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I love Nagercoil! I wrote about Nagercoil cutting on plastic usage in these posts, here because of the efforts taken by the Nagercoil Collector. He had written what steps he had taken to implement it. A person who came from that place said that they are still following it!
Now, this article has made me to think of visiting this place, Nagercoil, soon. I would love to visit this market where they respect this bird and facilitate their numbers to grow!
A haven for sparrows...this article came in The Hindu, yesterday! I was so happy reading the article...still some good people are there who just don't go after money and be selfish all the time. These people are pampering the small birds to live among them, in so many ways. Now, to some interesting parts of the article:
The first thing a customer will notice at a mega vegetable market here is the constant flutter of sparrows that have found a new and safe home here.
Yes, my mother also used to say that. She used to throw some rice and wheat in the balcony. We used to watch sparrows feed on them when we were small children. I followed it later. I used to throw some rice on the dining table before leaving for office for the sparrows to eat. They had built a nest in the attic in some cardboard box. We were worried most of the time, to switch on the fan lest the birds fly here and there inside the room! When I was in Bangalore, I used to throw some wheat in the balcony and made my children watch them (they were very small then!) so that I could finish some work peacefully!
I saw some sparrows at Rameshwaram and was so happy to hear their chirpings, after a long time! I took a photograph immediately...I know that I might not see them often hereafter, here, in Chennai...well, I saw a lone bird at Shastri Nagar, Adyar, a few months back, though!
What can we do to bring back the birds? They too are like us, living beings.
.
Edited to add, after a few hours: I read this article just now! Bird lovers might be interested to know!
I remembered about one more post of mine, about a village which pampers migratory birds. The post is here.
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| WELCOME PAIR: Sparrows searching for worms and insects among discarded vegetables at the APPTA market in Nagercoil. |
Now, this article has made me to think of visiting this place, Nagercoil, soon. I would love to visit this market where they respect this bird and facilitate their numbers to grow!
A haven for sparrows...this article came in The Hindu, yesterday! I was so happy reading the article...still some good people are there who just don't go after money and be selfish all the time. These people are pampering the small birds to live among them, in so many ways. Now, to some interesting parts of the article:
The first thing a customer will notice at a mega vegetable market here is the constant flutter of sparrows that have found a new and safe home here.
Quite surprisingly,
this tiny species, which faces a threat elsewhere because of a host of
factors, is thriving here. Sparrows nest on wooden, bamboo and paper
boxes and clay pots fixed on the walls and roofs of the shops and feed
on seeds of coriander plants, worms and caterpillars emerging out of
decayed vegetables and fruits.
It is estimated that
about 400 pairs of sparrows have occupied the complex, in which the
market run by Agriculture Products Producers and Traders’ Association
(APPTA) is located.
Since 2007, when the initiative
to help the sparrow population began, organisations like Rotary Club
have supplied several boxes, but many more are needed.
Conversion of tiled-roof houses into concrete buildings,
conversion of backyard wells — a traditional nesting site — into septic
tanks, lack of feeding ground, proliferation of motor vehicles and
noise pollution are some of the factors that have greatly reduced the
sparrow population in Kanyakumari district. (Not only there, but all over the cities).
“Even though the sparrow population has survived these
ravages, I can see that their breeding rate is not as high as in the
past. Pesticides and insecticides also have a deadly impact on the
species,” said Mr Davidson.
A regular watcher of
sparrows will clearly notice that the sparrows living in the APPTA
complex are slightly bigger in size than their cousins elsewhere. The
constant supply of fodder in the form of worms and insects that
accompany the loads of vegetables, fruits, banana leaves and green
vegetables is cited as a reason for the presence of healthy sparrows.
“I
am used to having sparrows in my shop even when I managed a shop in
Vadasery market. When I shifted here, I put up a box and almost
immediately a few birds moved in,” said B.T. Boopathy, an areca nut
merchant. He regularly feeds the birds with millets.
So
protective of these birds are these traders that many of them even
avoid rolling down the shutters of their shop lest they disturb any
nest. In this part of the State, the sparrow itself is referred to asadaikkalam kuruvi
(sparrow of refuge) as it is believed that the bird seeks refuge in human habitations.
Also,
an age-old belief that the sparrow is a symbol of prosperity has also
encouraged the traders to grant asylum to these birds.
Yes, my mother also used to say that. She used to throw some rice and wheat in the balcony. We used to watch sparrows feed on them when we were small children. I followed it later. I used to throw some rice on the dining table before leaving for office for the sparrows to eat. They had built a nest in the attic in some cardboard box. We were worried most of the time, to switch on the fan lest the birds fly here and there inside the room! When I was in Bangalore, I used to throw some wheat in the balcony and made my children watch them (they were very small then!) so that I could finish some work peacefully!
I saw some sparrows at Rameshwaram and was so happy to hear their chirpings, after a long time! I took a photograph immediately...I know that I might not see them often hereafter, here, in Chennai...well, I saw a lone bird at Shastri Nagar, Adyar, a few months back, though!
What can we do to bring back the birds? They too are like us, living beings.
.
Edited to add, after a few hours: I read this article just now! Bird lovers might be interested to know!
I remembered about one more post of mine, about a village which pampers migratory birds. The post is here.