Across the street from our bedroom balcony is a penthouse. I don't know if I should call it a house actually because it's more like a room - about 15 x 6 . But the number of people it seems to host can put even palaces to shame! There are so many men going in and out of that door - most of them stand half-naked in the open space next to it so I cannot observe things peacefully - and also many women, mostly young and some kids too, none above the age of 5, it seems. My guess is that they are immigrants from North India(going purely by the women's attire) and this may be some kind of temporary shelter for people who land in the city newly. Hopefully temporary because I seriously can't imagine all of them staying together inside that room. They seem happy enough to me, though.
A couple of days ago, I was sitting in front of my laptop next to the window when I suddenly heard what sounded like pebbles hitting the glass in rapid succession. It has been raining almost every afternoon these days and my first thought was hailstorm, though the sky was not so gloomy. So I looked up in mild wonder and saw something totally unexpected; it was a small bird, the size of a sparrow but something I'd never seen before. Orange beak, brown and orange body with black and white specks on the tail. It was hitting the glass with such vengeance that I was glad the window was closed, otherwise my face might have been the target! But I guess the exertion got to it and soon it sat quietly on the window sill, so quietly that I thought it had hurt itself. I called the kids to see it and Rishi opened the balcony to check on it. When he got very near the bird just took off and sat on the balcony railing. And then true to form, it ignored the whole blue sky in front of it and turned back to launch another round of assault on my window and within the next second perched itself on the wooden stool in the balcony. It almost looked in some blind rage literally and I was just staring agape at this quickfire series of events but then a call from office interrupted me. I got busy and when I looked up after about 15 minutes, the bird was gone. I wasn't sure though and I looked all along the balcony somehow expecting it to be lurking somewhere but it was gone for good.
Later I looked it up on the net and I think it was Zebra Finch, though I don't know what it is doing in this part of the world. I guess somebody's pet which lost its way and I wonder if it reached back home.
Draining day today, weather and otherwise.
A couple of days ago, I was sitting in front of my laptop next to the window when I suddenly heard what sounded like pebbles hitting the glass in rapid succession. It has been raining almost every afternoon these days and my first thought was hailstorm, though the sky was not so gloomy. So I looked up in mild wonder and saw something totally unexpected; it was a small bird, the size of a sparrow but something I'd never seen before. Orange beak, brown and orange body with black and white specks on the tail. It was hitting the glass with such vengeance that I was glad the window was closed, otherwise my face might have been the target! But I guess the exertion got to it and soon it sat quietly on the window sill, so quietly that I thought it had hurt itself. I called the kids to see it and Rishi opened the balcony to check on it. When he got very near the bird just took off and sat on the balcony railing. And then true to form, it ignored the whole blue sky in front of it and turned back to launch another round of assault on my window and within the next second perched itself on the wooden stool in the balcony. It almost looked in some blind rage literally and I was just staring agape at this quickfire series of events but then a call from office interrupted me. I got busy and when I looked up after about 15 minutes, the bird was gone. I wasn't sure though and I looked all along the balcony somehow expecting it to be lurking somewhere but it was gone for good.
Later I looked it up on the net and I think it was Zebra Finch, though I don't know what it is doing in this part of the world. I guess somebody's pet which lost its way and I wonder if it reached back home.
Draining day today, weather and otherwise.
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