I set out from home earlier by ten minutes, as I had a pending work to complete.
The drive through five villages scattered over 20 kilometres often brings something surprising Anna and myself almost every day!
At one sharp turning, I slowed down and happened to notice about 150 feet away a papaya tree with a ripe fruit half eaten by birds! The sight of the papaya tree was hidden by banana trees. There was a small oval gap in the foliage, through which I could notice the half eaten fruit. As I watched a movement around the area, I stopped the car to inspect the area.
That is when I noticed a Small Green Barbet, similar to what I saw in our garden a few months back. I am glad that I had the camera with me, although not with a zoom lens for a close up shoot. That did not matter as I was engrossed in the story of this Barbet.
The photos above show its moves and pauses till it reached the fruit ! After it had a few bites at the succulent papaya, it started looking around and turned its bird song on.
That is when I noticed a flutter near by in another papaya tree of four other Barbets. I could only capture one with my lens, that too its back, as all four of them flew away when a truck passed by honking! I waited for a while listening to the Barbet singing!
So at the end of fifteen minutes, I decided to get back to the car.
Just as I was getting into the car to drive away, a lady from the house in whose compound the Barbets had come to feed on the papaya greeted me kindly. I enquired how she decided not to pluck the papaya1 She told in a affirming tone, 'Birds and squirrels also need their feed'!
It sounded similar to the Good Samaritan parable!
I discovered two neighbours to each other in this encounter, A barbet and lady!
To live mindfully of others is a calling! Now why it is more than a hobby to watch birds. The birds can speak to our soul!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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