Moving together

Some birds are in a group and not just in pairs. The Barbets, Wood peckers, Magpie Robins, Warblers and Mynas are the birds, I notice in groups in our garden.

To see them in groups is a delight as they can communicate to each other intimately, even while belonging to a group, like what I noticed in the second photograph here.

Belonging and behaving are two dynamic human activities. We belong because we choose to stay connected. We stop belonging when we dissociate or move away from a group. We behave accordingly. When we belong we behave inclusively and mutually, which is what would make any family or organisation  prosper in harmony and integration. 

There are many single birds in our garden. One activity they are engaged is to make loud bird calls to invite other birds. 

Every time I see birds in a group, I feel inclined to follow their movements and behaviour. 

Watching them tells me that, to belong to a group is a natural behavioural instinct!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

Bulbul's feed !

This sight at sunrise of a Bulbul feeding on the berries fascinated me!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A bird call that makes a difference

The romantic behaviour of the sun birds in our garden held my attention. It was in response to the bird call of a male bird that one bird arrived to whom the male bird gave its best performance in tuneful singing. Later three other birds joined the site during which time the the male bird hid itself in the foliage, whose beak can be visible. After the other birds left, the initial two were left alone, although the the female was about to fly away.

It is the season of mating for these birds. I look forward to more of such romantic scenes in our garden in the days to come. 

During this season of receding monsoon, I also look forward to many more birds visiting our garden!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Battered by rain!

At least two families of Magpie Robins live in our garden. I spotted this pair after a week. The certainly looked awful considering that they are one of the best groomed birds normally. Their feather coat looked soaked in water and one of them had patches of alopacia around the neck. I do not remember seeing Magpie Robin look so disheveled anytime. 

Yet one of them  still had a tuneful bird call! They looked ready for their flight excursions after the short stint on the cables. So they are coping!

It is during this monsoon season, I got to watch some of the ill effects of incessant rain on bird life. 

I remember Mr Peter Makeover from London once telling us about the bird shelters in different places during winter season, for the native birds of Britain. That is how environmentalists protect birds who live in their gardens, from having to fly to warmer climate during winter months.

I feel more enthused about this idea of bird shelters now.

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A waterbird on a rainy day!

Anna and I watched a crane on this water body on our way an back to hospital. It was raining most of the day. It had changed its location, but was perhaps persevering to find its catch!

Although a crane cannot be marooned, it can find it hard to find its food during heavy rain and flood. 

I go to know about a water bird feeding party who visits waterbodies during heavy rain to feed the water birds.

It is refreshing to be aware of the different, environment protection pro-active measures, volunteers undertake!

Ms Medha Patkar and some others are on hunger strike currently in Gujarat, to protest against the unmindful acts of the government towards those whose houses are submerged due to increasing the height of the dam across Narmada. It is another volunteer action to increase awareness about yet another environmental hazard!

The environment is our larger home! All living being are our neighbours!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Lesser Goldenbacked Woodpecker !

This is a woodpecker with a black-rumped flame back, commonly seen climbing up coconut trees singly or along with its pair. It works up stems in jerky spurts, directly or in spirals, occasionally moving downward.  Tis one is a regal visitor to our garden.

I have watched it tapping on the trunk and chiseling away parts of the bark to find insects or wood beetles hiding in the crane. It feeds on black ants, pulp of ripe fruit and flower nectar.

The flame-back appearance  with its reddish maroon glaze stands out! Some birds have a decorative cat and that is what make the photographers to look for them.

As they nest on the hollow of a trunk, I am looking out to find a rest.

As I watch the wood peckers, what beholds me to them is their ritualistic daily rhythm !

The woodpecker comes to the same place around the same time in the morning and evening almost everyday and follows the same routine of climbing the coconut tree spirally!

I fail to have a regularly set routine ! Birds teach us a lot!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

  

Resident or a visitor!

When I spotted a White winged Black Tit in our garden, I felt that more sparrows might be around in our garden. The white winged black Tit is different from the grey Tit, that it has a grater musical quality to its bird calls, with a whistling tone, 'tee who whee'. Their nesting season is from May to August.

That is why I wondered whether it was just a visitor and not a resident in the garden!

As they are small in size, it is the movement of the leaves in a tree which helped me to spot it. Later it   rested on a dry stem between its flight stations, which gave me an opportunity to take its photograph in a cloudy morning from a distance a bout 200 meters.

The well groomed feathers with the contrasting colours and a glistening body makes it a beautiful bird to watch and listen to!

The garden is a place of plenty of new experiences.

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

First step in moving on !

How can I not share a fascinating experience! 

It was just a few days ago I watched this young Magpie Robin was waiting to be fed by going before the adult Magpie Robin and opening the mouth for feed. I watched it being fed. 

Today, it was hopping around in the ground looking for its feed on its own. It took a while and a scattered search in the garden before it found the worm. The worm resisted before it to surrender to the young Magpie Robin.

After all these search for food was over and was well fed, I saw it fly to rest on a live cable.

Yes it has grown up to look after itself. 

I could not see the adult Magpie Robins anywhere today, while the other two young ones were spotted tracking for their food. 

For a bird, this looked like one of the early steps to move in pursuing its independent bird life.

For most children joining the school is one of the early steps to find his or her way into transition. 

What is this transition! To be able to think, behave, choose, decide and find a space for personal existence!

As it is transition and not an instantaneous jump to competency, most children take different paths to arrive.

Last week I met a family, whose comment about the child was about, what he was not able to do  without recognising him to be in this transition journey.    

We are transition companions to people around us as they journey from one station to another station in life. I know a surgeon who talked all about  the spectrum of surgery he is good at. There was no satisfactory response about the competencies of his younger surgical colleagues. In such a situation a senior surgeon is not a companion but a user of his colleagues fo his self promotion. 

I come across this challenge in my work. Is my calling for more and more for myself or more for others who work along with me! 

We are called to be companions and collaborators, keeping other's interest uppermost in our mind!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)