Common beings, like the common myna, very rarely get any attention. These birds are incredibly adapted to human surroundings. You can spot them on or near trees, wires, walls, streets, lamp posts, a puddle of water, almost anywhere. But do you ever observe the beauty of their behaviors? Not a common thought, isn’t it?
On an ordinary hot summer day of Delhi, I got a rare opportunity to observe these commoners at an ordinary location- the backyard of our student hostel in south campus of IGIB.
For the whole day, they chirped around a puddle of water in search of insects. But when dusk approached, the temptation of a soothing bath was too much to resist. Yet there were humans nearby and birds of prey (kites) hovering above. So it ought to be a careful and quick attempt.
Aaah, refreshing isn’t it? Another day passed by.
Barun Chatterjee is a senior research fellow of IGIB. His research interest includes vascular dysfunction and metabolism. Apart from science, photography, bird watching and chess fill his time.