A few months ago, my parents and I put some food and water in our balcony for birds. Slowly, a few birds began to come in search of food, and became frequent visitors of our balcony.

When the birds first started coming, I was delighted on seeing them from such a close angle. But as the days passed by, I began observing them and their movements.

Various species of birds had found their way to our balcony by then, each one even more intriguing than the last. Even their personalities differed as widely as their looks. I noticed that the species of Jungle and Common Babblers are curious and inquisitive birds, who like to explore and scrutinize new things (like my cycle. I’ve caught them perching on it at least twenty times by now!)

Other birds like Red-Vented Bulbuls might be small but have a determined nature, who don’t let bigger birds like Spotted Doves or Treepies dominate them. Don’t let their tiny size fool you!

While these kinds of birds like to make their presence known, others like Magpie robins and sunbirds quietly come, eat and go. They are very shy birds, and can be easily intimidated. A family of robins have even made a home in the birdhouse of our balcony!

Another kind of species is the vicious Shikras. These are big birds who eat squirrels and rats as food. Whenever they come, all the squirrels in the nearby trees made loud sounds and try to hide among the branches and trees, often staying as still as possible.

So, this is what I’ve learnt over the period of the lockdown. Never would I have imagined that I would gain knowledge in such a way (in a way which didn’t involve textbooks!) Like I did, we all can learn something new, something exotic, something out of the ordinary. There’s a whole world out there (although right now the world is safely staying inside it’s house), and it’s getting bigger and bigger even as I write this. What’s the use of living in such a huge place when we don’t make use of it?