An order of transfer to Tirunelveli landed me in the Central Excise Office premises whose grounds included the Staff Quarters. I occupied the Quarters around July 2017 just when the GST law in the Country was rolled out. New environment kept me in a state of awareness. The first night I spent in the said Quarters which I vividly remember.
The morning or pre-dawn hundreds of birds in the surrounding woke me up by 3.30 AM with their cacophony. I have heard such calls only in the VOC Park at Coimbatore. I felt like being in that Park at the early hour. Gradually I got used to the calls of birds most of which I later learnt to be House Crows and Common Mynas.
My office was about 40 meters away from my home and during the short walk one cannot miss the noisy babblers. The Asian Koels were always heard all through the day. Since I did not know the names of any bird I just listened to the music they played vocally.
During September I heard a mesmerizing call at about 7.15 AM and ran out with curiosity as to which bird made such a call. I saw an yellow bird with pinkish beaks which was just a glimpse and then it went up and up to the top most branches of the tall Neem Tree. Then it flew in a certain direction above the building blocks and again the mesmerizing call was heard. I could not resist my temptation and went looking up searching for the bird. It would have flew from tree to tree and finally to a Peepal tree which was covered with leaves and to my disgust could not spot the bird. I just wanted to see the bird.
The next day morning at about the same time I again heard the same call but could not see the bird clearly. I realized I needed a binocular or a zoom lens for my mobile which was a new one and had a very good camera. Tirunelveli has beautiful countryside landscapes spotted with architecturally beautiful temples and lakes. Therefore it was during September I got a new mobile phone with top end camera features. I had even bought a plastic 10X zoom lens about 6 months back but had not used the same.
On a Saturday I had guests whose car engine did not ignite and the mechanic had to be called. When I was near their car, on the opposite Peepal tree I saw an woodpecker and was fascinated by it. I wanted to see its details and now I frantically searched the boxes and found the zoom lens which I clipped to my mobile. Thus started my bird photography. I missed the woodpecker the other day and did not know whether I may see it again.
From the very next day I started waiting for the call and would rush out of the house to capture the yellow bird with my plastic lens clipped to the mobile. The romance of birding started then and I traced the bird with its call from tree to tree. I had an image which was not very clear but one can make out the bird. I surfed the internet and found out about the bird. It was the Golden Oriole.
The Wikipedia gave me information that the bird was migratory and I remember discussing with my sister who had birded about 20 years back at Koonthankulam and knew about the migration of birds, that I am beginning to hear new and different calls of birds which I had not heard during the past two months.
The morning or pre-dawn hundreds of birds in the surrounding woke me up by 3.30 AM with their cacophony. I have heard such calls only in the VOC Park at Coimbatore. I felt like being in that Park at the early hour. Gradually I got used to the calls of birds most of which I later learnt to be House Crows and Common Mynas.
My office was about 40 meters away from my home and during the short walk one cannot miss the noisy babblers. The Asian Koels were always heard all through the day. Since I did not know the names of any bird I just listened to the music they played vocally.
During September I heard a mesmerizing call at about 7.15 AM and ran out with curiosity as to which bird made such a call. I saw an yellow bird with pinkish beaks which was just a glimpse and then it went up and up to the top most branches of the tall Neem Tree. Then it flew in a certain direction above the building blocks and again the mesmerizing call was heard. I could not resist my temptation and went looking up searching for the bird. It would have flew from tree to tree and finally to a Peepal tree which was covered with leaves and to my disgust could not spot the bird. I just wanted to see the bird.
The next day morning at about the same time I again heard the same call but could not see the bird clearly. I realized I needed a binocular or a zoom lens for my mobile which was a new one and had a very good camera. Tirunelveli has beautiful countryside landscapes spotted with architecturally beautiful temples and lakes. Therefore it was during September I got a new mobile phone with top end camera features. I had even bought a plastic 10X zoom lens about 6 months back but had not used the same.
On a Saturday I had guests whose car engine did not ignite and the mechanic had to be called. When I was near their car, on the opposite Peepal tree I saw an woodpecker and was fascinated by it. I wanted to see its details and now I frantically searched the boxes and found the zoom lens which I clipped to my mobile. Thus started my bird photography. I missed the woodpecker the other day and did not know whether I may see it again.
From the very next day I started waiting for the call and would rush out of the house to capture the yellow bird with my plastic lens clipped to the mobile. The romance of birding started then and I traced the bird with its call from tree to tree. I had an image which was not very clear but one can make out the bird. I surfed the internet and found out about the bird. It was the Golden Oriole.
The Wikipedia gave me information that the bird was migratory and I remember discussing with my sister who had birded about 20 years back at Koonthankulam and knew about the migration of birds, that I am beginning to hear new and different calls of birds which I had not heard during the past two months.
After this no looking back any and every call of a bird, the slightest movement in a leaf keeps me aware, agile and alert and I will shoot off in that direction to explore.
- Janani L | July 2017
Vivid narration!
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