Bird of the Day: Intermediate Egret
Nature Photography
Landscape Yearnings
Beaver damage
As someone who enjoys the outdoors and the wonderful silence that nature provides, I have recently begun to feel the emotional effects of being surrounded by metal and concrete. I, along with millions of others, am living in Buenos Aires and I am counting the days (8) until I have the opportunity to leave the city and enjoy the serenity of grass and the ability to see the stars. Recently I have had the good fortune of being asked to do some exhibitions of my work including many of the photos that I took while down in Patagonia.
Non-Bird of the Day: Flying Fox (Thekkady, India)
They come out before dawn, and again at dusk, and it is easy to confuse them with birds–eagle-sized at that– when they circle around Cardamom County. Flying foxes are good neighbors, hanging around the bamboo stand across the way from us in the Periyar Reserve during the day; munching on insects during the darker hours.
Bird of the Day: Chestnut-tailed Starling
Dawn and Dusk
The clear skies and fair weather last Saturday allowed for breathtaking views across the expansive scenery on the drive down from Kerala’s Idukki District into Tamil Nadu. The following pictures were taken respectively at 7AM and 5PM (not quite dawn or dusk, but close enough) from different points along the drive down from and back up to Kumily.
Bird of the Day: Large Hawk Cuckoo
Bird of the Day: White-bellied Shortwing
Bird of the Day: Sri Lankan Frogmouth
Bird of the Day: Rose Ringed Parakeet
Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu
Bird of the Day: Plain Prinia
Bird of the Day: Nilgiri Laughing Thrush
Bird of the Day: Little Egret
Still In Motion
There is something fascinating to me about images that depict stationary objects while also imparting a sense of rapid motion. Night-shots of city streets with cars trailing lights are tricky, difficult to stage, and unnatural, yet still beautiful. Finding natural scenes depicting motion while the environment stands still is difficult, but a reliable source of endless photographs is the waterfall. Whether a mega-million gallon monolith or a trickling stream tickling down the side of a wall, the endless motion of a waterfall starkly contrasts against the backdrop, and the patterns which are the result of the water’s movement over a period of time can often be breathtaking.
Bird of the Day: Pale-billed Flower Pecker
Bird of the Day: Red Avadavat
Bird of the Day: Rosy Starling
Bird of the Day: Gray Wagtail
Onam Festival at Cardamom County: Staff’s Onasadya
Continuing from the last post, here is a photo slide show of Onasadya in the Staff Canteen.
Onam Festival at Cardamom County: Onasadya
Continuing from the last post, here is a photo slide show of Onasadya in the All Spice Restaurant.
Onam Festival at Cardamom County
As Amie and other contributors mentioned in their posts, the Harvest Festival and the time of giving thanks has come to Kerala and to Cardamom County. I had the great opportunity to be on property and experience the colorful festival of Onam. Being part of both guest and staff, I could see all aspects of the event: from preparation to the final event. Onam is a ten day festival as Amie’s post explains, but the most important day of Onam is the 9th day, which is oddly called “First Onam” because that is the day that King Mahabali actually descends to Kerala. But any day of Onam seems like the Keralites’ spirits were soaring. All the staff at Cardamom County have great warm and happy smiles but during this festival season it felt like their warmth was doubled.
