It is "international sparrow day", there couldn't have been a better opportunity to pen down my own romance with the house sparrow in the last few years I have stayed at home working on my thesis.
The one problem I have been reading about and hearing from my ornithologist friends is that the houses are no more constructed in the way they used to be which has been the cause of dwindling numbers of house sparrows, who make their nests in the "roshandaans" and other convenient corners of the house.
Hailing from Lucknow and having lived in houses designed to use natural light and air, my father-in-law has constructed his little abode in a similar fashion, albeit, with modern amenities. Every room has a "roshandaan" which not only brings in morning light and air but also some rains to my utter discomfort.
Yet I haven't been able to seal them off, for I do not want to rid myself off of the pure joy of being woken up by the chirruping house sparrows everyday. Yes these airy spaces have been occupied rent-free by my lovely friends who have made their little nests.
Every season we wait for them, see them slowly bringing their twigs and other available material and soon the nest is made. In a few days time the little ones start chirruping. There have been very tense moments when these little birdies learning to fly would land themselves in the rain pipes and all of us would breathlessly wonder how she could be saved, too scared of us she would go deeper into the pipe and too scared of her mother who would be ready to attack us, watching from the terrace, we would stand helplessly, until the mother (house sparrow) went in and brought out her little one. Mothers know best. There have been several summer days spent with the fan off and sweat rolling down our foreheads as the dear little birdie would land herself on the fan and for the fear she may be hurt or even die, we would switch off the fan and wait for her to find her way out.
The house sparrow has not only kept me occupied in watching her young ones and changing the water bowl everyday which we have placed for her and her little family, she has also given an added responsibility to my maid of cleaning up my almirah which she gleefully uses it as her open toilet. The maid cleans up the mess murmuring "why don't they go elsewhere?"
Soon the little birdies are also gone and nest is abandoned........we don't remove it....we know she will soon be back again next season.
The one problem I have been reading about and hearing from my ornithologist friends is that the houses are no more constructed in the way they used to be which has been the cause of dwindling numbers of house sparrows, who make their nests in the "roshandaans" and other convenient corners of the house.
Hailing from Lucknow and having lived in houses designed to use natural light and air, my father-in-law has constructed his little abode in a similar fashion, albeit, with modern amenities. Every room has a "roshandaan" which not only brings in morning light and air but also some rains to my utter discomfort.
Yet I haven't been able to seal them off, for I do not want to rid myself off of the pure joy of being woken up by the chirruping house sparrows everyday. Yes these airy spaces have been occupied rent-free by my lovely friends who have made their little nests.
Every season we wait for them, see them slowly bringing their twigs and other available material and soon the nest is made. In a few days time the little ones start chirruping. There have been very tense moments when these little birdies learning to fly would land themselves in the rain pipes and all of us would breathlessly wonder how she could be saved, too scared of us she would go deeper into the pipe and too scared of her mother who would be ready to attack us, watching from the terrace, we would stand helplessly, until the mother (house sparrow) went in and brought out her little one. Mothers know best. There have been several summer days spent with the fan off and sweat rolling down our foreheads as the dear little birdie would land herself on the fan and for the fear she may be hurt or even die, we would switch off the fan and wait for her to find her way out.
Soon the little birdies are also gone and nest is abandoned........we don't remove it....we know she will soon be back again next season.
