The Other Side of Zoo Story: Birds from my Window during Lockdown
By Mrs. Shakti Bishnoi
Humans everywhere were forced to self-isolate due to the coronavirus pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic has heralded us into a very strange and uncertain time. The death toll is horrific. But there is a small glimmer of hope. The lack of traffic on the roads and pause in industrial activities and building constructions resulted in lowering of pollution levels. Suddenly one could see the sky and stars and the distant mountains. Nature, which was bleeding due to human actions, suddenly appeared to be breathing a sigh of relief and recovering. Wildlife appear to be venturing out more often into areas where they were none due to lack of human activities. Without the toxic hand of man, the Earth is healing.
and good news that’s come as an impact of the world largely going into isolation; the planet is having a chance to breathe, and wildlife is being restored. The birds which were hiding in the jungle due to humans are out and near to civilization to such a proximity is an amazing aspect and I was fortunate to capture them in my camera. The earth is healing.
We are blessed to stay within the secluded and protected establishment of MILIT, Pune, as my husband is in Armed Forces and posted at such a serene place. I started exploring the avian world within the campus from my window and nearby places. Some people thought birds have suddenly moved in close to us. However, earlier most of the people were too busy to notice them and the high ambient noise levels due to anthropophony or human induced noise had often over powered the bird songs. The birds were singing as they always did with their sweet and soulful melodies ringing all around. The silence due to lack of human activities because of the COVID 19 lockdown had made the bird songs sound way louder. I started enjoying and recognizing the authors of these sweet melodies. I introduced my daughter the joy of bird watching from window and she was overwhelmed with the sight of birds in close proximity. Slowly and gradually, I started putting grains and water for them to feed and it became the most happening place for birds. We the humans were capturing them and putting them behind bars in zoos. Suddenly the tables have turned as we humans are behind four walls and looking at them through windows and crying for freedom. They knew it.
What we learn is what we see around us, especially in the wild. Every creature in the wild was designed to serve a purpose. Humans, while advancing in leaps and bounds and inventing various technologies and gadgets, are yet to learn some lessons. COVID-19 gave us that opportunity to explore the Avian World and the world which belonged to all of them since creation of earth. We need to learn from the animals and birds their raison d’etre, for they are here to teach us their way of life. After all every organism big and small and every natural force is linked by a complex chain of ecological linkages. We the humans have to understand the designs of mother nature.
The Earth has an immense possibility. I started taking out time early morning and evening to click the birds and appreciate them. Sometimes I watched them hiding behind the window of the common room and saw them eating grains and I was barely 3 feet away, such a close look was amazing. From the early morning chirping and twittering throughout the day to the cacophony of sound at their return to the nests at dusk, there is music every where and they are free to explore the majestic earth in all possible ways. We are caged to enjoy them – the other side of ZOO story.
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything gets accomplished”. We humans need to look around and observe, and act upon if needed, otherwise nature has its own way. Tap the abundance of universe waiting for us.
Mr A S Bishnoi is a post graduate in Electronics. Apart from wildlife photography, he is an entomologist and qualified ornithologist. He has been contributing by participating in bird census of Chilika lake for the last 10 years. He planted Pune's first Sacred Grovesa nd also planted 1215 native saplings around his pune house. Both of them have reared more than 1300 butterfly in their house and their journey still continues.
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