Bhigwan — a land that glows like a mirror of water, a sacred sanctuary for birds beyond the quiet ripples of its wetlands. Morning drops drifting like rain, the breeze carrying the scent of memories. The pages of our bird friendship still float softly in that very air.

In the arms of the blue sky, above the dancing reeds, the Yellow-eyed Babbler greeted us — a tiny body… wrapped in immense curiosity. Those lightning-bright yellow eyes, the gentle play of grey and brown feathers, the graceful dance of its long tail, and its art of balancing on thorny twigs were nothing short of magic.

Its little neck full of mischief, its buttermilk-coloured belly, and the restless song beating in its heart seemed to whisper: “Do not fade away from life; every fleeting glance carries a hope of its own.”

The moments we shared through binoculars, the friendship framed through camera clicks, the laughter echoing across those sunlit hours — they still drift through our minds like unwritten verses.

In the pages of 2025, this bird and Bhigwan together etched an everlasting mark on the landscape of our birding journey…