Tree Pies !

I found two Tree Pie birds in the Papaya tree in our garden during my early morning walk yesterday! I sensed the romantic mood of these birds from the body language. There was a language of expression of intimacy and voice communication. I found it fascinating to watch them in their courtship mood and reciprocate the pleasure of togetherness!

They were perched in a papaya tree adjacent to another one which had ripe fruits. I presumed that they had fed on the fruit and were celebrating the beginning of a good day. I have reasons to think this way because normally Tree Pies arrive earlier than Barbets to feed on the papaya. I had noticed a Barbet in another tree, perhaps waiting for the Tree Pies to move away. 

I have some interest in observing the courtship behaviour of birds. It therefore gave me a good photo-shoot opportunity. I felt elated in having another series of courtship for my photo library!

I did not anticipate anything more than this. But as I kept watching this engaging sight, I noticed that the Tree pies turned their direction away from each other after a while and looked widely around. What happened thereafter was fascinating and surprising. 

One tree pie engaged in bird calls which became louder, longer and repetitive with hardly any pause in between. Its bird call was intentional and purposeful. The other tree pie was looking engaged and waiting in anticipation! Its body language also communicated something that was about to happen. 

Responding to the bird call, another Tree pie came flying towards the adjacent papaya tree where there was a ripe fruit. While this newly arrived Tree Pie was feeding on the papaya, another Tree pie arrived on a dry branch on an adjacent tree, hopefully waiting for its turn!

The last photograph below which I have of this pair of Tree Pies, is what aroused my interest  even more about the purposeful connection between these birds. They turned to each other and seemed to be in a restful mood after they accomplished the mission of inviting other birds for a meal by the loud bird calls. 

This story of the two Tree Pies would remain as an allegorical parable to me because I witnessed something unusual in their behaviour. They were announcing about the availability of food to other birds through the bird call. The two tree pies which arrived in response to the bird call reminded me of what Nehemiah spoke to his people at the end of rebuilding the wall, when they were celebrating the event with festivity: 'Go, eat of the fat, drink of the seat and send portions to him who has nothing prepared..'(New.8:10). This was altruism and self giving! The Tree pies exemplified this by inviting other birds to the site where food was available.

It was one Tree Pie who was active with bird calls. The other Tree pie was still and silent. These two behaviour profile represents two streams of human behaviour. The one who is in the frontline with an obvious mission, which is the function of an activist. The other bird represents the stream of those who feel the call to be contemplative.

In the new testament narration of events associated with Jesus of Nazareth, we read of John the Baptist, who was an activist preparing the way for Jesus of Nazareth, by calling people to remember the words of the prophet Isaiah to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus of Nazareth. He went from one place to another to do this (Luk.3:4-5). John the Baptist spoke the language of social ethics (3;11-13) reminding people to give when others were in need. This is the social role of the activist even today. 

In the new testament we have another narration of a prophetess, Anna, who was advanced in years and a widow at the age of 84 years. She lived by fasting and praying and seemed to have been in the temple day and night. When Jesus was presented in the temple as a child, Anna came forward to bless the child and to give thanks to God (Luk2:36-38). Her mission was a quiet presence as a contemplative and remain faithful to fulfilling her mission at a critical time to affirm publicly that the One for whom she was fasting and praying was indeed Jesus.

I thought that one Tree pie as a symbol of an activist because of its incessant bird calls  and the other as a symbol of a contemplative because its was quiet and alert presence.  

In the allegorical parable of the two Eagles, in Ezekiel 17:1-10, we have the picture of two Eagles, one planting seeds which grew in to a wine and the wine turning towards the other Eagle for it to water it.  The Eagle meant to water it failed resulting in the vine to become dry. The wine withered in the bed where it grew.

I read this parable now and then because of the rich and diverse symbolisms, which have a wide range of meanings and messages. 

One message that came to my consciousness today after sighting the two Tree pies was how both Tree Pies unlike the Eagles complemented each other and brought cheer to other birds.  

Every occasion is an opportunity to bring others into our consciousness. 

That is often a thought that escapes my attention. 

A neighbour who brings produce from his kitchen garden, brought another large bag of vegetables last week. When I asked him how he thinks of sharing his produce willingly, he said that 'he plants more than what he would need in order to be able to share with others'. That was a message about caring!

The Eagles in the book of Ezekiel worked at cross purposes, but the Tree pies worked complementarily in this situation, mindful of other birds. 

M.C.Mathew (text and photo except that of the Eagles)

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