It has been a tradition with us as a family to have a bowl of water for the birds, wherever and whenever we move residence. We don't know much about species of birds as such but it is just a love for bird life in general. The bowl of water that we have now is in a garden of sorts, with kesar and desi mango trees and two neem trees, the former being planted without the help of any professional gardner. We also have flowering trees like the fiery gulmohar and the colorful bougainvilla, all of which attracts birds of all kinds. It is our routine to check with the water level of the bowl, made of natural terracota, and make sure that there is water up to the brim so that the smallest of the species can partake of the cool water there. The summer months obviously increases the bird traffic to the bowl, and there is competition amongst them as to who will make most use of the water available. There are also some interesting bird species like the Baya, which build beautiful nests that look all sewn up and tailormade. They are there up on the tree for a short season during which it sounds like the tower of Babel. You also get to see the scaly-breasted Muniya which is tiny and is seen swinging from one perch to another and ocassionally swooping down to the water bowl to quench its thirst. The raucous sounding Mynah is also a visitor to the bowl. A squabble at the water bowl results in the water level depleting as the birds have a dunking session, using it as a bath tub.( Dad says that we must put up a board there saying that the water is meant strictly for drinking purposes and not for bathing! )Then, starts the ritual of towelling amidst the green leaves of the surrounding trees, which provide the birds with natural camouflage. They are here now and gone at the blink of an eye. We may not have the right scientific name for the birds that visit, but we can recognize the Brahmini starling( with a tuft of hair on its head), also, quite a bully when it comes to sharing the water in the bowl with other smaller species like the common sparrow. However we have noticed that the sparrows remain unfazed and are fiesty at the threat posed by larger sized birds. We also get to see birds like the magpie, and sometimes bigger birds like the spotted dove, and the Coucal strutting about making its presence felt. Of course there is the fantail, which is one of my favorites, moving about in a frenzy, opening and shutting its tail which looks like a fan and hence the name. Sometimes we are rewarded with a sighting of rare species like the Golden oriole, a pair, which remains etched in your mind and which provides pure excitement. Winter months, sees much less traffic, but maybe so on warmer days. Anyhow, we have now got used to the chirping of the birds in our backyard and can make out as to when they feel threatened, by the frenetic alarm calls that they make due to the presence of either a cat or other lower denizens, like a snake. Sometimes we have the cat lapping up the water and leaving its mark there, following which there are some tense moments, a strained silence with our feathered friends. The garden is teeming with interesting forms of life, to put it mildly, if you care to take some time off from the drudgery of your daily routine and connect with nature. You will be pleasantly surprized as what you discover.
