They're back

The bulbuls' calls woke me up in the morning today, and I got a visual as well. So they're very much in the vicinity. Only looks like they've lost interest in the Sitaphal tree!

I mentioned the Melissa Etheridge track for Al Gore's movie in an earlier post. Just read some other stuff about her which I wasn't aware of. She's fighting breast cancer while she's doing all these songs with a message.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/CancerPreventionAndTreatment/story?id=3665549&page=1

Looks like she's quite a fighter, apart from being a person with a heart!

Add one

... to the bird species count observed from my window.

Just noticed a whole bunch of Oriental Magpie-Robins (Good pictures here, here, and here) in the morning today. They disappeared the moment the first rays of the sun were out!

Where have all the bulbuls gone!?

I've lately taken to bird watching, and I find it a thoroughly beautiful and engaging pastime. It's amazing how many different birds you see if you are actually looking for them. Before I developed this interest, the surroundings of my urban nest were occupied by only pigeons, crows, sparrows and mynas. Latest reports double the count of species observed from my window!

My reference is Salim Ali's Book of Indian Birds, a superb book that is comprehensive, easy to use, and has excellent illustrations. If you get a good look at your subject, it's highly unlikely that you will not be able to identify it using this book.

Last week I noticed a bulbul, and was going crazy trying to ID it because I did not get a good enough look. Fortunately for me, the bird in question was back soon - with company - and they seemed to love the Sitaphal tree right outside my bedroom window! The result is a positive ID - a red vented bulbul (That's the specific English name for the very common bird called simply "bulbul" in Hindi. Good pictures here).

Apparently, this species is not just common, it's horrendously invasive! Having learnt this though, does not in any way diminish my joy at having identified it. On the contrary, having spotted and identified the bird makes it look all the more beautiful to me. I have also begun to enjoy the calls it makes sitting out on the Sitaphal tree. They are loud and gregarious, but quite melodious in my opinion!

I haven't seen them for the last couple of days though ... Wonder whether they just went off to invade another country!?

I need to wake up

Melissa Etheridge did this single for Al Gore's movie An Inconvenient Truth. For those who ask what all the fuss about global warming is, this movie makes an excellent primer. Although it is a little America centric, the point it gets across is valid across the globe.

The Melissa Etheridge track goes with the credit sequence and just reinforces the message. I'm impressed by the depth of the lyrics. Even without the environmental angle, they connect with my life. Here goes ...

Have I been sleeping?
I’ve been so still
Afraid of crumbling
Have I been careless?
Dismissing all the distant rumblings
Take me where I am supposed to be
To comprehend the things that I can’t see

Cause I need to move
I need to wake up
I need to change
I need to shake up
I need to speak out
Something’s got to break up
I’ve been asleep
And I need to wake up
Now

And as a child
I danced like it was 1999
My dreams were wild
The promise of this new world
Would be mine
Now I am throwing off the carelessness of youth
To listen to an inconvenient truth

That I need to move
I need to wake up
I need to change

I need to shake up
I need to speak out
Something’s got to break up
I’ve been asleep
And I need to wake up
Now

I am not an island
I am not alone
I am my intentions
Trapped here in this flesh and bone

Oh I need to move
I need to wake up
I need to change
I need to shake up
I need to speak out
Something’s got to break up
I’ve been asleep
And I need to wake up
Now

I want to change
I need to shake up
I need to speak out
Oh, Something’s got to break up
I’ve been asleep
And I need to wake up
Now

... Reproduced from http://www.metrolyrics.com/