The Melodic Visitor: A Morning Song by the Oriental Magpie Robin
In the gentle hues of the early morning, I stood in my wide-open gallery, embracing the city of joy — Kolkata. The sky is lit, stretched out before me, calm and unruffled, in flares of bronze and orange colours. It was 3:00 am, and the stars glittered with a delicate twinkle. The cool morning breeze caressed my bare face, sending a tingle of sensation throughout my body. There was no hum of traffic, human interference, or music to disturb this profound tranquillity. The peace that enveloped me was immaculate. I eagerly awaited the arrival of my melodious friend on this quiet Wednesday night.”
“Hey, brother…”
A soft voice pierced my thoughts. I turned to see my little sister, and her words broke the silence.
“Your little friend would come by 3:45 am.” She announced from the cosiness of her bed.
Beyond her years, she gets me and cherishes my love for nature. Her presence in the morning is comforting. I nodded, my face coloured with acceptance and a hint of disappointment.
Soon, a serene song greeted my anticipation, a melodic “chee chee chee chee” echoing with a blend of high and low pitches. He had arrived—my dear bird friend. With excitement, I rushed to the gallery to greet him.
I had anticipated his arrival earlier, but he faithfully followed his schedule. It never ceases to amaze me how nature adheres to its timings while humans struggle to keep pace with all our smart watches and gadgets. Regardless, I find solace in starting my day with this enchanting melody, gifted by a tiny creature and the perfect rhythms of nature.
“Hi, buddy.” I greeted.
“Chee, chee, chee…” He greeted back.
The bird graces my morning every day is the Oriental magpie robin, a common sight in the Indian subcontinent and certain parts of Southeast Asia. It is a shared belief that they bring joy and blessing when they sing at your window, but a lone bird singing is a bad omen when they come in pairs.
Whether it’s a mere myth or a profound truth, I find immense delight in the melodious song of this male robin every morning. As its soothing notes fill the air, I can’t help but feel a surge of positive vibrations coursing through my body. It sets the tone for my day, infusing it with happiness and a renewed sense of positivity.
Now, dear reader, I’m curious about your mornings. How do they unfold? What brings you joy and sets the stage for a fulfilling day? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comment box.
Let me introduce you to Robin; I am sure you will learn some fun facts about the robins.
The Oriental magpie robin (Copsychus saularis) is a small bird, a few inches in size, and belongs to the perching (passerine) category of birds. The males and females differ in their colouration. Males have white shoulders and black upperparts, head and throat. Females are greyish-black above and greyish-white bellies. However, the young ones are a little brownish.
Adults have long tails, which they usually keep upright while hopping and foraging. The general colouration of the birds varies slightly by region. For example, the Andaman populations are darker, heavier-billed, and shorter-tailed, while the Sri Lankan ones, male and female, are almost identical in shade.
Males toss loudly from a vantage point on a tree or otherwise in breeding seasons (March- July in India). However, only females are primarily responsible for raising the young ones.
They are insectivore birds, meaning they eat insects but occasionally eat flower nectar, leeches, geckos, etc. They are active during dusk and dawn and love to take baths in rainwater harvested by the leaves.
It is a national bird of Bangladesh.
As the little bird keeps visiting me, or is the fact that I stay on the sixth floor making it a good vantage point to seek a mate? Who knows? Whatever the reason, I took the opportunity to record the beautiful and serene song of the robin so I could add it to my collection of stories.
Do you want to see the song, yes you heard it right. You can see the bird's sound, be it a song or call. The science of looking at sound is called acoustic.
See the image below. It’s a picture of a male robin song. Isn’t it beautiful? In the image, those red hotspots (with a greenish background) in the down window are sound frequencies, and the top window with dark red spikes is the amplitude — how loud the sound is.
I love to enjoy birding and the little bird greeting my mornings daily. How do you prefer to start your day in the morning, or are you a night person?
Nevertheless, if you enjoy nature, you will enjoy birding; keep learning. Happy birding.
At the end, I will leave you folks with the recording of the male robin. Visit the link below to hear the beautiful song or, I must say, to see the sound. Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel!
