Everyone says happiness is in giving. But nature lover Shyam Kumar Thenkurissi says it lies more in giving to birds and animals than to human beings.
The backyard of Mr. Shyam’s house at Thenkurissi, near Koduvayur, is a haven for birds. He has converted his backyard into a bird shelter by providing water and food for birds and animals. His reward for the work are the moments of joy he gets watching them drink, eat and bathe.
Dozens of birds, squirrels, mongooses, snakes, lizards, and other little animals make a feast of the bananas and other fruits Mr. Shyam provides them every day. He fills the two dozen earthen pots hung to the trees twice with water every day. He brings bunches of over-ripe bananas and other fruits and hangs them on tree branches.
“I spend hours inside a small room watching them revel in the little pools, drink water from them, and eat the fruits hung around. It is such fun to watch them that upclose. I capture those moments on my mobile phone. It’s a joy I can’t describe. Like us, they too have every right to live and enjoy, ,” said Mr. Shyam. said Mr. Shyam.
Among the winged guests that enjoy his hospitality every day are Sunbirds, Woodpeckers, Red-vented bulbuls, Rufous treepies, White-throated ground thrushes, Common babblers, Mynas, Kingfishers, Black drongos, Tailorbirds, doves, Greater cuckoos, Paradise fly catchers, Munias, crows, Leafbirds, and robins.
But they come at different times, as their habits and routine varies from bird to bird. Some like pheasants and kingfishers come around 3 p.m. when people in the house are in a siesta.
He has used coir ropes to hang earthen pots, as the coir would provide grip for birds and squirrels to descend and ascend. The noise the birds and animals create a unique symphony for a nature lover. The loudest noise one can hear is that of peacocks perched on top of trees.
“When a peacock lands on the roof of my house, it invariably breaks some tiles because of its weight. But that doesn’t matter. It too has a right to live like us,” said Mr. Shyam.
He started feeding birds animals nine years ago when he first saw a little bird drinking a few of water from a leaf. He experimented by giving tender coconuts to robins, and then other birds started frequenting his backyard.
Butterflies and moths also come to eat the leftovers of fruits. Mr. Shyam also cares for frogs, snakes, chameleons, monitor lizards, mongooses and various other little animals. “What I notice these days is that parrots are missing. I don’t know what happened to them,” he said.
