White Throated Orange Headed Ground Thrush

This specie is also endemic to Western Ghats (there are lots of foreigners who come from far off places to glimpse these birds that are found nowhere else. Western Ghats has amazing biodiversity and its our duty to protect these, it need be noted that UN has declared western ghats as biodiversity hot spots meaning they are seriously threatened), Orange Headed Ground Thrush is distributed from India to south East Asia, while the White Throat are found only in Western Ghats (this is my first spotting of this bird and had to spend hours going through the net trying to place the bird, I am grateful to Mr. Prasad for the help). The western ghat race has distinguishing dark brown and white oblique bands across the face that run down from the lower part of the eyes, the throat is white. Ground Thrush are found in forest in shaded damp surroundings. A solitary bird they are mostly found foraging on the ground for insects, berries, under fallen leaves as such their beak could mostly be enveloped in mud. Bills are brown and legs fleshy pink colored. A shy bird when it was spotted took to flight perching on a low bough contemplating whether to alight on the ground (it was in an opportune position to be clicked but unfortunately my manual lens took sometime to focus, so missed that one. Just about managed to get the above pic before it vanished). They nest on low trees using thin root fibers and mud.

We can crib about the equipments we have and always aspire for better but it will be insightful if we also put things in perspective, then probably we realize how fortunate we are. There is an incident mentioned in ‘The Fall of Sparrow’ (Salim Ali) when they went to kutch to study flamingoes, writes Ali “To make doubly sure that the camera he had lent me (to replace mine which had developed a last minute hitch) behaved as it should in my hands, Maharao Vijayarajji had considerately sent out from bhuj the state photographer, Ali Mohamed, with complete paraphernalia and a special assistant, whose function was not immediately apparent. The two photographers and their equipment made up two complete camel loads. The vintage apparatus-full plate studio camera of solid teakwood, enormous proportions and cumbrousness- looked like some antique piece of furniture from William the conqueror or thereabouts. It was obviously a camera with history…the apparatus not only need two able bodied men to rig it up for action on its massive wooden tripod, but for its complicated cooperative operation. It was worked like a ship, and this is where the trained assistant became indispensable. The chief photographer (the captain) had to enshroud his head in yards of black cloth, eyes glued to the focusing screen. From this position-the bridge-he signaled order down to the ‘engine room’, as it were, to the assistant in front, to twiddle the focusing knob a trifle this way or that to get the correct focus. The focusing knob was out of reach for captain himself and only a specially trained assistant could help. The camera erected in the nest colony, ‘on location’, showed up afar in the vast expanse as a fair sized house, and, when a wind sprang up and the black shroud round the captain’s head began to flutter and flap, I thought of there could be no earthly chance of getting any photographs of the birds. I am afraid at that point I also became rather uncharitably facetious at the captain’s expense, but he bore it all with surprising good humor. It was not until we got back to bhuj and he produced the most unexpectedly good results from his dark room that I realized the laugh had really been on me, and that it needs something more than a good camera to produce good result.”

Song of the Butterfly
In the coming heat
Of the day
I stood there.

That was Native American song. These songs are examples of aesthetic connection with the nature of Native Americans (there are many groups across American continent). I am quite astounded by the degree of sophistication of these poems that could have been passed from generations. There is fun and abandon in some these lines. The above remind of haiku. Sample few more…

The owl was requested
To do as much as he knew how.
He only hooted and told of the morning star.
And hooted again and told of the dawn.

The bush
Is sitting
Under a tree
And singing.

In the heavens
A noise,
Like the rustling of the trees.

I liked this “love song”- matter of fact, frivolous, hilarious…it’s all there in this simple song. I am sure there is more to it before the translation.
You desire vainly
That I seek you.
The reason is,
I come
To see your younger sister.
I have read Native American songs here and there many years back. Now as I read them again I am in enchanted. What lovely people…