in for the long haul, painting the sky a dreary watercolor of grey. Sunday morning found me and a friend at Kannamangala Lake. Low light made clear shots a challenge. But then, a flash of color made the frustrations melt away. See what I managed to capture!


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As I approached, my excitement dimmed along with the light.  The road, unfortunately, pointed straight towards the low-hanging monsoon clouds.  With the sun hidden behind the thick blanket of grey,  I wrestled with the camera settings, trying to salvage the day (or at least, salvage some decent photos!)



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A White-throated Kingfisher darted between perches, its blue feathers bright against the grey. With a sharp eye on the water below, it hunted for its breakfast fish.





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Three Aylesbury ducks waddled across the ground like a real-life, conjoined triplet! Their beaks dipped and probed the ground in perfect sync as they searched for breakfast.



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There, perched on a branch, a Common Kingfisher held my attention. I grabbed a seat nearby, battling the low light for the next half hour to capture some decent shots of the kingfisher.










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A bright red beak sliced through the water - a Common Moorhen swam by.


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Another bright beak appeared - a Common Coot in the low light.


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A Little Egret effortlessly snatched fish from the water.



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An Indian Spot-billed Duck dipped and dabbled in the water as it chased after fish.




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Unsure if my kingfisher photos turned out in the dim light, I returned for a video. Luckily, the kingfisher became the star of the show, diving and emerging with a fish in its beak!

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Believe it or not, even at 8 am, the light was terrible! My friend and I exchanged a knowing look – it was time to call it a day. With a sigh, we packed up our gear, a sense of mystery hanging in the air about whether we'd captured anything at all.

Hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the monsoon! Let me know in the comments below - what captured your eye the most?

42 comments:

  1. Great series of photos Shiju.
    The kingfisher really steals the show.
    The weather is also bad here in the Netherlands, lots of rain and thunder.
    I enjoyed your photos.
    Greetings Irma

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  2. You did great with your photos despite the difficult lightning conditions. What a pro you are!

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  3. I love your action shots of the kingfisher. Such a beautiful bird on a cloudy day!

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  4. You got fantastic photos and the video is great too ~ all despite the light ~ Very professional photos ~ thanks,

    Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  5. That first shot of the Kingfisher is amazing! You're very talented.

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  6. I should have known you met your lighting challenges superbly!!

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  7. This must be a special edition on Kingfisher. So good.

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  8. When I think of "monsoon" nothing good comes to mind but you found it's good side with your gorgeous photos! I enjoyed watching the video, the Kingfisher makes such cute sounds!

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  9. Sometimes the sun casts shadows that make a photo less clear with scattered reflections. A cloudy day can allow for more precise impressions. But whether rain, sun or cloud, your photos are always amazing and a viewer's delight!

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  10. If you didn't mention it, I would not know the challenges you faced in taking these photos. They look wonderful to me.

    Worth a Thousand Words

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  11. Excellent serie photos. We only see kingfishers in winter. Have a nice weekend Shiju.

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  12. Amazing series of photos, Kingfisher looks beautiful, Awesome post.

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  13. In Asia you have so many kingfishers and we have but one. It hardly seems fair!

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  14. Against all odds you came up with some great pictures - the video is lovely too!

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  15. Hello. A great series of photos of wonderful birds. Thank you for sharing.

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  16. Hello,
    You did a great job with capturing the birds, even with the bad lighting. I love both Kingfishers, all the ducks, the Moorhen and the Coot and the Little Egret. Well done! Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

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  17. Kingfishers are such fascinating birds — your video is wonderful. Also your photos.
    best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  18. ...you captured these well, thanks!

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  19. Delightful captures of the lovely birds!

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  20. Beautiful shots of some really beautiful birds. thanks for sharing.

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  21. The squarking blue bird shot if fntastic! You get some great pics! #NaturesNotes

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  22. These are brilliant your photos get better each week that bluebird is so pretty 👍

    Have a misadventuretastic week 👍

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  23. Wonderful pictures - kingfishers of any sort are always a treat!
    Stewart M - Auckland, NZ

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  24. I'd love a dress the color of the kingfisher!
    Thank you for sharing at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2024/07/zen-garden.html

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  25. Gorgeous kingfishers! I like the waterfowl too. Ducks are cute.

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  26. Looks like it was a morning of fisher birds. :)
    Despite the light, you seem to have brought back some good pictures.
    The kingfishers are so gorgeous! And the video is lovely; and Ah! I love the sounds in it! :)

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  27. Despite the clouds you got some beautiful bird captures. So much better than I could ever hope for. The kingfishers are so colourful1 Enjoy the rest of your week. I am joining you at Mosaic Monday

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  28. I enjoyed every image from the monsoon period. And beside this I love the shades of blue.
    Happy WW and a fine week!

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  29. Thanks for the nice comment. And for the congratulations too.

    Most eyecatching are the Duck at least... but again all scenes! It`s difficult to decide ;)

    I am very happy about the contribution to MosaicMonday again.
    Kind regards from Heidrun

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  30. I admire your ability to capture such vivid moments despite the challenging weather conditions.
    The Kingfisher steals the show indeed with its vibrant colors against the moody backdrop of the monsoon sky.
    Each shot tells a story of perseverance and a keen eye for nature's beauty.

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  31. Those are some ominous looking storm clouds! But they make for some dramatic lighting, especially with the colorful kingfishers.

    Happy WW and have a great week!

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  32. WOW such fantastic King Fisher pics.
    Found your post at image-in-ing. My entries this week are numbered #45+46
    Please join and share your posts with us https://esmesalon.com/tag/wordlesswednesday/

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  33. Wow, so many beautiful photos of beautiful birds. I especially love the colorful kingfisher. I've only seen black and white kingfishers in my neck of the woods. Visiting from Wordless Wednesday.

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  34. great pictures! how perfect nature can be!

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  35. Such stunning pictures - Thanks so much for sharing and for taking part in #MySundaySnapshot

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  36. These photos of birds are beautiful. How did you manage to immortalize a kingfisher or geese? Your photos are beautiful.

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  37. I see there are Pekin domestic ducks there too...Michelle

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  38. Stunning! Awesome! The bird photographs are amazing especially as they keep moving.

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  39. I actually like the dreary weather shots, Common Kingfisher is the star of your post. Thanks for sharing with Garden Affair.

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  40. Absolutely love your shots. Even at low night, the captures are clear and vivid. Thanks for joining with trees and birds, Shiju! Would you be able to also add in a link that you are joining Thursday Tree Love? Thanks in advance and always happy to see you around.

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  41. Lovely photos, Shiju. Thanks for sharing
    Kingfisher from such a close angle is looking amazing and other birds too are beautiful.
    Inspite of dim light the pictures are amazing and Even the landscape view is beautiful, it looks like a painting.
    My Tree Love post - https://praguntatwa.com/the-old-peepal-tree-august-tree-love/

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