SUNBIRDS IN THE MORNING, GREY HORNBILLS AT DUSK NATURE RAMBLES THROUGH DELHI

Bulbul Sharma has spent a lifetime exploring the gardens, parks and forest

areas in and around Delhi. This delightful book is the result of her wanderings.

From Grey Hornbills and Rose-ringed Parakeets in Lodi Gardens to the

handsome resident Indian Eagle-owl at Tughlakabad Fort, she recounts her

observations of all manner of birds and animals with the zeal of a true nature

lover. She describes how the different seasons bring about changes to Delhi's

flora and fauna. During fog-shrouded winter days, she makes her way to

Sultanpur Lake to watch the migratory birds; in Delhi's brief spring, when

every roundabout and garden is a riot of colour, she watches the birds busily

building their nests. In the cruel summer months when everyone escapes

indoors to escape the heat, the calls of the Coppersmith and the Green Barbet

resound from every leafy tree. And then the monsoon arrives heralded by the

Pied-crested Cuckoo which never fails to predict the rain.

Sharma observes how the enforced solitude of the lockdowns in Covid days

turned many of us into nature lovers, who suddenly discovered the pleasures

of watching the birds on the trees. Now that things are back to normal, she

hopes that these newborn nature lovers will continue to savour one of life's

simplest joys-birdwatching.