Onam on the water: sadya, boats and the race season
August and September on the backwaters, and how to plan around the boat races.
The birds of Vembanad in the early morning
Kingfishers, darters and purple herons: what you might see from a country boat at six.
The best time to see birds on the backwaters is the first two hours after sunrise, before the houseboats start moving. That is why our early morning trip leaves the jetty at 6 am in a small country boat that is rowed, not motored.
You will almost certainly see kingfishers. There are three kinds here: the common kingfisher, small and bright blue; the white-throated, larger and brown with a red beak; and the pied, black and white, which hovers over the water before it dives. Jose, who rows most of these trips, can spot them on a wire from a long way off.
Darters, sometimes called snake birds, swim with only their thin necks above the water and then sit on posts with their wings spread to dry. Little cormorants do the same. Egrets of several sizes stand in the paddy, and if you are lucky you will see a purple heron standing very still at the edge of the reeds.
From November to February, migrant birds arrive from the north, and the numbers grow. Bring binoculars if you have them, and wear something dull in colour. Talk quietly. The boat holds four, and the trip ends at 8 am with coffee.
