Birds in my garden
I live in a bungalow surrounded by a fairly large garden. There are a number of fruit trees growing here along with many plants and a lot of grass. At first glance the garden appears very quiet but actually many birds and animals live in it or visit it frequently.
Every morning I am awakened by the shrill songs of a magpie-robin. The sound is so sweet and I just lie in bed listening to the songs until the bird flies away.
All through the day I see various birds come and perch on the trees and plants. Some come to sing or rest a bit. Others come to look for food. So it is always a pleasure to see them. I just sit quietly and they go about their business undisturbed. I have seen the oriole, spotted-dove, pigeon, yellow-vented bulbul, mynah, fan-tailed flycatcher and various other little birds which I cannot name. They sing, dance and display their beautiful colors. It is quite a treat. On the other hand there are those pesky little sparrows that come into the house to steal food.
One morning I saw a white-breasted water hen sunning itself just next to a mango tree. This normally shy bird must really be feeling the pinch of progress to take refuge in my garden. Sad to say, the surrounding area is being developed and the wildlife are being chased away or destroyed.
Some people keep birds in cages to listen to their songs. I say it is far better for the birds to live freely. Then they sing, or not sing, their songs naturally. It is wonderful to see them fly freely among the trees. It is not so wonderful to see caged birds unable to move more than a foot in any direction.
shrill - high-pitched and sharp tone
pesky - annoying
feel the pinch - be affected by hardship
