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Coppersmith barbets are common birds in Goa. Yet they are not easy birds to photograph since they tend to sit on the topmost branches of the tallest trees when they are calling! And when they are not calling their spectacular camouflage has them easily lost in the foliage. If by some luck you manage to spot one low enough for a photograph it is usually moving too quickly in-between branches and leaves to get a clear shot of it.

Good luck however finally caught up with me at a friend’s (Simran Sidhu) place in Palolem. A coppersmith was making regular rounds to tuck into figs growing on a tree right outside the room I was sleeping in. My room was on the first floor and almost as high as the top of the fig tree. For once I could see eye to eye with the barbet!