The Missed Photograph!

It was a sunny day in the month of July. At my home in Trichy, I reside on the first floor, with windows facing a marshy land with lots of greenery.

As usual, I began my work at 12:30 pm. I work as a market research analyst and work from home. I had an assignment, so I was totally engrossed in it. I usually sit near a window with a thick brown curtain to block the harsh incoming sunlight.

Yellow-billed babbler birds occasionally arrive on a neem tree near the window and chirp loudly. In contrast, sparrows, though they come in groups, chirp sweetly. I learned photography by taking pictures of birds, so I have some knowledge of birds, including their names and chirping sounds.

Unusually, on this day, I heard the sparrows chirping frantically. When I peeked through the window, my eyes caught sight of a green snake (approximately 3 feet long) clutching a sparrow by the neck in its mouth. I was terrified. A few sparrows surrounded the scene, all chirping crazily, not knowing what to do. I quickly ran inside my home to get a stick or something to save the poor little bird. I found a broomstick, but when I tried to reach and disturb the green snake through the window, the broomstick was too short, and I couldn't reach it. Then I ran out of my room, climbed the stairs quickly to the terrace, hoping to find a bigger stick, and found one. I ran towards the edge of the building and tried to reach the tree below but again fell short of the stick's length.

Then I noticed a big vessel, which is always kept filled with water for birds to drink or cool themselves, although I rarely saw any birds taking advantage of it. Once or twice, I saw pigeons playing in it. The vessel was empty now, so I quickly filled it with water, lifted it, and went to the edge of the building where I could see the snake. I splashed the water from the vessel onto the snake with the sparrow in its mouth. The moment the water hit the snake, it released the sparrow, which swiftly flew away. All the other sparrows flew away as well. The snake, in fear, descended the neem tree in a fraction of a second and was out of sight.

I still remember the scene: the green snake had beautifully tangled its tail with a few spirals around the branch of the neem tree, hanging in midair with its prey in its mouth. It could have been an amazing wildlife photograph—perhaps even an award-winning one! But I think the human in me, and my love for birds, made saving the bird a priority. Saved it 😊

This is the story of “The Missed Photograph”. The day I chose life over a “Perfect Shot”.

Later, when I Googled "green snake + sparrow," I found many saddening images, at least one short of mine, and I'm happy about it anyway.

For more than a week, I didn't see any sparrows visiting the neem tree. Now, I see them again, chirping happily. 😊

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P.S. - This happened on July 29, 2024!

I read that Green snakes are not poisonous.