Get yourself a nest box on World Sparrow Day …..Sudeshna Chatterjee
An exhibition of photographs of sparrows and the release of 2,000 balloons with ‘Save the Bird’ messages in 14 languages will form part of the celebrations to mark the day tomorrow
An exhibition of photographs of sparrows and the release of 2,000 balloons with ‘Save the Bird’ messages in 14 languages will form part of the celebrations to mark the day tomorrow
At a Goregaon mall on Sunday, shopper Sanjay Pithwa was a happy father. His 12-year-old son Rutik had just chosen a sparrow nest box as a gift rather than a PS2.
“Doing his bit to help care for birds will make my son sensitive and humane. In fact, with World Sparrow Day being observed on Tuesday, this is a meaningful gift he picked. It’s made me so happy that I will spread the word in my society,” said Pithwa who lives in Andheri.
Pithwa had just stepped out of the stall run by an NGO, Nature Forever Society (NFS), that sells sparrow nest boxes and bird feeders, and helps create awareness about the tiny household birds.
In 2010, the society decided to observe March 20 as World Sparrow Day to create awareness about the bird whose numbers are dwindling, according to its founder, Mohammed Dilawar.
This year, to mark the day, NFS will hold an exhibition of photographs of sparrows from across the world at Maharashtra Nature Park, Dharavi, till March 31.
Several citizens will also be observing the desi-initiated World Sparrow Day on Tuesday . Thane housewife Subhashree Rath said, “For six months I’ve been feeding sparrows at my window. From two, the number of birds has risen to nine. Now, on the eve of WSD, I have bought a proper bird feeder. Hopefully, it will attract more sparrows to our window.”
In Santacruz, Swati Popat Vats, president of Podar Education Network, said, “Beginning Tuesday we have planned week-long activities to get pre-schoolers interested in birds, includes counting sparrows at their homes. There will be a puppet show detailing the life of sparrows and kids will be taught to make ‘sparrow masks’. We will also encourage them to gift sparrow nest boxes and bird feeders as return birthday gifts.”
In Dharavi, the day will be celebrated in a colourful manner. Teachers and students of Chhatrapati Shivaji Vidyalaya and members of Sparrow’s Shelter will be joined by around 2,000 local residents who will release 2,000 gas balloons exactly at 12 noon. “The balloons will sport origami birds with the message “Save the Birds” printed on them in 14 languages,” said Pramod Mane, founder of Sparrow’s Shelter.
Also on Tuesday, the NFS will felicitate four individuals/groups for helping conserve nature. Among them is an Adivasi school from Kutch, which is fighting to save the native forestry from the onslaught of the charcoal mafias.
Closer home, a group of nature lovers in Thane called The Green Umbrella, will be felicitated for their efforts to save native trees. The gradual decline in number of native trees is a major reason for the dwindling of sparrows, explained Dilawar.
At its photo exhibition, NFS will also call upon individuals and organisations to monitor small birds including sparrows, and coordinate with them to create a wider data base.
At present, there is no national study on the status of small birds, but Bombay Natural History Society is creating a database. “We are in the process of setting up an interactive website where anybody interested in conservation of sparrows and other small birds can contact us. Those involved in surveys can email us their data so that we can compile a nationwide database,” said Atul Sathe, PRO, BNHS.
TIPS FOR BIRD LOVERS
» Take care while choosing nest boxes. Gaudy colours, for example, attract predators like mynahs who eat sparrow eggs
» Take care while choosing nest boxes. Gaudy colours, for example, attract predators like mynahs who eat sparrow eggs
» The opening to the nest box should be big enough to allow only the sparrow – and no other bird – to enter
» Besides grain, keep a small bowl of water and clean it every day
» Don’t use pesticides or other chemicals on nearby plants or trees as these kill insects on which the birds feed
* Mohammed Dilawar, founder of Nature Forever Society, holds a nest box (left) and a feeder for sparrows, which can be hung near houses