Squirrels and birds
While boarding the bus near work today I spotted a pair of squirrels scuttling up a huge branch of the canopy of a tree that lies bang in the middle of the our parking lot. It's a tree that would have otherwise gotten chopped but since no building is coming here, they have thankfully left the tree.
I am quite a city bred girl and am always surprised when I see beyond the typical dog, cat, sparrow, crow, pigeon, cattle and even the occasional elephant. But seeing these squirrels, I was reminded of some far, distant land where you sit under trees, with a book, and cool drink with shades on your eyes, thinking of nothing and no one in particular, and the squirrels come down to give you company and to satisfy their curiosity...
I saw the tails of these squirrels dangling and kept hoping one of them would topple and land on me. I wanted to feel their soft fur, see their brown eyes and clutch their tails. My mum always told me how lucky it was to get a hold of their tails and how she and her brothers would spend many an afternoon chasing them for their tails.
But luck was not coming my way. The scuttled higher and higher and out of my sight.. and left me slightly dazed, which was promptly brushed away with diesel fumes.
That left me thinking on how little scope there was for any kind of wildlife in our urban lives. A couple of days ago, on a gulmohar tree, I saw a pair of parrots. Even then I squealed. I could not help it. This was one of the first times I was seeing parrots outside of a cage.
Lovely green (parrot green is really a bright green) with superb red beaks, eating fading gulmohar blossoms and gently swaying with the branches with ocassional pauses to sharpen their beaks on the branch.
To accompany them, for a brief while, came a robin. A lovely black-grey bird with a bright red tuft, no bigger than my palm. The robin rocked with them on the branch and after a couple of minutes, flew away.
To my mind their freedom looked so inviting. But at the same time I imagined what it must be like to live in this highly polluted city where they might not find their home the next evening when they return.
posted by Janaki @ 10:44 AM
10 Comments:
We often forget that we, in fact are animals too, and were not meant to live in these polluted cities either. It's just that other animals were far too intelligent and just fled to more pristine, unpolluted areas (those that werent killed, that is).
Gawker: Yes but we are perhaps the only species in animals which continually strives to destroy, instead of protect, its habitat. In the bargain, destroying other habitats as well.
squirrels are one of my fave animals. used to feed some of them by hand back in the college days.
too bad u dont really find them in too many cities these days.
Yeah Chugs, thats why the surprise. Dint thing squirrels could survive the cement deluge in mumbai. But glad nevertheless.
hmm. Not too sure if you guys are aware but squirrels are very suspicious animals, its very difficult to befriend one of them. Plus they have a very sharp teeth and a nasty bite. I know this since, I've had a pet squirrel once. He went loco after he grew up a bit and just took off.
When i moved from B'lore to B'bay, i thought i'd never see parrots and the like again, but I was lucky enough to find acco behind HDFC bank on Juhu-Versova Link Road, where parrots and other, unidentified, flying objects abound. Pigeons hatch eggs on the ledge below my living room window!
By the way, what's the opposite of a city bread girl? Rural Butter Girl? The Gujarat Co-op Milk Marketing Federation would be interested :).
R. Oh dint know that..on the oft chance that I see a squirrel again.. will think twice before petting it..
daemon: Actually an aunt of mine who also lives in 7 bungalows (an area and not literally) regularly sees parrots on the guava tree out side her house..
Saw that typo and was just being lazy about going and correcting it but its now corrected.
Strange, but there are quite a few "exotic and rare" species to be found even in places like Malad--have seen an amazing variety of birds at the Mahindra Nagar colony there. So too at Borivali, and on the China Creek Road where we once saw what we fancied was a Panther.
You should also see the marshlands off Wadala, and the Parsik Hills off Belapur. Guess the best part of staying at New Bombay is the ability to get to Karnala or the Naval base at Uran within 20-30-40 minutes. :) As long as these areas are protected, the city will still have some kinda wildlife to speak of.
heretic: well leopards and panthers have become (in)famous especially after a series of killings and mauling that happened.
Yep have heard of Karnala but not visited it. Am not much of a bird idenfier.. but like that occassional spot of colour.
white owls and white bats are often seen around my place.
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