Diversity of a different kind @ XIME Kochi

Even as you are wondering whether to hustle from your bed, you’ll hear the short calls of the cuckoo stirring up everyone from around 5 am onwards,

intermittently, as your mother would do in an attempt to wake you up. The only difference being that it’s the male bird that makes these calls. As daylight starts flickering into your room, the koel’s voice is replaced with a beautiful melody and hopping on the ground you’ll find the oriental magpie robin singing paens to the sun. Playfully hopping around alongside the magpie robin is the dark Indian robin, a shy bird who flies away if it realizes that it’s being watched. If you listen carefully, you can also hear the short chirps of the purple sunbirds who are busy collecting honey from the pink bauhinia flowers. Flitting along the branches are the red whiskered bulbuls who seem to claim the entire campus as their own. If one can locate a tree with some shade, watch out for the white throated kingfisher too, who pretends to meditating, but swoops down on the first insect that one can spot. 

While you get ready and reach the main block, you’ll hear these birds on the playing outside on the rock garden flying between the Indian laburnum, bauhinia, and guava trees. Inside the main block near the mess is a palm bush were for the most part of the year you’ll be able to spot the white-rumped munia; sometimes you’ll see the pair taking rounds to feed their hatchlings and on other occasions, the parents can be found busy training the young ones to fly. Diagonally opposite this corner is yet another palm bush where you can spot the nests (occupied and empty) of the red-whiskered bulbul. These parents also are always busy foraging for food during the nesting season. The common mynas playfully hop on the lawn and fly around searching for insects during the morning hours.

As everyone gets busy with the sessions in classes, the lawn area gets silent as they had all been asked to hush up. If one were to stroll near the Indian laburnums outside, one can spot the tailor birds and the black hooded orioles and the brown-headed barbets that feast on the guavas. Come noon, the birds also seem to be taking a short break, except for the white-browed wagtails who make their appearance in the hot sun after the gardener has watered the lawn. They fly in, and from one corner of the entrance, they swagger to the center of the well – manicured lawn, where they pick on the ground, bringing the insects to the ground. Having satisfied themselves, they fly around and by tea time begin their strolls on the terrace, wagging their tails to the tunes of the Oriental magpie robin.

As the sun sets, we have visitors – the Malabar parakeets, taking the balcony seats on treetops and announcing the events of the day and the green bee-eaters on the other treetops snacking on some insects amidst their chatter. The red-whiskered bulbuls are almost on a frenzy thanks to these visitors. As the new visitors leave, a flock of red vented bulbuls appear and hop around for a short while.

As the day turns into night, the security guards take their positions, and about the same time the black drongo takes up vigil on one of the low branches of the Indian laburnum overlooking the balcony on the first floor of the academic block. If one were to pass by, the poor startled fellow almost drops off the branch and thus woken up gathers himself and flies back to his perch, for a long night ahead.  

Dr. Elizabeth Devasia

Sr. Assistant Professor