The morning walk in the scorching city seemed a little bit more bearable
because of the blossoming Amaltas. I was delightfully welcomed with the shrills
calls of the barbet Kr – too and spotted one perched on a branch of the Banyan
tree, grass green in colour with a big brown head and patch of ochre yellow
circling the eyes.
Doesn’t this bird have grandfatherly looks, thanks to the bare orbital ring which seems to have hardened with age.
I sat at a distance to observe the bird and then I spotted the Lineated barbet hopping from one branch to another before proceeding to the nest always with a clump in her beak. The bird was not flying directly to its nest to feed the chicks. She would land on a branch at some distance, would look to its right and left before it would decide to enter her humble abode.
And, then flew a pair of feisty Mynas troubling the barbet
trying to feed her little ones. Mynas, at that point of time seemed like the
feral enemies of the barbet. After the bird left the nest the Mynas poked their
heads into the nesting cavity. I wanted to make them fly away and not disturb
the chicks but didn’t interfere with the courseof nature. Whether the Mynas where looking for
food or for a plausible nesting cavity is a question mark.
After some time, the barbet broke into her song and hopping from one branch to another clung to the tree trunk looked around with her large popping out eyes and then very gleefully slid into the cavity.
I
sat there for hours, observing the barbet come and go while the park echoed
with the loud calls krotok…krotok and beautiful flowers of the Amaltas
gently twirling in the wind.
HAPPY BIRDING
