Birds in Paradise Lost and the Juvenile Delinquent
This piece was long overdue.
Sri-Lanka use to be a paradise for birds.
Not anymore.
It has many reason as I see them as a bird lover and a bird watcher but I have to highlight some recent developments ornithologist has not studied adequately.
I wrote a piece 2 years ago about a an Indian Oriole pair who did not migrate back for long period of time.
This coincided with the full operation of the Coal Power Plants.
I was obsessed to point out that the wind currents were effected by the commission of the Coal Power Plant and the it probably effected their detection of thermal range and the decision to migrate back to beyond Afghanistan.
They did remain for a prolong period and finally disappeared for good and never returned for the subsequent two years.
I was predicting that they would breed here but that prediction has no credible evidence to support by way of young ones.
Instead more of the local Oriole who prefers jungle habitat started vising our small garden.
Their was an unusual increase of local bird visiting our neighborhood for two reason.
1. Water.
2. The fruit tree they love to visit and partake its fruits.
During this period the remaining Bread fruit tree and another jack tree was consumed but they still have limited tree cover..
The other reason was that in the name of development and Eco-tours two reaming Kurulu Kales are being vandalized driving them to move out looking for safer places.(Kurulu Kale-Jungle reserved for local habitat both fauna and flora, in fact what is left of, in and around Kandy city.) This development is going at full pace and they are even removing an overhead pass probably to make room for the Night Races which I will never watch.
Today story is more to do with the Buttichacha, the tiny bird that has made a point to take over out fruit tree for his delinquent acts.
For his size he is a hero of mine.
One day I was watching he was pecking a young bat who had lost his way and resting on another tree upside down on broad day light, like our politicians.
Their view about nature, coal power and anything scientific to me looks like upside down anyway.
Politics is not a science but a way of life and those guys/girls will never understand science in correct perspective anyway.
Those who cannot understand the value of live and let live and reconciliation won’t understand, science in their day to day life.
The next episode was this little guy has such a macho that he dare attack like a live bullet on the Ceylon Oriole whom I have now an special attraction after the episode with Indian Oriole.
Moment a Oriole comes he is airborne like a bullet and hit the big guy on the tummy with his long beak and the big guy won’t attack in return but shy away like a timid little boy and fly away without partaking any fruits.
When this happened, I went into my investigating gear to see whether he was protecting the young ones or the nest.
My investigation were negative.
He was a loner.
He has not found a bride but his instinct is to wait their for a good match and when he finds one to built a nest for his lover.
He is neurotic without a lover.
His pitch is belligerent and delinquent.
Now the Oriole expects the attack and cleverly avoid and direct hit and he was a peaceful guy and never retaliate.
The Butichcha now goes into pitch of defense (as if protecting the young ones) and as long as the big one is their makes a racketty noise in alarm mode. The big guy picks a fruits from the tree and quickly flies away.
The little one goes behind chasing the big guy but unfortunately it cannot catch up the flight of the Airbus body of the Oriole in comparison to the pocket size bird.
It reminds me of the rhetoric of our guys blasting the American.
I can remember in years gone by China used to have rhetoric against USA when its air space is violated by American spy planes.
They go to thousands of warning but the big guy the USA won’t stop the surveillance.
In the world of bird when paradise is lost and a partner is not available for mating what else a little bird can do?
Yelling in high pitch (like our politicians).
This one I am going to send to Maha Brahma asking him to intervene and produce one more (extra) female for this delinquent and boisterous BOY to pair with,
It just one more egg.
Let him not make it a Buddhist Egg and unfertilized.
When I asked a favor Maha Brahma promptly addressed my call for the lonely cuckoos and I have many pairs visiting the garden now.
THANK YOU.
If you oblige this time, the racketty noise will disappear in no time and his delinquency will be gone for good.
I am not sure our Butchittas come under Swifts or Cuckoos.
Either way he is a personality good enough to enter out parliament and make a big noise without substance like the Hela Urumaya.
