Hello, Sparky here.
Ø All temporary weather systems have cleared at least definitely in as far as their impact on Banyan Island is concerned but the effect of cyclone is as yet unraveling itself. As the back to back cyclones started forming we had a lot of birds making a hasty journey away from the coast many of whom settled down on Banyan Island, some for sojourn, some for the season. Apart from the ‘cyclone’ visitors we have had a steady trickle of birds who have been coming over for spending their winters here.
Ø So, overall this week we have had a lot of jostling in the many bushes and trees that abut the river as the birds vie with one another for space for building their nests. These birds that I speak of are not small little birds like Warblers but some of the largest birds of the bird world – Painted Storks, Pelicans, Ibises, Spoon-billed storks, Open-billed storks, Egrets, and Herons. Mrs. Ulukah, the leader of birds tried to intervene on a few occasions and to her surprise learnt that if someone wasn’t around when she was chosen, she will not be accepted as their leader. It came as a nasty shock to the wise owl.
Ø Wise as Mrs. Ulukah is, she soon figured out that the birds need to be left to themselves to settle their arguments and differences in their own way and soon these gentle giants will be at peace with one another.
Ø Overall, there is a lot of chattering and cluttering of beaks and bills, yet many of us have our own house-keeping that’s keeping us busy. We have had our nests and hollows soaked in the rains of last week which we are in the process of drying/replacing/rebuilding/relocating depending on the degree of damage. This is not a process that any of us, all-year residents particularly enjoys in winter – when all we want to do is have a hearty breakfast and laze around in the Sun soaking up all the warmth that the benevolent star sends our way.
Ø So, amidst all the building and repairing work happening all around, Civvy and Kiwi monkeys got it into their heads to build themselves a nest as well. Macaque monkeys don’t build nest so there was a wide-range of reaction to their announcement. Some monkeys were aghast at the idea, some laughed at them, some even said they were getting ‘out of hand’ but what mattered was what Mr. Goldback, the leader of monkeys thought and he thought it was a great idea. If Civvy & Kiwi, inspired by their neighbours are striving to bring about a change in their life, that in itself is a commendable achievement. If they fail, nothing’s lost but if they succeed, a family of macaques would have a made a ‘giant leap’.
Ø These days when Civvy & Kiwi are not going around
studying the method and material of the nests around the island, they are busy
with their noses deep in books, reading up about the various nests. Termite nests,
ant mounds, rabbit burrows have fascinated them but then they can’t stay underground.
Human houses have had them in raptures but neither can they live on land nor do
they want to build environmentally unsustainable structures like those. Their search
for the ideal house continues.
Here are a few activities for this week. Even if you are in the midst of building something, be it big or small, take a break and solve a few puzzles, the break might just give you the perspective that has been eluding you.
·
Look
at this photo and see how many words you can identify which begin with the
letter ‘B’. Don’t limit yourself to just what you see, widen your imagination
and look for intangible things as well.
- A crossword puzzle where all the words rhyme with the word ‘ore’. Mind you, it rhymes with ‘ore’ but may or may not end with the letters ‘ore’.
- Another pictorial puzzle. Look at the photos below and identify the city in which these photos were clicked.
·
Look
at this photo and see how many words you can identify which begin with the
letter ‘S’. Don’t limit yourself to just what you see, widen your imagination
and look for intangible things as well.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of
answers. What is exhausted, is my ‘imagination’ and ‘inclination’.
o Sparrow
o Snack
o Sprouts
o Sunlight
o Sapling
o Side-facing
o Sticks
o Struggle
o Survival
o Secure (the meal, if nothing else)
o Sense
o Serene? (or not, for the moth)
o Satiate (hunger)
- Another pictorial puzzle. Below are a bunch of photos. Find the photo on the right side to which the photo on the left side bears a direct connection.
- Here are some storm related idioms. Match the idiom on the left to its meaning on the right.
Little Readers’ Section
·
Can
you identify these insects?
1. House Fly
2. Centipede
3. Moth
4. Caterpillar
5. Millipede
6. Dragonfly
7. Wasp
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