It was Gerald Durrell’s My family and other animals that I re-read a few days back which set me thinking (however, let me make it clear that in spite of the distinctly weird behaviour of some of my family, I would stop short of calling them animals!). It occurred to me that there was an open zoo of sorts in and around my home which I had previously not given much thought to.
I have the good fortune to live in a house with a large compound which has been, over the years, planted with a variety of fruit trees and flowering shrubs. Every morning I am woken by frantic cheeping that I had initially thought were made by birds. Later I realised that squirrels were the culprits. These little creatures are highly emotional and vociferous, and spend a great part of the day chasing each other up and down tree trunks. They also delight in raising the volume of their exchanges when one is just drifting off into a post-lunch siesta.
Birds are common visitors. An irrigation canal runs along one side of our property and kingfishers often sit patiently on the wall, waiting for an unwary fish to poke its head above the sluggishly moving water. Then there’s a sudden dart of brilliant blue, followed by a triumphant rise with a glint of silver in the bird’s beak! It beats video games any day.
