My experiment with sparrows: Irfan Ali Shah column

By: Irfan Ali Shah

A month back our immediate new neighbours started dismantling old one-storey structure to construct a new house on modern architectural lines, and I was really overjoyed to have a very veteran bureaucrat of erstwhile J&K State as my immediate next door neighbour, to the extent I requested them to pace up the work. But my joy turned into anxiousness, as I observed a small house sparrow nest perched in between one of the side walls of the said house, with mother sparrow often making visits to the probable nestlings inside very frequently.

I immediately informed the labourers on work some days back about it and requested them to take care of the nest, which they promised to do. However, I started getting apprehensive, so much so that two days back the labourer there informed me that they will take out the nest and place it on a brick mound in their premises. I raised issue of cat or other animal devouring the nestlings.

Then yesterday morning I inspected my ground floor outside walls of my home and I found a small space near the exhaust wall of a common wash, facing the to be demolished nest wall of the neighbours (means mother sparrow will easily locate the new nest location) and also was East facing(means early morning moderate sun will fall on the nest). I immediately collected moderately dry lawn grass and twigs and with the help of the small ladder, I placed this nest material in the void.

Meanwhile, labourers very meticulously and with great care brought out the nest which was in a winter firewood chimney type enclosure with a outer cover. It was placed on the nest material I had set as a base. I was praying to God to help mother sparrow discover the new location of the nest, as nestlings can live only 24 hrs without food.

As evening set in, I again made a visit to the nest site and to my great relief I saw both the parent sparrows perched on top of the nest. I went closer and they started hovering over my head,indicating thereby they have taken the charge and I could hear the innocent chirping of the nestlings inside.But my worries did not end here.

At midnight, I was awakened by the crackling sound of the thundering clouds and fast blowing winds. I got up and looked out through the window. The night was dark and black.My first thought was about hatchlings in the nest. Will the nest survive the fast winds.Will mother sparrow be with the hatchlings for cuddling and warmth. I was restless.

Today morning at the break of the dawn, I immediately rushed to the nest side and saw the mother sparrow perched on the nearby apple tree and I heard the chirping of the hatchlings inside. They had survived the home shifting, dark night, fierce winds etc. I rejoiced at this sight and it made my day.It reminds me of the famous lines from the famed Kashmiri sufi Saint-poet philospher, Hazrat Sheikh Ul Alam (R.A) : Ghar wandhai ghar saasa, bur neer ha ni zah. (Home, I will sacrifice thousand homes for you, and I never want to leave your door.)

(The writer is Conservator of Forests, Central Circle, Forest Department, J&K)