Inktober Day 6: Why is a raven like a writing desk?

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Bird Series : Sketch #2 - Spot-Billed Duck

 Spot-Billed Duck

This sketch, like the preceding one, is executed with a 2B shading pencil. The most attractive parts of the Spot-Billed Duck are arguably the colors on its beak and its iridescent secondary feathers. 

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Status: Least Concern

Death trap

The Death trap

Hi everybody!

 Let me tell you what happened today.

I like photography and so I go out on bird walks with my dad. This fine morning, he woke up early at 6 o’clock. He woke me up too and called me to get ready. Wiping my eyes, I stared at the wall clock. “It’s only 6! Can’t I sleep a little longer?” I moaned. “No. Don’t you want to go out with me? Birding is for early birds. Now get up,” He said. I got ready and went off to the lakeside with him.

It was cool and a light breeze blew. The sun had hardly come out and it was cloudy too. There were trees all around and the greenery soothed my eyes. I gave dad some tea from the flask that we had brought.  We decided to walk along the lakeside and scan it for birds. I spotted some small birds and asked dad which ones they were. He said that the ones sitting on the rocks were river terns. I clicked a few photos of them and then we moved on.

River tern

Walking by the side, rather crouching because we didn’t want the birds to see us, dad pointed out to a long stick that was put in the ground. There was another stick of nearly the same length standing with the help of rocks some four or five meters apart. I thought this was odd. We decided to go near and check it out.  The both of us walked till there slowly and when we reached there we saw a very strange thing. The sticks that were standing some meters apart were joined by a long and thin rope which was white and dirty. Hanging from that rope were various ropes of different lengths ending with a noose that would remind anybody of the gallows. I was perplexed at first, but understood what it was when dad explained it to me.

 Shore birds and waders such as plovers, stilts and shanks come to feed upon them and they are usually found at such places. They come feeding, and when they come too near their long stick-like legs get stuck in the noose. Even so, their leg can be taken out, but when the bird tries to pull its leg, the noose tightens itself and become small. So the harder the bird pulls, the tighter it becomes, and the more difficult it gets for the bird to free itself.

“So it is a bird trap?” I ask.

“Yes,” My father replies.

“But one thing that I don’t quite get, is that why someone would like to catch such a harmless and innocent bird,” I say.

“It is very simple my dear. Villagers from nearby villages come to these forests and disturb the wildlife with their activities. The graze their cows, collect firewood and timber, clear natural vegetation and disturb wildlife. The trap that you just saw set up here is for someone’s meal. After the bird is caught, whoever has set up this trap will come and take it away. He will cook it up and eat it. Not only are these birds, but francolins and partridges also targeted for their meat.” He took a brief pause and continued. “Let’s take this death trap out before anybody sees us and any bird is caught.”

We pulled the sticks, gathered all the ropes, put them in the car and went back home after some photography.

What I want to really say is that we humans must not disturb and kill wildlife for our greedy needs. Many times when I go on such walks I admire nature’s beauty and all that it has given us. But then when I find a plastic manja in a tree or a plastic bottle lying around I think that we are using our Earth’s resources but are not giving back. It really makes me think, do we deserve everything we have?

~ Chinmayee Bhattacharjee

   

The Foolish eagle - A story by me !

The Foolish eagle - A story by me !

It was a fine weather, and it flew high up in the sky near God. The eagle was quite proud of itself and thought that he knew everything and was always scoffing at other birds and animals. " I am the best," he said, " There is no one like me," he thought. Although everybody knew about it, they couldn't do anything, because they knew that for the small animals could be his prey and the big animals won't want to argue with him because anyway it would be a waste of time. One day the eagle got into an argument with the fish of the sea where he lived just above on a cliff. " I am better than you," the eagle said." I can fly high above into the sky where I can see all the beauty of the earth. You, have your fins but you, as a matter of fact, can not fly." "Is it so?", the fish said. " You might pride yourself on flying, but can you swim?" 

" Yes I can !" The eagle replied in a jiffy and without thinking, jumped into the waters. It was almost drowning, when it tried to fly and then got out of the water but then the eagle crashed into a tree and died. 

NEVER MAKE FUN OF OTHERS. 

~ Chinmayee

Aaaaaaaarrrrghhhh.............. 


Hi Everybody ! 
Here is my drawing of a pirate who is just about to go with his companion the parrot  on a long voyage for treasure! 
Please do join him ! 

Blue-capped rock thrush

Baba Captured (Ignited Images Photography )  and I drew it,  

Hows that ????

~ Chinmayee

SAVE BIRDS

Dr. Salim Ali, 

one of the greatest ornithologists and naturalists of all time, is also known as the “birdman of India”. He was one of the very first scientists to carry out systematic bird surveys in India and abroad. His research work is considered highly influential in the development of ornithology.

Today is Dr. Salim Alis Birth Anniversary I'm dedicating my Poem to him.

Save Me!

A little voice said,

Don't let me go on my deathbed.

Who am I ? You might ask,

I am a little bird

Spare me!

Don't you hunt me down,

Don't make me fall to the ground.

I want to fly,

High up in the sky

I eat the little things you humans call bugs,

I am not so lucky,

liked poodles and pugs.

I may be dull in colour, or a magnificent blue,

But my family and ancestors,

they all flew.

Our food chain and ecosystem,

all its linked,

Save me my friends!

Don't let me go extinct.

~Chinmayee