A DAY WELL BEGUN

 

A DAY WELL BEGUN

 

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

 

15/VI/2022

 

With the weatherman’s forecast coming true, it rained. Temperatures dropped drastically by more than ten degrees. Welcome relief from the heat. Every tree was washed. Dust that had accumulated was shed and the greenery shone again. Pots didn’t have to be watered. Their smiles could be felt. I too broke into one. What a way to begin the day!

 

There was this big brown leaf stuck in the neem tree. How could a ‘Champa’ leaf rise that high? I aimed with my camera at it and it wasn’t a leaf but a ‘Shikra’, perfectly camouflaged in the thicket waiting for birds and their chicks to arrive for his morning snack.

 

Suddenly there was commotion. A flock of sunbirds, must be five or six of them, entered the neem tree. Both the Shikra and the Hummingbirds were taken by surprise as neither of them were expecting to see each other. They all flew away as fast as they could, the shikra in chase, but these little ones were just too fast. One got saved from being a witness to an early morning murder.

 

As the sun would have stayed behind the clouds. I decided to shoot and enjoy my morning walk. The riverfront needed to be exploited as it is touching our colony.

 

Nature was in total harmony there. There was a thick ‘Kikkar’ forest along the banks. If there are trees and water of the Jojari River, could birds be far behind. Peacock and partridge calls could be heard from miles away. My pace became brisk.

 

The first friends I spotted were squirrels. A baby and mom were busy eating grains. They were just not afraid of human presence at all.

 

Then there was this ‘cleared space’ where pigeons and other birds were congregating. As I focused my camera, it was a crowd. Not only pigeons, there were sparrows, parrots, squirrels, doves and robins, all feeding in harmony. No one was aggressive or trying to shoo off anyone. Like a community eating centre, they all were filling their bellies peacefully. We need to take lessons.

 

Imagine there was a pack of dogs sitting close by. They didn’t bother the birds. Of course, when I called them, two of them wagged their tails but kept lying and looking at me. They looked fatigued and were lying in their dug outs after a ‘hard day’s night’.

  

It was not surprising to see a cow there. Feeding and watering was the reason. People who had discarded their bath and were now their watering holes. She approached me. I was ready to run, just in case it decided to dig her horns in me. My fear vanished as she didn’t have horns.

 

She followed me like a pet, trying to smell my bum. I turned and she stopped. How could you not fall in love with those beautiful eyes? Her eyelashes so prominently showed. I gave a scrub to her head. She just lowered it and kept nudging for more. She enjoyed it and sat down.

 

I kept clicking and kept walking along the bank. There was a huge pond close by which I was aware of. Maybe one could catch a fingerling when the season is good. It was dry.

 

The bank slope was steep but a ‘cow track’ existed to the waterfront. I saw  Stilts, Robins, Flycatchers, Lapwings (Titrees), Moorhens (Jalkukri) and so many others which I could hear but could not spot.

 

In my exuberance to get close to the water for a click, I forgot the basic principle of stealth. As I rolled down to the water through the thick Kikkar thicket I heard birds taking off. Were they ducks or some other water birds, I just could not see? But one could clearly hear a flock paddle push the water, gaggle and take off. By the time I reached that clearing, they all were gone. Alas, I shall be more careful next time. I might as well wear my camo dress on my next adventure.

 

One parrot just took my heart away. One not only flew down but posed for me like a professional model. The kingfisher girls could have taken a lesson or two from it. The way the parrot stretched, twisted, looked in my eye and then looked far away, it could beat any professional model. It flew to a Kikkar and played hide and seek.

 

I was looking ahead to meet Mr Malya the Kingfisher. The banks were an ideal location for them to nest. I spotted a few burrows, but they may or may not belong to him. It is the nesting season; we shall find out soon.

 

Birds were a treat to the eye and one needs to learn from them to peacefully co-exist. Will we ever? I wonder!!!!!!!!!!!

 

JAI HIND

© NOEL ELLIS