Thursday, April 8, 2010

Summer showers

It was unusually hot in our part of the world through March and exceptionally dry--no rain through Feb & March.  The lack of showers and the heat had most of the birds in hiding during a large part of the day and got the many of the creatures desperate for water and some cool shade. 
My maid saw a toddy cat moving away from the house at midday, probably because the top of the house--under the roof tiles, where it lives normally--had got too hot. I saw monitor lizards running around madly at noon looking for a bit of cool shade and a small mongoose actually venture into our backyard post our lunch, when everything was quiet, for a drink of water from under the outside water tap, although it could probably scent my Lab pup somewhere in the vicinity.  Luckily she was asleep in the shade inside and so the mongoose had it's sip of water in peace.  The undergrowth, which is usually green, at least in the shade, throughout the year, was just brown & more brown.So these poor ground creatures were having a hard time.
Then came the welcome rains--evening showers and what a difference!  The day after the first shower, I saw a woodpecker and a magpie robin singing away and as my maid says, all the plant world was smiling:-)
Now, after regular thundershowers most afternoons, all the lilies are in bloom and the undergrowth has suddenly turned green.  I even saw a kingfisher, sitting high on a tree, enjoying the cool, damp air.
I'll post a video later of a duet between the magpie robin and a racket-tail drongo.

5 comments:

  1. You actually have a video of that?! Wow! Do post, please! And yeah, the showers actually make it worthwhile... especially after the heat had squeezed out all of our energies. Hope it rains in Mumbai soon...

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  2. Meghana, yes, somehow I managed to get it. Can't see the drongo but can hear it.
    Thanks O :-)

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  3. You see so many lovely creatures and I enjoy your descriptions of the day you experience.

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  4. It's a similar story here when conditions are dry you see animals coming closer than normal for a drink

    I was curious about a toddy cat so I googled and now know what they like to drink ;)

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