Patna (Bihar): Every day before the first rays of the rising sun touch his apartment located in Kankarbagh area of Bihar's Patna, Sanjay Kumar Sinha refills the dishes and water feeders he has fixed at his balcony for the flock of house sparrows - a tiny bird species on the verge of extinction - who are regular visitors at his residence.
Sinha along with his wife repeats the same exercise every evening to ensure an endless supply of food and water for these birds.
"There is a constant flow of sparrows from morning till night. In the morning, between 5 and 6, they come in a flock to eat their meal and then they wander off. I ensure that there is food and water available for these birds around the clock, " Sinha told ETV Bharat.
It all began 13 years ago
It all began in 2007, when Sinha, a public servant associated with the Indian Information Service (IIS) saw a tiny sparrow struggling to get a sip of water from a drainpipe. It was at this moment that he decided to start offering water to these little avians which were followed by food and nest boxes.
Thirteen years down the line and Sinha's balcony now resembles an ideal habitat for the house sparrows, with several nest boxes, beautiful plants, bird dishes and of course water feeders.
"I have been working in this direction since 2007. Once I saw a house sparrow drinking water from a drain pipe connected to the kitchen, which is when I decided to keep water for them, and gradually I started keeping food for them as well. Initially, only a few sparrows would visit but the numbers kept increasing, and when I started reading about them I got to know about their dwindling population, so I decided to keep boxes for them, " said Sinha as he proudly stood at his balcony while several sparrows kept flying in and out.
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Apart from house sparrows, Sinha's balcony is visited by several other kinds of birds, who find refuge in this oasis of sorts.
Sinha's efforts for conservation of house sparrows is not limited to providing food, water and shelter at his balcony, but organising awareness camps across the state, holding photo exhibitions displaying the life of these birds, apart from an application developed by him dedicated to them.
His efforts have inspired several others not just in his locality but across the state with many making similar arrangements at their urban residence.
Less sighting in urban spaces
The ever-reducing nesting spaces, rampant construction, felling of trees are a few reasons why there has been a drastic reduction in the population of the chirping bird, particularly in the urban setups.
Sinha points out that one can still sight a good number of house sparrows in the less populated areas lying in the outskirts of the city, but expresses regret over people not trying enough to help these birds sustain.
"A good number of sparrows exist in the old city areas, but they are not taken care of. The people there do not provide water, food and shelter to these birds. These birds, otherwise, take shelter in trees or shrubs but when it comes to laying eggs, these house sparrows look for shelter in a house inhabited by humans, " said Sinha.
Acknowledgement
Acknowledging his efforts towards the conservation of house sparrows, the Bihar government has awarded him twice.
"Bihar government has awarded me twice for my efforts in conserving these sparrows. The forest ministry also recognised my efforts and state minister Sushil Kumar Modi even presented me with a box nest, " said Sinha.
