The twilight stillness and in between pauses !

 

I have been wanting to spot pairs of birds before the day break in our garden, to get a glimpse of their behaviour in preparation for day break. 

I found these two Bulbuls in our front garden. It was unlikely to have been the spot of their shelter at night as they look for  the cover of foliage for night shelter. Also being perched at the edge of a branch with a good view of three sides, it was likely that they were still in preparation for the first flight path. 

What occurred to me was the bodily stillness they maintain in this transition time between the night and the morning flight plan. 

They go through the grooming before they fly out to place of their choice. Usually some of these birds who reside near human habitation fly out to places where the terrain is hospitable and free of predators. It is during their morning flight they look out for the prospects of finding feed. 

From the experience of Bulbuls in our garden, I suspect that they are sure of the location of papaya fruit, feeding station in our courtyard, trees with berries and guava tree. The Barbets and Bulbuls have similar flight path in our garden. 

The day break stillness which they practice impress me. Even when a squirrel appears in the vicinity, they sustain their attentive presence to their orientation for the day break. 

Seeing them still, fascinated me. Although I am used to the practice of stillness of body and quietened mind, the posture of these birds in unbroken stillness for twenty minutes enthused me to go deeper in stillness to experience interior silence. 

I suppose some birds practice stillness for number of reasons. During the period of stillness at twilight the birds prepare themselves for the day. This stillness is different from the pauses they take in between flights. During the pauses, they are looking around and are alert to events around them. The period of stillness is longer while the pauses are for shorter times. 

I remember getting introduced to the practice of stillness and pauses!. I find such times nourish the soul and rest the mind! 

Watching these birds brought many memories of the past associated with different experiences during the times of stillness and pauses. 

The photographs are not sharp; but to have been able to take these photographs was an unusual pleasure !

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)