Captures the birds of Ponnani’s harbor soaring, diving and thriving alongside fishermen.
Harbor wings show the birds in harbor. The harbor at Ponnani Harbor is not only a busy center for fishing but also a haven for a variety of bird species, which includes Egrets, cormorants, and Kites. These birds add life to the coastal landscape, scavenging for fish scraps and thriving amidst the activity. Their presence highlights the harmonious relationship between nature and the vibrant fishing community.
Silent Watcher In the activity of the harbor, an egret stands as a quiet observer.
Curious A curious egret perches on a metal pipe, observing its surroundings with keen interest.
The bird in the image is a Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis), which is often found in open grasslands, wetlands, and around bodies of water. Its distinctive white plumage, yellow beak, and legs are characteristic, and it typically has a hunched posture. During the breeding season, adults may develop slight orange hues on their head, chest, and back. It is standing on the boat looking into the sea trying to spot the fishes. Perched in a harbor, the Cattle Egret in the picture is probably searching for fish or other small prey that the activity in the sea has stirred up. These birds are opportunistic feeders, but they are most known for their practice of pursuing cattle and other grazing animals on land in order to capture insects. They modify their behavior to take use of the resources in harbor or coastal environments.
Locked and Loaded With focus and precision the egret is ready to strike, its eyes fixed on the fish below the surface.
Triumph A majestic egret spreads its wings as it triumphantly catches a fish from the water.
Then Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) is the bird depicted in the picture on the right. This little white heron is frequently seen close to bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, marshes, and estuaries. Their characteristic yellow feet, long black legs, and black bills help them in their fishing activities. As it advances slowly, searching for food, the bird, with its calm beauty, moves slowly, white against the black waters. A minute elapses before the thin beak dips in the water and strikes, catching a fish from the shallow depths with swift motion. The tiny fish firmly in its beak, the egret lifts its head up high.
Stolen Moment As the Egret secures its catch, a kite swoops in, threatening to steal its hard-earned meal.
Dual Focus Together on the wood, the cormorants keep a steady watch over the water.
Expanding its wings a little bit, it takes off for shore, where it will make takeoff with the prize. A kite way up in the sky has caught sight of its prey. Eager to snatch the prey out of the unsuspecting bird, the kite quickly glides along with its sharp claws spread out, the bright eyes fixed on the fish. With the small fish firmly held inside its beak, the egret slightly opened its wings, and flew on shore. Just as it seems the kite might succeed, the egret makes a sharp turn, heading toward safety. A small victory in the struggle for survival, a reminder of the wild balance of nature where every meal is earned and fiercely protected. Now It is a reminder of the wild balance of nature where every meal is earned and protected.
Glide A cormorant soars effortlessly over the water, its wings spread wide in graceful flight.
Landing A cormorant makes a dynamic landing on the water, creating a trail of ripples and reflections.
Now the Indian Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscicollis), sleek, dark-colored, is a common waterbird in India’s rivers, lakes, and coastal areas. The bird is a fishing expert and is well-known for its sleek form and superb diving abilities. In this narrative, from its first look at the ocean to its successful capture. Perched quietly somewhere observing the surroundings with intense focus. Its keen eyes scan the surface of the water, looking for any signs of fish activity. Once it identifies a potential feeding ground, the cormorant takes off.
Serenity A cormorant floats gracefully on the calm water, reflecting the tranquility of nature.
Unity A trio of cormorants glides smoothly across the water, moving in perfect harmony.
Its long wings beating steadily as it flies low over the water, heading toward an ideal fishing spot. Due to their dense bones and somewhat heavy bodies, which facilitate diving, these birds frequently need to start racing on the water’s surface in order to acquire sufficient momentum for takeoff. They move ahead with the help of their webbed feet and vigorously flap their wings until they take off. They can easily move between diverse environments.
Fish Seeker With steady focus, the cormorant dives beneath the surface, quickly resurfacing with a fresh catch in its beak.
Chase A majestic bird of prey swoops down as cormorants scatter, creating a dramatic scene of predator and prey in motion.
