From humble beginnings to a deep connection with nature, I explore the healing power of the natural world and the joy of birdwatching.

The blue wings spread wide, whistling, the white-throated kingfisher flew past me to settle on the wire high up. The little prinia perched high on a big branch with big leaves, rang in another glorious morning with its peppy song.

A pair of red-vented bulbuls swayed on the thin branches of the shrubs, preening their feathers. I gazed ardently at the purple sunbird fluttering near the flowers.

I stopped in my tracks as a flock of Indian white-eyes bathed in the small puddle of water near a broken waterpipe. And then, a common rose finch landed in the puddle too.

I witnessed these mesmerising scenes all through the summer of 2024. I had got into the habit of walking around with my camera to capture every new feathered friend or lifer in birding terms.

My research showed that the cute, colourful neighbourhood dwellers were once dinosaurs. Imagine those huge creatures scaring away other creatures millions of years ago, and now these fluttering hues in our backyard, chirping, singing, non-demanding, hiding from human eyes and living their own lives in the world of shrinking greens.

Monsoon made me work harder, as the lush leaves hid the birds, but not the song. By this time, I was under the birding spell. The only time I had felt this burst of wizardry was during my teens, when the shadows of adulthood hadn’t taken over.

Time Travel

Looking back, I was introduced to birding during my travel journalism days, starting 2008. However, I only paid cursory attention to the natural world; my focus was more on buildings, food and people. The more I travelled outdoors, the more wilderness started making its way into my heart.

I can’t pinpoint the exact time or how my focus shifted from buildings to trees, but it has turned out to be the most marvellous change in my life. Maybe, time worked its magic, or maybe, experience played a role. A lot of the change I do trace to 2020.

While healthwise, COVID-19 wasn’t the world’s best phase, Nature-wise it was. I saw the transformative power of empty roads and silent days. The pollution vanished, I would get up to bluest of days sans the disturbing sound of horns or moving vehicles.

The glowy pinks and purples of dawn mesmerised me. The chirp of birds reached my balcony from far off treetops. A pair of laughing doves trotted daily near the tennis court below my tower. I missed them after the lockdown was lifted, for they had probably flown away in search of a more suitable home. Maybe they were now residents of the neighbourhood biodiversity park.

So, I went searching in the paradisical green area, just 2 km away. As work disappeared after COVID-19, I began winter walks to ease off the strain of the four walls. This was the magical wand that turned me into a full-fledged nature lover.

All my winter afternoons were spent walking on curved pathways amid the eucalyptus trees. I began to collect peacock and kite feathers. I only recognised peacocks, pigeons, crows, and kites in those days. Little birds, big birds, bathing in the winter sun, strutting over green grass became my treasured moments.  

The Physical Shift

Under the gentle sun, my visual senses began to wake up. My steps slowed, my gaze turned towards the rustle of leaves, and my breathing would slow down as well when little birds popped out from the shrubs.

An avid birder showed me the tree where spotted owlets lived. I photographed these fascinating birds at dawn.

I began to recognise rose-ringed parakeets, eurasian collared doves, Indian robins, oriental magpie robins, rockchats, red-naped ibis. By the winter of 2023, I was hooked.

Then a trip to Haiderpur Wetland and Amangarh Tiger Reserve, Bijnor, sealed my deal with the natural world. During this trip, an epiphany of sorts happened. Ashish Loya, the head of Art of Living in Bijnor, had schooled a group of young people as naturalists. They had worked hard to stop the poaching and degradation of this wetland, along with the forest department. The group meditated in the wetland woods, showed people the beautiful environs. A new career was created for the unemployed youth, making them guardians of the wetland and nature lovers at the same time.

In my 25 years of journalism career, I have met many motivational speakers and inspirational people, yet there was something different about this. This was a magical transformation. I realised that the grassroot change came only when the nature spirit was with you.  

I felt a revival of my energy and came back full force to pen stories from the wild. I took up photography and video classes, enrolled for courses on birds, joined nature groups and my social media now sported flowers, trees, birds, butterflies.  

