Kahni tu banti hai! (Story is bound to be made!)

 

May 06, 2023.

While moving towards Chakki Mod, Gurjeet asked,

“What are you going to write on today?”

 

“Let us see. I will find some topic as Chakki Mod never disappoints. The place is full of surprises. I will find something to write about. “Even if I get nothing, at least I’ll take some photographs,” was my reply. 

Enroute, we picked up Arushi Kanwar who had requested to be tagged along when we bumped into her a day earlier. I had met her briefly last year when she was visiting the area with her sister Ankita and her mother.  Both Ankita and Arushi are young keen birdwatchers though it is early days for them. 

We drove straight to Bhojnagar where some coral trees were still blossoming.  We got Common cuckoo, starlings, parakeets, drongos, sparrows, barbets, and many other species. We clicked to our heart’s content. Arushi was especially delighted as she never expected so many birds to come to the flowers. She did mention that her day was made, and she was quite contented.  However, me and Gurjeet were on a little secret mission of our ours.  

We drove out of Bhojnagar and stopped just around the corner. The other day, we did have a glimpse of a raptor. Even though the area is full of species, raptors are not many., We did see a raptor that we are going to investigate today.  Leaving Arushi in the car, we started looking deep into the thick foliage. Gurjeet picked up the sound and signaled that it was there perched on a branch. In the meantime, Arushi stealthily moved out of the car and started exploring. To be very frank, we did not want to reveal what we had seen. It was a rare bird for the region, and we did not want the word to spread.  Her keen eyes saw it. 

“What it is?” she enquired.

To hoodwink her, I said, “It is but a Shikra’ thinking that she will not notice the difference and may just ignore it being a common bird.  

“No, it is not a Shikra. This is huge and has thick barring. Its colour is also different,” the young birder said firmly as she started focusing and clicking the bird. It was a Besra, a bird quite uncommon in the area. 

Many senior birders and bird photographers who have been visiting the area for years have yet to come across Besra. I was clicking it for the third timer during my birding journey in Chakki Mor. Ever since Gurjeet uploaded the photograph. many have called him up seeking the exact location of the bird. 

And here was Arushi , a young birder who has witnessed and clicked Besra quite early in life. She has become a part of the story, the story of not only clicking a Besra but also catching me by my ear for telling her a lie.  

Even though I took many pictures, this story is that of Arushi and rightly pictures clicked by her are being shared. She has been rewarded with a picture of Besra with Purple sunbird as a kill, a rare photo opportunity that she lapped it up.