ENCOUNTERS WITH LAPWINGS
LT COL NOEL ELLIS
29/VIII/2022
There could have been no better way to spend a Sunday than be on a picnic with friends and family. It was supposed to be overcast for us and that is what the Pastor would have had prayed for, but alas the hide and seek of the sun with the clouds was more of seek rather than hide.
Then there were these workhorses, who quietly worked behind the scenes. They are the ‘food makers. Running against time soon after unloading their Chullah’s and Karhai’s, they got onto the job under the tree screened away from the folks.
The smell of what was being made was enchanting. The temptation to go behind could not be resisted just to have a ‘dekho’ and take a ‘smello.’ Generally, people say, ‘Bhaiya taste kar lo’ but it was a little too early, as the ‘Khaata’ was on the boil and the ‘Atta’ was still taking a ‘goondho’ from the expert hands.
Besides there was someone chopping the ‘Mathania ri Mirchi,’ each more than six inches long. They are not that hot and are the mainstay of the Jodhpuri Hand Grenades called the Mirchi Vada. I was told it would be Khata-Puri with Mirchi ka Koota for lunch. Yummilicious!
My mouth started watering already. Before the drool started to flow from the sides of my lips, I walked away from temptation. Of course, I was led to temptation, but did not fall for it, as it says in the Lord’s Prayer. I needed another distraction to avoid this attraction.
What caught my attention was a Lapwing, ‘Tittahri.’ I heard it's plaintive cry. It was time to investigate. It was attacking a dog. It would fly, dive at its head, and go and sit ahead of the dog. The dog would chase it and she would hop a little further ahead. The dog got fed up and walked away. The dog would have approached its nest, feeling threatened, the Lapwing caught its attention and pulled him out from the ‘danger zone.’
Took me back to my Fauji days, camping in the remote desert sector in Bikaner. Area around a huge water tank was our camping ground. A lapwing there would tell us that we were not welcome. We used to proceed for reconnaissance well before dawn and return after dusk. This bird would still be hanging around.
My buddy used to light a petromax and keep it on the parapet of the water tank in the evenings. With a drink in hand and a partridge on the plate it used to be fun watching the fish come up to breathe. The ripples would spread making concentric circles, till another fish would jump.
In that illumination of the petromax one walked to the kikar trees about twenty yards from the tent to take a leak. This bird used to sit under another tree and watch. There was something more to it.
One day, I sat on the parapet with my fishing gear. I hooked a big silver carp. The Lapwing had an eye on me as I moved towards it, tiring the fish to land it.
The Lapwing rose on its feet and walked away. Having landed the fish, I walked to the spot where the lapwing was sitting. Voila, there were two spotted eggs, not more than an inch each which were so difficult to spot in the cluster of stones and pebbles which this bird had gathered around them.
This bird knew I meant no harm & did not raise an alarm. She stood on a dune close by watching my next move. It was breakfast time; my buddy was annoyed as it was getting cold. I left her eggs to enjoy the freshest fish straight out of the pond into the frying pan.
This was the first time I had seen a lapwing’s nest hatching its eggs. Hats off to the creator and this bird, who with a bird brain could create such a camouflage making those eggs almost impossible to detect.
This is what happened yesterday also. In the midst of a field a Lapwing was sitting belly down. I connected the dots and knew that it was hatching eggs. One used the “Shist ka Kaida” to align my line of walk by choosing a tree in the distance. I walked towards the bird, but it walked away.
For a moment one got disoriented. One had his eyes fixed on the bird but then I lost my aim. Then I spotted a lone ‘spotted egg’ surrounded by pebbles and stones. This brought back all memories of the pond rushing by.
I heard my wife shouting “Khaata and garma garam Puries are ready.” A quick click and the saliva in my mouth started to build up.
Will I encounter more lapwing nests? I wonder!!!!!!!!!!
JAI HIND
© NOEL ELLIS
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