A few months back I read somewhere that the Sparrow has disappeared from the big cities. I realized it was true. I have spent most of my early childhood in small towns where sparrows could be seen everywhere – they were the most common birds around. But now it has been ages since I saw a sparrow. For a few days after that I made a conscious effort to look for sparrows among the birds but failed to see a single one.
One day I tried google and came across a really interesting article on how difficult it is for birds to survive in cities. Not only is it hard for them to find food but also fresh water. The article suggested that we should keep a bowl of water on our balconies or terraces so that the thirsty birds can get water easily. I discussed it with my Mom and we decided to keep a bowl of water and some ‘bajra’ for the birds on our terrace everyday.
The first day when we tried this not a single bird came. We could see the grey pigeons sitting around on trees and telephone lines but they did not honour our terrace with their presence. Mom told me not to lose heart, the birds do not trust humans easily. When I checked in the evening, I saw that most of the bajra was gone! Sometime during the day they had decided to take a chance and check out our humble offering. After that it became a part of our daily routine to keep the bird food and water on the terrace every morning.
The pigeons starting trusting my family slowly and steadily. When we had just started this practice, they did not come for the food or water for a couple of hours after we had put it there. Only after they were convinced that there were no humans (or traps) around did they descend on the terrace. But as time went on, they became familiar with us. Now when I went up to the terrace in the morning I could see them sitting impatiently on the nearby parapets and wires waiting for their food. They flew down the moment they thought I was out of sight. Then over the next few weeks, they did not wait for us to go out of sight but came down the moment we had moved away from the parapet. Now they wait for us on the parapet itself! They also don’t mind if we take a walk around the terrace – they just go on eating without bothering about our presence. They still keep a safe distance though. I wonder how long it would be before they trust us enough to let us touch them.
I should also mention the fights they have among themselves over the food now. There are a few ‘dadas’ among the pigeons who don’t let new pigeons come on ‘their’ terrace. There are sometimes violent fights on the terrace among the pigeons which leaves some of them quite hurt. We have decided not to interfere here – its their jungle law. The surprising thing is that even though the pigeons fight among themselves, they don’t mind other kinds of birds taking a share of their food. The last few days some small brown birds have started coming on the terrace but the pigeons don’t bother them. Nor do they bother the squirrels who have also become regular guests on our terrace now.
This morning I saw a sparrow among the birds! It was much smaller than the other birds – so tiny, just as I remembered it. It came and sat on the parapet, looked over at the bajra, seemed to decide against taking on the big birds, drank some water and flew away. I am unable to put in words how happy that little visit made me feel. I don’t know if she will return tomorrow. I hope she does.
(This is something we should all try at our homes. If not food, at least putting out some water for the birds everyday)
