Good Samaritans share their experiences on World Sparrow Day
A small garden near the Elliot’s Beach police booth is at the
centre of attraction in Besant Nagar, every day.
Normally, the kilometre-long road along the beach is busy
from 5.30 a.m., with walkers and joggers frequenting the place.
Once the people get back home, tiny birds come out and spend
some time in the garden, foraging for feed. All thanks to the efforts of
Sadhana Rajkumar, a resident of 28 Cross Street, Besant Nagar, who has taken
pains to earmark the space for feeding the birds.
Sharing her experience with The Hindu on the occasion of
World Sparrow Day, Ms. Rajkumar said with support and encouragement from a
Corporation assistant commissioner, she developed a sparrow garden in a small
area in front of the police booth at the beach.
“We have put up a separate enclosure for these birds with
water and space for mud bath. Everyday,
between 7.45 a.m. and 8.30 a.m., I bring a jar of foxtail millet to feed the
sparrows that come to the garden.”
Feeding sparrows has become an everyday ritual and part of
her lifestyle. It is a pleasure to see the sparrows taking to the nest boxes,
she said. “Watching sparrows come and spend some time in the garden is a sight
to behold,” she said.
If this is the case in Besant Nagar, in Virugambakkam, G. Mullaivanam
of Tree Bank Trust is distributing sparrow homes free of cost to bird lovers.
Mr. Mullaivanam said his organisation began free distribution
of sparrow homes on March 1. A total of 475 homes have been distributed by
their Trust in Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts.
K.V. Sudhakar, president, Madras Naturalists’ Society, said
with increased awareness among city residents over the past few years, the
sparrow population has increased considerably.
Sparrows are seen across several localities in the city,
especially in north Chennai.
Many people show a keen interest in feeding grains and water
to these tiny birds, which has helped in boosting their numbers, he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment