Chennai

Santhosh Narayanan, a Thiruvanmiyur resident, was pleasantly surprised to spot a flock of sparrows outside his apartment. “Last Saturday, Sunday and Monday, at around 5.30 p.m., these birds came close to my place. I have never seen a sparrow in this locality all these years and wasted no time in photographing them. They can be called a rare species now,” he says.

It’s true, the once ubiquitous bird has turned rare due to urbanisation, forcing most citizens to rely on their childhood memories of it. Vinod N, an HR consultant and resident of Jawahar Nagar, was delighted to spot five of them near his place. “The last time I saw a sparrow was back in 2005; I would see them on my way to school, but they have disappeared over the years,” he says.

According to Save Our Sparrows, a Facebook community started in March 2012, “Sparrows are found in areas like Ambattur, Avadi, Perambur, Ayanavaram, Parrys, Choolaimedu, T Nagar, Aminjikarai, Koyambedu, Porur, Thiruvanmiyur, Tambaram, Chromepet and Poonamallee.” Vijay Kumar, Honorary Secretary of the Madras Naturalists’ Society, says, “Though the population of sparrows is not as much as before, they can still be found in places with tiled roofs, markets and places where food grain is stored. The reason why some people have spotted them during the rain could be because the sparrows’ regular spots would have been flooded and they were looking for refuge in safer places.”

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