A wooden box. That’s all you need to help revive a long-embattled species, and this group of four friends is more than happy to help.
Though they have full-time occupations in four separate industries, Chennai-based Navaneetha Kannan, Pavithra Kumari, Sairam Krishnan and Ansari have been taking time out to build and distribute simple, makeshift birdhouses — which they call nest boxes — for people to put on their balconies, gardens or wherever they choose. They call their outfit Singing Sparrows.
It’s a simple solution, but it can make a difference. Sparrows don’t really ask for much: just a basic, liveable environment and a safe space to nest. Radiation from mobile towers and the lack of green spaces in cities have increasingly deprived them of even that. “We can’t do anything about the first problem, but we do have a way to counter the second,” says Krishnan, explaining the thought process behind the initiative. It was the brainchild of Kannan, who, being a Nature enthusiast, had long been perturbed by the dwindling numbers of sparrows.
“We first began giving these nests away as gifts to guests at a friend’s wedding,” says Krishnan, adding, “A number of people told us that sparrows have returned, and are nesting in them. Some have been getting back to us even today, months later, having just put the nests up.”
A rise in neighbourhood sightings is not a bad starting point, though the problem is much larger. The declining population of sparrows in urban settings has been a concern for Nature enthusiasts and environmentalists for years, but action hasn’t been all that proactive.
“We began our sparrow rehabilitation efforts over seven years ago, but it isn’t a standalone project,” says Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI) founder Arun Krishnamurthy. EFI’s core work revolves around restoration of water bodies, a task where one cannot ignore sightings — or lack thereof — of sparrows. The bird plays a vital role in the world of environmental conservation, which is why the Singing Sparrows initiative is noteworthy.
“Sparrows are an indicator species; you can gauge the health of a water body by their presence or absence in the surroundings,” explains Krishnamurthy, “People have been noticing the drop in population for years, but because there is no official census of local birds like these, we don’t have numbers to go by. Even if we begin keeping tabs, we have no way of looking back to compare if their numbers are rising or falling.”
With no data available to quantify the problem, local sightings are the only indication to go by. And the feedback received by Singing Sparrows suggests that sightings are increasing, as is the enthusiasm of local communities.
“We have given out 850 boxes till date,” says Krishnan. “A box takes just ₹250 to make, and we give them out for free,” he says, adding that they might charge a basic fee for bulk orders.
What began as an idea seven months ago has now turned into a passion project. During the week, Kannan works for a logistics firm, Kumari in a technology company, Ansari as an interior designer and Krishnan as an artist manager. Their weekends revolve around Singing Sparrows. While the rest of the team handles marketing, publicity and the like — they are toying with the idea of an event to spread word and take it to the next level — Ansari makes the boxes in his interior design studio.
His design is simple: wooden boxes with a hole just small enough for sparrows to flit through. The only requirements are entry of fresh air and food, and safety from predators. The sparrows handle the rest.