The cool mornings and evenings bring the delightful sight of a couple of wild Red Spurfowls (Galloperdix spadicea / കാട്ടു കോഴി/ചെമ്പൻ മുളളൻ കോഴി) strutting around in our garden. At first, they used to flee on seeing us. Flying with surprising ease, they can cover over fifty metres at a stretch! Over time, they got used to seeing us work in the garden. Evidently, they now consider us harmless creatures, and often come close to pose for a picture!

Sometimes, they love to play with the wild pigeons, swooping in, trying to land on their backs. It’s great fun to see the startled pigeons bolt from the scene, only to come back moments later!

However, despite their size, they do not harm smaller birds at all. Unlike domesticated chickens, these gentle birds never destroy any of our vegetables, nor do they scratch the earth, but only peck at what grubs they can find on the surface.