Being birdbrained once in a while

Fortunately for me, there is no dearth of feathered friends around our house, be it the common crow, who teaches us how to share food with others, or the rare and seemingly coquettish migratory bird w

Fortunately for me, there is no dearth of feathered friends around our house, be it the common crow, who teaches us how to share food with others, or the rare and seemingly coquettish migratory bird with her fancy plumes, who sits on the low branches to attract our attention, as if to say, “Look at me for all I’m worth, for tomorrow I would be gone.”

The commonest bird that makes its presence felt by its poignant calls which reverberate through the foliage is the cuckoo. Like Wordsworth who wrote, “O Cuckoo! Shall I call thee Bird, Or but a wandering Voice?”, I too have on many occasions tried in vain to locate the bird behind the voice. Sometimes when I felt ‘cuckoo’, I would mimic its voice to perfection, eliciting a full throated coo right back in reply. The wistful cries of the cuckoo, reminiscent of the pangs of love, have made these birds the favourites of poets, writers and musicians.

Another not so romantic and common bird in these parts is a country cousin of the cuckoo, the crow pheasant or uppan in local lingo. It is a little larger than a crow with a rust brown body, black tail and blood red eyes. People jokingly imitate its cry saying ‘Chakkekuppundo?’, which means is there salt in the jackfruit? (A common dish in rural homes).

An old expansive rose apple tree (Paninneerchaamba) which stands in our front courtyard is an ecosystem by itself. Mynas, parrots and sparrows and other birds live on it. Needless to say, the fruits on the upper branches provide an unhindered supply of food for its residents and the bats flying from tree to tree polish off the rest. What is left are the half-eaten fruits littered on the ground. The nights are not bereft of these calls either. Lone mournful calls and less discreet screeching sounds sometimes break the silence. The owls on their part keep up the eeriness of the night with their ‘hoop hoop’, adding to the grand orchestra of nature.

Have we ever thought how carefree a bird’s life is? That’s because they do not carry today’s burden for tomorrow nor do they keep account of grudges. Except in their search for food, they do not trouble other creatures. Man can be compared to a migratory bird as he is also passing through this world. What happens between his entry and exit is a lifetime of love, hatred, vengeance, ego, jealousy and what not. Probably his superior brain makes him do all that. In that case, it wouldn’t harm anyone to be a little birdbrained once in a while.

Elizabeth Koshy

Email: kitty.koshy@gmail.com

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