Millipede

When the rains come, the Millipedes (Atta in Malayalam language) get really active in Kerala...

They look more threatening than they actually are. Here are some trivia I got from wikipedia:

• Millipedes do not bite, and their defensive secretions are mostly harmless to humans – usually causing only minor discoloration on the skin – but the secretions of some tropical species may cause pain, itching and occasionally cracked skin.
• Many species also emit various foul-smelling liquid secretions through microscopic ozopores, along the sides of their bodies as a secondary defence. These secretions may include alkaloids, benzoquinones, phenols, terpenoids, and/or hydrogen cyanide, among many others.
• Some can result in home invasions, crop damage, train delays, or even train crashes and derailments.
• Some of the larger millipedes are popular as pets.
• Millipedes also appear in folklore and traditional medicine around the world. In the Yoruba culture of Nigeria, millipedes are used in pregnancy and business rituals, and crushed millipedes are used to treat fever, whitlow, and convulsion in children.
• In Zambia, smashed millipede pulp is used to treat wounds, and in the Bafia people of Cameroon millipede juice is used to treat earaches.
• In certain Himalayan Bhotiya tribes, dry millipede smoke is used to treat hemorrhoids.
• Native people in Malyasia use millipede secretions in poison-tipped arrows.
• The only reported usage of millipedes as food by humans comes from the Bobo people of Burkina Faso, who consume boiled, dried millipedes in tomato sauce.

Addicted to mangoes!

Even the birds love them...

Ceylon Pak

Ceylon Pak is one of the rare species in the Areca genus found in the humid tropical regions of Kerala and Southeast Asia. 

Several species of Areca nuts, known for their bitter and tangy taste, raw or dried, are routinely used for chewing, especially in combination with the leaves of betel, and dried leaves of tobacco.

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.

My son loves Mr Bean

I was going through old photos of Nishu and found this where he seems to relate to Mr Bean.

Now at 7 years, he loves Mr Bean. I am glad he doesn't imitate him any more. 

Greater Coucal

I am in Kerala for a paternity break. As soon as I arrived today morning, I  got a glimpse of this fella in the backyard. This is the only shot I got before it disappeared in the foliage. Hope to see him again and capture a better photo.

The Greater Coucal or Crow Pheasant (Centropus sinensis) is a large non-parasitic member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. A widespread resident in Asia, from India, east to south China and Indonesia.

Some interesting information about the bird:

1. They are weak fliers, and are often seen clambering about in vegetation or walking on the ground. They are brisk walkers.

2. They eat a wide range of insects, caterpillars and small vertebrates. They are also known to eat bird eggs, nestlings, fruits and seeds.

3. Greater Coucals are monogamous, and the courtship display involves chases on the ground and the male brings food gifts for the female. The female lowers her tail and droops her wings to signal acceptance. The nest is built mostly by the male over about three to eight days.

4. The calls are booming low coop-coop-coops, the reason why the bird is called Uppan in Kerala.

5. The bird is associated with many superstitions and beliefs. The deep calls are associated with spirits and omens.

Birders in action

Patience, improvisation and flexibility is so often needed in bird photography...

Inquisitive little girl

I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity.

--Eleanor Roosevelt

Blue Daisy

Elephant