Windows to Woods

The other day I made an unplanned visit to the mini forest while returning from the grocery store. So, obviously, I didn't have my camera with me. That is why this post does not contain any pictures at all. However, I couldn't help but share this experience instead of the post I had planned initially. So, here's what happened when I went to the forest at noon- There was pin-drop silence; I was trying to spot some birds when suddenly something big flew over my head. Until I could figure what it was, another smaller bird flew over in the same direction. The smaller one was the Red-vented Bulbul , sitting on a branch, all fluffed up. And just below it was the bigger bird - Asian Koel . The Koel then flew to another tree, followed by the Bulbul, again😂. While on the opposite tree, some beautiful birds were making their signature sound. Nah, not the Asian koel. There were two Red-whiskered Bulbul dancing and singing around the Greater Coucal who was quietly enjoying the shade....

Yes, finally one of those famous birds, the Asian Koel. I think many of you have heard the sweet song of Koel early in the morning but found it hard to spot him. That's right "him", quite a few of us have the impression that the female is a singer whereas, actually, the female does not have a very lovely voice. Moreover, the koels are sexually dimorphic i.e., the male and females are different in appearance. The male has a shiny bluish-black plumage while the female is brown in colour with white spots all over the body. However, both have crimson iris and a pale greyish bill. The first time I spotted a male Koel, I didn't know it was a Koel, I thought it was a juvenile Greater Coucal. Later, on observing the photos carefully, I realized that it was the Koel. I had never thought that I would get a chance to watch this singer so closely. And to my surprise, I still get to observe it almost every day. It mostly roosts on dense trees like the blackboard and sometimes neem...

Among all the birds that I have encountered until now, Scaly-breasted Munias are as close to my heart as cats are among all the animals. In future posts, I will be sharing a lot of beautiful experiences that I had with these small little beauties. My mom used to always tell me how she had seen these munias near our balcony and how cute they were, but I hadn't seen them even once in 9 years. In June 2020 I finally got to see those cute little birds that my mother had been talking about for so long. So how did that happen? Well, before answering this, let's learn a little from Miss. Know-it-all. So the thing is that Scaly-breasted Munias don't make a normal nest like other birds. They prefer a nest made from lush green grass over brown dried twigs; a nest that barely has an entrance. They started visiting us to collect lemongrass from our kitchen window for the nest they were building on the balcony in front of our house. Look how they were plucking grass from the pot They vi...

Imagine you are roaming around in a garden, early in the morning. The weather is cold, the air is filled with silence and as far as your sight goes, there is no one with you. Suddenly you hear this sound (Audio credits: ebird.org) Creepy, isn't it?😂 Even though it may sound creepy right now, this sound is associated with omens in many cultures. You may have heard it from your parents, relatives, or the elderly that catching sight of the Greater Coucal brings you good luck. The Greater Coucal, i.e. our Bhardwaj pakshi. Well, I don't know about the good luck part, but watching this bird up-close in its natural habitat will definitely make your day. I have been living in this society for 9 years now, and all those years went by observing the Bhardwaj from a window on the 11th floor. The first time I got to see this bird at eye level was one of those days when I visited that mini jungle. Moreover, this first look was kind of funny as I saw the Coucal with a potato in its beak whil...

During the lockdown, my Dad used to regularly go for an evening walk in our society's little jungle. This part of our premises is pretty isolated because of the vermiculture pits, but a nice foraging ground for a lot of birds. When my dad told me about the different varieties of birds he had seen, I couldn't stop myself and joined him for the walk for the next few days. The bird that first caught my eye was quite a dancer😂 - the White-spotted fantail. Fantail, the word itself is its meaning. And this very fact makes it very easy to identify any species of the fantail. Like many others, these birds too like to eat worms and insects, so there are a lot of them. They were continuously jumping around on the branches, spreading their tail in the fan shape with that adorable looking face. White brow, black eyes, sharp bill, white belly running up and fusing with the black chest in white spots, and the beautiful grey fan at the back. Doesn't that look cute? Just look at him, or h...

Among all this chaos Red-vented Bulbul was a bird that was always calm and composed. Constantly making a faint sound in the background, just waiting for you to notice. While watching the other birds, I always found the bulbul just sitting around and observing everyone with an innocent look in its eyes. Unlike Salunki and Parakeet , the bulbuls are neither a fan of dancing nor chattering. Even if you find a couple of them sitting together, they can hardly be seen talking. In the evening, however, a soft melody lingers around in the atmosphere. This is the soft song being sung by the bulbuls. As the sun begins to set, this melody slowly turns into a very harmonious chatter. "Melodious chatter" quite contradictory, isn't it? But it's true! In fact, for a long time, I didn't know about this. However, one day I paid a visit to the small jungle in our society and witnessed this beautiful song. At first, I was not sure of the bird, but on following the direction of the ...

The second and one of the most common birds that I'll be writing about is the Common Myna i.e. Salunki. Their eyes are their most attractive feature which gives them the Sanskrit name "Chitranetra", meaning "one with picturesque eyes". The bright yellow patch on their head looks so beautiful with a wonderful grey-black banded eye in the middle. Just like parakeets, mynas are also capable of making different kinds of sounds. Sometimes it becomes quite confusing to identify the two just by listening to the sound. Speaking of which, mynas are very noisy creatures and are always ready to fight. This behavior gives them the other Sanskrit name "Kalahapriya", meaning "one who likes to quarrel". These Chitranetras are fond of dancing here and there and chattering continuously. During the lockdown I always watched them dance around on the bamboos and chirping all day. They also used to visit us (not really visit) with Neem seeds in their beaks. They ...