-_Female_in_Kolkata_I_IMG_3787_(cropped)+(1).jpg) |
| Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons |
Not long ago, these Sparrows (also
called House Sparrows) were found everywhere – footpaths bus stands, front yards,
gardens, on the roofs of the houses, in front of the flour mills, granaries of
grocery shops and any other place that offered them abundant food and shelter.
But sadly today, the Sparrows are a
rare sight. Thanks to rapid urbanization and encroachment of large open spaces,
individual houses with spacious front yards making way for cramped multistoried
apartments, commercial complexes replacing every stretch of available greenery,
the Sparrows are fast losing their natural habitat and thus left homeless.
It’s heartening, however, to know
that there are many dedicated organizations and individuals working towards
saving the Sparrow and restoring its natural habitats. Even more heartening is
the fact that in spite of losing their homes, the Sparrows are still found, albeit
sparsely, in many towns and even in certain areas within the cities.
My home in Udupi, the coastal town of
Karnataka is one such place. A flock of Sparrows live somewhere near our home
and they are our regular visitors; coming to our frontyard all throughout the
day.
But, they come here for a definite
reason – food.
No, we don’t scatter grains of rice
or any other pulses/cereals in our frontyard. All that we do is give a plate
full of food to our dog, Cookie. And Cookie’s kennel is also in our frontyard.
And Cookie never finishes her food! There are always a few morsels of rice,
pieces of bread or anything else always in her plate.
So the Sparrows come – exactly at Cookie’s
breakfast and lunch time in particular and then, as and when they please, throughout
the day, to eat Cookie’s food. First they sit on the Hibiscus shrubs nearby and
as they wait, get into a chirpy banter. That’s exactly what they are doing as I
write this line. It’s a cacophony of chirps and more chirps in our garden at
this moment.
When Cookie is served food, she is
let out of the kennel. As she starts eating, the Sparrows slowly and very, very
cautiously fly towards her plate, sit a little distance away and wait for
Cookie to get engrossed in her food. Then the drama unfolds.
The Sparrows, one by one, will hop –
one tiny Sparrow step at a time – to reach Cookie’s plate and then start
pecking at her food. You will hear no chirping during this time. When the first
Sparrow has picked enough for itself, it will fly to a safe distance (usually
near the flower pots or under Dad’s bike) and start eating. Then the second
Sparrow takes its turn. In this way, like disciplined soldiers, they wait for
their turn to arrive, go to Cookie’s plate without disturbing her in the
process, pick up as much food as possible ion their little beaks, fly away and
eat to their heart’s content. For me, my 3 year old son and his granddad, it’s
a delightful sight.
When the Sparrows first started this routine,
it enraged Cookie. She would bark at the Sparrows and even chase them occasionally.
But now she has given up. She doesn’t mind the Sparrows presence around her anymore
and the brave birds are only too happy about it. Frankly speaking, they were never
scared of her at any point of point. In fact, there were times when they would fly
into Cookie’s kennel and grab left over tidbits from her plate, even as she
looked on.
Finally dad decided to intervene. Now
there are two plates near Cookie’s kennel – one for her and another for the Sparrows
and food is served separately. Yet, the Sparrows still indulge in their playful
antics and peck at Cookie’s food. By the way, they still drink water from a
common bowl!
The Sparrows share an unusual bond
with Cookie – one built over mutual tolerance for sharing food.
Just an after thought-
Do you know the reason why the
Sparrow population is diminishing?
Research has found that the radiations
emitted from mobile network towers are extremely harmful for the Sparrows’
health. So, the next time you are faced with poor network, don’t complain. Less
mobile towers mean better chances that the Sparrows will survive.
Other reasons include noise pollution
(that impairs the adult Sparrow’s hearing of their offspring’s calls for food)
and the introduction of unleaded petrol (its combustion kills tiny insects and
worms that are the staple diet of young Sparrows). Also, as I pointed out
earlier, large present day buildings are not ideal places for the Sparrows to
build their nests. They usually prefer narrow spaces and roof corners which
unfortunately are never present in modern high rise buildings.
Learn more about Sparrows and the reasons
for their declining numbers at:
Join others at conserving Sparrows at:
