Black-winged Stilt After a Long Time

It has been a long time I haven't written about the birds in my place.  It doesn't mean that I have forgotten about them.  Although not shown outside or observed by others,  I have always been in touch with the winged ones surrounding me.  With many trees in the school surrounding, there are birds galore for sights and sounds and thus my days here in the school doesn't end without a birds or two in a day.  When fortunate enough,  I get to sight beautiful birds which rarely come out in public such as trogan and owls.  Usually,  I get to hear and sight common birds of the place such as bulbuls, sparrows and of course spotted doves.  

     Yesterday afternoon was one fortunate time for me and of course to all in the school.  A bird which we have seen for the first time in our school campus in the summer of 2015 visited us again.  

With lazy steps I was back after having my lunch.  The moment I was about to settle down for a short rest before readying for their afternoon sessions,  I saw a strange bird flying towards my office window from the school garden.  My senses became more active and I watched it intently following its flight.  It attempted to land on the transmission line running above the garden but it didn't.  Instead it made a round of fight above the garden and out flew towards the playground.  I thought that it wouldn't land on the ground.  But then,  I saw the children stopping their play and gasping. The bird landed on the playground. Coincidentally it was lunch break and most of the children were out playing and loitering around.  The bird drew most of us towards it.  Our colleague Rinchen Nidu was out playing kabola with a group of children.  He too stopped the play and was up capturing the bird in his phone.  Sir Rinchen instructed children not to disturb the birds and also warned the children not to harm the birds.  As the children drew closer to have better view of the bird,  it took a flight and landed at the other side of the goalpost.  But in few seconds, the birds took up a great flight and away it flew towards the village and disappeared in the woods behind the academic building.  

     The bird was gone, but its moments remained in me rewinding my time back to 2015 when the same bird visited our school for the first time since my arrival here.  That time,  an incessant rain lasting about a week brought in our school a big puddle behind the academic block. As a result the bird came,  we thought and assumed.  The bird stayed for a long time,  wandering the puddle,  pecking something out. We had great time enjoying its move and rest in the puddle from the back windows in the recess of lessons.  Personally,  I had fortunate moment to photograph the birds as much as I can during the recess of my time.  I didn't know the name of that bird back then. I tried a lot to identify the books referring the books available but in vain.  Now I do with the help of active birders in Birds of Bhutan, a group on facebook.  The bird with long legs,  with body and black wings is Black-winged Stilt.  

     With a gap of a year,  the bird visited us again. This time although the puddle came up last time during incessant downpour time but the continuous sunshine following that dried up the puddle.  May be because of that,  the birds didn't stay for long.  Hopefully it will return some day.  We are waiting.  

Black-winged Stilt After a Long Time

It has been a long time I haven't written about the birds in my place.  It doesn't mean that I have forgotten about them.  Although not shown outside or observed by others,  I have always been in touch with the winged ones surrounding me.  With many trees in the school surrounding, there are birds galore for sights and sounds and thus my days here in the school doesn't end without a birds or two in a day.  When fortunate enough,  I get to sight beautiful birds which rarely come out in public such as trogan and owls.  Usually,  I get to hear and sight common birds of the place such as bulbuls, sparrows and of course spotted doves.  

     Yesterday afternoon was one fortunate time for me and of course to all in the school.  A bird which we have seen for the first time in our school campus in the summer of 2015 visited us again.  

With lazy steps I was back after having my lunch.  The moment I was about to settle down for a short rest before readying for their afternoon sessions,  I saw a strange bird flying towards my office window from the school garden.  My senses became more active and I watched it intently following its flight.  It attempted to land on the transmission line running above the garden but it didn't.  Instead it made a round of fight above the garden and out flew towards the playground.  I thought that it wouldn't land on the ground.  But then,  I saw the children stopping their play and gasping. The bird landed on the playground. Coincidentally it was lunch break and most of the children were out playing and loitering around.  The bird drew most of us towards it.  Our colleague Rinchen Nidu was out playing kabola with a group of children.  He too stopped the play and was up capturing the bird in his phone.  Sir Rinchen instructed children not to disturb the birds and also warned the children not to harm the birds.  As the children drew closer to have better view of the bird,  it took a flight and landed at the other side of the goalpost.  But in few seconds, the birds took up a great flight and away it flew towards the village and disappeared in the woods behind the academic building.  

     The bird was gone, but its moments remained in me rewinding my time back to 2015 when the same bird visited our school for the first time since my arrival here.  That time,  an incessant rain lasting about a week brought in our school a big puddle behind the academic block. As a result the bird came,  we thought and assumed.  The bird stayed for a long time,  wandering the puddle,  pecking something out. We had great time enjoying its move and rest in the puddle from the back windows in the recess of lessons.  Personally,  I had fortunate moment to photograph the birds as much as I can during the recess of my time.  I didn't know the name of that bird back then. I tried a lot to identify the books referring the books available but in vain.  Now I do with the help of active birders in Birds of Bhutan, a group on facebook.  The bird with long legs,  with body and black wings is Black-winged Stilt.  

