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Literary Review
Capital birds
THE wealth of bird life in Delhi does not fail to strike even a casual visitor. No other metropolis is as blessed with avian diversity as the capital. Hornbills and orioles flit across the trees that line Janpath; magpie robins and wagtails strut about in the lawns. The calls of barbets and woodpeckers are constantly in the air. More than a hundred species of migratory birds winter in the city. There is a growing, dedicated band of birders and over the years a number of books and checklists have been published on the birds of the city, including titles such as Guide to the Birds of the Delhi Area by Usha Ganguli.
Ranjit Lal, an inveterate crusader for birds, has now come out with a sparkling new book on the birds of the capital. What sets apart his work is that it also provides an introduction to the natural history of the Delhi area, covering the major ecosystems. You get introduced to the Jamuna, the ridge, the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus, Sultanpur lake and the Asola wildlife sanctuary. Not just natural ecosystems but man-made ones such as gardens, parks and monuments that sustain a host of birds are also examined. He also traces the history of bird watching in Delhi.
The book incorporates our latest understanding of birds. Ranjit follows the new classification, the Sibley and Munroe system, now used all over the world, and adopts international nomenclature such as francolin for partridge. Those used to old names may find this inconvenient. But with the Internet being used for exchange of information by many different outfits for birders, it makes sense to use one uniform nomenclature. The Hindi names of the birds have also been given. The ecology of each bird is briefly handled. We learn that the stinking nest of Hoopoe is in fact a defence strategy.
The author has covered nearly 146 birds and his coverage of each species is not a dry, uninteresting description as in most field guides. It is a treasury of information, anecdotes and personal discoveries. Each one is a scintillating article on the bird, echoing the very readable pieces he has been writing in newspaper columns. Sample this, on the Indian Roller: "March is a good month in which to keep a sharp look out for the rollers as this is when they commence their mad acrobatic courtship displays, screaming gutturally as they perform their ludicrous manoeuvres like a bunch of hoarse, love-lorn lunatics". Such endearing style is more likely to win converts for birding and their interest is likely to soon widen into deeper environmental concerns. Many conservationists in our country started as birdwatchers. That is the significance of books such as this one. The presence of birds in any locality is a sure indicator of the quality of the environment. Though a staggering 450 birds have been logged in the Delhi area, there are far less now. Ranjit writes about the disappearance of vultures and goes on to deal with the disastrous effect of pesticides and other pollutants.
My only grouse is in the way the photographs have been edited. The business of photo editing calls for a certain ruthlessness. Pictures that are not up to the standard, such as the one of Red vented bulbul and the Barn owl, should not be included. Bear in mind that bird photography has reached great heights with a whole new family of lenses and strobe flashes.
Since most of the birds that he has covered can be seen in our cities, the utility of the book is not confined to Delhites only. This delightfully written and elegantly produced book, a celebration of birds, makes a perfect choice for a gift.
Birds of Delhi, Ranjit Lal, Oxford University Press, 2003, Hard bound, 55 colour photographs, p.150,
Rs. 395.
S. THEODORE BASKARAN
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