Documentary director and school teacher Jose Mathew is better known to us for his Towards the Edge of Kabani, his first film on wild animals which won the Kerala Film Audience Council award recently. Now he is all set to release his second documentary titled Monsoon guests, which focuses on the breeding habits of migratory birds that reach the bamboo groves in the secluded islet on the Kabini River and ponds at Panamaram in Wayanad every year.


This documentary, a result of four years of research and based on consultations with noted ornithologists in the State, took him six-and-a-half months to shoot, Jose Mathew said. Monsoon guests depicts the physical changes of the birds at the time of breeding, hatching of different species of birds, feeding habits and the communal harmony among the different species of birds in the bamboo groves.


Almost all the rare moments in the life cycle of these birds, from nesting to the return trip of the nomadic birds with their offspring, have been depicted in this 25-minute documentary. The arrival of crocodiles from the nearby forests to eat the falling eggs and nestlings has also been shot.


The film is an earnest endeavour to create awareness about the significance of these breeding centres and to save these rare visitors from the clutches of hunters. Planned to be exhibited in all educational institutions in association with the Nature Clubs to create awareness among students about birds, Monsoon guests will be ready for screening by the end of January.