Long years ago I encountered this bird, in Goa. I did not know then what the bird was, nor did anyone around me. But I was told that possibly it was a baby bird because it sat quietly on the roof, as visible here. But of course I had no way to know whether this was a baby or an adult except that I found the bird very beautiful and it stayed with me for years, as a reminder of how colourful birds are in Goa.
I often felt wistful that the birds in the North here are not as colourful as the birds in Goa or other parts of India close to the ocean. I thought, and still think, it had something to do with proximity to the ocean or possibly the rain and the greenery around, mountains and abundant water bodies. I am certain these would have an impact on the presence of bird species- of course what a silly thing to even say! So that was it – end of story captured in a series of photos of this bird, perhaps the one solitary time I saw it so close in Goa. Other than this it was always from a faraway distance I saw them flying.
And this brings me to the other part of life, now that I am back to the north of India for years and it is already over a year that the PhD got over. Perhaps I never wrote about the challenges I undertook trying to grow water lilies. I had to ensure that the water would not become a breeding ground for all sorts of mosquitoes and for that reason I put mollies, a small variety of fish, in. This is the first season of that experience and expectedly there are setbacks and losses- which are lessons in their own right. The first set of losses is the number of water filters I lost in the new ecosystem and then the heaters- which are essential for the cold, so that the fish are comfortable there. Every time me or Rajan (the gardener) have checked the water when the heater has been fine the water has been really pleasant- not hard at all, I mean not biting cold at all, but comfortable to the touch. I hope my fish are fine- they certainly seem to be thriving. From the time I put a few of them, less than ten, their numbers are quite big now. They easily seem about 90-100, there is no way to know. But several times in these past few months I saw little fish, a sign that the medium was ideal for their multiplication. Even recently, either in November or December when the winter was already here and the heater had been activated I saw a new shoal, of smallies swimming around.
The tank above captures the initial lot and the fact that I put in two electrical sockets at the time of starting this new tank on the assumption it is always better to have more plugs than less. Each of these stages has been an effort- including getting the electrician to put the connections and then the mason working outside my home to cover the plug points with a tile, that I had lying around to ensure they don’t get wet and nobody gets hurt due to electrical current. Though not visible in this picture this tank also has a green border plant growing around which I hope in time will grow so much that the black borders of the tank would get hidden by the green leaves. May be in a subsequent picture it would show.
Anyhow so this was the new ecosystem that I got going, in two locations! For the second location- on my terrace, I bought another colour of water lily, via Amazon. It was a strange choice for I have never ever in my life bought live plants online but the plants turned out to be quite nice finally…though it took time to take root , but here are some of its blossoms. It is noteworthy that none of the flowers came together, not once. So each of these is a different flower taken at a different time. And one is shot at the bud stage.
Looks like I lost my way talking about water lilies from the issue I began with! Silly me. As visible here the fish grew, the flowers also began to come and guess what in time- perhaps in November I saw this mister. I of course could not believe my eyes. S/he makes a strange sound- like a kit- kit, kat-kat, more like a chiklet sound…in case you missed please look at the iron bar, where s/he sits facing the pond.
Over to the kingfisher- read about the species here
It seems as though he is sitting meditating though s/he actually watches the fish in the little pond.
He kept coming like this for days and from yesterday onward every time I go towards the garden or am in the kitchen I hear his sound. So finally yesterday Rajan was putting vermi-compost in the plants and he also saw the kingfisher. The sound they make is very distinct too. Anyhow, so right in front of his eyes he swooped down and took off with a fish. I am quite happy and relieved in my own little way- for I have helped Mother Nature by offering food to one of her other children.
One may say this is not nice that the fish should be eaten, and it is cruelty that I am not protecting my fish. If we see this at an ecological level, not that I am operating at one, but the world is- and we are all part of a food chain, and wherever the chain can be restored the broken links will start healing. If I can play a minuscule role in Nature’s garden I am so grateful for the opportunity.
Oh, but talking of food chains, there is another being who is suitably attracted to the prospect of fish in the garden. Though in this picture, which was taken from above, and noticed by Rajan- the kitty sits on the ledge where the tomatoes grow, she knows where the dogs are and where the fish, or the birds and she still can enjoy the sun in a home with dogs- look at her guts and look at the dogs!
At least one thing is for certain in my garden, that things which were not to happen are beginning to and birds I never thought I would see around here, are showing up. And just imagine, only a few weeks before the first sighting I had seen this bird in this temple that I went to, right here in Faridabad.
Life is full of surprises 🙂 but one still has to take the road oneself.
Parts That Make Me Whole 