Usually flying at low altitudes, Indian Cormorants frequently skim the water’s surface. Because they fly low, they have a clear view of the water, which enables them to identify possible fishing spots and track other birds’ movements. Because flying low lowers air resistance and the effort needed to maintain height, it also saves energy. During flight, cormorants exhibit exceptional agility. They may glide, alter course swiftly, or precisely drop toward a fishing area. They can maneuver through the intricate landscapes of harbors, which are filled with obstacles like docks, piers, and boats, thanks to their ability to turn and modify their flight route.
Predation A powerful raptor takes flight while a wary cormorant swim below, highlighting the eternal dance between predator and prey A powerful raptor takes flight while a wary cormorant swim below, highlighting the eternal dance between predator and prey.
Mid-Air Heist Just as the cormorant secures its catch, a kite appears, diving toward the fish with a sudden, daring swoop.
From the air, cormorants are able to identify fish-rich locations. They may observe how schools of fish behave or how larger birds or dolphins travel, which frequently reveals areas with plenty of food. After a long wait, one of them managed to catch one fish. But the others instantly noticed that now they also want to get a taste of it, starting a fight between them. The cormorant with the fish, however, is smart. It lowers it head down into the water, submerging the fish for a moment to keep it hidden, then darts forward with a sudden burst of speed. Its wings beat the water as it gains some distance, but the others are persistent, unwilling to let the opportunity slip away.
Deep Dive The kite circles again, but the cormorant dives deeper into the water.
Secured The cormorant secured the fish, and the kite flew with failure.
A kite was silently watching all of this from above. Now it locks onto the wriggling fish with piercing eyes and makes a move. The cormorant senses the danger a moment too late. Before it can react, the kite descends in a swift, calculated dive. Its wings slice through the air with precision, and its sharp talons are outstretched, glinting in the sunlight. The cormorant lets out a harsh squawk of alarm, flapping its wings in a desperate attempt to hold its ground, but the kite is faster. But the cormorant again doesn’t want to give up that easily, it manages to escape from the kite. But the kite also doesn’t want to give up as it seems flying around again dives toward the cormorant.
Silent Sentinels Brahmin kite scanning the place and flying around the harbor with keen eyes.
Vigilant A sharp-eyed bird surveys the landscape below as it glides gracefully through the open sky.
This time the cormorant dives inside the water itself, a place where the kite couldn’t reach. So the cormorant escaped once again with its meal. Without even waiting for another one to come, it swallowed the fish and successfully completed the meal. Next comes the Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus), which is frequently found in coastal ecosystems, especially harbors, in Australia and South Asia. It is immediately identifiable due to its remarkable look, which has a white head and wings and a body that is chestnut in hue. It is starting its day and is waiting for the fishing boats to arrive so that it can have a good breakfast.
Soaring The kite soars through the sky, its wings fully extended in flight.
Intrusion The Brahmin Kite soars undisturbed until a Black Kite enters the scene, shifting the balance of the sky.
Sky Rivals Brahmin kite attacked by a group of black kites as it was flying around the harbor searching for food.
Rise Black kite wins the fight and flies
Scanning Black kite scanning downside for fish as it flies above.
The Black Kite (Milvus migrans), a common predatory bird. It also distinguishes with its forked tail, elegant flight, and ability to adapt to a variety of environments. Raptor competition for food is a frequent sight in such ecosystems. In the fight for fish between the adults, there also enters the Brahminy Kite’s juvenile. They may struggle in precision and accuracy compared to adults. For them, snagging a fish marks a significant turning point in its development rather than merely a meal. It shows the bird’s developing predatory skills. Observing this behavior in the environment demonstrates how remarkably skilled and adaptive raptors are, especially at such young ages.
Aerial Triumph Black kite got one fish and showing it off in a majestic way.
Opportunist As the adult kites clash in the sky, the juvenile Kite seizes the moment to slip through unnoticed.
The Young Thief A juvenile kite sneaks in to snatch the fish, escaping with the prize.
Copyrights: All the photos and text in this post are the copyright of Arun Narayanan T Palakkad and Creative Hut Institute of Photography and Film. Their reproduction is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.
