I've known Mynahs to be smart birds. They can be trained to talk like parrots and play games. It was stupid of me to not expect them to be super smart when their survival was in question. Funnier still it was their assessment of humans that made me marvel at what I saw in a unkempt corner of the park this week.
I won't keep you guessing for long, these pictures I took will tell you the story better than words. Not that these images are super sharp, the bird was quite far from me and I didn't have the right lens on for long shots as I was taking close shots of roses at that moment. I didn't want to change my camera lens and waste time lest I miss these cute poses this little birdie struck for me. I was right about that, had I spent time changing lenses the bird would have been troubled by my movements and perhaps flown away.
It was a super hot day here in Bangalore, India on Wednesday. The city traffic ensured that I reached the park late and the sun was blazing down making me seek shade wherever I could. Walking around in this heat was exhausting. Nonetheless I was bent on taking some images of the roses behind me. It wasn't the perfect kind of lighting for photography, but since I had to leave the park in a bit so I tried to get as many photographs as I could. I noticed some movement behind the rose bushes and I went as close as I could to that side of the fence to see what it was. There were a couple of mynahs there which had dug up the ground a bit and were resting in the hot sun. I wondered why they did that when they could have easily sought shelter in the trees or under the rose bushes. The bird closest to me saw my camera lens pointed at him and started to act weirdly. The other bird didn't show any reaction at first but things changed later.
If you see the pictures you will know what I mean. The above image is of the mynah sitting before it saw me as a threat. The images that follow show how the bird tried to outsmart me. If you don't believe me take a closer look at the images once again. I was super stunned and ticked by the birds actions.
Once it noticed me it slowly slid down toward the ground. The movement was slow and so gradual that it looked natural. Here you see its eyes are partially closed. However, the bird was watching me closely all the while.
He was still watching me as he slid down further. The movement was so smooth, but his eyes opened a bit wider to keep a watch on me. At this moment it seemed as if only this bird and I existed in this universe, I was the hunter and he was the hunted. He didn't know my camera was harmless though it was pointed at him.
Look at this image, the bird has now toppled over completely as he played dead. His eyes were closed as he lay motionless. This act went on for a while. Had I seen this posture first I would have thought that the bird was truly dead.
Slowly he opened his eyes once again and looked at me. Perhaps he hoped that I wouldn't be so rude to disturb his privacy and still stand there watching him.
Seeing this bird act this way the other bird also tried the same act but he was not so convincing as the first bird.
Still keeping up the act.
I guess it became a bit too much by then even for the little birdie, he lifted himself slowly while his beak fully open.
Then I spoke to him softly telling him to go under the rose bushes and rest in the shade. It was as if he understood me he got up and ran behind the rose bush far from my sight.
As funny as this whole scene was I marveled at his smartness as I left the place. I had to seek some shade too, else my skull would split open in the midday heat.
The bird was at first unsure of how great a threat I was, once he figured out that I was harmless he got up and moved away. That was really smart - right?
Thanks for hanging around, I appreciate your support. I could write my heart out but if I don't find the right support for my posts the whole effort would be worthless. So thanks once again. Have a great day!
