A lesson from the birds
IT was a bright sunny afternoon when we ambled along the narrow path leading to the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary on the banks of the Cauvery river near Srirangapatna in Karnataka.
Even as we were taking in the fresh air and lush greenery all around, we spotted two hoopoes, their fan-shaped crests nodding as they went hopping on the grassy ground a little away.
Our guide led us to the waiting boat, and we were off on a delightful cruise. As the boat slowly moved through the shallow waters, a beautiful sight unfolded before us: birds of various hues, some perched on bare branches leaning into the waters, some comfortably ensconced on patches of marshland and others amidst the floating vegetation and bushes.
Amid the chirping and twittering of the birds, our guide began enlightening us with his commentary on these feathered friends. ‘Egrets,’ he pointed out, and all eyes fell on a flock of snow-white birds standing elegantly. ‘Look, those are storks,’ he whooped, explaining the distinction between the open-billed ones and the painted ones. Cameras went click, click, click.
At the next islet, we saw spoonbills, ibises and cormorants, some flapping their wings, others letting out calls that sounded like grunts. Further ahead, on a smaller islet, our guide showed us pintails, teals and terns. We caught sight of a darter taking to the water and swimming from side to side.
Suddenly, something colourful with a long tail flew past us. ‘That must be a wire-tailed swallow,’ our guide said. As we cruised along, we spotted one that was brown with a black head and a little bit of red near the tail. The bird was all alone. The guide couldn’t recall its name, and before he could refer to the book he was carrying, the bird flew away.
We came across kingfishers, herons, pelicans — the spotted and billed and rosy ones with hooked beaks. There were several other species, some rare ones, but remembering all their names is not easy.
Indeed, birdwatching is a feast for the eyes of city slickers, and this cruise was truly exhilarating. Some of the birds we saw were not native; they had come to this paradise to escape the harsh winters of higher altitudes, we learnt.
As our boat slowly sailed back to the shore, I felt the whisper of a little bird in my ears: ‘Do you see how we live? In such peace and harmony and without any racial, class, communal or colour barrier.’
Awakened to reality, I opened my eyes and answered: ‘Yes, I hear, we have something to learn.’
‘Did you say something,’ the guide asked.
‘Er, nothing,’ I murmured and got off the boat, bidding goodbye to the oarsman.
