SivamDesign's photostream  

The famous Bekal Fort clicked from the Bekal Beach Park. This is the largest fort in Kasargod, Kerala, India, spreading over 40 acres. The Fort appears to have been built up from the sea since almost three fourth of its exteriors is drenched and the waves continually stroke the citadel. Unlike most other Indian Forts, Bekal fort was not a center of administration for no remains of any palace, mansion or such buildings are found within the fort. Arguably the fort was built exclusively for fulfilling defense requirements.

My first shots of these ducks. Not clear as I was a far way off, but good enough to put up. These females were seen with a few Purple Swamphens. The males are very different. The Northern Pintail is a bird of open wetlands which nests on the ground, often some distance from water. They feed by dabbling for plant food and add small invertebrates to their diet during the nesting season. They are highly gregarious when not breeding, forming large mixed flocks with other species of duck.

Also called the Grey Pelican. It is a bird of large inland and coastal waters, especially large lakes. At a distance they are difficult to differentiate from other pelicans in the region although it is smaller but at close range the spots on the upper mandible, the lack of bright colours and the greyer plumage are distinctive. In some areas these birds nest in large colonies close to human habitations. In the breeding plumage the skin at the base of the beak is dark as seen in this photo.

My first shot of this warbler in the cisticola family. A very co-operative subject that posed well. The setting was a well maintained garden. This passerine bird is typically found in wet lowland grassland, open woodland and often in gardens. Seen in pairs or even small groups moving about in low growth. They have a jerky, low flight and are difficult to spot in the bush. These 13-14 cm long warblers build their nests in shrubs or tall grass and lay 3-6 eggs. Like most warblers, the Plain Prinia is insectivorous. The song is a repetitive tlee-tlee-tlee and they also make a krrik...krrik sound.

An Indian Russell's Viper, a monotypic genus of venomous Old World Viper, caught slithering by. These deadly snakes are found throughout the Indian subcontinent. Apart from being a member of the big four snakes in India, the Russell's Viper is also one of the species responsible for causing the most snakebite incidents and deaths among all venomous snakes on account of many factors, such as their wide distribution and frequent occurrence in highly-populated areas. The presence of rodents is the main reason they are attracted to human habitation as they primarily feed on rodents though they will eat just about anything, including rats, mice, shrews, squirrels, land crabs, scorpions and other arthropods. They can grow to more than five feet in length.