Report on Winged Jewels of MRPL

Winged Jewels of MRPL …… !! (Pics and Text by Shri B H V Prasad, GM, HRD & CSR).
Our township is a beautiful place to live in. Surrounded by varieties of flowering & fruit
bearing trees, plants, water bodies, hills. grass land etc., it is a perfect abode for birds
aptly named by Great Salim Ali as “Winged Jewels”: Ideal for amateur bird watchers
and photographers like me. Let me add here that it is such a fascinating experience to
observe varieties of birds, their behaviour in different seasons, their chirping, songs etc.
Of course you need tonnes of patience, must enjoy spending time amidst Nature, be
attentive and quick to spot the birds.
Birds communicate in many ways through songs, sound, behaviour and these vary with
season and situation. Their courtship displays are magical.
Calls are generally shorter; the songs are generally
longer
and
musical,
normally coming from
males. The calls are
meant to pass short
messages,
whereas
songs are meant to
impress their partner.
Our day usually begins
with melodious wake
up calls from different
birds.
Very early in the morning the Koels can be heard, as also in
the evenings. I remember the wonderful “ode to the nightingale” by John Keats every
time I hear our Koel’s call.
The male and female Koels do not look or sing alike. The male Koel sings the koohkooh, while the female Koel respond with Kik-Kik-Kik call.
A delightful dialogue indeed !
Coppersmith Barbets have a distinctive monotonous call
tank-tank-tank, similar to the sound of beating on a metal
sheet.
White cheeked barbets are also found in plenty around
here and they shout out Kutroo- Kutroo-Kutroo.
Coppersmith Barbet
The Malbar Whistling Thrush has caused many heads to turn
as people go for walks in our Township, as they whistle so like
us that we mistake them for humans. Their sweet whistling songs
kind of fill the morning air!
As the day progresses, the bird count and activity increases.
The Common Tailor birds, the common Iora, that are
frequently found cohabiting the Township with us,
have varieties of calls from chatters to long whistles.
The Common Mynas are
always found in plenty, in
groups. Magpie Robbins are
common too. I love their
sweet chirping.
The Coucals are very vocal
with their Boop- Boop –
Boop calls and they
poach for their prey, very
surreptitiously.
The Jungle babblers are also seen in groups, and
my God, they are always busy.
The Red Whiskered bullbulls are also seen in
plenty. The way their male and female, work in
co-ordination to build their nests is amazing. It is
a delight to watch and
Peafowls (commonly known as Peacocks) also
cohabit with us in the Township and we often hear their loud sharp calls. They saunter
across the road at times and if one is lucky one gets to see the spectacular dance
during the rainy season.
Some of the birds like Drongo can imitate the sounds of other
birds. Racket tailed Drongo and Black Drongo are seen in
plenty around here.
The bright coloured Golden Orioles, black headed Orioles are
common visitors to our Township. The males and female are
coloured differently and are stunners to look at.
Varieties of Kingfishers like Stork-billed, whitebreasted, common Kingfishers are often spotted
near
the
drains, water
bodies etc.
In the night, varieties of owls like Owlet, Barn
Owls are found
waiting for their
prey.
Besides, Wood peckers, Wagtails, Blackbird, Bee eaters, Ashy wood Swallow, Eagles,
Kites, Paired Red Spurfouls, Water Hens, Spotted Doves, Thick
billed flower peckers, varieties of Bee-eaters, Paradise fly
catchers, beautiful Rufous Treepie, Leaf birds, Orange
headed thrush, Indian rollers etc. can also be found
around here.
Flower peckers and sun birds love this place thanks to our
many flowering plants and trees.
Wood pecker
OrangeheadedThrush,
Flower pecker
The many water bodies near our township in the Refinery complex feed many of these
“winged jewels”. Birds like Ibis, Storks, Cormorants, Egrets, Herons, Jacana, Darter, Lesser
whistling ducks, Ringed Plover, Purple Swamp Hen, Red Wattled Lapwig, White Wagtails
are often found having a quick dip or just sipping the water.
Of course, crows and pigeons are also found in large numbers.
Truly we lived in a blessed place graced by these winged jewels which make the early
morning and evening so lively and magical with their beautiful songs and chirping. It
really reminds me of the Supreme power that created such a magnificent universe and
definitely it fills me with joy to see His beautiful creations, these winged jewels, live in
perfect harmony with us.
-sdBHV Prasad.
PS: This piece by our GM projects a facet of MRPL, not known to many. A facet we
should be proud of : of living in harmony with our fellow beings of this Planet.
This year’s Deepavali was a stellar statement as we, our families in MRPL Township
observed a “green diwali” as Deepak Prabhakar, DGM Mech Maint described it. Kudos
to all who didn’t spoil the air with toxic fumes and loud blasts(which do nothing but hurt
our eardrums, frighten the lives out of poor animals and make sick and aged people,
quite ill).
In so many little ways we show our love, respect for Nature and our environment. Let us
do it a little more. Finally, it is not the Planet that needs saving, it is us, the inhabitants of
this marvellous blue Planet, our Mother earth.
Let us save ourselves : Lets us stay united on this , folks.
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