Batul Pipewala
Author
The place where I stay, Flora Fountain is a residential complex in a congested area in Kolkata. However, there are two natural ponds within it and trees like the Indian Cork Tree, the towering Kadam trees, fruit trees like Guava,Jamun and Papaya, Palm trees and even a Sundari tree at the edge of the pond. On 24th September this year, I was birding in my complex and was watching a checkered keelback snake eat a fish when suddenly I heard a lively bird call and instantly recognized it as that of the Wagtail. I quickly trained binoculars to the spot and saw a wagtail with a grey head, white eyebrows, and a bright yellow on the underside, feeding on the insects near the pond.
I immediately clicked pictures with my smartphone and shared them with my birder friends from whom I got the correct ID as a female Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea). “OH!” I exclaimed. I saw a Grey Wagtail in February of this year at the same place. Was it the same bird that has now come back from the Himalayas? Or was it another individual? Will it stay back all through the Winter in my backyard? I started turning up every day near the pond to see it. The Grey Wagtail’s signature call, “Pseet!”, would alert me to its presence. It would come flying in from across the boundary wall and go to the other side of the pond to its favorite perch, a broken bamboo fence. It would sit on that gracefully and then move around, wagging its tail, foraging on the mud, and even jumping up to catch insects.
One day, I and my friend saw the Wagtail absolutely still. It had almost rolled itself like a ball hiding its head. We noticed a water snake nearby and a mongoose, probably the reason it was afraid. It then quickly flew to the opposite side of the pond. This was a close encounter for the courageous little bird and I named it “Plucky”. On yet another day I saw Plucky close to a Bandicoot rat feeding on a dead fish. It would keenly observe the rat and fly every time the rat moved. It was fascinating to see this behavior.
Plucky had many adversaries, including the stray cats. I was scared for her. I made it a point to look for it every day, armed with my binoculars and the Merlin app for identification of bird calls. It was such a treat! However, after 26th of October, I could not find her. I was apprehensive. Maybe some harm had come to it or maybe it had gone elsewhere in search for food. On 2nd November, the Merlin app detected the call of a Grey Wagtail present, however, I could not see it. Probably, Merlin app was inaccurate. On 8th of November, I saw another winter visitor, this time from Russia, a tiny flycatcher with a white edge to its black tail; it was a Taiga Flycatcher (Ficedula albicilla).
The following day, I went early with my camera to take pictures of the Taiga flycatcher. The bird was sulking in the darker area. As I went near, it hid behind the bush. Not one to give up, I went from another path and found it swinging on the lower branches near the pond. I got some neat shots. On 12th of November, bird activity was good in the morning with calls of “tuii tuii” and “whee whee” of Tailor bird and “pik-pik-a-wew” of the Red whiskered bulbul resonating in the complex. I was hoping to see the Taiga when the Merlin app detected a Grey Wagtail call, and lo behold! Before my eyes was Plucky. I was so excited looking at it that it caught the eye of a child feeding the fishes near the pond. I showed her the bird gladly, and the girl also exclaimed, “There is yellow underneath!”. “Is it not a lovely bird?”, I said and she agreed smilingly.
A nice piece of writing about local birding and how to enjoy it ! Looking for more..
Such a cute story. Thanks for sharing!
Beautifully written. Ms Batul. Teleported me to the spot and was immersed in the excitement of some time with Plucky.
Wishing you many more adventures at Flora Fountain
Wonderful and refreshing story. The writing brought vivid images to my mind. The authors enthusiasm came through. It gave me a feeling of being with nature. She should write more such stories for the advantage of readers like me
A nice fascinating tale one plucky bird
A nice fascinating tale of one plucky bird
Very informative and interesting piece of written work.