TAKE A PAUSE

 

https://youtu.be/-TuncSYduMY

 

One thing I have realized that spending time with nature brings so much of mental peace. A small bird can just cheer you up. Her tweet can lift your mood. The sheer joy one derives from watching then come and play in your garden, feed, and bathe is just elevating. All those who do it know what I say and a request to those who haven’t must try it.

 

Morning time is the most hectic for the birds. They all know that their feed will be there. Their tweets and chirps are indicators of the happiness they enjoy. I am sure in between their tweets they chirp to thank us too.

 

Evenings are another kind of high. These days their feeders go empty by evening. The water bowls too are nearly at bottom levels, not because of their thirst but now they bathe in the bowl more often. The water sprinkled while they shake their bodies flies off emptying the bowl.

 

In the evening, when I go to the rooftop there is a different kind of hustle. A few sparrows, a pair of dove, hummingbirds and wire tailed swallows give me company. Sometimes, an odd kingfisher comes visiting but he has the fish in the waterlily tubs in mind. I welcome them all.

 

Last evening, as soon as I had finished feeding the fish and took a breather watching the sun go down the horizon, a hummingbird came and sat on the lightening conductor. This protrusion has become a favourite spot of most of the birds. Even Drongos and koels halt a while to scan their surroundings. It is a good vantage point and highest in the vicinity by far.

 

She kept tweeting sitting there. I knew she had come for a drink of water and I was all set to photograph her as soon as she comes and takes a sip from the trough. A little shy, she flew away only to return. Thirst took over her senses and water was there in plenty.

 

Moment, she left the spike of the conductor, a pair of yellow bottomed Bulbuls came and occupied that space. After some initial grooming and cleaning, the pair got into an intimate scene. A little peck on her lady’s head, a little nudge and prod behind her ears made her respond to the advances of the male.

 

I was not intentionally invading into their privacy, but it was like walking past in five gardens in Dadar, Mumbai or the Marine drive where lovers are going beyond pecking behind umbrellas. They don’t seem to care about the world and so do these birds.

 

The sparrow sitting on the parapet wall could not see them enjoying so intimately. So, like the moral police gets after couples, she flew up and dislodged them by diving on the bulbul’s head. One pair departed and the other took their place. Pigeons sat at a distance watching all this happening.

 

When there was no other bird trying to claim the spike, the sparrows moved on.

 

A pair of Wire Tailed Swallows were circling around. I was lucky to get a photo of the male a couple of days back. Today, lady luck was with me and Mr Murphy was nowhere around.

 

The couple came and sat at the same perch and started their love talks. They looked at me and could have got startled had I lifted the camera jerkily. Over sometime one has understood what alarms them. So, with great care I took some videos of this couple sitting and having a good time.

 

I have yet to see them coming to take a sip like the other usual birds. If they do, then I must vacate the place the soonest after finishing my chores on the roof to give them time and space to take a drink. What I want to know photograph is that do they pick up mud from the troughs for their nest. If they do, I do not know the exact time.

 

The sun was hinting that it cannot stay any longer as it had a task to light the other side of earth so I let it go. Slowly and steadily, it turned from a bright orange to crimson and darker shades of the crimson like a girl blushing on seeing her friend. As I watched it, the sun disappeared over the horizon.

 

The birds too were preparing for the night. Their chirps started going down in crescendo was an indication for me to close shop. I moved down to see what I had recorded.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, take time to pause, watch and reflect what these little birds have to offer. They fight too and are very territorial. That story for some other time. Will you stop a while? I wonder!!!!!!!

 

JAI HIND

© ® NOEL ELLIS