Encouraging conservation through a small gesture

Two years ago you could see only a couple of sparrows in V. Jayaram colony, a new extension area in the city adjacent to the Ballari-Hosapete NH 63. Today, hundreds of sparrows treat you to their melodious chirping. Thanks to Edward Martin, an engineer, and his family members for having initiated the process of conservation.

What the residents did is very simple.

They fixed a few boxes with a small hole, given to them by Santosh Martin, a wildlife enthusiast and nature lover, which gave the desired result.

The sparrow population, which was only two a couple of years back, has now got multiplied.

The area has now emerged as a sparrow sanctuary.

“At a time when we are unable to see even one sparrow in the city, seeing them in groups flocking on top of the buildings, on bushes, that too flying here and there freely and hearing their chirping on one hand and seeing people feeding them on the other, is really a treat for us. The boxes kept by us have helped in breeding,” Kiran Martin told

The Hindu . With reinforced cement concrete (RCC) roofs replacing the wooden beam roofs in the urban areas, there has been no place for breeding and this has resulted in sparrows vanishing from the cities.

“To provide a space for the little birds, I got the specially-made boxes from my Mumbai-based friend Mohammed Dilawar, who has spear-headed a ‘save the sparrow’ campaign in India. The results at Jayram colony are very encouraging,” Mr. Martin, who is also the former district Wildlife Warden, said.

Santosh has plans to survey the areas in the city to spot sparrows and encourage its conservation by giving boxes to people.

He can be contacted on 98452 69512.

Residents of V. Jayaram colony are placing small boxes in their houses in a bid to save sparrows