A Morning Murder Story - Summer Scenes, Part 2

Prologue: 
I start this piece with a twinge of guilt. Perhaps, if I had intervened I could have saved a life. It could have been my misplaced confidence that the predator was not likely to get to the prey, or my obsession with keeping the shutter firing as the drama unfolded, not three meters from me; but a life was lost and I'll carry that burden of guilt always.


An Eye Witness to a Murder
Saturday morning, a little past 7.15 AM, I picked up the newspaper and coffee and went to the office room. The morning was murky; Cyclone Laila was showing her abilities on the west coast of India too. I thought I'd open the door to let in some light. When I opened the door and my jaw dropped. Staring unblinkingly at my face from a few feet away was my old friend the Shikra!

It looked like it had become used to me, showing scant respect for a human being. It's attention was riveted to the bird cage my cook placed outside every morning. 

There were three finches in it they were and in total panic. The cage was strong and the shikra was too big to be able to squeeze it's head or claws through. It kept circling around looking for a way in. Climbing on the cage

Trying to get at one of the finches. All the while the three little birds kept moving to the farthest part of their enclosure.
























For the next fifteen minutes there was absolute pandemonium. The shikra flying around the cage, a blurred mass of feathers outside, while the finches were fluttering around inside keeping as far away as possible from their tormentor. 

Finally the shikra settled on the chair to rework it's strategy. I could have touched it and it wouldn't have blinked. Such was the confidence in it's eyes. 

The last bird that stared at me like this was a Crested Serpent Eagle in BR Hills, but that was a juvenile and inexperienced with humans. 

It descended once again, looking at me confidently. The expression said, "Watch now. I'll teach you how to hunt". The event's that unfolded next happened in a flash.

 Before I realized what happened the shikra was "attached" to the cage beyond my line of sight. Realizing that something was horribly wrong I ran to the front door. I knew I was too late. The little finch was already dead. The shikra flew off dropping the dead bird. Perhaps the narrow gaps between the bars prevented the hunter from dragging it out but there was no escape from death. 

The two survivors are looking listless. Perhaps they realize that the cage offered no security. I've asked for the cage to be placed in the kitchen and I've convinced my son that the remaining two should be released. 

I've also realized the consequences of being wedded to the DSLR! One becomes oblivious to the world around you. Why blame media photographers!

Apartment on the Farm

With the population burgeoning finding living spaces is getting more difficult every passing day and soaring real estate prices don't help either. I thought that was a problem for us humans till I ran across some pretty determined feathered folk fighting for the best spot.

Place: Nallepilly, Palakkad District, Kerala, India

It was sometime in late February and I hadn't been to my uncle's farm for ages. It was the season for the ponds to fill with all sorts of visitors so I carried my gear along hoping for some nice exposures.

The ponds were rather disappointing and so were the paddy fields. Maybe my timing was wrong but I only came across the regulars; chestnut headed bee eaters, moorhens, jacana's and cormorants.

I returned despondently to my uncles house. I had lugged 10kgs of gear for nothing. Leaving everything in the house except my old faithful E3 I walked out to the cow sheds. There used to be some awesome spiders in the bamboo near the haystack. Then I noticed this barbet sitting on the "kotka puli" tree.

 
It had something clamped in it's beak and didn't seem keen on swallowing it. Something was brewing. I gave up the spider chase and withdrew into the cow shed. After a few minutes of looking around it turned in the opposite direction and took off. Destination: hole in the wall!! A dead coconut tree.

One moment it was there, the next it simply disappeared.

A few seconds later pandemonium!! Two mynas appeared on the tree and flapped around the place the barbet disappeared.

Seeing the commotion two parrots appeared out of nowhere, shooed the mynas away, and perched themselves on the tree looking really agitated.

One kept guard while the other went around the tree to make sure the mynas were nowhere.

A moment later another came flying to a point lower down on the tree. There was a large opening into which it jumped in dexterously.

It seemed to be ensuring that there were no illegal encroacher in it's home on the old coconut tree.

To give you the perspective. Look at the entire tree.

It's a community in there. I wonder who else  was there in that tall "skyscraper".

Summer scenes in my garden

Mercury is soaring in Palakkad. The skies cloud over occasionally but no hint of rain. Summer showers have failed to materialize this year. The heat is oppressive and roads are deserted in the afternoons. The heat, not to mention the IPL matches, are keeping folks indoor.

Birds are no exception. They seek shelter of the few trees with a green canopy and my garden suddenly is like a bird sanctuary. I've kept bird baths in strategic places and they draw visitors all through the day. Yesterday morning I had a rather special visitor. A shikra, a small raptor.

Perhaps the heat was too much, it landed for a drink......

As it sat on the edge of the water pot it seemed lost in contemplation, till it saw me. It did not fly but shifted it's position so that it could see me without turning it's head.

After a few minutes it decided that the cool water was more tempting despite the fact that a rather curious human was standing only some 20 feet away. It decided to take the plunge.

After a few vigorous dips and shakes it climbed out, perhaps because my presence embarrassed it.

Although it looked rather wet and miserable it did not make a move to ruffle its feathers like all wet birds. It sat on the pot's edge and looked at me as if to ask, "Why are you staring at me? Can't you go away and let me be?"
I stood there with no intention of going anywhere. My camera was clicking furiously and the bird was watching me warily.

It must have realized, finally, that I was harmless because it turned back and plunged into the water again.

Then after a more minutes of cool soaking it clambered onto the edge again.

It looked at me with a rather disgusted look that said "Voyeur! Can't you let me enjoy my bath?" .....

............. then with a final vigorous shake to get rid of the dripping water it got ready to fly.

