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As we started our hike into the mountains, I saw a couple of birds feasting on pieces of ripe fruit hanging from the abundance of trees that was on our path.
I was immediately stopped by their chirping and general happy sounds. For what can be better in that moment than a fruit full of ripe fruits?
It always strikes me how incredible nature is when you see these trees carrying so many fruits, and then the birds having a feast, eating almost too much.
But nature is incredible at having balance, nothing goes to waste and animals never gorge themselves in the way that we humans do. We humans will eat so much leading mostly sedentary lifestyles, then we complain and wonder why we get fat? Animals do no have this problem, as a fat body means death - predators will most certainly catch you if you are not at the top of your game.
Then there is also the beauty of these birds. I can really look at them for hours on end, always feeling a sense of overwhelming aesthetic wonderment when they sit still for long enough for me to look and appreciate their beauty.
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If I am not mistaken, this is a female **red-winged starling** (*Onychognathus morio*). They are not so common where I live, so every time I catch them on camera, I am always surprised at their beauty, especially the female. Mostly, the female bird is not as beautiful as the male, but in this case, I really like the female bird, and I see it more often than I see the male.
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In the same tree, with the same fruits, we also saw the **common bulbul** (*Pycnonotus barbatus*). Interestingly, where I love, we usually find the white-eyed bulbul, and more north-east in the country you will find this species, which is called the dark-eyed bulbul in my language.
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Even though the little bird did not always sit still, I managed to get some good photographs. But one was a bit out of focus. The one below, which I then tried to mask over with making it black and white. I saw recently that people will do this to "cover" the fact that the photograph was not the best. You be the judge if this worked!
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Either way, in the end, it was again such a lovely moment to think about these birds, and the incredibly important role they play in our world.
Such a delicate balance, and we as humans always think that we know best...
But for now, happy photographing and happy birding!
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*All of the musings and writings are my own, albeit inspired by these beautiful birds. The photographs are also my own, taken with my Nikon D300 and Tamron 300mm zoom lens.*