From now on, my camera is going to spend most of its days inside the cupboard. That had been my thought while I moved to the new place. Our last home had trees all around the house and a garden, not to mention the special bushes in it that I nurtured only for their ability to attract butterflies, bees and birds. What could I possibly click here on the third floor, apart from the changing moods of the sky?

One evening as I stood on the balcony I saw a black kite (Milvus migrans) alight on a coconut tree some distance away just as I had hoped. All day I had heard the shrill calls and seen a few soaring high up in the sky. I was not going to miss this opportunity. The coconut were some distance away, but that didn’t matter. Soon I was looking at one through the viewfinder of my camera. To my delight there was another one close by. I clicked away.

Here’s what happened: The first kite went away and after a while returned with something in its mouth. The second one, its baby but as big in size as the mother, watched for a while while mama dug into the little bit of meat or fish it had scavenged. Impatient to have a go at the tasty morsel, it sidled up to her and demanded its share. Mama gave up after a while and let her little one walk away with the prize.

Ahh… it begins, I thought. A kite today. What would it be tomorrow, or the next day, or the next? 🙂

© Shail Mohan 2022

Note: It looks like I may have to take a holiday from blogging. Covid 19 seems to have found its way to my house. The test results aren’t in yet, but there seems to be little doubt. As of now I am the last sentinel standing. For how long before I fall, is the question.