I live in a bungalow surrounded by a fairly large
garden. There are a number of fruit trees growing here
along with many plants and a lot of grass. At first glance
the garden appears very quiet but actually many birds and
animals live in it or visit it frequently.
Every morning I am awakened by the shrill songs of
a magpie-robin. The sound is so sweet and I just lie in bed
listening to the songs until the bird flies away.
All through the day I see various birds come and
perch on the trees and plants. Some come to sing or rest a
bit. Others come to look for food. So it is always a
pleasure to see them. I just sit quietly and they go about
their business undisturbed. I have seen the oriole, spotted-dove, pigeon, yellow-vented bulbul, mynah, fan-tailed
flycatcher and various other little birds which I cannot
name. They sing, dance and display their beautiful colors.
It is quite a treat. On the other hand there are those pesky
little sparrows that come into the house to steal food.
One morning I saw a white-breasted water hen
sunning itself just next to a mango tree. This normally shy
bird must really be feeling the pinch of progress to take
refuge in my garden. Sad to say, the surrounding area is
being developed and the wildlife are being chased away or
destroyed.
Some people keep birds in cages to listen to their
songs. I say it is far better for the birds to live freely. Then
they sing, or not sing, their songs naturally. It is wonderful
to see them fly freely among the trees. It is not so
wonderful to see caged birds unable to move more than a
foot in any direction. |