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Learning How To Adapt In Heatwaves

Wildlife struggles to find water in the summer months. What is the nearest source of drinking water for an animal around you?

<div class="paragraphs"><p>A young Hoopoe rests on a flowering Amaltas tree on a sweltering day. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)</p></div>
A young Hoopoe rests on a flowering Amaltas tree on a sweltering day. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)

When we were kids, older millennials had a great time in summer, despite the summer. There were mangoes to eat whole, bare floor surfaces to lie on, wet khus mats to delight in, and terraces to lounge in after dusk. The season didn’t impinge on the ‘time of the year’, which was summer break, vacation days, and meeting up with cousins. We went to temples and scalded our bare feet. Others went to the coasts, which were unbearably humid in the afternoons (but that didn’t stop anyone). Train rides were icily cold, which is perhaps why we were served hot soup even in summer. The heat loomed but did not take away from the fun to be had.

In present times, the heat is much more of a killer. People turn indoors to escape the heat, even as power cuts punctuate the days with discomfort. Airconditioned air is cooler but stale – a bit like bread left out for a day. The heatwave strips us of energy, but global warming is increasing, and we have to adapt. Here are a few things that we can do in the heatwave—and each is just a few steps away from the other.

<div class="paragraphs"><p>A bird nest in the heart of a tree. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)</p></div>

A bird nest in the heart of a tree. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)

A sip of water goes a long way. Wildlife struggles to find water in the summer months. Think about it – what is the nearest source of drinking water for an animal around you? Is there an unpolluted river, a pond without sewage, an accessible African-safari-style water hole? The fact is most water sources are loaded with chemicals. That’s why rhesus macaque monkeys will wrench open rooftop tanks for water, and birds will gather near pipes or dripping taps. Some will even perch below air conditioners for a drop of refuse-water.

<div class="paragraphs"><p>A young rhesus monkey opens a tap for a drink of water in Rajasthan. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)</p></div>

A young rhesus monkey opens a tap for a drink of water in Rajasthan. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)

Putting out water on your balcony is a way to save wildlife from complete dehydration. You will also be rewarded with your own balcony birding – kites, sunbirds, sparrows, crows, mynas, barbets, white-eyes are all birds you are likely to see from the comfort of your home.

<div class="paragraphs"><p>An Indian Pitta builds a nest during the heatwave in the National Capital Region. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)</p></div>

An Indian Pitta builds a nest during the heatwave in the National Capital Region. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)

Place plants near an earthen water bowl so wildlife feels comfortable. Alamanda, kaner, bougainvillea, morning glory, vinca, and tecoma are plants that are flowering despite the heat—and they can be placed near the bowl. You can also slip in some leaves in the water – it prevents wasps and bees from drowning when they come to drink.

And even without much water, mature trees are blooming. A short walk to a colony park or green belt will reward you. The Amaltas or Indian Laburnum is flowering – and what a sight it is to behold.

<div class="paragraphs"><p>Clusters of golden-yellow Amaltas flowers. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)</p></div>

Clusters of golden-yellow Amaltas flowers. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)

The tree has golden-yellow blooms that cascade in clusters. Sometimes, they look like chain-links of flowers, sometimes like chandeliers.

<div class="paragraphs"><p>An Indian white-eye glows amidst Amaltas flowers as the June sun goes down. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)</p></div>

An Indian white-eye glows amidst Amaltas flowers as the June sun goes down. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)

In the sizzling heat, the flowers pick up and reflect light. When I photograph sunbirds on Amaltas flowers, they glow with the radiated light from the blossoms. The Gulmohar tree, with its vermillion-red flowers, is also blossoming.

<div class="paragraphs"><p>Gulmohar in resplendent bloom in the summer heat. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)</p></div>

Gulmohar in resplendent bloom in the summer heat. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)

So are more unusual-shaped flowers, like the Sausage tree (with a ruched, dark red flower) and the Cannonball tree (with a striking pink and white flower and a fruit like a cannonball that grows directly from the thick tree trunk). It seems impossible, but even in this wretched heatwave, heat-adapted trees appear to be smiling.

<div class="paragraphs"><p>A Rufous treepie on mango blossoms. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)</p></div>

A Rufous treepie on mango blossoms. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)

A little further from a colony park, towards old trees, lakes, or wilder habitats, you may be able to spot birds catching insects to raise their chicks. The hottest time of the year is also the time for nesting for many Indian species. The woods are full of a strange call that sounds like ‘brainfever, brainfever!’ – which is the Common Hawk Cuckoo calling as it looks for mates, and nests of other birds to lay eggs in. The Green Bee-eater is a busy bird, doing sorties to catch insects and raise its chicks.

<div class="paragraphs"><p>A Green bee-eater catches insects to feeds its chicks. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)</p></div>

A Green bee-eater catches insects to feeds its chicks. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)

The resplendent Indian Pitta is building a nest with grasses, leaves, and sticks, packed and made waterproof with daubs of wet, waterproofing mud- it will be raining by the time it begins raising chicks.

<div class="paragraphs"><p>An Indian Pitta finds mud and sticks for nest construction. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)</p></div>

An Indian Pitta finds mud and sticks for nest construction. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)

Meanwhile, in the middle of the heatwave, our headlines are full of environmental degradation. India recently ranked last in the Environmental Protection Index by the World Economic Forum, Yale and Columbia Universities, and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. The EPI ranked 180 countries on indicators like biodiversity habitat, species protection, tree cover loss, and air quality.

<div class="paragraphs"><p>A Common Hawk Cuckoo hunts for insects in between its 'brainfever, brainfever' calls. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)</p></div>

A Common Hawk Cuckoo hunts for insects in between its 'brainfever, brainfever' calls. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)

Whether India agrees with the report or not, there isn’t any doubt that our cities and towns have the planet’s dirtiest rivers, wetlands, and air. It is only when we know what wild nature looks like that we can care to save it. A drink of water for a parched wild animal, watching a tree blossom turn its face to the sun, and seeing a bird search for its brood’s food may not solve our country’s problems. But it may soothe our own heat-stressed souls. And all good plans are made on bedrocks of contentment.

Neha Sinha is a conservation biologist, and the author of ‘Wild and Wilful - Tales of 15 iconic Indian species’.

The views expressed here are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views of BQ Prime or its editorial team.