The Zoologist Chronicles: Me and the Birds

I started my masters last year all alone in an unfamiliar place. My friends are scattered all over Lahore. The cats don't come to me like the ones at my old college. The trees are hostile. And I long for the presence of my feathered bird-friends.

It's like starting school all over again.

Except in school, I wasn't really aware of any birds besides sparrows and crows (and that one which makes a creepy crying sound at night, but more on that later),

It was in my fourth semester of bachelors when we finally started ornithology. Our teacher took us on a round of the campus and introduced us to what lurked among the leaves. And I was blown away.

I'm a regular birdwatcher and have seen lots of birds, but for the sake of brevity I'll include about five species in this post that made the biggest impression on me and try to sound zoologist-y about them. It's hard to do that because when I see them what I actually feel is wonder and amazement and other indescribable emotions. You might have guessed.... I'm not a very articulate person.

DISCLAIMER: Unless stated, none of the pictures used below are mine. They link back to their amazing photographers on Flicker. Do check out their other photographs.

Let me start with the spotted owlets.

Spotted owlets

Spotted owlets (Athena brama) are little fluffballs. This picture makes it look very tall and majestic, but don't be fooled. Three-quarters of the time I've seen them, they look like this:

Owls are nocturnal and/ or crepuscular i.e. active at dawn and dusk, but you can see them roosting on branches near their nests. The ones I have seen had a nest nearly two floors above, in a hole where a brick had fallen out of a wall near a window. Since they were near a window, this meant they could often be seen from indoors, sleepily perched on branches that nearly touched the window. However, if you got too near the window they would glare at you and fly off.  

Spotted owlets eat bugs and rodents, and spit out undigested gross stuff as pellets. I collected a few for the pure pleasure of dissecting them and found bones and fur (or feathers?) and God know swhat in them. 

(this pic is mine.the hands are not mine though.)

They have a very distinct chuck-chuk-chuck-chirrr call. You got owls near your place? You'll definitely hear them. Since my house is not too far from a couple of thirty something trees, I would hear their calls in the evening. An older and more undisturbed area is even better - you could even find barn owls there. Seriously though, if you do have barn owls - or any owl- in your area, keep an eye on them and protect them since they are used in black magic. Which doesn't end well for the poor owls, I've been told. This and this article might give you an idea.

Purple Sunbird

Next is the lovely purple sunbird(Nectarinia asiatica). 

It's very small, like a hummingbird, and feeds on nectar. The adult male is a dark purple with shiny iridescent green-blue-light purple feathers, while the female is plainer, with an olive brownish yellow plumage. The juvenile males are kinda drab too. They have long curved beaks and a snaky tongue to sip nectar. Despite its size, it has a very loud, trilling call. During summer and spring I became aware of how noisy they are! Their calls pretty much echoed around the street. The flowers that I have personally seen them feeding from include the hibiscus, kachnar (Bauhinia variegata) and the orange-coloured flowers of Thevetia peruviana. It perches to feed, unlike the hummingbird, which hovers. They also migrate to warmer areas in the winter. You can make sugar syrup and put it in a birdfeeder bucket thingy for them if you want to attract them to your place. I tried but it didn't exactly work - the sunbirds are more attracted to my mom's brightly coloured laundry clips than sweet sticky sugar syrup. I did get an army of ants though. Total failure. Just plant a hibiscus bush. I have one in my home, but it has only flowered once or twice. My gardening skills are a failure too, it seems. 

Yellow-footed green pigeons

These are among my favourite birds. Fat and green, sneaky and pretty hard to see as they skulk around on branches gorging themselves on fruit. Yellow-footed green pigeons (Treron phoenicoptera) can be seen these days, feeding in large flocks in trees such as pipal and banyan. I think they are seasonal migrants, because I've only ever seen them in the winter. Apparently the breed from March to July. They are so hard to see! I remember spending time walking around my old college's banyan tree, trying to get a glimpse of these pigeons, hearing a loud plop! as another half-eaten fig would drop to the ground. 

Indian Grey Hornbill

Now this bird has a very interesting life! The male and female look very similar - plain greyish brown plumage, with a funny protrusion (called a casque)on their curved beaks and a mullet.

This is a female. You can tell by the smaller casque and the lighter face.

And this is a male!

It's got a longer and more pointed casque and a darker face. I haven't been able to distinguish the ones that I've seen, because I have only caught fleeting glimpses so far. Not only does it blend well in the tree branches, it also nests very high up. However it has a very distinct silhouette - you will immediately know if it flies over you.

So, you'll know the story - male bird meets female bird, falls in love and they both move into a lovely nest hole. Soon, the eggs are laid and the female is locked in the nest-hole with them as the entrance is almost entirely sealed up with mud pellets and fecal matter, and she loses her feathers, and grows them back around the same time as the little chicks hatch and mature. And she is brought food by the male in the meantime. Cool, huh?

Coppersmith barbet (Megalaima haemacephala)

                  

This bird.... all my life I have heard its constant metronomic calls, especially in the summer. I used to wonder what it was, was it some random machinery going off somewhere? An alarm? I never ever knew it was a bird. I never even associated it with a bird before studying ornithology. Now, if you have a nice, greenery-filled area with lots of old trees chances are you've hear it already. Pause on a still summer day and listen, you'll probably hear it. Its call is a very prominent blip-blip-blip-blip,varying in speed or pitch, as steady as a ticking clock. I've seen the bird - a rather eclectic looking bird, green and yellowish with a prominent red patch on the neck and above the beak - early in the morning, just sitting there on a tree hooting away happily. They love ficus trees - yup, this tree feeds and houses lots of bird species - and will spend loads of time among the branches, sunning themselves or stuffing themselves. Its even got whiskers! They can be kinda hard to see, they blend in with leaves pretty well.

And for a bonus, here's the mystery bird that makes the spooky crying noise I've often heard at night:


                             



That's a red-wattled lapwing. Funny looking bird, isn't it? And apparently its call sounds like someone saying did-you-do-it. Judge for yourself. (you might want to turn the volume down when you click play, the call is rather piercing.)

Until next time, folks!