43 - Sparky’s ‘Time to know thy Neighbour’ World

 Hello, Sparky here.

 

The sky thundered

and the day darkened,

then down the rain tumbled.

The more the thunder rumbled,

the more the rain grumbled

till nothing was left un-soaked.

 

That’s the weather report for the week which has left Banyan Island like it has had a spring cleaning. Everything feels so fresh, reinvigorated and rejuvenated. Well, everything except perhaps me. That’s one of the stories for the week.

Remember the baby Painted Stork who didn’t want to make the journey with his parents last week, we call him ‘the-one-who-stayed-back’ now. So, in the middle of the week I had just returned from my breakfast at the mango tree and I saw the mother of ‘the-one-who-stayed-back’. I was quite surprised by her re-appearance. I wondered if something had happened on the way, or she came back to change her baby’s mind and to take him back with her.

I waited till the mother and baby had finished their conversation and slowly inched my way towards them. The Mummy Stork turned around and looked at me and said, “Hi, Sparky, thanks for keeping an eye on my baby here.”

“That’s the least I can do, Mummy Stork. I hope all is well. I see, only you have come back here.”

“Yes, Sparky, we have settled down for the season in our summer home. I just came back to see my boy here.”

Just imagine my surprise. The Stork was telling me that not only had they all reached their summer home, she had even come back to visit her son.

Seeing me bewildered with confusion the mummy Stork began to laugh and asked, “Where do you think we flew to? To Siberia?”

If I had hitherto thought I was the only one confused then I was wrong. The baby stork, ‘the-one-who-stayed-back’ was equally surprised.

“So, you didn’t go to Siberia, mummy?”

“Of course, not. Where did you get that idea from? We have just moved about 10 KMs away as the crow flies to a part of the river abutting a forest where there’s more shade from the summer sun.”

Oh my, what a humongous error to have made. Not only had I not bothered to find out about my neighbour’s migration pattern, I had carried on my harangue about humans and change in landscape so passionately that the baby stork had been misled into believing that there was a long and arduous journey ahead which scared him from following after his family.

Many of the birds in India, migrate locally, if at all, depending on availability of food and suitability of habitat. Painted Storks belong to this category. Many of the birds that come to India from distant places make the migration to avoid extreme winter weather conditions in their summer homes.

Birds that migrate to India in winter do so mainly for one of these reasons:

·        to enjoy milder winters compared to the winters in their summer homes

·        which means they get to enjoy longer day time hours (as compared to shorter winter days from where they come from) giving them longer time to feed.

·        Availability of food which due to harsh winters would have all but dried up in their summer homes.

Many birds undertake this kind of long distance migration - birds both big and small.

·        Birds of Prey like Asiatic Sparrow Hawks, Harriers, Peregrine Falcons and Ospreys.

·        Wading birds like Pacific Golden Plovers, Greater Flamingoes, Siberian Cranes and Demoiselle Cranes – these are some of the heaviest birds that migrate.

·        Aquatic birds like Eurasian Wigeons and Bar-headed Ducks - these birds are very high altitude flyers.

·        Perching birds (called ‘Passerine birds’) like Bluethroats, Wagtails and Starlings.

·        Transit migrants like Amur Falcons which travel from their winter home in Southern Africa to their breeding grounds in Siberia and Northern China. They just pass through without spending any considerable time here, just a short sojourn to eat and ‘catch their breath’ before taking off again.

There are also birds that migrate during other season for pretty much the same reasons – food and weather. Well, that’s enough with the saga of the migrating birds, as I have another tale to tell.

Where the finding out of the fact that I know so little of the Painted Storks with whom I share my home for almost half a year left me feeling low another incident that happened later in the week gave me a sense of hope. To round off the news of the Painted Storks. The baby happily joined his mother when she went back home. 

 

With the summer showers keeping its date this week the communication between our stranded ‘stranger from across’ peacock with the peafowls across the river intensified. If a peacock had something to say the rest of them had to add to what had been said. No-one would wait for their turn, all of them spoke at the same time. And they are loud, ‘in your face’ kind of loud. Our peacock would participate in the conversation enthusiastically but then when the conversation ceased would settle down at some spot to mop over his situation.

Either many of us felt sorry for the stranded peacock or enough of us were rattled by their incessant calls through the day, either way Mrs. Ulukah summoned an evening meeting to discuss how we could help get the peacock back to the other side of the river. A very distraught looking Mrs. Ulukah (their calls had surely kept her awake for many a day)  addressed the gathering asking if any of us had any idea as to how to transport a 6 KG strong and 6 feet long bird over water.

It wasn’t a question that hadn’t received attention from us but again it also wasn’t a question with an easy answer. The stranded peacock sitting on a low branch began preening himself. As he continued preening we all forgot to think and sat watching his beautiful train of feathers glittering as it caught the light from the setting sun.

An owl hooted somewhere and Mrs. Ulukah shook her head and muttered something sounding like ‘silly show-off’. She called our attention back to the matter on hand and we all gathered ourselves to collectively think and find a solution.

Udra started by clarifying a basic doubt, ‘Mr. Peacock, are you sure you cannot fly across, after all you are a bird and with lots of feathers at that.’

Mr. Peacock smiled and answered, ‘Mr. Otter, these feathers are mostly for show. I have never attempted to fly a distance as long as the width of the river here. I may make it or may not make it. If I make it, I will be delighted because that would mean I can visit you all everyday and partake in the enjoyment of eating your mangoes, but if I don’t make it, I will end up in the water and in no time my useless feathers here will soak water, become heavy and drag me into the depths of the river.’

That was the end of the idea. If a poll was taken then, it would have shown that no one wanted the peacock to try to cross the river on the strength of his wings. We just didn’t want him to come back to enjoy the mangoes and there was the risk that his friends and relatives would then take the same route to our island. No, that wouldn’t do at all.

Civvy monkey said, “There are stretches on the river where the river is narrow.”

Mr. Goldback cleared his throat and said, ‘And Civvy needs to take a walk around and comprehend the fact that we live on an island.’

As all of us laughed including Civvy. Mr. Goldback continued, ‘You have to go back the way you came - on something that floats.’

There are lots of things that float, the obvious issue here was finding something that can support the weight and length of the peacock.’

On this note the meeting was dismissed. Each of us had to keep our eyes and brains open to a floating object that met that criterion.

As we were about to disperse the peacock let out a soft hoot and said, ‘It’s really kind of you all to worry about me thus, I am much obliged.’

Well, that’s the thing, many a time what others perceive to be kindness is mere selfishness but if that selfishness furthers the common good then it isn’t all wrong. 

If only the humans understand this and sincerely begin to help one another stay safe from the Corona virus that’s wreaking havoc in their world, they will be safer together. 

We swim together or sink altogether.  

 

See you all next week. In the meanwhile, if you would like to write to me, email me at Sparkyatbanyan@gmail.com