KOZHIKODE: An avid bird watcher in and around the Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary, Vijesh Vallikunnu aims to exhibit the rare visuals that he shot when almost everything else was in lockdown. “Covid gifted me a rare opportunity to observe from close two Indian Grey Hornbills and their chicks in the nest,” he says.Over a span of two months, Vijesh videographed the happenings inside the nest of the species protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act. “It was a time of learning and unlearning about birds,” he beams.
During April-May, he found an Indian Grey Hornbill nest on the coconut tree at his friend’s house.
“Hornbill nesting on a coconut tree itself is strange. The nest was inside a hole, with three hatchlings. I watched every moment by hiding on the terrace of the house under an umbrella to avoid the bird’s attention,” Vijesh reminisces.
One of the hatchlings was weak and the photographer had to shockingly witness the way the mother bird put it to death by denying food, with the other two chicks attacking it. After weeks, the two baby birds flew away to maturity. Simultaneously, another Indian Grey Hornbill put up a small nest on the pine tree of Vijesh’s house.
“There was a single chick in nest that was made by digging on the tree trunk. One day, I observed a rat snake slithering up to eat the chick. It was a Kevin Carter moment for me to make a quick decision — whether to wean away the snake or let nature be. I decided on the latter and began capturing the entire emotion-pumped sequence. The interesting thing was that the mother bird didn’t show much resistance to the enemy. When I discussed this with experts, I was told that wild animals including birds, don’t risk their own lives for babies to fight a strong enemy,” he elaborates.
Though the snake entered the nest and killed the hatchling, the reptile failed to pull it out and eat.
“A female hornbill stuck inside the nest during the rearing season is a kind of a lockdown. It was a rare opportunity to capture the moments of the nesting and rearing process of two Indian Grey Hornbills in close proximity,” he says. Discussions are on with Hornbill conservation experts to zero in on the structure of his exhibition, he adds.