My neighbourhood paradise had now shared its treasure box with me. I discovered more than 50 species in my backyard, all in a few acres of greens. I began to catalogue the birds in my backyard.  

As I walked daily, discovered more green spaces and a variety of biodiversity that had escaped my life earlier, my physical health improved. The weak eye muscles revived under the morning sun, as the greens filled them with oxygen and more power.

I would often walk barefoot on the slightly wet grass, grounding myself, as the spiritualists suggest. The pain in my knees began to disappear.

As my energy changed, my meal times began to match the birds’ meal times—sunrise to sunset, an effortless shift.

Spirit of Change

I would often stand under the canopy of sweet-smelling Rangoon creepers, deeply breathe in their heady fragrance and recharge myself.

As I placed my hand on the eucalyptus trunk and exercised, I would inhale its healing scent, feeling lightheaded. I would often do my breathwork sitting under the canopy of trees, sometimes just gaze at the dancing rays. The more I gazed at the rays, the swaying leaves, the flying birds, the more relaxed I felt. I would feel my thoughts dissolving for the colours, the shades and the scenes in nature enthralled me.

I began to sleep better, think more positively and write even better.

Nature became my mentor.

Mental Buoyancy

I cut down on my OTT binges for I wasn’t bored anymore or waiting for that elusive call related to work. My observation and listening skills improved drastically. Like birds, I searched for the flock that matched my natural world interests. 

Stillness, patience, acceptance became a part of my life. I began to understand the wheel of time, the cycles of evolution. I felt a deep sense of gratitude that nature comes without any judgement, prejudice or inequality.

My social media browsing became more educational rather than a waste of time. I joined groups that talked about things other than consumption. I am reading more books on nature, green literature as it is called.

My heroes are the sun, moon and stars, and their tireless persistence to go about their daily work, despite the billions of years of evolution.

The more I observed, the more I began to understand the importance of indigenous people and their culture, the need for conservation and preservation. The power to do good is by interfering less with natural surroundings.

Finally, I realised that the only work that brings me alive is related to nature and birds, the closer I am to these feathered friends, the more healed I feel.

Recommendations

Yellow-throated Sparrow is known as Chestnut-shouldered Petronia, scientific name is Gymnoris xanthocollis

The Remarkable Life and Work of Salim Ali in Reader’s Digest

Interview aired on All India Radio, now Prasar Bharati.

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSMevPcxQvI

Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mXouDu7EIs

Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86s-XFoBikc

Part 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFyWYDiJB5c

https://thepatriot.in/reports/birding-in-a-metro-25118

Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary: Birding, Kayaking & Rubber Plantation Walk 

Wadaj Dam: Where Birdwatching Skills Fly High!

Unleash Your Soul in Bijnor’s Whispering Forests & Soulful Wetlands

A Deep Dive into Chilika Lake’s Unique Ecosystem and Conservation Efforts

Witnessing the Yamuna’s Revival at Asita East Park, Delhi

Will Dhanauri Wetlands Become Noida’s Lost Eden?

Exploring the Serene Nature Reserves in Sharjah

Driving through Naina Devi Himalayan Bird Conservation Reserve

Kaziranga: A One-Horned Rhino Sanctuary in Assam

Exploring the mangroves of Bhitarkanika, Odisha

The Green Lungs of Delhi-NCR

Healing POWER OF An Urban Forest Bath

From Pedometer to Peace: My Journey with Mindful Walking

Free Online Resources & Tools for Nature Lovers

Must-Watch Wildlife Docuseries on OTT

Exploring the Wonders of Wildlife: Tips for Aspiring Naturalists

Ostrich Girl by Lesley D. Biswas: Wilderness on a Tightrope

Short Story: A Home of Our Own

Meeting Prakriti: Nature’s Muse or Mysterious Enigma?

This post is a part of Blogchatter’s Cause A Chatter

This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Dr. Preeti Chauhan.