Mornings in our campus are usually good. The bird baths are filled, the chairs layed out. Just as the sun starts peeking from behind the hill, some really nice friends walk in. The tea is warm, the conversation is good, the company great.
Birding keeps happening. If it isn't the Redstart, it shall be a Flycatcher. Topics range from politics and sports to gear and sighting reports. A Short-eared Owl report from Sambhar, the Z9 release. Sighs. A friend brought over his Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32 Binoculars - spankingly new. Great bins. It was nice to compare it head on with a Swaro. But I digress...
Birding was slow. The Squirrels were noisy and became noisier when a young Mongoose leapt at it. It missed. First set to the Squirrel. A few times the Mongoose peeped from behind the water tank. It stepped out started to sun itself. Got on its haunches and looked around. Moved into the scrub, exploring and we notice another Mongoose near the corner of garden.
Just another morning.
As we were packing up, out step two of cutest bundles of joy. Babies!
It is fascinating how something can be both ugly and lovely at the same time. A softer, browner, scraggy coat on them, curious and watchful. At a hint of movement from us, they vanished behind the tank, till curiosity got the better of them and they had to peer at us- again and again.
A low pitched call, a mew, a squeak from one of the parents and off the kids went to a small clump of newly planted bamboo. There it was pure family time. Playing with each other, playing with mummy. A surreptitious effort at suckling - babies are babies. Without a care they played and sunned and scratched that itch while the adults foraged for an insect or bug, always watchful, always wary.
We left them alone. Office day.
Just another morning...
Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
29 October 2021
Birding keeps happening. If it isn't the Redstart, it shall be a Flycatcher. Topics range from politics and sports to gear and sighting reports. A Short-eared Owl report from Sambhar, the Z9 release. Sighs. A friend brought over his Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32 Binoculars - spankingly new. Great bins. It was nice to compare it head on with a Swaro. But I digress...
Birding was slow. The Squirrels were noisy and became noisier when a young Mongoose leapt at it. It missed. First set to the Squirrel. A few times the Mongoose peeped from behind the water tank. It stepped out started to sun itself. Got on its haunches and looked around. Moved into the scrub, exploring and we notice another Mongoose near the corner of garden.
Just another morning.
As we were packing up, out step two of cutest bundles of joy. Babies!
It is fascinating how something can be both ugly and lovely at the same time. A softer, browner, scraggy coat on them, curious and watchful. At a hint of movement from us, they vanished behind the tank, till curiosity got the better of them and they had to peer at us- again and again.
A low pitched call, a mew, a squeak from one of the parents and off the kids went to a small clump of newly planted bamboo. There it was pure family time. Playing with each other, playing with mummy. A surreptitious effort at suckling - babies are babies. Without a care they played and sunned and scratched that itch while the adults foraged for an insect or bug, always watchful, always wary.
We left them alone. Office day.
Just another morning...
Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
29 October 2021
