TravellingCamera has had the good fortune of clicking hundreds of birds over the past few years and over time we have come to enjoy taking out time specially for bird watching. And now we are considering buying a good lens especially for birding. In terms of knowing the birds, we have come a long way since we started paying special attention to birds. And now the prospect of going to a bird sanctuary excites us and we are willing to travel hundreds of kilometers just to sight a few new birds.
This year, we wanted to design a desk calendar dedicated to birds, and we did that. However, the prints that we received weren't as per our expectations, else the idea was to gift them to some of our special people. But while doing that, we did a lot of hard work in selecting our photographs, identifying monthly themes, and identifying birds that represented the themes. So we wanted to share that with you for the time being.
January 2020 - Oriental Turtle Dove
Cold and severe, January is a good time to turn inward and reflect. The thought of spending the day wrapped in your warmest quilt, reading and sipping on hot coffee, sometimes cracking peanuts while lounging in the winter sun, brings back memories from our childhood and that is why we chose the Oriental Turtle Dove as the bird of January 2020. Meditative, quiet, and gentle, doves inspire poetry, love, peace and all things good.
February 2020 - Coppersmith Barbet
After the cold January, the earth beneath our feet starts shifting because of tiny life (grass, saplings, worms, ants) that are waking up from their slumber and being reborn. But these signs of life are still invisible. You can see them only if you are looking out for them. Same is the case with the Coppersmith Barbet. Just like you sense the spring in the air before you see the new saplings, this elusive bird announces its presence with the sounds that it makes searching food on trees, before it actually makes an appearance.
March 2020 - Red-wattled Lapwing
March is one of the most pleasant months in the year. It is when spring is at its best, and winter flowers are putting on a show that is worthy of a grand finale. This is the time when humans are the easiest with their surroundings and complain the least. In the golden days, when we were a society that felt secure enough to sleep in the open in good weather, the shrill three-note "did-he-do-it" call of the lapwing often tore through the nights.
April 2020 - Stripe-tailed Hummingbird
The month of April signifies the opportunity to refresh your outlook. In India, the financial year ends in with March and definitely involves frantic activities to put your financial affairs in order and to balance the accounts. After March, April offers an opportunity to adopt a new outlook. April is the time to shed your load, step back, introspect, and then step right back in. An instinct that the hummingbirds are born with.
May 2020 - Brahminy Starling
Starlings, the family that Myna belongs to, are resilient birds that are flexible and and adaptable. The month of May is symbolic of this strength. Weather-wise, things have suddenly started heating up and you need to take each day as it comes. For people like me, we have already started counting down to September when weather will start cooling down again. But starlings keep cruising through. Even this pretty Brahminy Starling. With long, black, hair-like plume on its head, the Brahminy Starling is the glam icon of the Maina family.
June 2020 - Rufus-collared Sparrow
For city-dwellers, the sound of sparrows has become so rare that if we happen to have them around our homes, we don't want to move from there. I was once living in a flat in Noida where many sparrows used to frequent my balcony. They were noisy, but I loved having them around even if their chirping woke me up at five every morning. Actually, for me, there's no better sound to wake up to than that of a bunch of talkative sparrows having a heated debate.
July 2020 - Green Bee-eater
It is in the month of July that almost the whole of India sees rains. And the effect is almost immediate. It only takes a day or two for grass, creepers, and new leaves to shroud the entire landscape with a green so bright that it hurts your eyes. And this is when you need to gather all your senses to stay focused. Much like the bee-eater. Often seen perched on power lines, the bee eater relies upon its acute awareness of its surroundings to catch fast-flying insects.
August 2020 - Great Black-backed Gull
For all Indians, August stands for Independence Day. Not only did India gain its freedom on 15th August, it also gained a strong sense of self and identity. While it takes time for a newly independent nation to get at ease and become self-assured as this seagull. We have come a long way and but I do hope we get to a point when we have so much self-confidence that we stop competing with our neighbors and just learn to be. Just like this seagull. With a personality like this, no wonder these birds don't care much about what people think about them.
September 2020 - Emerald Toucanet
September isn't really the beginning or end or even the peak of any particular season. However, some of the most pleasant days and evenings, and some of the most brilliant sunset can be seen during this month. It is the month that manages to shine on its own, without relying on any particular stamp. Remember that attractive yet restrained party guest who manages to somehow steal the show without trying much. Yes, that is the Toucanet. And yes, September is such a month.
October 2020 - Himalayan Bulbul
Then comes the month that is one of the most flamboyant - October. Most of the festivals of India line up in October. Starting from Karwachowth, when women dress up like brides or Diwali, when everyone decorates their homes and meet and greet each other. It s the month with a lot of swag. Not only is the weather perfect, there are interesting festivities to keep us engaged. Just like this Bulbul - when it isn't enticing you with its songs, it is busy rocking that sassy mohawk.
November 2020 - Painted Stork
Then comes November. This is post Diwali and the very new problem of pollution because of stubble burning and fire crackers causes low motivation and morale for at least a few days every year. Ironically this is also the time when migratory birds start landing in India. Even though Painted Storks are not migratory, many people mistake them for being migratory. And very few sights are as calming as that of a pair of storks tending to their babies. It is also quite amusing the see almost full-grown storks refusing to move out of their parents' home.
December 2020 - Blue-eared Kingfisher
It is in the month of December that the mountains receive their first snow. Delhi sees fogs and cold waves. People retreat into their homes coming out only for Christmas and New Year. Life comes a full circle every year and it is time to stay patient. If winter is not your season, then you need to be like a Kingfisher. Calm, centered, and focused, a Kingfisher waits for hours to make a successful plunge.
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