A Wondrous Warbler...

​Sometime back, after reading reports of the sighting of the rare White Fronted Goose, we made our way early one morning to Hadinaru Kere, near Mysore. We searched for them from the banks of the lake near the main road, but in vain. Spotting lots of activity on the farther shores of the lake, we went around to find a spot where we could sight them. Unfortunately, there was no access to the lake. We spoke to a farmer whether he could guide us and he suggested that we could walk across his field and look for them. Enthused by it, we made our way through a demanding, uneven terrain, climbing over earthen mounds and finally had a glimpse of the lake with a host of birds, at a distance. They were shimmering in the morning light in the calm waters. Unfortunately, there was no way to venture further as swatches of water and muddy terrain lay ahead of us. We stood there for a while, carefully scouting the water from afar for the rare goose. For a brief instant, I thought that I had spotted it, but the eureka moment was short lived. Perhaps it was there amongst the flock, but I couldn’t spot it. I was wondering whether I should venture further, but the daunting, inaccessible terrain ahead dissuaded me. Even though I couldn’t spot the elusive bird, standing on the marshy terrain and observing the flocks of birds diving and cruising in the lake from afar was itself a wonderful experience.
As we made our way back, I noticed a small, energetic bird perched on a branch. It was making frequent forays back and forth onto the ground. When I looked at it closely, it looked like a warbler and I photographed it. The name warbler comes from an Old French word “werbler,” which means to sing in trills. They have feet adapted for perching on trees and are also known as perching birds. There is a rather painful condition known as ‘warbler neck’ which is caused by spending too much time straight up on the tree to spot the birds! Warblers can be very difficult to distinguish and identify and I sought the help of more experienced birders. I was surprised at the varying identifications I received. Finally, I got in touch with R, whose fund of knowledge about the avian species is quite remarkable. I had done some birding with him years ago and sent across the photograph. He replied promptly and said that it was Syke’s warbler.
Colonel William Henry Sykes, FRS, was an Indian Army officer, statistician, politician and ornithologist. During his time at the Bombay Army, he published his catalogues of birds and mammals of the Deccan in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society in 1832. This included 56 birds new to science. His list of birds of the Deccan included 236 species. Interestingly, he named several new species after Hindu deities. Syke named the warbler after Rama and called it Iduna rama. In Norse mythology, Iduna was the goddess of spring or rejuvenation and the wife of Bragi, the god of poetry. Sighting the Syke’s warbler I felt the rejuvenating presence of Iduna.
Sometimes the pleasure of birding is not actually seeing the bird that you want to see but being surprised by the chance encounter of something that you have not seen before.
And then it fills you with boundless joy.
As Thich Nhat Hanh observed, “If you walk with true awareness of every step, without having a goal to get anywhere, happiness will arise naturally. You don’t need to look for happiness.”
Looking forward to your responses/reactions here!