Becoming present !

The sun was about to set with the splashing of the evening hue of golden colours on the sky. 

I waited near the feeding station to watch birds to come for the 'last meal' of the day. I was surprised that the regular visitors were missing. 

I heard a faint chirp probably of Bulbuls in a distance. When looking up on to a coconut palm, there were two Bulbuls in communication with each other.  

From the collection of photos taken of the forty five minutes of communicative presence of the Bulbuls, let me present the following photos which summarise their communicative behaviour. 

I remembered a presentation by a Behavioural psychologist a few years back, when he described presence to each another, in the following manner: 

Physical presence, 

Cognitive presence, 

Emotional presence, 

Communicative presence, 

and Integrating presence.

I viewed all the photographs through this optic of the dimensions listed by the psychologist. 

The photos above of the presence of the Bulbuls to each other,  portray all the dimensions expressed by the psychologist. 

The last photo of one Bulbul whispering a chirp, was indeed an integrating dimension of presence. The movement from non-verbal communicative presence to verbalising the presence demonstrated the climax of presence in the collection of the photos I was able to take yesterday.

Following this communicating presence, as dusk was about to set in, one of the Bulbuls flew away. Soon the other too followed its path to the distance beyond. 

Looking at the palm leaf with its occupants having left, it appeared to be bereft, telling its story of some damage it suffered in the past to its leaves. Yet it offered itself to be a home for two Bulbuls for their presence to each other. In fact this palm tree is hospitable to other birds too. Magpie robins and Kingfishers are often seen in the tree in the morning hours. 

Becoming present to each other. happens normally to birds. 

I was left with a question: how real is such a behaviour of presence in human behaviour!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)