I t was during the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdown that I was able to meditate on the beauty that had been waiting just outside my window. The humdrum of a busy life had all but tuned out the orchestra of birds that had been playing outside. But when nature forced us to take notice, I was one of the fortunate people to be in the luxury to abide by it.
The lockdown had clashed with the breeding season of birds. As the world became deafeningly silent, the fervent calls of the birds looking for mates filled me with a sense of warmth. It was a reaffirmation of life, at a time when the world seemed to be clouded by death.
The oriental robin was the bird that first broke my reverie. It looks like a charming knight in a black coat with white streaks. It had been crying itself hoarse to woo a mate which had taken residence in the neighbour’s balcony.
I do not know about the poor lark but I was sold to the world of birds. For someone who had been terrified by the jungle babblers knocking at the glass windows with their beaks, this new-found pleasure was a surprise. From then on, I started to watch of the scenery of the old Indian jujube tree with the regularity of a devotee.
I have been rewarded with the sighting of many beautiful birds including the coppersmith barbet, brown rock chat, white-throated kingfisher, Brahminy starling, red-vented bulbul, red-wattled lapwing, Eurasian collared dove, purple sunbird, and the Indian white eye, all from my balcony! All these ar.