Single birds !

Most of the regular visitors or resident birds have become families by now. The three birds I often notice staying single hopefully would find their pairs shortly. 

Most bird species follow a particular ritual while pairing or courting. The rituals start with their birdsongs.  Yesterday I received a calendar prepared by a friend of 12 species of Kingfisher found in different parts of init which he photographed during three years. In his introduction to the calendar he mentioned about one particular species of Kingfisher following a ritual of the male offering a feed to the female. 

It is a fascinating experience to watch birds becoming a pair. A green barbet is a regular visitor to our papaya tree. It is the barbet which tells us that a fruit is ready for plucking. It would peck on the fruit for its feed. Yesterday, I found two barbets in the papaya tree. As I watched them examine the fruits, I sensed that they have found each other. 

The singles and pairs are a pleasure to watch. They sing, bathe, dance and flutter in the air causing each other, all with delightful gestures. The freedom of living is self evident in most of them.

They do not live restrained even when there are predators around. 

To me it is message of some significance. As humans some onus live sensing and guarding ourselves form falling in to dangers. Most of us fear the relationship tangles we fall into in our place of work, family life and in public life.

To be able to see others as allies is a virtue to grow into. I have experienced the abundance of this in my life. I have also suffered from relationships breaking down. Even then, life still offers new horizons to look forward to! What has befallen us although might appear as traumatic initially, the good resident in such experiences can be a means for renewal. Freeing others from holding them responsible for our difficult experience is the destination to come to, while resolving difficult experiences. To free oneself and others of guilt and blame is a sure way to find this freedom to receive all experiences as formative and pathfinding in the journey ahead. 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)