不思議なことに、マカイバリ茶園のこのCoffee Khety からは最もおいしい紅茶がとれるのです。
アシスタントのＤＥＶと私が、マスカテル（セカンドフラッシュの種類）の良質の茶葉を収穫するために特別に訓練された５０人の女性の茶摘みを監督していたときのことです。突然、奇妙な鳥の声がしました。私達一同は振り返りました。私達の上をサイチョウ（Pied Indian Hornbill）の群れが飛んでいるのです！我々は皆うっとりしてしまいました。そして親のサイチョウが子どものサイチョウに隊列をなして飛ぶことを教えている荘厳な情景にとても驚きました。
サイチョウ（Pied Indian Hornbill）は鳥類の王として知られています。トラが哺乳類の中で王に君臨しているようにサイチョウは鳥類の中で王の地位にいるのです。
メスのサイチョウは、枯れた巨木の洞の中で卵を産み、穴からくちばしだけを出し、卵がかえるまでの６週間はオスがせっせと餌を運びます。偉大な母は、この卵をあたためている期間で立派な羽がすべて抜けてしまうのです。
広げた翼の幅は３ｍにもなり、くちばしの長さは５０ｃｍ、頭には直径が５０ｃｍの黄色い王冠をつけています。サイチョウの鳴声は、さえずりや歌声ではなく、文字通り「ほえる」という言葉がぴったりです。この鳥は今日、世界で全滅の危機にある数少ない希少な鳥なのです。
ラジャさんの原文です
Here's the first story which happened at MB recently.
At the eastern side of Makaibari, are thick woods--over 120 hectares of subtropuical rain-forest which are over a thousand years old. Many animals and birds have been living there.
The tea section next to it is called Coffee Khety --as my great grandfather had planted coffee there in 1870, which my grandfather converted to tea as coffee then was not remunerative. Its funny to have some of the best teas from Makaibari, named Coffee Khety (Khety in Nepali means field).
My plantation assistant DEV,and myself were supervising 50 women who were specially trained pluckers to pick the superfine leaves formuscatel tea. Suddenly we heard a strange whistling sound.
All of us turned our heads and were hypnotised to witness a flock of Pied Indian Hornbills in flight over us. All of us watched in wonder, as we beheld this truly majestic sight of the parent Hornbills, teraching their newly born young to fly in formation.
The Indian Pied Hornbill is known as the KING of BIRDS. The position attained by the Tiger in the mammallian world is the same for the Hornbill in the ornithological world. The female Hornbill, is walled in the trunk of a dead tree,with her beak poking out of the aperture,with her clutch of eggs for upto 6 weeks.
The male feeds her during this time, and the great bird loses her magnificient plumage completely. The wing span of the bird is almost 3 metres,with a half metre beak and a half-metre diameter yellow crown on its head. It does not twitter or sing BUT LITERALLY ROARS. It is one of the rarest birds in the world today,almost extinct.
Thye entire Makaibari community was honoured to witness this rare sight.
There are three separate flocks of Hornbills at Makaibari-- comprising a population of 30. Sightings are quite frequent if one is patient.
Next week we will share another happenning at the Makaibari farm. Till then may the TEA DEVA wish all readers a peacerful week.
