Birds in My Indian Garden

by Malcolm MacDonald

One of my favourite birds is the white-eye. It is a dapper little creature measuring only four inches long from the tip of its beak to the end of its tail, and its colouring is pleasing. Its upper body is golden-yellow tinged with green, parts of its wings are dark brown, its chin and throat are bright yellow, its breast is light grey, and the yellow motif is repeated on its abdomen. But its most distinguishing mark is a white ring round each eye, which gives it the appearance of wearing a pair of white horn-rimmed spectacles. Malcolm MacDonalds description of the bird which appears on the cover of this book is fresh and arresting. These qualities mark his accounts of Delhis birds in Birds in my Indian Garden, and made it an instant classic when it was first published. Readers will learn about the drama of the lives of the citys avian residents and visitorstheir quirky courtship and mating rituals, the industriousness and skill with which they build their nests, the hatching and training of their young, their desperate efforts to fend off ruthless predators who hunt their eggs and hatchlings, and much more. The numerous birds described include mynahs, flycatchers, drongos, white-eyes, hoopoes, sunbirds, shikras, crows, sparrows, kites and koels; all of them come gloriously alive in the pages of MacDonalds masterpiece About the Author Amateur ornithologist, politician and diplomat, Malcolm MacDonald (19011981), the son of British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, was the UK High Commissioner to India in the

Genres: Nature, Birds

260 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2015

About the author

Also under the names:
Malcolm Ross-MacDonald
Malcolm Ross
M.R. O'Donnell

Reviews

[Nimitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly entertaining read! This is quite an old book - author's experiences birdwatching in his large garden while serving as a diplomat during the late 50's in India. This made me revel in my own memories growing up in Kerala and observing birds and their nesting habits. While the author sounded a bit intrusive (touching eggs, constructing observation posts near nests occasionally frightening birds), his genuine love for birds is obvious in his attempts to save a disintegrating tailor bird nest or in keeping windows open for house sparrows and suffering Indian summer without AC - which is more than many of us would do!
The writing is humorous and informative . I wish it had pictures to go with descriptions, which would have reduced my googling efforts, but probably not a problem for regular birdwatchers.

[Philip Mceldowney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely old book - just what I need to relax and be informed about birds back in my Inida