The interrupted morning routine !

I have got used to the routine of a resident Tailorbird in our garden in the mornings. Its presence in one of the trees in our front garden is almost certain at dawn. 

The Tailor bird is perky and swift and is fond of hiding under foliage while it sings on arrival in a tree and while departing. Its habit is to arrive at the lower branches and move upward to the top and fly away to the next flight station. It follows a fixed pattern, of moving from one tree to another, unless it wants to avoid an unfriendly avian, already perched in that tree.

That was what happened yesterday. When it came to its fourth tree, it noticed a Bulbul in the next Nutmeg tree, on a branch from where it normally starts its climb to reach the summit. It skipped the tree and flew away beyond visibility. I waited to see if it would return to complete its morning ritual. It did not return for the next fifteen minutes. In its swiftness, it usually completes the movement upwards in any tree in about two or three minutes. Its bird calls are high pitched and loud and can be heard from a distance. I am yet to notice another Tailor bird appearing in the vicinity during this mating season or hear a reciprocal bird call nearby. 

The three features of a Tailorbird during its flight movements are: hide in the foliage of the tree; climb up the tree to its summit and announce its presence by bird calls on arrival and at departure. 

A Tailor bird is a small bird. So it develops its own habits and practices to stay safe and still be unique in its flight behaviour. 

I watched another behaviour, suspicious of the instinct of territorial control of Tailor birds, while visiting Madhepura in Bihar. Two Tailorbirds perched in the same tree attacked each other leading to fierce physical fight. I was shocked to watch this aggressive behaviour, which led one to fly away from the site. 

A sober looking and tempered bird also gets provoked and becomes aggressive!

A lot to learn from this story of Tailor birds!

The fact that the Tailorbird in our garden skipped a tree from its flight station where a Bulbul was perched, could have been because of the fearful disposition of the bird. But between its equals, it attempts to dominate. 

To dominate by creating strife and conflict is human instinct as well. The stand of Israel to subdue the Palestinian people, springs from a similar mindset. 

We, as hums are equals and are called to be fraternal, is a ground rule for all human relationships. 

I wish we come back to embrace this truth and be naturally relational!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)