Birds from My Window and the Antics They Get up to

by Ranjit Lal

The clownish Coppersmith Barbet started him off on a life-long passion for birds and Ranjit Lal has never looked back since. In this book, full of quirky, witty, rib-tickling anecdotes you will meet. The Brahminy Myna who when in love sings like a vagabond minstrel serenading an unattainable princess. The Magpie Robin or Mad Mozart that will sing sweetly in the morning and lose its voice in the evening. The Grey Partridge that can go off right under your feet like a crazy bird bomb and give you the fright of your life and many, many more birds, each with their own personalities, habits and little idiosyncrasies. This book will be treasured by the seasoned bird watcher and the uninitiated alike and deeply delight Ranjit Lal's many fans.

111 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first got to know about this book from Prabha Mallya’s website. The book cover seemed appealing to me and when I found out that the book is about birds, I just had to buy it.

The thing that really intrigues me about the book is its theme: One can easily spot common and also not-so-common birds of India in their neighbourhood; all a person needs is love for birds with a little bit of patience. The author nicely points out how bird lovers can watch birds and observe their antics from a window without actually having to go out into the woods every time, “The thing is you don’t have to go tramping off into the wilderness in order to see birds (though you must never lose the chance to do so)”. There are a number of amazing birds found in India that are so common that a bird lover only needs to look out of a window once in a while to spot a House Sparrow twittering nearby or a flock of Common Pigeons soaring in the sky, or a pair of Oriental White-eye flitting in a nearby tree, or a Coppersmith Barbet heartily pecking at a fruit. The book has a number of nice articles sprinkled with wits and humours on some such birds found in India and how pleasant their presence can be in one’s garden and surrounding areas.

For serious birdwatchers this book might be ‘just another book’ that contains a person’s bird watching experiences. But, if you are one of those birders who can relate to author’s situation (like me) of watching birds from your windows and still be, well, almost satisfied with it, then this is a book you should surely pick. And, after all, common or uncommon, it’s love for birds that we share which brings birdwatchers from around the world together, beginners and experts alike. Indeed, it is the common birds that keep us company all the while and provide us with a simple comfort of life, an assurance that there are birds still around us, flitting, twitting and all in all, living in perfect harmony with us, regardless of the continuous destruction of their habitat and that they are still with us even if they could have left a long time ago.
Posted at Scribbled Notes

[Mallika Makkar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wanted a light-hearted and easy read to close off the year. Ranjit's vivid descriptions, sense of humour, and ability to ascribe charming personalities to the various types of birds made this book a treat to read. I learned more than I was expecting I would, especially about how human activity has affected these birds' lives and homes.

[Siddesh Deshmukh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book many weeks back. It is a very simple and elegant. A perfect bed-time story book for birders.