Working towards Success

 

Defining Failure

The Road to Success

Working Towards Success

The SMART Honey Bee

The reader might find it strange why I have not written paragraphs on how to achieve success. I would like to reiterate that I found these flow diagrams more effective in communicating what a thousand words would not have sufficed. Nevertheless, the road to success starts with a realisation that one has not achieved the desired results. It begins with understanding how our mistakes might have contributed to our own failures.

It is after going through our mistakes that we set out on the road to success. This includes working on plans, strategizing, taking stock of the situation and so on.

The next step is about setting out on the road to success. This includes having a vision of how you see yourself after five or ten years. For this you might even have to identify a Guru or a Mentor to help you with your planning and strategies.

The last step is all about learning from the SMART Honey Bee Goals. The Honey Bee is a smart insect that tides through difficult times through its smart goals. It saves food to tide it over the winter season, or even droughts.

My Haiku Poems On Birds and Insects

 

How did Crows get into Fables?

Although I have observed the quirks and mannerisms of crows that we see so commonly all around us, it took me a visit tot eh Basai Wetland in Gurgaon to finally understand how the ubiquitous crow came to be in a fable known as the Thirsty Crow! It took me a moment to realise that a Crow that I spotted on one of my visits to the Basai Wetland was doing something odd and yet so familiar! 

It immediately struck me that what I was seeing was straight out of a Fable handed down generations about how a thirsty crow dropped pebbles into a jar to make the water level rise so that it could quench its thirst. Although I did not see a jar, I did spot a round object in its beak, something that looked like an over-sized pebble. Giving in to my curiosity, I decided to ignore the other, more exotic birds and instead to focus on this crow. I was able to take quite a few snaps and which I am sharing below.

Surely, those wise people of the past must have observed the intelligent behaviour of crows which is why they were added to various folktales and fables. This crow however had taken too large a bite to swallow. What it was doing with that thing in its beak is probably stuff for another table.

Amazing Wire-Tailed Swallows Spotted at The Basai Wetland Gurugram

Wire-tailed Swallows are amazing little birds! Swift-flying and playful in nature, they have been a part of our culture and literature. When I spot Swallows, I remember the story of the "Happy Prince", a story by Oscar Wilde. The Swallow was a constant companion of the Happy Prince statue till the end. In the end, when winter comes, it is the Swallow that remains with the Happy Prince since it doesn't migrate with the others to warmer regions. The story speaks volumes about the companionship with a human statue and a bird, symbolising the relationship between nature and man. Even Shakespeare had something to say about the Swallow when he wrote, "true hope is swift, and flies with swallow's wings."

The swallow symbolises love, care and affection towards family and friends, and fidelity. The birds interestingly choose a mate for life and will nest with only there partners. In various cultures, swallows symbolise hope and freedom. Whenever I spot swallows I am filled with joy. Their friskiness and swift swoops all over the area are often difficult to capture on camera, but their memory will always remain in the mind! I was fortunate enough to spot a few juveniles accompanied by adults at the Basai Wetland when I visited it today. The wind was strong and the birds were clinging on to a wire-mesh fence lest they should be blown away. I got as close to them as possible, and they did not mind, probably as they were juveniles.

This is the first time that I have gotten so close to Wire-tailed Swallows, and although the lighting was not so good, managed to take a few decent shots of them. What struck me the most was to see three of them sitting close to each other like the three stooges. I could sense their wonder and curiosity about what I was doing with the camera. Without further explanation, I would like to present a series of photographs that I would like to label as "The Three Stooges."

The Three Stooges

The birds might as well be in a silent conversation, or perhaps, I might have missed their whispers. The wind must have snatched away their silent whispers (even as I was eager to get them into the frame) or I would tell you what they were conversing about- me of course! Whatever might be the case, their body-language is so familiar to that of human beings.

A clear distinction exists between adult and juvenile swallows. While adult Wire-tailed swallows have longe wire-like projections coming out from each of their wings, the juveniles have yet to develop them. Additionally, juveniles Wire-tailed swallows have a dash of yellow on the base of their beaks.

The Juvenile

Swallows are playful birds and they can be seen swooping around chasing each other, trying to settle on a perch that is already occupied. I was able to capture a few instances of Wire-tailed swallows trying to dislodge their siblings from their perch. These games reminded me of the games that our own children play with each other.

Juveniles Playing for a Perch

If the juvenile Wire-tailed swallows are playful, the adults are more reserved and watchful. They perch on posts with long 'wires' trailing from each of their wings. This is a graceful sight for those who have a sharp eye.

The watchful Adult

I guess there is more to Wire-tailed swallows that meets the eyes. The way they have adapted to life in the cities is somehow a success story that we need to learn from. These photographs were taken at the Basai Wetland in Gurgaon today. While I was not able to spot too many big water-birds, I had to make do with these tiny ones.

Amazing Birds and Insects of Gurgaon

It is indeed amazing what all Gurgaon can offer to those who look deeply. There are pockets in and around the city that have much to offer in terms of scenic beauty, nature and greenery. For birders and wildlife photographers, perhaps the best go-to places are the Basai Wetland and the Sultanpur bird sanctuary. 

Gurgaon continues to be a paradox, an interesting mix of rural and modern cultures. It is also surprising how the modern city skyline is often interspersed with green belts, wetlands and scrublands which support rich flora and fauna. Heavy rains often inundate low-lying areas which in turn attract numerous birds and insects.

Some of the insects include the amazing Dragonflies and Damselflies, many often flitting around in large numbers. The photographs in this blogpost were taken at the Basai Wetland which is about four kilometres from the city.

The photograph above is one of the funniest I have taken so far. There used to be an advertisement of  Happy Dent Chewing Gum that showed how chewing it made the teeth sparkling white, even those of a Buffalo. In the photograph, you can see one of the buffalos grinning and showing off its white teeth while the crow and the other buffalo look on. Perhaps one of the most amazing things about Gurgaon is that it can spring up lots of surprises.

If the White-throated Kingfishers are a draw, so too are the numerous Dragonflies that flit around. Some of the best shots are taken while they are flying, and trust me, are they difficult to photograph! Flying Dragonflies are difficult to focus on, especially with a zoom lens. You might as well forget autofocus!

Perhaps Purple Herons might be amongst the most graceful birds in flight. Their wingspan is quite large and quite a few of them can be found at the Basai Wetland. One can not have enough simply watching them fly!

One of the lucky shots that I have been able to take is that of a pair of painted Storks in which one of them seems to be laughing out loudly  (although I guess it was only trying to settle its meal).

Spot-billed Ducks too can be a great draw at the Basai Wetland in Gurgaon. Often looking at them in the distance, fluffing up their feathers and stretching their wings can be an amazing sight.

Damselflies are cute and they are a bit different from Dragonflies. Slimmer in thickness they have tapering bodies and bulging eyes. Some of them are so slim that you might miss them in the morning light.