Fight for survival

I happened to witness 2 amazing acts of bravery. Survival in the wild is tough and such acts are daily routine for animals, I guess! 

Another visit to Vellore meant more birding trips in the dried up river Palar, that has now become a scrub forest. Had been trying to spot a pair of Greater Coucals that reside there, but they had been evading me forever, though their calls were heard every day.

That day, I saw the couple fly across to a Palm tree in the midst of a very dense bush. There was no way I could get closer, but was observing them from there and it appeared to me that they were somewhat restless. I noticed something hanging midway in the palm tree. What I first assumed to be a dried palm leaf was a snake. It was about 9.30 in the morning and the summer sun was shining straight into my face and I couldn't make out the colour of the snake or identify it. (I've been told by the locals, that there are large Cobras, Vipers and Rattlesnakes there, but I just couldn't identify it). It was so long that I first thought there were two snakes. It was just coiling up around the tree and climbing up. This explained the reason for the restlessness of the couple.

The Coucals' nest must've been on that tree, and the snake must've tried to get the eggs. The parents put up a fight, but the snake was aggressive. Though I couldn't see the action clearly due to the distance and the sunlight in the opposite direction, I could make out what was happening. After a few mins, the Coucals gave up the fight and fled, and I saw the snake slither up the tree and vanish behind the large leaves.

As I walked back, I witnessed another incident. This one was extraordinary, though it lasted only for a few seconds. I saw a large Shikra swoop down on to a Coconut tree. And, an Asian Palm Squirrel just sprinted towards the Shikra. The Shikra was taken aback and leapt a couple of feet, still perched on the same branch. The squirrel didn't want the Shikra anywhere near that tree, I think - probably, it's nest was there. Another leap towards the Shikra was enough to chase it away. I couldn't believe what I had just seen!

I couldn't get photos of both the incidents mentioned above. It wasn't a lucky day as I didn't spot or photograph any other birds too. But, these two incidents made up for everything!