     With a gap of a year,  the bird visited us again. This time although the puddle came up last time during incessant downpour time but the continuous sunshine following that dried up the puddle.  May be because of that,  the birds didn't stay for long.  Hopefully it will return some day.  We are waiting.  

Nature Activates our Senses

Today on the sultry afternoon, right after the lunch, I was to teach a poem in class III. As most of the time, afternoon hour wasn't that pleasant and fresh in both me and my children. After a short time of line by line recitation as an exercise of the poem, I took the children out.
     And in the moment of carrying out reading exercises pertaining the poem, this feeling, taking class in a heart of a nature is a key to activate ones senses towards learning especially when the lesson is related to nature, resurfaced in me. The hearts of the children are opened unconsciously to sense the nature at her true nature. Just a gush of breeze through a rustle of leaves activates both teacher and taught to learn better let alone the allure of other elements of nature. The vibrancy of nature simply reinforces learning. In nature's lap, everything is real, open and within our reach to show and inspire. Like in a classroom while teaching nature related lessons, we don't have to exhaust ourselves to create imaginary world of nature often putting children to doze. Everything is right in front of our senses. All we have to do is to pop up the caps of children's senses and everything will bubble up unceasingly.

Birds are Always there for me

Birds are always there to greet me every morning I open the windows. Flights.  Tweeter. This is an advantage of having different trees in our school campus. Different birds come and visit trees. Some even nest and settle. This is a beauty of having trees around.
     Of late a couple of birds came into my sight just around my residence especially in the morning hours. I don't have to go deep into woods to watch birds. They come close to our windows and doors. Day before yesterday morning I went around our residence upon hearing unusual chattering of birds. To my amazement an owl was resting on a branch of a tree few meters from behind the house. A Streaked Spider Hunter was was around along with a couple of Red-vented Bulbuls and some tits. I assumed that the birds' chatter out of the fright upon the owl's presence. I couldn't identify what owl it was. It was more likely an Asian Barred Owlet(Glaucidium Cuculoides) going by size and appearance. It was heavily stripped (technically barred) and brown with some white spottings. It was perched restfully favoring me a shot or two in my camera. It's eyes were brilliantly open as if it had fixed eyes on its prey. I stealthily walked towards a tree nearby the garbage pit to capture the bird's perching moment. Meanwhile, the chattering tits and Bulbuls flew from tree to tree as if to indicate their frights. The owl remained perched magnificently and other birds flew around restlessly. In a tick of few seconds, the owl shot itself like an arrow down the thick bush. The other birds kept on chattering. I went down towards the bush to see if the owl was there. It wasn't there. I then came back to watch other birds.
     A group of Green-backed Tits(Parus Monticello) were still chattering on the tree. One by one, they disappeared into the tall trees below the path. The Red-vented Bulbuls (Pycnonotus cafer) remained on the tree while the Streaked Spiderhunter (Arachnothera magna) screeched away towards the playground.
     I came back home satisfied because I got some of the winged ones moments captured in my camera.
     Then yesterday morning, I went around again to see if the owl returned to the tree although I was aware that it would be highly unlikely to spot same bird on the same spot. No more owl that morning nor the tits nor the spiderhunter. Of course Bulbuls are common. However I was drawn towards the Children Park by the laughter of some laughing thrushes. They were White Crested Laughingthrush (Garrulax leucolophus) moving towards the Riverside gurrulously. I could zoom in one of them's brief perch in my camera before they move away one by one from tree to tree out of my sight. I was happy to have some clear shots of the bird. The Laughingthrushes are common in this locality. Often when we are in the nearby woods, their presence is felt with their garrulous laugh. But it is very difficult to photograph them in the bushes because they don't perch more on a same spot like some birds. In my frequent sighting of the bird, I have had tough time to get clear photograph of the bird. So yesterday it had been a sort of moment that the birds came purposefully to present me those better shots. The birds went laughing. I came back satisfied. 
     The sun was just up about 50 cm from the southeast horizon slanting it's rays upon us. Everything was brightening. The dews were sparkling. A drongo perched on a bent top of a bamboo. I felt a warmness surging in me when I could capture the drongo's warmly moment of rest.
      Red-vented Bulbuls and a Long-tailed Shrike are regular visitors in the school garden right in front of our residence. There are beans growing sufficiently. Now that the children are away home after their exam, the vegetables age and fall in the garden helplessly. So the birds take advantage of the fallen seeds. They don't go back satisfied with those fallen ones. They claim the ones on the plants too. So when they perch on the stakes to claim beans, I get better shot of their labour. As their company, bees are always there buzzing from flower to flower of the overgrown spinaches in the garden. Soon these yellow flowers will turn into seeds and more birds will visit to claim the seeds. And more shots I will have of the winged ones if I spend my vacation here.
     I am blessed to have eyes for the birds. In my pleasure of watching and photographing birds, I draw myself towards nature better. And better I feel at a spot of birds when I feel low in the flow of my life.
     Finally if you wanna have birds around, plant trees.

