Helping conserve the winged beauties

HYDERABAD:  He had an interest in birds since his childhood. What started as a passion became a daily routine for 35-year-old Rama Chandra Reddy for the past six years. He places wooden boxes on a tree adjacent to his home for birds to lay eggs and raise their hatchlings. Once they grow up and fly away, another bird builds a nest and the process repeats. 15 boxes have been placed on the tree near his home in Malkajgiri, with an occupancy ratio of 70 percent, primarily comprising sparrows and mynahs. And that’s not all. His farmhouse on the city outskirts has hens of American and German breed, guineafowl, different varieties of pigeons, ducks, and more!

“Birds carry berry seeds and drop them at different places. Trees grow in those areas. Therefore, birds help create mini-forests. 60 percent of forests exist because of birds. Moreover, in today’s fast-paced lives, the chirping sounds of birds are a natural stress-buster,” Ram says with a smile.On the shrinking population of sparrows, he says that more needs to be done instead of observing just a single day (World Sparrow Day on March 20) every year to bring awareness on the issue. To that effect, he says he would be distributing the wooden boxes for free to school kids.

“Because at that age, they need to know about the importance of protecting birds. We would speak to school principals and hold classes and awareness workshops beginning March 20, 2018, and will continue doing it at least once every month across schools in the state. Conservation must be on a daily basis,” he adds.Instances of pollution leading to poor visibility and chaos on city roads will only rise in the future, he warns. But there is reason for hope. “Nowadays, people are putting bowls of water on apartment terraces. This is such a relief for birds in summer. More people must come forward and do the same,” he says.

“I also place sunflower seeds, other grains and water for sparrows, mynahs and pigeons and chapati, non-vegetarian food for crows on a daily basis. They relish it,” he says with a twinkle. 
Does the eternal cleaning of bird droppings get on his nerves? “Not really. In a way, you have to treat them like your children. We clean the terrace every couple of days, so that is not a big issue. And moreover, my family supports me wholeheartedly in this initiative. When I am away travelling, my wife takes care of the birds,” he adds.

Born and brought up in Hyderabad, Ram works in the construction sector. He calls upon the government to bring all the bird lovers under a common platform and encourage them by providing the required resources to enable and further boost conservation efforts. Dodo was hunted to extinction over three centuries ago. If we desire to have our future generations see a house sparrow flutter its wings and chirp and not just study about it in a textbook, now is the time to do something for them. Those wishing to get the boxes and other birding tips can contact Ram on 91601 13322.