I know it'll return again, and I'll be waiting. Sometimes being called a voyeur is not all that bad!

The Crossing

I've never been to Africa. The one place and an event I want to see before my time on earth draws to  a close is the wildebeest migration on the Masai Mara.

As if like a premonition, I witnessed one that gave me a gentle reminder that the time had come for the great crossing.

Place: Malampuzha reservoir, Palakkad, Kerala

The buffalo were crossing (not wildebeest!!). Sedately, wading through the shallows.

Till panic set in!! They turned as a group and rushed madly back into the safety of the waters. Some slipping in the slush and losing foot hold, others holding ground with panic in their eyes.

The reason. Local predators! Strays?

Five dogs with their owner?

Panic settles. The breath steadies, the heartbeats slow down. Is it safe?

Mid water consultation. The egret contributes to the discussion. The danger is fading from sight.

There is safety in numbers and the brave egret agrees!

The last one is safe and dry. The Crossing is over. Masai Mara or Malampuzha?

Turner learns to eat

Turner is growing, and fast. His tail has become bushier and stands up stiffly when he gets excited. Now, he's outgrowing milk too. He gives me nip on my finger now and then as if to tell me I'm hungry, but I don't want milk.

I know squirrels love fruits. There is enough evidence of that on my mango tree! I also know they love grains, nuts & cereals. Cereals?!

Now what's that name I have heard on TV about a cereal that increase your memory and make you smart? Some name with K. I'm not taking names because the manufacturer will be upset if he knew Turner ate it. (If you remembered the name you, most likely had it for breakfast today!)

To cut the long story short. I gave a CHOCOLATE flavoured cereal to Turner. One single one. At first he was skeptical. He sniffed at it, turned it around on his tiny paws, looked it over and sat back on his haunches contemplating that funny brown thing.


After a while curiosity got better of him and he picked it up lazily and took a cautious nibble. "Hmm. Not bad". That must have been the thought that went through his mind. Then he warmed to the job at hand. The thing was a little more difficult than he thought.


He gnawed at it, turned it around & gripped it more firmly and kept gnawing at it. "No Sir, this wont work. What shall I do?", Turner contemplated. This was more that he had bargained for and his teeth hurt.


He threw it aside and stuck his tongue out at it. What a silly thing? Tastes to nice but it is not my teeth's friend.


As he turned around a brilliant though struck Turner. "If I can't bite it, I can lick it, can't I? Aha! Why did I not think of it before."

Turner pulled that ugly but tasty cereal and started in earnest. "Umm! this is good".

Now I'm worried. When my son returns he'll find his favourite chocolate K supply exhausted. I'd better tell him that Turner has developed his tastes!!

Turner at the Safari Park

To a city slicker my house will be a veritable zoo. Maybe, a safari park is a better word to describe it. Someone living in a highrise apartment complex would probably see a few cats, dogs, and pigeons every now and then but if they visited what I call 'home', they'd call it a zoo!

In and around my house living harmoniously together are a few cows & calves, four geese, four chickens, four dogs (our favourite, named Dizzy because he makes everyone dizzy!), and one strange duck that i call 'punk' duck (for descriptive purposes). 

Besides these domestic creatures, living in my garden and yard are myriad birds; babblers, barbets, bulbuls, coucals, cuckoos, drongos, orioles, magpies, mynas, robins, sunbirds, flowerpeckers and even a lone shikra that comes for a soak daily. 

In the pond on my yard you can see a cormorant, brahminy kites, pond herons and kingfishers both big & small. Of course, the creepy crawlies are there too; garden lizards, ratsnakes & cobras with some small ones I don't even know the names of.

Into this crowd landed Turner.

On friday last, the 27th of March, my cook who was watering the garden called out, "Etta (elder brother), there is a baby squirrel lying dead here. Perhaps a crow  got it." Thinking of giving it a decent burial, I went to inspect it. I saw a tiny creature, maybe a few day's old, curled up near a pot under my mango tree. As I picked it up, it was warm and I could feel it shiver involuntarily  in my grasp. It was alive then. No ritualistic burial but a emergency resucitation was needed.

I came inside, picked up an old shoe box, lined it with a newspaper and put the tiny creature in it. After a minute it looked up groggily as if to ask "Where am I & who are you Oh! giant." I patted it in it's tiny head and reassured it, "You are in good hands for now", and went to tell my son about his new pet.

My son was so thrilled and nearly squeezed the little creature in his excitement. I rescued it before it was squashed like a toothpaste tube and told him to carry it in the shoebox. Over the next few hours we went through an elaborate excercise of naming the new inmate of our house. First it was Stripes, then Squeeky, the Riki Tiki Tavi and finally TURNER. Why Turner, I don't know, because it's the name of a tool that appears in Disney Cartoon, but it stuck.

Turner is still very young. Drinks nothing but milk, half a cc at a time; and eats nothing. He drinks, sprays some urine and promptly falls asleep. 

We got a husked coconut pulled out some fibers mashed it into a soft mattress (coir foam?!)and put it one corner of Turner's home.

My son has gone to visit his maternal granparents for his holidays. He left me explicit instructions to feed Turner, clean out his shoebox home and walk him!

Walk him?! Turner doesn't walk. He hops, skips, jumps & runs. Mercifully he runs, not in the other direction but towards me. 

only problem is that he is so tiny that, when he plays hide and seek, I have to be careful I'm not sittting on him. 

He is so used to me, he thinks I'm his mom & dad rolled in one big giant creature. Every time I open his shoe box he stands up on his rear feet and reaches up with his fore feet, like a child asking to be carried. My little Turner.