Ah! These Poor Birds..

Apparently, there is an unseen race between human and the rest of other species in planet in the road of freedom and survival. In the want of freedom, human beings are demolishing the lives of thousands of existing species. There are countless examples of deforestation only to start human settlements. Destroying trees has a lot of sequels, which eventually is related to the bleak survival future of the wilds.

Birds are very important in the balancing of ecosystem. Different birds emit different sounds. They are intrinsic first-hand music of nature. It’s so soothing when you hear a Nightingale chirps or a Koel sings. Is not it?

The science has named sparrow (भङ्गेरा ) as Passer domesticus. How often do you see them nowadays? Well, I haven’t. I can very clearly remember there were the nests of those sparrows inside my house made up of wet mud. Almost all of the houses of my village did have at least one nest. In less than a decade now, they are all gone. We, oftentimes, are used to seeing Rock Pigeons (malewa, मलेवा ) lying dead in the streets and grounds. Their number is too alarmingly decreasing. Spotting a red collared dove (Streptopelia tranquibarica), commonly called Tamey Dhukur (तामे ढुकुर ) in Nepal is also a rare happenstance.

Why these birds, including many others, are on the verge of extinction? Of course, human technology! The fourth and fifth generation of mobile networks and Wifi emits certain electromagnetic radiation in the range of microwave frequency. They are lethal to many birds as they invade the atmosphere, particularly affecting the rhythm of heartbeats. If the electromagnetic radiation has that much effect as to kill a bird, how much do you anticipate that we are safe as human beings who always roam around with the multitudes of electronic devices in our lives? There is always something in our pocket that is emanating vibration sufficient enough to kill a bird very far away. Imagine the impact of long-term exposure. We are under a risk of suffering from tissue damage, Body weight fluctuations, DNA changes and cancers, and many more.

The direct evidence of the implications of these communication  networks to the living can be watched in the below video:

The over-use of pesticides and insecticides are also the culprit in the destruction of avian lives. Birds rely on insects and pests. When we use the chemicals to kill those insects, the feeders level of creatures for the birds are diminished or are chemically tempered. Hence birds either have limited food or eat chemically-affected and unhealthy insects. These factors have led birds to be slackened off from the cycle of ecosystem.

Maintaining a green city is a must, only has been in the theory. In the name of development and widening of the roads Nepal’s cities are losing the greenery. Trees in by the side of the road and in the open ground are being cut-off. People or the authority will not plant the sapling as a replacement. They will instead make more pillars, buildings, viewing towers, malls, etc. The trees are actually the habitat for the birds. They live there in the nests. Also, in the hot of the summer, other birds would have come in those green trees to have a shelter and avoid sun’s heat. With the trees down, they are homeless. The picture below shows a pathetic situation of so-called urbanization and reckless civil society. 

Birds make nest of cigarettes stub to lay eggs

Bird can’t find any safe place to lay eggs. For the continuation of the species, they are obliged to use the dust-bin and ashtrays. This is so mournful. Don’t you think we have a role in maintaining those greens in between the city and alongside the road? We should start a strong advocacy, through discussion and papers.

The sources of water are also continually waning. The spring water (mul ko pani) is being spoiled by the dozers and excavator while carving the new roads to the villages. The rivers are so polluted that you can’t even cross the bridge due to its pungency. So, from where are the birds expected to drink water? Obviously, there are no open sources of healthy waters for other animals. So, bache khucheka charaharuko uddar garna bhae pani we should always put some fresh water in a bowl or pot at the rooftop of our house so that perched birds can come by and drink in this scorching heat of the summer.