He wakes up to the song of 200 sparrows every day
Rohith BR | TNN | Mar 20, 2016, 09.12 AM IST
Bengaluru: Today if you want to see sparrows in Bengaluru, the best
place to go is Gospel Street in St Thomas Town near Lingarajpuram. You
will be welcomed by chirping of hundreds of sparrows around the house of
Edwin Joseph, a retired BEML employee - as if all the sparrows that
have vanished from Bengaluru, have assembled here.
Fondly known as the "Sparrow man" in the neighborhood, Edwin, 65, has been nurturing the sparrows for years. And his house compound is nothing short of a bird sanctuary with over 200 sparrows assembling there every day.
While the little birds have been slowly disappearing over the past few decades owing to rapid urbanization, the number of sparrows visiting Edwin's house has been going up.
"It was abou t 12 years ago. My wife, Sarah, saw a few sparrows in our compound to feed on the disposed off rice granules and enjoy the tree shade. We started loving them and started putting more grains. And their numbers started growing. Once we constructed a house at a vacant space, I realized, the birds can't survive without tree cover. I planted saplings which grew up to give them shelter at night. Today I wake up to the chirping of hundreds of sparrows," he added.
Sarah, 65, explains they have put up artificial nest like pot so that sparrows can lay eggs, and 10 feeders wherein they can feed their little ones. "Also, we have created a rain shelter for them. We have a schedule to feed them, like grains at 7 am, rice and chapati at 9 am, snacks like mixture at 11 am, etc. We also give them Indian sweets. This schedule will help people who occupy the house after we pass away," she added.
Edwin terms his act a part of humanity and that there's nothing special about it. "To bring back sparrows to Bengaluru, we should take out some time to care for them. Keeping little food (grains) and water outside your house and balconies can invite birds. If people say they don't have time for this, I think it's a stupid excuse," he added.
Fondly known as the "Sparrow man" in the neighborhood, Edwin, 65, has been nurturing the sparrows for years. And his house compound is nothing short of a bird sanctuary with over 200 sparrows assembling there every day.
While the little birds have been slowly disappearing over the past few decades owing to rapid urbanization, the number of sparrows visiting Edwin's house has been going up.
"It was abou t 12 years ago. My wife, Sarah, saw a few sparrows in our compound to feed on the disposed off rice granules and enjoy the tree shade. We started loving them and started putting more grains. And their numbers started growing. Once we constructed a house at a vacant space, I realized, the birds can't survive without tree cover. I planted saplings which grew up to give them shelter at night. Today I wake up to the chirping of hundreds of sparrows," he added.
Sarah, 65, explains they have put up artificial nest like pot so that sparrows can lay eggs, and 10 feeders wherein they can feed their little ones. "Also, we have created a rain shelter for them. We have a schedule to feed them, like grains at 7 am, rice and chapati at 9 am, snacks like mixture at 11 am, etc. We also give them Indian sweets. This schedule will help people who occupy the house after we pass away," she added.
Edwin terms his act a part of humanity and that there's nothing special about it. "To bring back sparrows to Bengaluru, we should take out some time to care for them. Keeping little food (grains) and water outside your house and balconies can invite birds. If people say they don't have time for this, I think it's a stupid excuse," he added.
The Sparrow Man has become a source of inspiration for neighbours. "We bring children of our relatives to Edwin's house to introduce them to the real sparrows, which are missing in Bengaluru. His love for birds is immense and he does create awareness among residents," said Surendra P, a bank manager.
