Kerala - the place I keep coming back to

Even before we moved to India, we have visited it many times. One of my favorite places to go to is Kerala backwaters and somehow my visits always fall in the monsoon. That means sudden rain, storm clouds, and fewer birds than the dry months bring. I keep returning. We stay at Coconut Lagoon ( property of CGH Earth) that doesnt have TV's and sits on the edge of backwaters. We visited it  first time few years back and had a jackfruit tree planted there. It bears a plate with our names on it. If you are ever there - check it out - it might have couple jackfruits.   

This time I made a separate trip to Malarikkal near Kottayam just as the water lilies were starting to open, and I caught the beginning of lily season.

A boat among the first lilies of the season, Malarikkal.

While many tourists are attracted by lilies, I was mesmerized by birds that looked like they are walking on the water. The jacanas were my main reason why I wanted to stay there longer. Their secret of walking on water is very simple. Their toes are very long, and they spread the bird's weight across the floating lily pads, so a jacana can cross a lake one leaf at a time.

I spent a while just watching them mesmerized by the illusion  before I picked up the camera. Once you see how they place each foot, you can guess where the next step will land, and that makes the photograph easier.

Walking on water

The backwaters are kingfisher country too. White-throated kingfishers sit on every bare stick and post along the water. Most of the work is waiting. With enough time and patience, you get to see the catch of an hour. These two had their favorite fishing spot next to the house I was staying in. While there were plenty of dry sticks for them to land on, they still managed to get into a heated argument over "whose spot is it anyway?"

Two kingfishers, one perch.

Cloudy, rainy days don't make beautiful pictures. The colors go flat, the light is poor, and the birds are fewer. They do have a different mood, though. On one of those grey mornings a Brahminy kite sat on a post with a fish under its foot and looked straight at me.

A Brahminy kite and its fish.

The monsoon limits what I can photograph here. I get fewer birds and more rain, and some days I come back with almost nothing and soaking wet. But it suits me to have less tourists, more time to watch the birds and the beauty of storm clouds before the rain comes in. 

Next up is a bit of backwater beauty...