A UNIQUE RETURN GIFT
LT COL NOEL ELLIS
22/IX/2023
The street lights were still on when I wandered into our quiet colony for my morning walk. Even the pets were sleeping like most their owners. Thank God the guards were awake.
One hour in silence with nature, without a mobile, listening to birds as they started chirping and ruffling their feathers making plans for the day. Capturing birdy pics was my plan, once daylight broke.
By the time I returned home, that photography plan vanished from my mind. Gardening related stuff got me engrossed. By then, our ritualistic cup of tea in the garden was ready. My camera caught the rain lilies blooming profusely. Water droplets on them caught my attention.
My wife generally walks up to a Neem tree in the adjacent house to pluck freshly sprouted leaves called ‘Kopals’, while they are still brown and tender. Chewing neem leaves freshens the mouth. The bitter-sweet juices contain medicinal properties.
That is when I heard my wife whispering, shhhhhhhh-shhhhh to draw my attention. Generally, she calls my name. “Dhire se camera le kar meri taraf aao”, she whispered and pointed towards the tree without raising her hand. She stood absolutely still. What could it be, intrigued me?
It was a Shikra (Levant Sparrow Hawk) sitting on the picket fence. I had spotted it after ages.
It was then I realised the commotion amongst birds. An intruder was not welcome at all. We had spotted doves trying to nest in that tree. This Shikra must be after their chicks. Bulbuls dived at it, followed by the Sparrows. It just sat there stubbornly, dodging their attack and did not budge from its perch.
Sometimes, it is your lucky day. This bird posed for me like no other bird has ever done. It wasn’t afraid. It watched me with caution but continued gazing around from where she was. A true cameraman’s delight. In excitement my hands were shaky, but then I braced up to take some photos.
One of the Bulbuls was really agitated and pecked it on the head in a dive. This disbalanced the Shikara and it flew away to another tree close by. My eleventh sense told me that this bird would return. There was something very interesting for it in there, which we could not see.
I stood still and after a short pause, she returned. This time it sat on the parapet, looked around, twisted & bobbed her head up and down as if trying to calculate some angles. Geometry & Trigonometry which I could never learn, was working in this birds mind. Her ‘pounce’ had to be accurate for a kill. The direction, speed, angle of attack, rate of descent etc had to be precise or else she goes hungry.
A quick dive and she had something gripped in her claws. We felt sad for whatever it was. For the Shikra it was food. Off she took her snack to a nearby tree, avoiding bulbuls & sparrows which were restless and raising an alarm for all others to get cautioned.
A few steps towards that tree and she was in my view finder. Without disturbing her eating breakfast, I zoomed and found a big grasshopper, (Bladder Cicadas) in its clutches. Limb by limb she devoured it. Was it sweet or sour, only the shikra would know?
This bird had disappeared from the scene for a long time. Today, she beckoned me to photograph her. It was breakfast time for me too, so I headed back home.
That Shikra left a unique gift for me. One of her beautiful spotted feathers. I shall keep it in one of my diaries. Did you guys keep flowers, leaves, and feathers in your textbooks as kids? I wonder!!!!!!!!!
JAI HIND
© ® NOEL ELLIS
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