Initiative to bring back disappearing bird starts showing signs of success

Initiative to bring back disappearing bird starts showing signs of success

J Arockiaraj,TNN | Jun 30, 2014, 02.29 AM IST

MADURAI: In a promising sign for nature lovers, a pair of sparrows started nesting in an artificial nest placed in a house at Sangeeth Nagar near Kudal Nagar on the outskirts of the city. House sparrow, once a common bird in every household, is a rare sight in large cities these days. 

The small bird that always co-existed with human beings finding abandoned corners in houses to build their nests and raise their young, started disappearing since most present-day houses do not have such convenient nooks. Experts also feel that increasing radiation from mobile phone towers is another potent cause for their disappearance. Hoping to bring them back into residential areas, the Green Club of American College in the city, supported by a Gujarat-based NGO Mahiru, distributed hundreds of sparrow nests to the public encouraging them to place in their houses. 

Among these nests placed, a pair of sparrows started nesting in Keren Judy's house much to the delight of the family. "We have waited for a long time for these birds to stay. Initially they were making sporadic visits but soon started staying in the box at night. 

Recently we saw that they started accumulating nesting materials like feathers and straws in the box," the assistant professor of commerce in the American College said. The family feeds the birds and six sparrows visit their house for food and two of them are staying in the artificial nest. "It is a nice feeling to wake up to their chirping every morning. We are immensely happy with our winged companions", Judy said. 

M Rajesh, assistant professor of zoology and coordinator of sparrow nest programme said that it was very positive sign since it could reveal that sparrows prefer artificial nest for breeding. "We have distributed hundreds of such artificial nests and it is first incident of birds nesting," he said. The green club distributed nests last September, December and March this year. Sparrows are extremely cautious about their nesting place and take a long time to be convinced that a particular place is safe enough to give birth. "The key here is patience and many who collected the nests are frustrated as they failed to see any sparrow coming to the nest. They will take their time to investigate the place and if they feel that the spot is safe and free of disturbance they will definitely nest these. The recent nesting is the best example," he added.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/Initiative-to-bring-back-disappearing-bird-starts-showing-signs-of-success/articleshow/37488052.cms