Edwin said he has open invitation for the public to visit his house and see the sparrow world. "I don't want anything in return. Even I have written to the BBMP commissioner asking him to visit the place so that we can spread the message to save sparrows for future," he added on the eve of World Sparrow Day (March 20)
COMMENT:- MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WAS ABOUT A SPARROW COUPLE WHO USED TO HAVE A NATURAL NEST/A HOLE IN THE WALL NEXT TO MY BEDROOM
THOUGH I NEVER FED IT SOMEHOW THE BIRD KNEW ABOUT ME AND MANY TIMES RECOGNISED MY PRESENCE
OVER 5 YEARS IT HAD BECOME A CONSTANT FRIEND
House sparrow singing sound ! - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jsbG9iAvDU
Apr 15, 2012 - Uploaded by Rangoli Designs - Folk Art of India "रंगोली - भारतीय लोक कला "
House Sparrow singing sound effect u can find it singing in three tones ... Nature Sounds | Birdsong, Sparrows ...SUDDENLY ONE YEAR A MYNAH COUPLE APPEARED AT THE NEST AND TRIED TO DRIVE AWAY THE SPARROWS
I TOOK SIDE OF THE SPARROWS AND SHOOED AWAY THE MYNAHS.
SPARROWS THOUGH SMALL IS INTELLIGENT ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND THAT I WAS ON THEIR SIDE
SPARROWS FINISHED THE NESTING SEASON AND DISAPPEARED FOR A FEW MONTHS ;MYNAHS TOOK OVER THE EMPTY NEST I DIDNOT OBJECT
NEXT YEAR WHEN IT WAS TIME FOR NESTING THE SPARROWS REAPPEARED AND TRIED TO RETAKE THE NEST FROM THE MYNAHS
THIS LED TO REGULAR CACOPHONY OF ANGRY CHIRPING BY SPARROWS AND COUNTER UTTERANCES AND SCREAMS BY MYNAHS IN THE NEST
THIS LOUD ARGUMENT BECAME SO LOUD AND A DAILY FEATURE OF A FEW HOURS NEAR MY WINDOW;SO I THOUGHT I MUST TAKE SIDES AND TOOK SIDE OF THE ORIGINAL OWNER -THE SPARROWS .
I STARTED MAKING NOISES TO SHOUT AWAY THE MYNAHS .BOTH SPARROWS AND MYNAHS IMMEDIATELY UNDERSTOOD THAT I AM TAKING SIDES .MYNAHS REMAINED FOR A FEW DAYS MORE AND LEFT BECAUSE THE EGGS WERE NOT LAID ,
TWO DAYS LATER MYNAHS SUDDENLY DECIDED TO RETURN AND TAKE OVER SPARROW'S NEST.I WAS IN THE NEXT ROOM BUT SPARROWS CAME TO THE NEXT ROOM WINDOW AND STARTED MAKING A LOT OF NOISE ,AND I UNDERSTOOD THEY ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT SOMETHING.I WENT TO THE THE OTHER WINDOW AND FOUND THE MYNAHS HAVE TAKEN OVER THE NEST FROM SPARROWS.I SHOOED MYNAHS AWAY ,BUT TO MY SURPRISE MYNAHS CAME TO MAKE A LOT OF NOISE AT THE NEXT WINDOW .IT WAS THE WAY THEY COMPLAINT ABOUT MY PARTIALITY TO THE SPARROWS. MYNAHS WENT ON MAKING A LOT OF NOISE AT ALL WINDOWS BUT LEFT FEW DAYS LATER
TO MAKE THIS REAL STORY SHORT :- THE HOLE IN THE WALL WAS CLOSED BUILDING WORKERS WHILE PAINTING THE WALL .
NOW IT WAS MY TURN TO HEAR THE CHIRPING OF SPARROWS AND SCREAMS OF THE MYNAHS TOGETHER,NEAR MY WINDOW .THEY WERE BOTH PROTESTING THE COVERING UP OF THE HOLE IN THE WALL BY PAINTERS .WHAT I CAN DO ?
THE MYNAHS WERE AROUND TILL LAST MONTH SCREAMING AT ME .
NOW IT SEEMS THEY ALSO LEFT
I LEARNED A LESSON
NOT TO TAKE SIDES WHEN A SPARROW OR MYNAH MAKES A NEST
================================================
"I can talk, can you fly?"; Amazing talking Mynah "Kaleo ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CoxnUe49ZA
Sep 13, 2008 - Uploaded by cmhhawaii
"Kaleo" is a common mynah bird I rescued off the ground when he was about 3 days old. Now, over a year ...
No comments:
Post a Comment