Birds still croon on trees here

Survival

Small birds have made widely grown trees on either side of the roads in residential and commercial areas their habitat for decades in the city, writes Sreekantswamy B

What’s common among Kantaraj Urs road in Saraswatipuram, Sarvajanika Hostel road in Vidyaranyapuram and Sayyaji Rao Road?

Trees on either side with branches stretching up to the road, chirping birds and the neatly asphalted road dotted with droppings, bind the roads together. It’s also the left over habitat of our winged friends along with very few other places in the city. Though greenery has paved way for posh complexes at places, it’s still tolerable for not going Bangalore way.

The parakeets- road ringed and blossom headed, common myna and jungle myna form the chunk of birds for whom the trees on afore said roads have become home for the past several decades. It’s evident with birds perched on branches making for a chorus during dawn and dusk. A part of Sarvajanika Hostel road (from Andani Circle to T S Subbanna Circle) makes for the unique character. For bird lovers, it’s the place to take a stroll finding rhythm in chirping of birds.

These birds set a perfect example of unity for staying in groups and select widely grown trees as a shield from becoming prey to bigger one’s. Come rain, it’s still the place (trees) for them for having blessed with grease in feathers. It’s natural raincoat. The grease helps them protect selves from getting wet and often flap wings to get rid of water, commonly noticed behaviour among birds.

At Government Ayurvedic Hospital circle on S R road, common igrets and  pond heron (Gadde goruva) have made the trees roosting point ( taking shelter after dusk). Black kites (belonging to eagle’s family) and Brahmini kites (for being brown in colour) are also spotted here, D Rajkumar of Wildlife Conservation Foundation told City Herald.

When most of the trees on S R Road were axed, the birds earlier roosting here shifted found shelter in trees at Kukkarahalli lake, another known habitat of winged friends. Spot billed pelicans have made the trees in and around the lake their habitat.

At Shetty lake near Mandakalli on Mysore- Nanjangud road too, one can see birds like painted storks, cormorant (also called neer kaage) and darter. For igrets Bogadi lake is the place. Birds which like to swim and feed on fish in water prefer trees in the immediate vicinity. Move further, if you are lucky you can also sight peacocks, adds Rajkumar.

Mention must be made of tolerance level of Mysoreans. It’s due to their unflinching love for nature and its friends, birds perched on roadside trees still croon to hilt. Also, bird droppings which make their presence felt, but still it’s not a matter of clutter for them.

However, what’s worrying is the declining number of birds (both local migratory and migratory). Bar headed goose alone were arriving in thousands, and it remains a memory. Needless to say, increasing pollution especially in the form of silt in lakes have been adding to the worrying factors.