Scaly Breasted Munia

When I was traveling in Bali island, I was able to see Scaly Breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata). This bird was perching on a tree inside a resort. The resort was surrounded by rice field. It means that birds that live in the trees inside the resort have got abundant food. I was surprised to see birds were quite common in residential areas of Bali. I also saw some other species inside the resort but I was not able to identify them. They eat rice on the streets that were put by Balinese during their daily offerings to the gods and the spirits. Also the main reason for the abundance of birds in Bali residential areas was the abundance of trees. The Balinese treat trees with great respect. They believe that there are spirits living in the trees. So, they will not cut trees easily. If they have to, they need to perform certain rituals to respect and inform the spirits living in the tree that they will cut it. I really admire this local wisdom because it protects the trees that grow in residential areas. by Charles Roring/ E-mail: peace4wp@gmail.com