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MEETING THE CRANES

 MEETING THE CRANES

 

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

25/XI/2023

 

On the onset of winter the arrival of ‘Demoiselles Cranes’ all the way from Mongolia begins. They travel more than 4000+ kms for about 150 odd days to breed and feed till they return with their brood in March. They start in late August and land here by mid November.

The other day, I spotted them from our roof top flying in formation of an inverted V. Their loud calls caught my attention. One could just catch a fleeting glimpse of the flock.

‘Khurjaa’ as these cranes are locally called are now regular visitors here. The village is ‘Guda Bishnoi’ which is about 10 kms from where we stay. They use it as their annual wintering grounds.

Many cranes get injured, many die due to fatigue & hunger. Many fall prey to predation by the Eagles during their long and arduous journey. It is not easy to fly at altitudes ranging from 16000 feet to 26000 feet. They fly over the icy Himalayas to reach here.

At the crack of dawn, we along with our friends moved to meet the guests. It was time to witness the spectacle of thousands of cranes landing at a lake side and enjoying the spread for them by the village temple priest. It is called ‘Chugga’. It consists of Maize, Jowar, Bajra and Wheat. Cranes just love it. Grains are donated by people. Volunteer’s from the village help him spread them for the cranes. They call them ‘Atithi’ (guests). For us, Atithi devo bhava. Guests are like Gods.

During my conversation with the priest, one learnt that they do not accept money but insist that you get ‘Dana’ for the birds. Next time, I promise we will take some. This is the least one can do to thank the birds for posing for us.

The spectacle is beyond description. The beauty of birds is comparable to a word used for a beautiful person called ‘Koonj’.

When I saw the congregation of so many cranes for the first time in my life my hands started trembling and my heart started beating like a train on a track. The cranes were least bothered. They were cautious but not scared. They were alert but not perturbed. They were nervous but not jittery. They tread carefully, constantly talking to each other. Once in a while a stray dog or a cow did startle then to take off only to land back to finish their meal.

Water birds in the lake too were a treat to watch. From Pintail and Mallard Ducks, to Stilts and Cormorants, Bar headed goose, Peacocks and so many others. The scene was difficult to capture in a photo.

Our outing as a family with friends from down the lane was a success. What a way to begin the day! As usual, we carried a thermos full of hot chai and biscuits which were so nourishing because we didn’t realise that time had flown. Three hours watching the congregation of birds just flew by.

At the entrance of the temple, we came across a simple villager. A poor man but a volunteer ‘bird feeder’. We offered him a cup of tea, which he happily accepted. I too sat down to give him company. I was so touched when he gestured to give him something warm to wear. Indeed, it has started to get cold here. We promised that next time we would definitely get one jacket from him. A true face of rural India and aapno Rajasthan.

As we headed back home, we halted for a road side speciality here called ‘Dal Ki Pakori’. Another hot cup of tea and crunchy pakoris added spice to our day. We reached home but our hearts are still with the cranes. How soon will we visit them again? I wonder!!!!!!!!!

JAI HIND
© ® NOEL ELLIS














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