Nature Will Always be the Best

When my heart is in accord with the nature, everything sparkles with life. The moment I am in the heart of the nature, everything seems lively and wonderful,  the colour, the grandeur, the music and the splendor of the mother nature. The healing sensation and refreshing feelings the nature blesses me are beyond my conscience to express.
     Yesterday I walked up the Nganglatrong path in search of my misplaced backup charger. I knew that it would be a mere waste of time. It was just my assumption that the charger got slipped out of my hamchu when I was on my way to offer Tashi khadar (ceremonial scarf) to the recently elected local leaders of the Ngangla Gewog. Actually I absent-mindedly lost the thing. However just to confirm my assumption, I went for the search.
     At the same time I was prepared not to regret over the tiring uphill walk if I wouldn't find my charger.
     With my camera in my hood shirt pocket and a sack rolled under my arms I began my search. I looked mostly the right side of the path because our gho's opening is at our right. The path was thickly carpeted with fallen leaves. Some leaves were falling to further thicken the carpeted path. Few birds were in sight. I froze my movement whenever I could sight a bird or two in the branches or bushes. I took photos if I could and savour the captures. When I couldn't capture the birds due to the delay in taking out the camera or missing the light shots on my subject, I calm myself with a thought that I would be blessed with better shot the next bend.
      Of a couple of birds I saw on my way up, a Yellow-bellied Fantail offered me a perfect rest while blessing me with some splendid shots. As soon as my eyes meet the bird in a branch, I unzipped my camera pouch and shot out the lights. The bird flew away. And the camera revealed only blurred capture of leaves and twigs. I sensed that the bird knew my presence and took off for its safety. I put back the camera in my pocket. I resumed my walk. After a step or two the bird appeared again on the same branch. So stealthily, I stepped back and began to take shots. The bird moved back and forth from the skeleton branch and the leafy branch. I could capture the bird whenever it lands on the bare branch. Having to zoom more, I have to hold my breath in order to have clear shot. In that moment of holding my breath over a stretch of about 5 minutes, I felt rested. And moreover refreshed. Even more than that I sensed a sense of fulfillment reeling in me. I almost forgot about my real mission.
For being successful in stealing some of the bird's moment after few minutes of my walk, I thought I wouldn't have to regret even if I couldnt accomplish my mission of finding the charger.
     I resumed my journey. The bird continued its flight between the two branches, the bared one and the leafy one. Not forgetting my mission,I looked everywhere towards the right. At the same time I also scanned the woods. Few patches of clouds were rolling in the sky. The birds were in chirp, some near and some far. After few minutes up, some pink flowers appeared alongside the path. I don't know the name of the flower.  Locally it is called Choepala Meto.
The blooming of the flower is a indication that their main and annual festival, Choepala is approaching, the locals belief. By the time the people observe the Choepala which is about 10 days away, Choepala Meto will be in full bloom adorning the nature. I took a couple of shots of the flower and then focused the camera down towards the school.
    Then as had throughout the walk, walking, huffing, scanning nature and focusing towards right, I reached Nganglatrong. No backup charger! My mission failed. But I didn't regret. I enjoyed the walk and observed many things in the wood.
     I took rest for few minutes. Now I had to forget my mission of searching my charger.  Instead I had to execute the new mission of collecting some humus while decending down to the school. The sack that remained under my arm would be unrolled and filled on the way home.
    On the way, I was again thrilled with granduar of nature. Great patches of clouds in the sky, green trees against the backdrop of blue mountain and brown carpeted paths were priceless wonder I felt and seen. The birds' tweeter and crackling of leaves and twigs under my feet were so soothing. A mountain bulbul alike bird on a branch froze me again. I quickly pointed my camera towards the bird. Since I was facing against the light, I couldn't capture clear shots of the bird. Referring the bird's greenish upperparts and streaked throat, I considered a mountain bulbul. Though I wasn't sure about the bird, it gave me a perfect moment to capture some drongos in flight. Without having to step further and let the birds know my presence, I could capture all the drongos that appeared on a tree few meters from me till they disappear one by one in tall trees. When the birds were not appearing, I captured great colour of the nature inspired by faraway grey sky, bluish mountain, bare trees, clothed trees and leaf-filled paths.
     Finally I was back with half-filled sack of humus for the flower pots at the school. But my heart was fully filled with happiness inspired by all the elements that I came across. Although I couldn't find my charger, I found splendid joy walking through the wooded path.