Birds fighting against snake

Last summer was very harsh and after that when rain started, we started getting good rains. I started planting mango trees on this season, bought around 70 mango grafted saplings. I was planting these saplings with the helper 'Palani' and heard some birds making lot of noise at one part of the farm. This bird is called 'Poothan keeri' in Malayalam, has to find the English name. It has got a brown color feather and they move in groups and some time can seen them lifting the leaves and looking for worms.

I thought of inspecting what is happening and why they are making so much noise. When I approached I could see the two dogs 'Julie and Rugmani' also watching the scene with lot of interest, but they were not barking. These dogs follow me some time and I give one part of my lunch with them.

I could see a big rat snake on a small subabul tree and birds very upset with it. I could see a nest on the tree, but couldn't see anything there. After seeing me, the snake left the scene and I continued with my work. After some time, again the same kind of noise was there, this time at a slightly different place. I again went there and the same snake was moving there, and birds were sitting here and there making noise and snake was chasing away birds. After some chasing a way, snake quickly moved to one direction where there was a small bird lying and just caught it. It was a small bird so it was almost completely inside its mouth and after some time, it went away with its prey.

I just watched it and didn't interfere with it.

26-November-2018

One more encounter with rat snake...I was waiting for the auto at the farm, on the way back. Saw a big rat snake crawling into a pile of wood near the house. Just watched it, then heard a small bird crying and could see a small jungle babbler looking at me. It looks like, rat snake left it after seeing me. I tried to catch the bird and it got shelter inside the wood pile, got a stick and caught it and left it at a tree, but it again flew back to the ground, again caught it and left on another tree branch, and its parents were making sound and following it, hope it will survive the snake attack. Auto had come and I had to leave the farm.