Stories
Displaying 41-45 of 54 result(s).
Rajiv K. Singh Bais -
Power Management Institute Sector 16A Noida Uttar Pradesh
13 April 2012. Power Management Institute, Sector 16A Noida. This place still retains an old world charm with majestic pink stone buildings surrounded by green parks, large artificial lakes, extensive indoor foliage, chirping sparrows and numerous butterflies. Inviting aroma of fresh coffee floats round numerous lecture halls during tea break and you are easily reminded of good old college days. And this place is a haven for nesting sparrows where they find innumerable crevices to build nests and raise their youngs without any competition from the myna. Few rock pigeons have also built nests but there is no competition for food or nesting sites; both have been able to find their own exclusive niches. There are at least 15 sparrows present throughout the day in the corridors of the building. Nests are built at the junction of the glass dome and the vertical wall and also in the gaps between stone cladding and RCC column at the top end near the ceiling. Birds are seen feeding green caterpillars to the nestlings. Butterflies struggling to get out (in vain) of the glass dome are vigorously pursued and finally captured with little effort. I routinely collect wings of Plain Tiger, Common Emigrant, Common Leopard, Common Jay, Lime Butterfly and many more from this place. This institute is on the left bank of River Yamuna close to Okhla Bird Sanctuary.
13 April 2012. Power Management Institute, Sector 16A Noida. This place still retains an old world charm with majestic pink stone buildings surrounded by green parks, large artificial lakes, extensive indoor foliage, chirping sparrows and numerous butterflies. Inviting aroma of fresh coffee floats round numerous lecture halls during tea break and you are easily reminded of good old college days. And this place is a haven for nesting sparrows where they find innumerable crevices to build nests and raise their youngs without any competition from the myna. Few rock pigeons have also built nests but there is no competition for food or nesting sites; both have been able to find their own exclusive niches. There are at least 15 sparrows present throughout the day in the corridors of the building. Nests are built at the junction of the glass dome and the vertical wall and also in the gaps between stone cladding and RCC column at the top end near the ceiling. Birds are seen feeding green caterpillars to the nestlings. Butterflies struggling to get out (in vain) of the glass dome are vigorously pursued and finally captured with little effort. I routinely collect wings of Plain Tiger, Common Emigrant, Common Leopard, Common Jay, Lime Butterfly and many more from this place. This institute is on the left bank of River Yamuna close to Okhla Bird Sanctuary.
Rajiv K. Singh Bais -
DTC Bus Terminus Sector 33A Noida Uttar Pradesh
Delhi Transport Corporation DTC Bus Terminus (abandoned), Sector 33A Noida. This abandoned DTC bus terminus built about twenty years back has 9 bays for accommodating a maximum of 18 buses (9 on either side). It is an RCC framed structure with horizontal RCC roof. Underside of the roof (ceiling) has about one hundred embedded electric boxes, uniformly distributed, for fixing lights and fans. Presently only 4 or 5 boxes are fitted with old rusting tube lights and rest have all been taken over by sparrows for building nests. There are at least 20 active nests and at any time at least 15 sparrows can be spotted around these nests. This is a very busy, congested area as Railway Reservation Office, Road Transport Office and Sub Registrar’s Office hem the place and only one side opens out to the main road. Exactly below the roof of this shed are few eating places, photocopy shops and numerous table-chair-and-a-type-writer type makeshift notary offices. A green park with running water and tall trees abuts this bus stand; overall a good habitat for nesting sparrows. If this not-in-use bus stand is demolished then these birds will be forced to find a new nesting place.
Delhi Transport Corporation DTC Bus Terminus (abandoned), Sector 33A Noida. This abandoned DTC bus terminus built about twenty years back has 9 bays for accommodating a maximum of 18 buses (9 on either side). It is an RCC framed structure with horizontal RCC roof. Underside of the roof (ceiling) has about one hundred embedded electric boxes, uniformly distributed, for fixing lights and fans. Presently only 4 or 5 boxes are fitted with old rusting tube lights and rest have all been taken over by sparrows for building nests. There are at least 20 active nests and at any time at least 15 sparrows can be spotted around these nests. This is a very busy, congested area as Railway Reservation Office, Road Transport Office and Sub Registrar’s Office hem the place and only one side opens out to the main road. Exactly below the roof of this shed are few eating places, photocopy shops and numerous table-chair-and-a-type-writer type makeshift notary offices. A green park with running water and tall trees abuts this bus stand; overall a good habitat for nesting sparrows. If this not-in-use bus stand is demolished then these birds will be forced to find a new nesting place.
