P Harini’s tryst with birding began when the stress of the pandemic peaked and life seemed to get in the way of happiness. Her older sister P Sridevi, an avid bird watcher, told her to step out and give the activity a shot even though she was not terribly keen. “I didn’t really think it was my thing,” says the 18-year-old studying at Women’s Christian College.
Today, her perspective has drastically changed. Any time Harini gets a spare five minutes, she finds herself scanning the surroundings to note a call or spot a tail or beak. She loves spotting sunbirds, Asian koels and drongos, and now knows the difference between parrots and parakeets (the latter are smaller). “Birding is exhilarating. It calms you. More people should know their biodiversity,” she says.
Bird watchers from across the world including The Beatles legend Paul McCartney echo similar sentiments. The artiste behind the ballad ‘Blackbird’ who also named his band Wings, says that birding is a wonderful way to “chill out” in an old interview with a UK-based publication. It is all about letting Nature take over.
