One or two years ago, the trees right opposite my house were alive with birds – Red-Whiskered Bulbuls,white-Cheeked Barbets, Purple-Rumped Sunbirds, Mynas, Koels and Pale-Billed Flowerpeckers. It was a sense of hapiness to see them in the morning, flitting from one branch to the other – especially the Bulbul pair, and the Mynas.

Now, in 2013, they have all gone. Disappeared. Only a few Mynas and the occasional Koel show up. Rarely do I hear those beautiful calls of the birds I loved the most; the city’s most common avian residents. Are these birds heading for the same fate as that of the House Sparrow? The area where I loved, R T Nagar, was not the only place where I saw a reduction. The Hebbal lake is host to a number of spoon-billed Pelicans before and during winter. Now, for almost a year and a half, their absence is morbid. Where did they go?

Of course, the main reason is – human interference. Of late, there have been more and more fishermen scouring the waters of the Hebbal Lake for fish. Whether it has always been the same or the number has increased is not sure. But the problem remains.

Too much human interferecne around the lake may have deterred the Pelicans from nesting there. As to the other birds, it is unsure. That has been a lot of constructional work on in the area, especially laying new electrical poles. I’m sure this had something to do with it. But there is little we can do.

The issue is minute compared to the bigger problems the government faces like bad roads, decreasing living space, inflation, etc. The governments’ more immediate interest would be in solving these problems first. But we as bird-lovers may be able to do something to bring our beloved feathered friends back. It will be dificult. But it can be done.

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