Stories

Unhurried.

That’s the best word that captures the flight of a hornbill.

It was late in the afternoon by the time we started our first drive around the tea estates. I was here early in the season and the hornbill activity hadn’t yet picked up. We drove around fruitlessly in the pleasant climes of the estate for the better part of the hour, with our driver slowing down to exchange pleasantries with the workers and exchanging pointless but immensely reassuring notes with other guests who also hadn’t seen any hornbills.

And then our driver whispered – Hornbill!

There it was, partially hidden in a fruit tree, deftly picking up tiny fruits and tossing them into its gaping mouth before hopping on to another branch. The light wasn’t great; few clear shots were possible. But when it’s your first hornbill of the season, you still shoot and that’s what I did.

There usually would be two of them and sure enough, soon I noticed some movement on the other side of the tree which turned out to be its partner. Another surprise was waiting. The pair had a chick too that was busy foraging in the lower levels of the tree! It was a 2 month old chick, larger than what I had expected for that age, and it seemed fairly independent as it went about finding food.

The light continued to deteriorate, two of the birds were foraging on the other side of the tree, but it was still nice to have seen these lovely birds on our first drive. After a long while, the pair flew off. They were sure to return since their young one was still around, but with the rapidly darkening light, we decided to move on.

I watched the pair fly off.

Watching hornbills flying is deeply soothing.

Confident. Yet unhurried. At peace.

Even in the diminishing light, their black and white banded wings were clearly visible as they flapped to a slow, peaceful rhythm. I strained to listen for a familiar sound and soon caught that whoosh of the wings.

I looked around at the neatly terraced tea gardens around me. A quiet that is particular to the hills was enveloping us; the song birds were settling down for the night; the workers were packing up to get back home.

It felt good to be back.

Later that evening, as I chatted with the other guests at the bungalow over hot tea and snacks, my mind kept going back to the hornbills flying off.

This is their home. This is where they come at this time of the year to feed on their favorite fruit bearing trees.

Despite all the efforts of humankind to damage their home, they have managed to survive.

We ravaged their rainforests and built plantations. We hunted them. Their environment degraded, their numbers plummeted but they survived by feasting on the jamun-like fruit of the maesopsis tree. (The planters had introduced this tree from Africa into these areas as a source of shade for coffee. I find it interesting that while causing great harm, inadvertently, they also provided some respite)

Today, the maesopsis has rapidly reduced in number but the birds have now slowly gone back to the native fig trees. This is believed to be a more natural source for them and also more of a long term solution. It’s encouraging that scientists believe that the hornbill numbers have stayed flat over the last 7-8 years.

I decided to create images respecting that – that this was their home and I am an uninvited guest.

I decided to take photographs like a voyeur.

I shall hide behind the foliage, crouch behind bushes.

I shall squint through the curtain of leaves.

I shall peep above the windowsill that is a branch.

I shall squeeze my gaze through the broken glass of twigs.

I shall look for a hint of the hornbill. The brash yellow of their beaks or the startling black and white of their wings in a cloud of green. I shall step out into the open only if the bird is too far to matter.

Here are some of the images that I have created as a voyeur.

Gentle breeze, bobbing and weaving leaves and through all that,

a hint of that yellow and orange stands out 

Ah…a little clearer

They say, capturing the eye is a must…but… is it? Who else could that beak belong to?

Well…the eye, if you insist 🙂

Would she have seen me ?

One of my favourite images…love the interplay of shadows and light…

those colours stand out so magnificently

It’s nice when the subject cooperates and poses perfectly through gaps

In deep contemplation

What a view…

we took this image from the road, the hills opening up in front of us and the subject in the perfect position

for just enough time to squeeze in a few frames

The simple delight in seeing these colours…black and white with the bold yellow against the deep green…

Adios…till next year !

Cheers!

Ashok