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Photos: M. Periasamy

Spotted! A bird enthusiast and a red whiskered bulbul

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 and with 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 members from various cities on a Sunday morning is an enjoyable outing with the birds and the butterflies. And, there is a two-km trek to a small waterfall inside a forest, where, seated on boulders, one listens to Nature talk.

Jungle fowls, spotted doves, barblers, drongos, grey wagtails, and white browed bulbuls make their fleeting appearances and disappear. “From yesterday, the 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 a beautiful combination of red and orange (the red ones are virgin flowers, the orange ones are married, says Pramod), crowd our way. We squeeze through the canopy of flowers, ignore the thorns that scratch the 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.

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, 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.; 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 in the stream 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 Silent Valley, there is one such location for hornbills. They have a brilliant plumage. The same bird comes in different colours because of variations in season, maturity and age,” Pramod explains.

And, all you need is a trained eye to catch the tiniest flutter (even if it is far away) and 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 silhouette, as each one has a style of its own.

Is that a black eagle, a crested serpent eagle or a honey buzzard? Salim Ali’s handbook gives the answers. The magpie robin, a striking black and white bird, is at a distance and everyone gets it right.

Soon, it is time to chase 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 create a colourful flutter on our return trek. Dragonflies in pink, blue, green and blue join in the fun.

To become a member of the forum , contact: SACON, Anaikatty.P.O., Coimbatore – 641108. Phone: 0422 2657103–5. Or, e-mail: neosacon@gmail.com

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