![\"Meet](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-132312893,imgsize-454338,width-400,height-225,resizemode-75\/birders-flock-to-lodhi-garden-to-witness-the-oph.jpg\" "\\"Birders")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNature is currently writing a heartwarming story of its own right in the middle of Lodhi Garden. Forgoing typical bird behaviour, a female Oriental Pied Hornbill has stepped up as the ultimate \u2018cool aunt,\u2019 taking grey hornbill chicks under her wings. Birders in NCR are buzzing over this unusual activity, noting that she\u2019s looking after these little ones with all the devotion of a true maasi. The best part? You can witness this extraordinary tale unfolding in the heart of Delhi this weekend.<\/p>\n What\u2019s happening<\/span>A routine morning in May at Delhi\u2019s Lodhi Garden turned extraordinary when a rare, active hornbill nest was spotted high in the canopy. While observing the nesting process \u2013 where the female seals herself inside a tree hollow to be fed by the male \u2013 birders noticed a unique social dynamic: a team of \u2018helper\u2019 birds, likely offspring from previous years, assisting in the effort. There was a plot twist when a female Pied Hornbill \u2013 a distinct, larger species \u2013 crashed the party.\u2018The Lodhi Garden\u2019s hornbill saga became an entry point into nature\u2019<\/span>Talking about the interspecific feeding and foster parenting by the Oriental Pied Hornbill, whom the birders have dubbed \u2018mausi\u2019, senior birder Pankaj Gupta says, \u201cThis bird seems to have crossed a species barrier. She hasn\u2019t simply fed a chick once or twice. She has repeatedly taken over caregiving at two nests. We don\u2019t really know why. It is possible that her maternal instincts may have found an outlet in caring.\u201d<\/p>\n Grey hornbill mom with the chick named Tiger by Delhi birders<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Muskaan Sacheti, psychologist and nature educator, who recently led a Reset With Nature walk in Lodhi Garden, observes, \u201cThe hornbill saga became an entry point into nature. People were fascinated by the drama around the nest, but it also encouraged them to slow down, notice the trees and birds around them, and end the walk feeling more connected to the landscape through nature-inspired art.\u201d<\/p>\n Watching this rare act of care, protection, and selfless devotion is nothing short of magical. It reminds us that compassion knows no boundaries, not even those of species<\/p>\n Vikram Singh, birder Capt Anil Singru (Retd), a birder and naturalist, has been documenting the hornbill saga through his everyday blog. In his recent post, he wrote, \u201cOver the past two months, we have watched uncertainty give way to understanding, conflict soften into coexistence, and an Oriental Pied Hornbill transform from outsider to accepted presence. The Oriental Pied Hornbill and the Grey Hornbill father, once fierce territorial rivals, were seen perching close together, with conflict limited only to the immediate vicinity of the active nest. Tiger (the young chick) has grown into a confident young hornbill, equally at ease with its family and its unlikely companion.\u201d<\/div>\n![\"Uploading-1280x720-New2\"](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/msid-132313014\/uploading-1280x720-new2.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Grey](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/msid-132313543\/grey-hornbill-mom-with-the-chick-named-tiger-by-delhi-birders.jpg\" "\\"Grey")
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