If yesterday’s morning walk was made rich by the mist experience, today’s figured feathered chums making an unexpected appearance. White-cheeked barbets, no less.

Imagine my surprise when something flew past my head, close enough for me to look up in surprise, and find a barbet alight on a tree! I mean, these are shy birds, camouflaging themselves seamlessly with the green leaves of trees, flying off in a jiffy at the slightest sign of humans n the vicinity.

I stood very still, very very still, my hands stealthily and slowly taking out the phone from my pocket. This I simply had to capture. If it was with just a phone, so be it. Try as I might I couldn’t locate the bird on the screen in front of me. All I could see was green leaves. But I didn’t move. In fact I was still for such a long time that Siri asked me, ‘Are you done with your walk?”

Of course I wasn’t done! I had hardly begun my walk when the bird flew past me and had me enthralled trying to capture it. But Siri wouldn’t understand all that. Anyway, Siri didn’t press the point and went silent, leaving me to make a choice in my own good time.

Just then out popped a head from behind the trunk of the tree and I saw the brownish head with the trademark white around its eyes. Gotcha! I clicked, or rather tried, But the bird flew off to another tree even further away. I debated whether to continue with my walk or wait and watch.

It was good that I waited. I saw one more bird join the first. Together they flew back to the first tree, closer to me (but still far enough that I had to zoom in a lot to get a picture, thereby sadly losing out on clarity) and started feasting on its fruit.

I watched them for a while, still unmoving, not wanting to startle the cute thingamabobs, took some more pictures too, before finally moving away silently bidding them farewell, to continue on my walk. I bet Siri was glad I was back on track.

Here’s a video:

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©️ Shail Mohan 2025