Pigeons are regular visitors to M G Road auto stand of Bangalore

At the junction of MG Road and Brigade Road and just under the Metro Rail line, there is an auto stand where pigeons come daily to feed on grains thrown by the drivers of the auto rickshaws. The area is blocked off by an enclosure were the birds gather.
This has been going on fir the last decade and more than a 100 pigeons have made this their home right on MG Road. They come twice a day, every day, and are fed grains by the auto drivers. A few of the birds have been given names and they respond to whistles and are beloved pets for some of the drivers.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 5 December 2016.

It goes back to the mid-2005s when traffic was restricted on MG Road because of construction of the Metro Rail. The girders erected for the work became seating space for many birds including pigeons and parrots. It was then decided by the drivers to give the birds a permanent space alongside their auto rickshaw stand.
Therefore, a group of auto drivers approached the Bengaluru Traffic Police brass to seek permission for an enclosure to protect and feed birds. Permission was granted and, after the rail line was completed, the area was isolated with six iron barricades.
The drivers take turns in buying grains and fruits for the pigeons and the pigeons are fed twice a day, at 8 am and 4 pm every day.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Jammu & Kashmir Police seized more than 150 pigeons probably being used for espionage

The seizure of more than 150 pigeons by the Jammu & Kashmir Police that were allegedly being smuggled for the purpose of espionage has led to a probe being ordered into the issue. On October 5th, three people were apprehended in Jammu after they were found carrying 150 pigeons in Banana Boxes.
Subsequently, they were then booked under Section 144 cruelty to Animals Act and the birds and were given to an NGO called SAVE (Save Animals Value Environment). However, chairman of the NGO observed some suspicious things like rings in their claws apart from special magnetic rings attached to them. These raised suspicions and the deputy commissioner Jammu gave orders to inquire if the birds were being to be used in spying activities.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 16 October 2016.

Using pigeons for spying and other such activities is not a recent development. Earlier this month, a pigeon, apparently from across the border, was taken into custody. It had with it a letter written in Urdu and addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The discovery was made by BSF personnel at Simbal post in Bamial sector.
Even before that, on September 23, a white pigeon, also apparently from across the border, was found in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district- It had with it "some words written in Urdu".


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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Jaipur experiment to save the sparrows

In order to save the house sparrows from extinction, Jaipur carried out an experiment of sorts. In the month of February, which is the normal breeding time of sparrows, conservationists involved in the birding fair in the city sold about 1,200 nest boxes. People could put these up these boxes outside their homes. These were meant to serve as safe sites for the house sparrow to breed in.
However, six months down the line, the results are not encouraging. A rough estimate of the number of boxes in which sparrow chicks were found revealed that only 40% of the boxes hosted sparrow families.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 30 August 2016.

The reasons for the birds shying away from cities are the modern architecture which are inhospitable to these birds that usually nest in crevices of buildings. Many of those who took home the boxes reported that they failed to attract breeding sparrows. While it was meant for sparrows, it seems mynahs took up some boxes. These birds are gentle and need all possible support to survive the hostile environment that human beings are creating for them. Sparrows eat up insects and keep the population of insects in check. Obviously, the Jaipur imitative should be followed up and not discarded - it will require patience. However, it has been observed that Jaipur is turning out to be more hospitable to pigeons and mynahs, which appear to be chasing off the mild sparrows. People feed grains to the pigeons hence they come.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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