15 August, 2024

The Sunbirds !





The Sunbirds are usually the early morning visitors in our garden. They come seeking for nectar in the morning before the honey bees and squirrels visit the garden for their turn. But yesterday, they came visiting during the mid day. 

The Sunbirds have a special habit of fluttering over the flowers before they feed on the nectar. It is so short that I have not been able to capture a photo or video of that feeding prelude. Even otherwise, it is after a long time I was able to take photos of four Sunbirds on a single day of reasonable sharpness. They move fast and do not stay still. It is after their nectar feed, they can be found perched for a short period before moving to the next flight station. They sing tunefully, especially the male birds, lifting their wings. 

They are small birds of 10 to 15 cms in length. However small in size, and contour the complexion of the body makes them attractive with adorable colour blend in the wings, feathers and beak. 

Small is beautiful. That is what they announce!

They contest and defy the norm of large being the way to add to visibility! The whole page advertisements that regularly occupy the front page of the national news papers is a message of how largeness is designed to add to visibility. 

The Sunbirds, although small in size appear rich in colour and aesthetics. 

There is a distinct space for anything that is small. Yesterday, it was around a one year old child, about a dozen adults were gathered around, to take delight in the way he was practising to walk. The charm the boy created was amusing and captivating. 

The craze for making everything larger in size is all around! Instead, when something is mall it has a distinctiveness that gets noticed even more!

A mouth organ, smallest of all the musical instruments in an orchestra is distinct in its musical expression! It does not get drowned by the larger musical instruments. 

The larger passenger cars occupy more space on the road, look big, consume more fuel and discharge more pollutants into the air. A smaller car occupies less road space, gives enough interior space and  has better aesthetic appearance. The argument in terms of comfort is highly subjective. The safety standards in the small cars are no less. 

The houses are often disproportionate to the needs of a family. They are often larger than what is needed. The high cost of construction or the high price to buy a house does not seem to deter people from choosing the size of a house to meet the needs of the family. A large house has come to stay as a statement of the economic status! Should it be that way! 

A couple spent seventy percent of their earnings of twenty years in the Middle East, to build a house! Now they regret, as they have to take bank loans to pay fees for the professional course that their two children want to pursue. 

The Sunbirds brought this morning, a message about richness in smallness! 


M.C.Mathew(text and photo)




 






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