A spectacled delight- Indian White Eye ( Oriental White Eye)

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Indian White Eye


A slight movement on a neem tree drew my attention while chatting with my daughter. Was it just a gust of wind or was there something I spotted from the corner of my eye? Cutting our conversations short, I tried to confirm my intuition. The movement shifted from one branch to the other and from one tree to the other, the subject camouflaged all the while in the new sprouts of the neem and saptaparni trees. Many times, lost the subject and felt a slight despair. Should I go and get my camera to be prepared for a sudden appearance and may be miss the spotting or should I stay and see it first?



I stayed there believing that I might get the chance to click it some other time. And so glad I did not move. Straining my eyes to their last nerve, could see a greenish yellow bird, size of a thumb with a bespectacled look. Had never before see it in all these years. A very restless bird, kept hopping so fast that was difficult to keep track. It never swooped down on the ground, remained on the tree all the while hunting for insects or peeling small strips of leaves for its nest.


Hoping to spot more birds during this lockdown, I kept my camera charged and handy to click at times when I was relatively free. And sure was lucky!! Though there are several clicks in which the bird is not visible due to its agile nature, it came out for few seconds ( or milli seconds) to perch on a red champa tree and I could capture it. Black eyes with white rimmed spectacles around it gives it the name: Indian white eye.
Location: Mitthi, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 382210, India

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