It is barely 7am as I open the door – a light winter rain has just stopped and the farsh is drying off. Everything is deceptively silent. Silent till you realise the what is really missing is just the sound of the traffic and household which drowns the more subtle of the sounds. As soon as I open the door a squirrel greets me with an anticipatory “chuukk”, I walk out and pour water into the bird bath and put some of the favourite stuff for the wildlife around and settle down on the steps to wait for our non homo sapien neighbours to descend.
The Coppersmith is already at his nest building on a nearby tree, with a steady “thuk thuk thuk – thuk thuk thuk” rhythm chipping away small slivers of wood – I once again wonder don’t they get a headache…
First to arrive is my favourite male Magpie Robin and I am greeted with a long “tweeet”, he cocks his head to the side and looks critically at what has been served. He wants to be fussy today – so I toss a cheeseling near my foot, he promptly flies over and grabs it. By now the Muttering Mynas (actually a pair of Bhramini Myna) have arrived and started their customary chattering / muttering punctuated with “trii” and “traa” they will come down only after they finish their commentary. Their muttering is like a call for everyone – soon there is a crowd of 4 Squirrels, a pair of Red Vented Bulbuls, a Little brown dove with her two newly out of the nest babies, the Indian Robin siblings, varying number of common sparrows.
As the competition grows the bolder among them come right up to my feet to beg and are adequately rewarded. In between Swati has quietly joined me. She has with her cups of warm coffee, she is soothingly talking to the birds she knows (yes, unlike me she knows them personally)
The day has begun…
“Under the starry skies – where eagles have flown
This place is paradise – it’s the place I call home”
From: Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron