When Fledglings Fly Away (Part-2)
Baby Bulbul seems to say, “I’m working on it, but I am tired. Tomorrow I will fly really far…”
The vacation has ended today…my ‘once upon a little son’ has left for Mayo!! As I saw Ajmer Shatabdi chugging away from the station, my heart flinched with pain & simultaneously expanded with pride, at my lad, whom I was dropping to school, till last year, now all grown up & mature enough to make the journey himself.
I have no idea how this little saying started, but at first it sort of annoyed me. I could be enjoying a quick shower… “Mommy, I need you.” Or, sitting down for a second, after finishing my morning chores…. “Mama, I need you!” Okay! I get it already! Some days never seemed to end, and the monotony of being “needed” would irritate me no end. Then, it all started to hit me, they need ME. Not anybody else. Not a single another person in the whole world. They need their Mommy!!
Being Mommy meant that I never went off the clock, that I was ready to be there when they needed me, all day and all night. That I put their needs before my own, without a thought. Mommy meant that even if my body was full of aches, my heart was full of love!!
But now that they are ready to spread their wings, would they still need me? Sure, they will come during vacations, but will my arms still be their home? My kisses, their cure? There will be no more tiny boots to wipe the slush from or seat belts to be buckled. I will no longer be enforcing time outs. There will be no more school bags to pack or uniforms to stack. I am sure my heart will yearn to hear those tiny voices calling out to me, “Mommy, I need you!”
As I was lost in my thoughts, my eyes wandered to the Bulbul’s nest…the parents were unduly feisty today, poking at everyone’s head, for no reason at all, should anyone even be crossing the terrace. That’s when I glanced at the baby bulbul perched at the edge of it’s soon to be forgotten home, gathering all her courage to take her first flight!
For a good half an hour she just kept sitting there while both her mom & dad kept flying to & fro from the nest to the grill, urging her to spread her wings. I couldn’t resist taking a few shots & in my pursuit, probably scared the Lil birdie. She flapped her wings, flew a few feet & fell to the ground. She hopped to the potted plants' flap flapping her tiny wings and covered that small distance to safety! I couldn’t believe how she could already fly!!! It has been amazing to be able to watch their entire growing process. They grew up SO FAST! It’s been a treat to watch the mother protect them from the crows & cats & sometimes even myself! She would dive bomb at my head each time I got too close for comfort…I just couldn’t help but get close and observe and snap a few shots, and it used to amaze me at how often she would feed them as they opened their mouths and cry out for more…every 20 min or so!
The other night when we had that horrible storm, I watched her shelter them, no matter how crowded the nest was with all three (rather large) babies at the time, she got over them, puffed herself out to cover them all and endured the storm, allowing herself to become soaked through and through but never budged as to keep her babies warm, dry and safe. I started to think…THIS is the way mothers are SUPPOSED to be.
I think it was a very worried Mother Bulbul that woke up today morning. She had spotted a crow circling her nest and knew her nest was not safe at all. If she didn’t give flying lessons to her babies soon, she knows, disaster would be at her doorstep. Only one of her brood is fully feathered with relatively strong muscles.
The terrace has become a very cheerful place ever since the red- vented bulbuls have moved into one of the overhanging baskets. Papa Bulbul is up at dawn and in search of food for his brood. I’m quite enjoying waking up to his chirpy “didudoit, didudoit’ call.
Seems Mother Bulbul has a plan ready for the flying classes. She knows her baby would be reluctant to fly & she would have to lure her into it. She has got something in her mouth to feed the little one. Midway through she flew a short distance away from the pot, (where the baby is perched at the moment), making encouraging sounds that sounded like, now that’s a good girl, come and get it.
Baby bulbul wondered why Mother flew away, while she was still eating. But she decided to move closer to her by taking a couple of hops. The third hop again saw baby falling to the ground with a soft thud. This is going to be more difficult than I thought. Now baby would have to hop all the way back to the nest for safety. For the next five minutes Mother Bulbul had to call out continuously to her baby, to keep trying and not give up. Thankfully the baby made it to the safety of an overhanging madhumalti trail.
Evening is setting in & there are lots of birds, on their way home. Pigeons, Parakeets, Mynahs, Crows…. Mother Bulbul has stopped for a drink, sucking in drops of water from the dripping tap. The incessant calling has dried her throat completely. She has been hard at work, cajoling, coaxing and sweet-talking her little one to take courage and fly.
The results were slow but sure. The short hops soon became short flights. The excited chatter of Baby Bulbul filled the air, as she felt the wind in her tiny wings. Yes, she could feel the wind carrying her at times. It was a joyous moment. Mother Bulbul couldn’t control her delight. But once back in the nest the baby was reluctant to move out again. Once again Mother Bulbul had to persuade the baby to move out. This was the umpteenth time Mother Bulbul was doing this and her patience was wearing thin. Tiredness ached in every muscle but the lessons were far from done. Sensing the change in her tone Baby Bulbul seemed to say I’m working on it, but I am tired. Tomorrow I will fly really far…
Meanwhile Papa Bulbul had been really busy, gathering food for the family. He has a special treat planned to celebrate the success of his fledgling’s first flying session.
All these years, me & my husband too have been ardently working…preparing our kids for this day…when they would take their first flight…& now that they are ready to take that plunge, we too have to be like these Bulbuls, encouraging them, guiding them, applauding them BUT from a distance.
Let them follow their heart & always have a hearth they love coming back to. Yes, two lasting bequests we can give our kids…
“Wings to touch the skies & Roots to hold on to.”
