I was surprised that the feeding station in our garden did not have the usual gathering of birds in the morning on one day last week. Instead I noticed some Barbets perched in cables and trees around the feeding station, looking listless and somber!
That made me suspicious of something unusual. It was when I looked around I saw a barbet lying dead under a rose bush. I plucked some petals from the rose flowers and scattered them around its body to pay my respects being a visitor to our garden.
When our domestic worker came for work, we had the Barbet buried in the flower bed surrounded by Lilies and rose bushes.
We had one Bulbul visiting the feeding station on that day and the birds are yet to return to the feeding station even after three days.
It is the first time I have had any close contact with the mourning experience of the avian world.
Three things that occurred to me for the birds staying away from the feeding station, following the death of a fellow bird: the birds were aware of a loss a fellow bird; they wanted to stay away from the site where the bird was found dead and the birds might have had a threat perception.
A close inspection of the body of the Barbet showed blood stains near its head, which made me wonder if it had a traumatic injury during flight!
The flight accidents do occur to some birds, who normally fly between foliage thick trees.
I found how four Barbets were expressive of their mournful behaviour publicly!
It is thought that the emotional quotient of birds is higher than their cognitive quotient. I got a sense of that today watching Bulbuls, Barbets, Mynas and Sunbirds staying away from the garden for the last two days.
What a disappointment it is to have a mourning garden!
We hope birds will return and make the garden avian friendly! A garden is a home for some and is a meeting place for all species of birds.
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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