WEAVER BIRDS

WEAVER BIRDS

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

21/VIII/2024

There is one bird that has fascinated me since childhood. It is a sparrow sized bird but has amazing skills and intelligence to say the least. It is called a ‘Weaver Bird’ or ‘Baya’. Let me share my experiences and observations with you.

As a kid, I used to accompany my father on his angling trips to a river called ‘Kanjli/Bein’, about four kilometres from our home. Dad and Sunny on his bi-cycle would go at least twice a week. Sunday used to be a special family picnic day at the river side.

On the way, there were many nalas lined up with ‘Sarkanda’ or ‘Reeds’. Dad would collect a few dry ones to make ‘floats’ for his fishing set up. A bird also used to be a frequent visitor to those reeds. It was the weaver bird. Deftly, she would peel and pluck a thread of the sarkanda leaf and carry it away.

Why was she doing so? I asked Dad. She is making her nest. He promised to take me to a place along the river where we could watch them in hundreds making their nests. My excitement knew no bounds.

One day instead of his usual fishing spot, Dad decided to fish at the far bank. There was a small track along the river and we had to push our cycle instead of moving mounted on it. He took me to a clearing and deployed for his game. It was under a huge kikar tree which hung half over the river.

It was a spectacle of sorts. There were hundreds of nests on those trees. Some were dry and some were still fresh and green. Yellowish looking birds were weaving and weaving their nests. That is where it derived its name from.

Narrow on the top, stuck to one of the thorny branches. Puffy in the middle and a spout like opening at the bottom. Birds would sit on the outside with straws in their beaks and knit their nest so intricately. I wanted one nest to take home. Using Dad’s rod, I could have pulled a branch towards me.

Dad gave a big NO, while he explained why these birds selected such a secluded place, that too half hung over water. For security and safety, he said. The fine weave of reed threads was perfect and very strong as they were available in abundance along the river. No predator would take a chance to enter their nest. The spout would also shield the entrance. I was amazed.

To kill my curiosity, Dad found an abandoned nest for me. I kept it for so many years. The design was so mind boggling. Inside there was a space where the bird could sit on her eggs with ease. There were two openings towards its spout. As a kid of ten years, this much was good enough.

That day was our lucky day too as dad had a fantastic catch. This place was a little dangerous as cobras were very commonly found on that side. People avoided going there. However, to show me the nests up close, Dad took a chance and taught me a lesson.

Fast forward fifteen years. I had just been married. It was our first family outing and picnic with my wife to the riverfront. While Dad got on to his usual shikar and mom organised the eats, my wife and I took a ‘paddle boat’ to explore the river. Instead of going down stream towards the dam we paddled our way upstream. I wanted to show her my favourite spot on the river. Both of us witnessed the nest making frenzy once again. Our arrival startled the birds but it was a sight to watch.

Fast forward thirty-five years. We had gone to visit the Jaipur Zoo recently where I spotted a cluster of weaver birds nests over a moat around the Hyena pens. There was a sudden rush of nostalgia which set in. Unfortunately, the battery of my camera went ‘Dis’. I requested my daughter to do the honours.

A thought struck me that we have a river front very close by in the Sun City and there are numerous Kikar trees overhanging the water surface. One had not spotted this bird till now. Probably, it could be the lack of reeds and I left it at that.

Yesterday, while looking out of our drawing room window, I thought I spotted a weaver bird eating in our bird feeder. If I went out, it would surely get alarmed. I sneaked through the side door and took a few shots. It was a weaver bird indeed.

I am convinced that if you ask for something sincerely you get it.

Will I be able to find their nests? I wonder!!!!!!

JAI HIND