Representative image of sparrows.
Credit: iStock photo
My wife and I were engrossed in a TV programme in our room, enjoying the relief provided by the ceiling fan running full speed on a scorching summer day. The sound of fluttering wings and ceaseless chirping outside caught our attention, and we peeped through the window to see a couple of sparrows perched on the compound, chirping away.
“Let them be there,” my spouse said with a smile. “No problem. They just keep chirping, and that’s wonderful.”
Just then, the sparrows flew into the room through the window and perched on the windowsill, fluttering their wings and chirping incessantly. I wasn’t bothered by their presence or the chirping, but the revolving ceiling fan at high speed made me anxious. I feared they might fly across the room, hit the fan, and get hurt.
The thought made me tense, so I immediately rose from my chair and switched off the fan. The fan stopped. As I feared, the sparrows began flying across the room, chirping ceaselessly. I tried to shoo them off, but it was no use. The room was stuffy, and both of us were sweating profusely.
My wife looked uncomfortable, so I opened the main door, hoping fresh air would flow in and the sparrows would fly out. However, they landed on a flower vase and continued chirping, refusing to exit through the main door. They flew back to the windowsill, still chirping, and I sat down, unsure how to drive them away. I kept gazing at them.
Twenty minutes passed, and we were transfixed by the chirping sparrows. With the television switched off, their chirping interrupted the silence that was pervading the room. We just waited.
Finally, they flew out of the open window, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I switched on the ceiling fan, feeling grateful that the sparrows had been saved from potential harm. “Thank God,” I muttered to myself.
Standing on the verandah, I listened to the melodious chirping of the sparrows perched on a nearby tree, feeling satisfied that I’d played a small part in saving these birds, which are rapidly vanishing from urban spaces.
Their declining numbers, due to urbanisation, pesticide use, and loss of nesting spaces, are a concern. It is our collective responsibility to save them from extinction.