Rediscovering nature is a sort of detective work. Keeping your senses tuned towards nature and its elements is necessary. With practice it becomes your second nature. Stay curious, that’s the way… Here is a story that I would like to share…
7:05 am 14th January 2026
Morning is quite cold, but outside on a neem tree birds were having a heated conversation. Jungle babblers, crows, red-vented bulbuls etc, all were quite alarmed. I first thought it was a cat or a monkey. But after sometime I felt whatever was there inside the foliage as deeply disturbed the serenity of that location. People below are taking a walk in the park, while the temperature was quite low. Maybe in their minds many thoughts might running and creating a cacophony similar to what was happening on top of this tree. I felt it would be better to wait for a while, as I assumed if the thing that disturbing them was a cat or a monkey, it would move out soon. But the ruckus continues.
7:14 am
Within ten minutes I was out to observe, the reason for the disturbance. Considering the ambience and setting it must be something these birds are afraid of. Finally, I got the glimpse of the alleged perpetrator of the scene. It was a barn owl. Hiding among leaves and branches, it was defending itself from the mobbing by murder of crows. Instead of being inside one of its roosting sites or nests in abandon vents of the buildings, it was in a wrong place at wrong time. These diurnal birds seem have taken offense of this. Babblers kept giving alarm calls and crows kept coming nearby the Owl. Those crows kept trying to poke the Owl or scare it away. Thankfully the Owl chose a spot where it can hide and defend itself from the physical assault of the birds. Instead of sleeping away the whole day, this Owl will have to stay alert from now on. It’s a long day for this night dweller. Suddenly heavy mist or smog started coming and covered the area. Fate of the Owl too is shrouded with uncertainty.
8:28 am
Sky cleared a little bit. A kite came flying by, crows got scattered, but they were back in no time. In between there was a small time of silence, where I felt that the owl has been chased away. Once it is out in open, the birds especially crows will subject it to intense mobbing. But when I reached nearby the tree, the Owl is still perching on its spot. The Owl looked up and down. Birds have increased the intensity of their calls. When crows are not there, the babblers kept their verbal onslaught. The cycle of bothering the owl continued intermittently. I was taking some images of the bird and still wondering how it will survive this challenge. Watching the predicament of Owl can put anyone in a dilemma. Generally, any person may want to intervene, but as a naturalist many would know that birds are built to face such strife in their lives. It is in their natural behaviour to opt for flee, fight or freeze according to circumstances. Sometimes a human intervention with good intention may not go well with the wild species in general. Those who have experience might be able to judge the moment, but generally if a lay person when intervene in such situations it might lead in harm for the rescuer or the creatures. Wait and watch is the best way for now in this case. If we try to scare the crows, the owl might get scared and will fly out of its refuge into an open area leading to catastrophe.
10:27am
Now I can hear the metallic screeches of Rufous treepie who has joined the group. Even though an opportunistic nest raider, these treepies from a united front with other birds when there is an unwelcomed presence of a raptor. Owls are highly skilled raptors and they are essential to curtail the rodent population. That’s why generally they are nocturnal in nature. Their vision is sharp during night; this makes them feel like a bit lost during daytime. That’s why they hide if they couldn’t reach their roosting spot. So far, this one manages to keep the birds at bay. By Bobbing its head and adjusting its vision, owl kept a watch from those who came near it. Birds are bit wary about the strong beak and sharp talons that this owl possess.
2 :09 pm
Crows came and have gone back but small birds along with the jungle babblers kept giving alarm calls in irregular intervals, making me realise that the Owl still stay stuck in its perch. Maybe in-between most of the birds took break and went out for foraging. When they came back, they started expressing their annoyance about the Owl who was still there. Even after being vocally abused and physically threatened for so much, the Owl didn’t budge from its position. It might have learned through experience that patience is sometimes necessary to survive ordeals like these. Daylight has given an advantage to the diurnal birds. The Owl seems to know this.
4:45 pm
The cacophony returned again after a short interval of silence; birds seem to be frustrated too as they couldn’t drive away this Owl. Even the small and soft-spoken Indian white-eye flock seem to reach near the tree and expressed their apprehensions. Crows started coming back again after a long gap. This time their numbers increased as the nearby Eucalyptus tree used to be gathering location in the evening for their flock. Today the flock is divided as some were on the Eucalyptus tree while some were flying and perching on the neem tree where the Owl is wedged due to dread. More crows mean more trouble for the Owl. Crows can work in group and coordinate their interactions with their family. While one distracts the Owl, another crow sneak in and can poke or harm it. We can’t blame the crows because that’s what they are evolved to do. Each species will try their best to protect their progeny from threats. The Owl seems to know their tactics, with the neck that can turn 270° this bird can also do its bit to evade such sneak attacks. The position of their eyes is well suited to give them binocular vision that’s necessary for the depth perception. Yet sunlight during day can hamper their clarity, it is wrong to say that owl is completely blind during day.
5 pm
At the wait of the Owl that started in dawn extending towards dusk, the birds knew that their time is also limited in order to show off their strength in front of this night predator. Crow kept coming in group and then got dispersed after their futile attempt to drive out the Owl into open. Birds knew they are going to lose this fight. The Owl managed so far to hold on to its post. All the birds, including the rufous treepie gave one last try of creating din in the atmosphere. I wonder how many people who were walking in the park would have looked up to investigate the source of discord. Taking time away from the drama that’s happening in and around their human life and looking around in nature would have been a respite for some. But the digital media have already kept their anxieties and apprehensions hooked to the core.
6:10 pm
Finally, day light is receding to the extent that birds are in a hurry flying away to find they roosting and nesting spot. The Owl is getting some time to take rest as its hunting activity is about to begin. Now the hunted turns into hunter and the diurnal birds knew it quite well. It waits silently on the perch that gave it protection from the onslaught of the birds the entire day. All that I can say is the long day for this night dweller came to end with the success for the Owl. I hope it will screech its way-out during night that it lived another day to tell the tale. I am happy that I am able to share my version of its story to fellow humans.
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