Going by the statement that birds of the same feather flock together, sparrows find a home in every housing society in the satellite city. But the sparrow community had flown away with as the radiation from TV antennas was getting too much for them.
World sparrow day is an occasion to create awareness of the house sparrow and other common birds to urban environments and of threats to their populations observed on March 20. However, greenery surrounding with bamboo bushes in housing societies can help out the cause and bring more birds and avoid the extinction of sparrow in the two decades. As a senior citizen, I am able to propagate the importance of preserving the endangered species and bring more sparrows to the bamboo garden in the vicinity. The society provides enough greenery for the survival of this species of birds.
World Sparrow Day is an international initiative by the Nature Forever Society of India in collaboration with the Eco-Sys Action Foundation and numerous other national and international organisations across the world. The Nature Forever Society was started by Mohammed Dilawar, an Indian conservationist who started his work helping the house sparrow in Nashik and who was named one of the “Heroes of the Environment” for 2008 by time for his efforts. The idea of marking a World Sparrow Day came up during an informal discussion at the Nature Forever Society’s office. The idea was to earmark a day for the house sparrow to convey the message of conservation of the house sparrow and other common birds and also mark a day of celebration to appreciate the beauty of the common biodiversity which is taken so much for granted. The first World Sparrow Day was celebrated in 2010 in different regions of the world. The day was celebrated by carrying out by various kinds of activities and events like art competitions, awareness campaigns and sparrow processions as well as interactions with the media.
World Sparrow Day also has a broader vision to provide a platform where people who are working on the conservation of the house sparrow and other common birds can network, collaborate and exchange conservation ideas which will lead to better science and improved results. It aims to provide a meeting ground for people from different parts of the world to come together and form a force that can play an important role in advocacy and in spreading the awareness on the need of conserving common biodiversity or species of lower conservation status. As a resident of Sanpada, with a garden view in front of our flats, we are able to bring in more feathered birds including sparrows to have their nests among us. Both food and water is provided to them to help out the cause and bring the sparrow to come to our doorsteps.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
