The joy of watching birds
Living at the midst of a rapidly growing city in India, as time went by I as a child observed that the bird song became infrequent and I hardly saw any birds near my home. The sparrows also became a rare sight. It was just buildings and shops and malls that were growing. Where had the sparrows and other birds gone? I longed to see them and hear them sing.
When I turned 21, we shifted our home to an area which was away from city center. To my surprise I could once again hear birds sing every morning and see them fly over my head in the evening. At that time I hardly knew the name of birds or any other thing about them. But every time I happened to look at them or heard them sing I wondered a lot and had curiosity to know more about them.
It so happened that my paternal uncle who is an enthusiastic bird watcher since his childhood, once took us to a lake nearby, early in the morning with his pair of binoculars. It was the month of January which happens to winter home of birds, migrating birds, which come from different parts of the world to escape the freezing cold grounds of the north. As we reached there we were greeted by large congregation of birds, who floated with elegance and royalty over the lake.
When my turn came I held the binoculars in my hand for the first time, adjusted its focus till the view became clear and I was just wonder-stricken and enchanted by the beauty that the birds exuberated and I knew I had found a trail whose discovery I would continue henceforth.
As the quote of world famous evolutionary biologist, Julian Huxley goes:
“He whose ear is untaught to enjoy the harmonious discord of the birds, travels alone when he might have company.” I feel that, now I always have a company, of birds, with me in my journey.
Here are few things I have learned about bird watching through my journey:
- The timing : the best time to venture out for bird watching is early morning, just when the sun rises the birds starts to actively engage in search for food (foraging). If you are not a morning person, late afternoon is another chance for you to watch them.
- The habitat: the different species of birds have different habitat. Some are found in the wetlands (water bodies) eg. Spot billed duck, Eurasian Teal. Others are found in dry grasslands and scrub, eg. the bustards including the Great Indian Bustard, Lesser florican. Still others are found in evergreen forests of India such as Hornbill. So you have a little idea about what birds you may see.
- Migration : the birds migrate from colder regions of the world towards India in winter season. So there are many species of birds found particularly from mid September till they go back to their summer home. Examples include: Siberian Crane, Northern Pintail, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Greater Flamingo and others.
- Blend well with the environment: Try wearing clothes that camouflage well with the surrounding environment and avoid wearing bright colored clothes.
- Patience and silence : one needs to have a lot of patience as sometimes you may spot birds you were out for and sometimes you won’t. It is a bag filled with surprises. And coming to silence, its important to respect the nature around you and it it can be best done by remaining silent and if when you talk try not talking too loud. Also loud voice will scare the bird off.
- Do not litter : if you are carrying eating or some other stuff with you then keep the wrappers in the bag. Do not let plastic damage the pristine surrounding.
Lastly, I would say, you don’t have to be a professional photographer, ornithologist, environmentalist or anything else to observe them. Just open your heart, your eyes and ears and you are ready to go!