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Photos: M. Periasamy

A date with Nature Pramod shares tips on bird watching

Bird lovers swing into action, adjust their binoculars, turn the pages of Salim Ali’s The book of Indian birds and smile widely when the bird they spot matches with the description — the common tailor bird is a jaunty little olive green bird, white underneath, rusty and tip elongated and pinpointed feathers.

A get together at Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) in Anaikatty, organised by the Salim Ali Naturalist Forum (SANF) for its members on a Sunday morning was an enjoyable outing with the birds and the butterflies. And, there was a two-km trek to a small waterfall inside a forest, where seated on boulders one listened to Nature talk.

Jungle fowls, spotted doves, barblers, drongos, grey wag tails, and white browed bulbuls, make their fleeting appearances and disappear. “From yesterday, elephants have been out looking for water bodies, so walk fast and in a group and maintain silence,” warns Pramod, who is also the Nature Education Officer of SACON. But, both the young and the old in the team are willing to take that chance. Thickets of Lantana in beautiful combination of red and orange (red are virgin flowers, orange ones are married, says Pramod), crowd our way. We squeeze through the canopy of flowers, ignore the thorns that prick your hands and pause every now and then to drink in the view of the hills layered in shades of green and catch a glimpse of the forest nursery.

An exotic dragon fly

At the stream, as water striders skate away happily on the water, Pramod asks the school children if they know how the insects do that. With help, they give the answer — surface tension. “Did you know water insects indicate the pollution levels in aquatic water communities,” he asks. And, also informs the gathering about the 120 different species of bats, of which about 12 belong to the fruit eating category.

Soon, a jungle mynah catches our attention. “It is carrying food, an indication that it has built its nest somewhere here,” he tells us. “No matter where you are, you can spot a minimum of 30 species of birds between 6.30 and 8.30 a.m., and in some places it goes up to 50 or more,” he adds. What are heronries, asks a team member, as the others distribute biscuits, splash water on their faces, dip their feet into water and settle down to listen to stories. “You will find them in Koodankulam, Point Calimere and Ranganthitu sanctuary, where water birds come to nest. In the Silent Valley forests, there is one such specific location for hornbills. They have a brilliantly coloured plumage. The same bird comes in different colours because of seasonal, immature and adult colour variations,” Pramod explains.

Red whiskered bulbul

And, all you need is a trained eye to catch the tiniest flutter even if it is far away to identify the right bird. Variations are a real challenge. For instance, take pigeons and doves — doves are weak fliers and can easily be trained on homing instincts, whereas pigeons have the ability to fly for days together. But, you can easily identify the birds even by their silhouettes, as each one has a style of its own.

Was that a black eagle, a crested serpent eagle or honey buzzard? Salim Ali’s handbook gave the answers. Magpie robin was at a distance and everyone got it right, the striking black and white bird.

An amphibian

Soon it was time for chasing butterflies — psyche (white background with black spots), Iora (in yellow, black and white), yellow orange tip, white orange tip, common crow, striped tiger, blue tiger, lemon pancy and the mottled emigrant created a colourful flutter on our return trek. Dragon flies in pink, blue, green and blue joined in the fun. To become a member of the forum and watch birds, contact: Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology & Natural History, Anaikatty.P.O.Coimabtore 641108 Phone: 0422 2657103 – 5. e-mail: neosacon@gmail.com

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