monomad challenge: a few animals around Shiroda

before it reaches the Arabian Sea Tiroda creek flows a few kilometers south of the town of Shiroda. in the more hilly terrain it is recognizable as a typical creek but close to the sea the land is flat. there the creek spreads out into the flood plain., parts of it are a swamp with a great variety of trees, of particular note are the mangrove that are so important for biodiversity.

other areas are marshes that are important for irrigation to the adjacent and nearby farmlands. the deeper pools of the marsh are favorite places for water buffalo to frequent. they don't do well in the hot sun so they love to cool off in the water. at the same time they get away from the flies and other insects that bother them relentlessly. they may even feed there but mostly they just like to chill together and pass the time waiting for the heat to subside

we don't have cats but several of our neighbors do. they have no problem jumping over our compound and can often be seen roaming around in search of some food or prey. we don't mind at all because they keep other less desirable animals at bay. the rats in the coconut trees are no problem at all but we certainly don't want them in and around our house and the cats do a great job of keeping them in the trees.

snakes also have no problem crossing our compound and while they also keep the rats away we prefer to let the cats do the job. occasionally a cat comes across a snake and makes a raucous unlike any other. if we hear that we know a snake is nearby. though we are friendly to the cats we don't feed them or encourage them to stay but i have to say they are nice to have around- even if just for a photo or two

black-faced monkeys or gray langurs are common in our area. we have several kinds of fruit trees that they come to feed on. we don't mind them eating the cashew apples or even the chikoos that are well out of reach for us to pick but they pay no attention to our preferences. they know when to come, both when the fruits are ripe and when there is little chance of getting caught. it's kind of a game- for the most we like to have them around and often take photos but we don't want them to feel welcome so we chase them away with camera in hand. things change when mangoes are in season. we don't have so many mangoes and are not at all happy to see them in our trees so we try to be much more threatening. but they are very smart and their behaviour isn't so different than us humans. so of course they love mangoes and manage to snatch some. one way of finding out if wee are around is to come to the window and look in to see if anybody's home or perhaps just to satisfy their natural curiosity.

this photo is taken from inside our hall looking through the steel grills out the window at the monkey sitting on the sill looking in. it's not like there's a group of them sitting there and watching us and they are certainly not a threat. there's only one scout that takes a quick peek and disappears as soon as they see us. i don't go around with my phone in hand when i'm inside the house so i was lucky to happen to have it and get this shot just in time. it was gone seconds later.

i will be the first to tell you that my S22 phone camera is not suited for bird photography. the zoom is powerful and up to 10x is optical zoom but for the most part it is useless to try getting a good clear shot. perhaps i could get a good photo in a zoo or aviary or somewhere the birds are used to people nearby and have no escape. otherwise a photo in the wild may be good enough for identification purpose.

nonetheless it doesn't stop me from trying and if i have my phone in hand when i spy a bird close enough to try a shot or two i go for it. such was the case one day when i was out on a walk on the wonderful Shiroda Beach, sometimes locally referred to as Paradise Beach. one of the reasons for the esteemed accolade is the birdlife there. this sandpiper was searching for food in the receding waves. i managed to come close enough and zoom in enough to get this shot. admittedly there are issues with the photo, not the least being sharpness. perhaps it is more like a painting than a good photo but there are things about it that i like enough to include it here. the pose of the bird in action is nice but the reason i like it most is the minimalistic setting. a wave had washed in and was receding on the flat smooth sand. the wet sand reflected the light making the sand invisible, while the motion of the water distorted the reflection of the bird and hid its feet. the photo is not truly black and white- i have greatly minimized the saturation but not completely.

occasionally we take sunrise walks on the beach. it's such a beautiful time of day with the soft dawn light and a mist over the water. the wind is usually light and the sea relatively calm so some days it is possible to spot dolphins- the fishing boats that have been out in the night are either landing or already busy collecting the fish caught in their long nets. one of the reasons for the morning walk is to see what the catch has been and perhaps buy some. it's not possible to get fresher fish than this.

there is more than just in the nets. there may be some prawns and if the net was touching bottom there may be some crabs. inevitably there are things the fishermen don't keep, such as seaweed, starfish and the occasional sea snake. usually the snakes are still alive and the fishermen loosen them from the net and cast them away from the boat toward the sea. though alive they are stunned, sluggish and more or less injured so they are slow to make their way back to the water. they are not dangerous in this state and it is easy enough to get a photo but as soon as they get to the water they are usually gone in seconds. i have swum on this beach countless times and never encountered or heard of an encounter with a snake other than those unlucky ones caught in fish nets.