Conflict and battles are a fact of life in a bird's world, just as they are in ours. But unlike several conflicts portrayed in culture; nature doesn't deem these battles as those between good vs evil, and the frequency of confrontations is certainly higher as all living things fight to protect territory, raise offspring, and find food! Lets go for a walk in the Himalayas, listen to birdsong and experience the occasional hullabaloo caused when a predator turns up.
The tracks composed for this episode can be played separately and downloaded - please go through this post for the music widgets/players and look for the download link.
Transcript, links to bird calls used in the podcast, and all other relevant information (including sources) below. We welcome feedback and critique, do let us know in the comments section.
Transcript
Intro: Welcome, you’re listening to Having a Lark. A podcast by Ramit Singal and Preetham Meher.
Ramit: Hello again.
Have you ever watched a play or a musical? And I don’t mean a big production in a large theatre somewhere - it could simply be a play you attended in school, a performance you watched on TV, or a performance art event you attended somewhere. Across the world, several cultural performances depict battles and conflicts - usually between good and evil - and this is usually represented by a build-up of suspense and the ensuing drama is often depicted by the infiltration of low fog across the stage, flickering lights, dramatic music, and exaggerated movements by the performers.
Whenever I watch such scenes, I find myself rooting for one side or the other. That’s usually the point of the play. Of course, it is usually the side that aligns with my moral leanings. I would like to think that’s the good side.
Observing nature can often feel like watching a play being enacted as well. In our natural surroundings, conflict occurs at every turn. Birds, animals, insects are almost always confronting each other; fighting to stay alive as individuals and as species. Yet, when watching these characters collide in the stage nature sets for them, I do not root for anyone in particular - I just watch with exhilaration, excitement, and intrigue.
Preetham: It was on 15 January 2015, Ramit and I were birdwatching near Manipal along with Prabhakar and Savita Sastri. It was early dawn, the light barely breaking through the cloudy skies. As we climbed up a small hill, we were greeted by the soft, liquid trilling of the Green Bee-eaters. A small flock had gathered in the early morning on a bare tree in the clear patch in front of us.
Crested Hawk-Eagle from the morning of 15 Jan 2015, by Preetham Meher
Their graceful flight and cheerful mood captivated us. And then, out of nowhere, came in a bigger bird. A young Crested Hawk-Eagle flew in with pace and took a swipe at the Green Bee-eaters we were just watching. Seconds later, not a single bee-eater was in sight as the unsuccessful eagle now perched on the tree instead.
It was a thrilling experience - one that makes you feel sad for the eagle but at the same time, glad for the lucky bee-eaters.
Ramit: That incident is one of the few things I remember vividly from that morning.
Our next track happened by chance. Preetham shared with me his cover of a composition by David Clavijo. And as I listened to it and closed my eyes; the notes and melody transported me to the forests of the western Himalayas.
I love a walk through these forests. Dwarfed by large oak and fir trees, surrounded by the fragrance of rhododendron flowers in bloom; with birdsong providing the backdrop. It’s peaceful and meditative. But every now and then, this apparent peace is broken by a tiny owl.
The Collared Owlet is an adorable little bird. But it is also a particularly efficient predator, and known for taking birds and animals larger in size than itself. Being diurnal, the owl calls during the day, and when it does it attracts the wrath of little birds which flock together with their alarm calls and try to shoo it away.
This pattern repeats itself over the course of the morning.
To me, this bit of drama that plays out symbolises a morning of birding in the mountains. A heady mix of birdsong and fresh, cool air which is interspersed by the tooting calls of the owl and the ensuing bursts of unhappy and alarmed small birds trying to locate and mob it.
This one’s called A Morning in the Hills. We hope you enjoy it.
Ramit: The birds whose calls have been included in this track are the Blue Whistling-Thrush, Rufous Sibia, Grey Bushchat, Coal Tit, Black-throated Tit, Green-backed Tit, Streaked Laughingthrush, Grey-crested Tit, White-tailed Nuthatch, Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher, Eurasian Cuckoo, and of course, the Collared Owlet.
Credits and notes: You can download all the tracks used in this podcast using the link in the episode notes, where you will also find the transcript, images, links to other sounds, and other useful information. The soundtrack is a cover of a composition called Ou est mon bonheur by David Clavijo. We also want to dedicate this episode to Prabhakar and Savita Sastri, who introduced me to theatre and are two of the pillars of the Manipal Birders’ Club. We want to thank Savithri Singh for letting us use her image of the Oriental Skylark for the podcast logo. And lastly, thank you for listening. Feedback and comments are welcome.
Birds in the podcast (with links to calls):
Intro tune: Oriental Skylark
Narration: Tasmanian Scrubwren, Jungle Babbler
Track: Blue Whistling-Thrush, Grey Bushchat, Rufous Sibia, Collared Owlet, Coal Tit, Black-throated Tit, Green-backed Tit, Streaked Laughingthrush, Grey-crested Tit, White-tailed Nuthatch, Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher, Eurasian Cuckoo.
Sources and links
eBird list from 15 Jan 2015 (referenced by Preetham).
The Collared Owlet and other similar owl species get mobbed by birds so often that they have evolved to acquire a pattern that resembles another pair of eyes at the back of the head (presumably to thwart birds from attacking them). See this.
We also wanted to point you in the direction of David Clavijo’s channel on YouTube