Small birds flock to city’s own Jurong ….Sudeshna Chatterjee
An enclosure that only allows birds and butterflies in has become home to a number of wild birds that naturalists say are slowly disappearing from the city
An enclosure that only allows birds and butterflies in has become home to a number of wild birds that naturalists say are slowly disappearing from the city
Bird enthusiasts and naturalists in the city are thrilled that dozens of sparrows, robins, mynahs and other small birds have begun visiting Madhukar Sarpotdar Udyan, a garden in Santacruz (E) that was intended to be the city’s version of Jurong Bird Garden. Set up four months ago, the enclosure in the garden were built to conserve and protect tiny wild birds, whose numbers have been drastically dropping.
Former corporator from Vakola, Sanjay Potnis, who took the initiative to develop the garden, said the reason these birds have begun migrating is the garden’s unique feature – a large dome in the centre that only allows small birds in. “The birds are safe and comfortable inside,” said Potnis. “There are colourful bird feeders and houses hung inside the enclosure and a few outside, with different kinds of plants and bird feed.”
Potnis said he was struck by the need to conserve these small birds after a visit to Jurong last year. As soon as he returned, he approached Pramod Mane, a bird lover who has been building shelters for five years. Together with the current corporator and wife Sunayana Potnis, they drew up plans to develop the garden.
“The garden is just over an acre and the number of small birds that have migrated to the garden is impressive,” said a visitor of the garden. “These birds area slowly dying and we hardly see them in the city anymore.”
Mane said, “The entire dome is very colourful and aesthetic. There are white bird houses for Bulbuls, and green and pink ones for sparrows. All the shelters are made of recycled wood procured from Dharavi scrap dealers. There also sheets of fibre that outline the dome, so it remains cool and shady inside.” He said that there are three separate shelters for the mynahs, since they tend to be very aggressive birds.
A number of butterflies have also begun making their way to the garden. So far, the lime butterfly, the common mormon, the common jay and the tailed jay have been spotted feeding on the nectar of the plants in the garden.
Naturalist Chaitanya Keer, who was responsible for selecting the plants to be kept in the dome, said “There are red and yellow Ghaneri (Lantana camera) and blue Porterweed (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis). These flowers are rich in nectar and this attracts both birds and butterflies.”
Special plants were chosen to attract different kinds of birds. The purple rumped sunbird feeds on nectar and the red vented bulbul and the oriental magpie robin feed on insects found on certain plants. “Similarly, the grass growing in the enclosure also attracts grasshoppers that baby sparrows feed on.”
Sunayana Potnis added, “We are planning to create a fountain after the monsoon, that will attract Kingfishers and Muniyas.” Sanjay Potnis added that by the end of the year, they plan to bring in foreign, peoplefriendly birds like Macaus, so that people can see them and take photographs with them.
The dome in the centre of the garden only allows tiny birds to enter and leave it. Several shelters and bird feeders are hung on the inside
The species of birds that visit the park include sparrows (above), magpie robins (below) and mynahs(bottom), as well as bulbuls and many species of butterflies