As the morning light slowly crept over the trees, we spotted two open-billed storks flying overhead while waiting for a participant to arrive at the meeting point. We then headed to one of the afforested areas of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, beside the Usteril lake. This area is a beautiful forest cum garden with trees that have been planted for over 50 years to help regenerate the forest. This area serves as a beautiful habitat for both birds and wildlife.

We walked approximately two kilometers along a forest path, moving as quietly as possible to observe the birds with the assistance of our guide, Prasath Selvaraj. He emphasized that nature reveals its secrets to those who are silent, an essential quality for birdwatching. This echoes Sri Aurobindo’s words: "When the mind is still, then truth gets her chance to be heard in the purity of the silence."

Due to the thick tree canopy, Prasath often paused to ask us to listen for bird calls before attempting to spot the birds. It was refreshing to see two young boys, aged about 8 and 10, filled with eagerness and curiosity about the birds, even though they were so young they had already been initiated into the joys of birdwatching.

A highlight of the walk was our encounter with a fruiting ficus tree, bursting with small, juicy red figs. This tree was lively with hungry Coppersmith Barbets and sunbirds. We watched in wonder as the sunbirds hovered around a nearby tree full of pink flowers, dipping their long beaks into the blossoms to sip the nectar before flitting to the next bloom. It was a beautiful spectacle!

During our morning walk, we observed a total of 26 bird species, including:

• Indian Peafowl
• Spotted Dove
• Greater Coucal
• Asian Koel
• Common Hawk-Cuckoo
• Asian Palm Swift
• White-breasted Waterhen
• Little Cormorant
• Indian Pond-Heron
• Common Kingfisher
• White-throated Kingfisher
• Coppersmith Barbet
• Rose-ringed Parakeet
• Indian Cuckooshrike
• Indian Golden Oriole
• Rufous Treepie
• House Crow
• Large-billed Crow
• Common Tailorbird
• White-browed Bulbul
• Yellow-billed Babbler
• Common Myna
• Indian Robin
• Pale-billed Flowerpecker
• Purple-rumped Sunbird
• Loten's Sunbird

The bird walk was a fulfilling experience, offering both a connection to nature and a deeper appreciation for the diverse local resident avian life surrounding us.