BULBUL VS SQUIRREL

BULBUL VS SQUIRREL

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

24/VIII/2022

Soon there would be another nest in our garden. The Taylor birds were the first one to enter, followed by the Chameleons, then came Grasshoppers and now it is Ms Squirrel. Welcome to our fold my friends. Be rest assured, you and your family shall be looked after to the best of our ability.

From December to April not a bird could be seen venturing in the garden. Now that things have settled down, they are slowly making inroads and beginning to trust us. This morning I met Baby Hopper. He has grown another inch and refuses to leave his favourite pot.

We were sitting in the drawing room, when there was commotion outside. Could it be the cat? My only apprehension was, it should not have caught hold of a chick. A little silence and again Bulbuls went on chirping relentlessly, hopping from branch to branch agitated, raising the danger alarm.

They swooped a couple of times & came and sat on bamboo stilts. Bulbuls were fixated to one branch of the Champa tree. Their chirps were short bursts of their calls. Piercing the ears with that irritating kind of chirp. One remembered the ‘air raid alert,’ with short blows of a whistle, till a long whistle was blown indicating ‘all clear’. Bulbul was not letting go of the “raid alert.” What could it be?

I tiptoed outside. These birds generally fly away. However, Bulbuls just would not let go. It waited for me to come close. If I had extended my hand, I could have held her. Her tail flipping up and down as she screeched, telling the intruder to go away. Was I the intruder?

It couldn’t be a snake. One does not want snakes to crawl around the garden. Cats were nowhere to be seen. This trespasser was hidden somewhere I could not locate but the birds could see it.

Then things fell into place when I saw a squirrel. Ms Squirrel would come from behind the tree trunk for just a moment. Nibble on the jute rope one had tied to ‘train’ the Morning Glory vine, get distracted by the Bulbul attack, rush for cover and reappear to do what she was doing.

Ms Squirrel was pulling out the threads & shredding them into a fluffy ball. She had one roundel stuck under her chin and was onto the second one. If she opened that knot on the rope, our Morning Glory vine would fall, but then, I let it be. The vine is firmly entwined on the Champa tree. Even if it falls it can be placed back.

Ms Squirrel did get a little perturbed when I appeared on the scene but then she was on an errand which had to be done. After all it is nesting time. I was there out of curiosity, to find the reason for that ruckus, rather than scare anyone away.

Ms Bulbul got more excited when she saw me. As if she was expecting me to react and shoo the squirrel away. Taking strength from my presence she attacked the squirrel and flew back to her perch close to which I was standing. It did it a few times. By then the ball that the squirrel was making had been completed.

Off went Ms Squirrel and behind it went darting through the branches Ms Bulbul. Bulbul would not permit Ms Squirrel to enter her space. Ms Squirrel would surely return to gather more ‘fluff’ for a soft and cozy nest.

Ms Bulbul told Ms Squirrel that she is not welcome in her territory. Maybe Bulbul’s plunge bath and watering pan could also be used by the squirrel, which she did not approve of. For me, I am looking forward to seeing ‘squirrel babies’. Maybe I would be able to tame one like I did in NDA.

Will Ms Bulbul allow the Ms Squirrel to gather material from the garden? I wonder!!!!!!!!!

JAI HIND

Comments

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