Hyderabad: The monsoon is on the horizon. Not quite literally, but if signs provided by nature are any indication, dark grey rain bearing clouds could well barrel over Telangana in the next ten days or so.
Birdwatchers are reporting the arrival of the Pied crested cuckoo, or the Jacobin cuckoo, considered the harbinger of monsoon, in and around Hyderabad. The cuckoo, a native of Africa, migrates northward ahead of the monsoon winds and its sighting is typically considered as a sign that the monsoon is not too far away.
Each year, several birdwatchers keep a track of the first sighting of the Jacobin cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus), the annual visitor from Africa that stays several wing beats ahead of the monsoon winds, and its sightings are greeted with enthusiasm.
While modern day ornithology enthusiasts and birdwatchers know it as a seasonal migrant, the bird is known as ‘Chatak’ in the country, and in Indian mythology it is referred to as one that has great patience and waits for rain drops to quench its thirst, possibly indicating that the bird, from times bygone, was associated with the arrival of rains.
It is also believed that in many parts, farmers view the arrival of the bird as a sign to begin farming operations and get the land ready for sowing.
Srinivas Kolla, software professional and wildlife photographer, spotted it on the outskirts of Zaheerabad on the way to Chincholi Wild Life Sanctuary, recently, and said he made a picture of it on May 19.
“The bird is generally timid. It means that the photographers have to think on their feet to capture this migratory bird. Sighting of this bird indicates that the rains are around,” he said.
The cuckoo was also spotted and photographed by another wildlife photographer Sriram Reddy a week back near Shamshabad.
