Birds and their life
I saw this flock of Geese near Jamnagar Fort
in Gujarat India. Their movement was breath taking. We stood watching their
swimming dance. I thought, ‘’So many of
them at a spot! Where do they all go? When they are sick who takes care of
them?’’
Despite the fact that
there are numerous flocks of birds, which are often seen while alive,
people rarely see pavements littered with the bodies of dead birds. Most birds
in the wild only live for a few years and they rarely die of natural cause. Small
birds are a vital link in a food chain, eating insects, other invertebrates and
small amphibians, and are in turn predated themselves by other birds and
amphibians. Many young and weak birds will probably subject to predation before
dying of disease or old age.
Birds, like many other
creatures, will seek secluded, out-of-the-way places when they're feeling sick.
They will climb into a hole in a tree, for example. Sick birds will go to
ground and because they feel vulnerable they will hide away. Sometimes, rest
and seclusion help them to recover, but if they die there, they sometimes won't
be found in their hideouts.
Scavengers and predators, such as rats, cats
or foxes, can usually seek out these hideouts for prey. Often, these predators
will eat the prey themselves or take them back to feed their young, which is
why it's rare to find the remains of dead birds. Due to a bird's light body
mass, those that aren't found by predators or scavengers will decompose
rapidly. Insects will cover any dead body quickly and the bird would soon decay
before it is found.
We see so many birds
flying above in the sky. What if all fell down together like rain? No, they
don’t. In the forest they get consumed
by other animals very quickly. Many of those that die while flying may fall in
water bodies or on mountain tops. In the cities too they will be devoured by
other creatures like mouse, racoon etc.
Now we know that birds
and creatures want seclusion in sickness and death.
A goose and gander flew
to my friend’s backyard. What charm they found there only they would know as they
decided to stay there and made a mess in the backyard. Nobody could go near as
we all know how this species are aggressive. There is a pond nearby, but it defies
all logic and made it its habitat. Mam co-exists with this species from time
immemorial but has not understood its ways.
Have you seen a bird sitting
on a cow, hours together? It makes a
meal of all the insects on the cow. The cow is cleaned and the bird got its
meal. This is the wonder of life.
In Hindu mythology we
find some birds playing a very significant role like Jatayu, the vulture. He
fights with Ravana and wounds him to save Sita from his clutches. In the
ensuing fight he succumbs to his injuries but not before he tells Rama how Ravana
abducted Sita.
Then there is Jatayu’s
brother Sampati who can see things from a
great distance. So tells Hanuman that Sita was in Lanka kept arrested.
Vishnu’s vehicle Garuda
travelled great distance with speed unsurpassed.
Man has always been
enamoured by birds because of his flight, migration, nature of adjusting to new
surroundings and liberty.
That is why we have a
saying,’ ’if only I had wings!’’
Oh, how I would love to
have a bird’s life!
