“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.”- Gustave Flaubert
It is a plump little bird considerably smaller than a sparrow. The head and back are yellowish green, becoming almost golden in the sunlight. Around the eye is a ring of white feathers giving it an appearance of donning white rounded goggles! From this ring - its most striking feature - the bird has derived its name.
These birds feed largely on insects, sometimes even hanging their heads downwards in order to secure a morsel. As I observed this little bird from a distance feeding on insects on a tall chir pine tree, I couldn't help but think how tiny the bird was in comparison to the mighty pine and probably how small I was in comparison to the mighty Himalayas.
Indian white-eye on pine tree
(Zosterops palpebrosus)
Sony A77II
Tamron 150-600
f/6.3, 1/800s, ISO1600, 600mm
Almas, Uttarakhand (India)
June 2022
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