Rajiv K. Singh Bais -
Koldam KOLDAM Hydro Project Barmana. Distt Bilaspur Himachal Pradesh
Koldam, Himachl Pradesh. Mynas present in large numbers and were seen bullying the sparrows. On 10 April 2012, three male and one female sparrow were seen crying for help while their under-construction-nest was raided by two mynas and nest building materials robbed. All the four sparrows were crying for help but mynas mercilessly destroyed their nest. The location was inside of the sloping roof of a roadside umbrella-shaped tin shelter on top of a hillock used for getting a panoramic view of the area at the Hydro Power Project site at Koldam on river Satuj (near Kullu). As a result of these repeated attacks many sparrows have decided to build their nests inside the grills of numerous tube-lights fitted on the ceilings of the nearby offices. But it will be very difficult for the sparrows to raise their youngs in such cramped conditions. Many are also getting hurt by the running ceiling fans as a result of this choice, I was informed. Bulbuls were also seen freely building nests even on the potted plants in the nearby Guest House. Mynas (more that twenty at any time) were seen building nests in the cavities on vertical earth-cuts and also in the weep holes of the retaining walls of the hill roads. I took photographs of the raiding mynas and helpless sparrows.
Koldam, Himachl Pradesh. Mynas present in large numbers and were seen bullying the sparrows. On 10 April 2012, three male and one female sparrow were seen crying for help while their under-construction-nest was raided by two mynas and nest building materials robbed. All the four sparrows were crying for help but mynas mercilessly destroyed their nest. The location was inside of the sloping roof of a roadside umbrella-shaped tin shelter on top of a hillock used for getting a panoramic view of the area at the Hydro Power Project site at Koldam on river Satuj (near Kullu). As a result of these repeated attacks many sparrows have decided to build their nests inside the grills of numerous tube-lights fitted on the ceilings of the nearby offices. But it will be very difficult for the sparrows to raise their youngs in such cramped conditions. Many are also getting hurt by the running ceiling fans as a result of this choice, I was informed. Bulbuls were also seen freely building nests even on the potted plants in the nearby Guest House. Mynas (more that twenty at any time) were seen building nests in the cavities on vertical earth-cuts and also in the weep holes of the retaining walls of the hill roads. I took photographs of the raiding mynas and helpless sparrows.
Rajiv K. Singh Bais -
Govt Higher Secondary School Shobhapur Road Pipariya Madhya Pradesh
Year 1975. I was studying at Govt Higher Secondary School Shobhapur Road, Pipariya. Sparrows roamed freely in the school corridors and at times became source of much amusement (to the students) and embarrassment (to the teachers). These birds found doors of the class room a convenient perch for cooing and wooing even while the class was in session. In his playful mood, male bird would come hopping and mount the female, resulting in the burst of hushed giggles from the back benches which would quickly propagate to the front. Realizing the seriousness of the issue, stern look of the teacher would suddenly melt in to a sheepish smile and the only advice he would offer to the students was to concentrate on the book rather than looking here and there!
Year 1975. I was studying at Govt Higher Secondary School Shobhapur Road, Pipariya. Sparrows roamed freely in the school corridors and at times became source of much amusement (to the students) and embarrassment (to the teachers). These birds found doors of the class room a convenient perch for cooing and wooing even while the class was in session. In his playful mood, male bird would come hopping and mount the female, resulting in the burst of hushed giggles from the back benches which would quickly propagate to the front. Realizing the seriousness of the issue, stern look of the teacher would suddenly melt in to a sheepish smile and the only advice he would offer to the students was to concentrate on the book rather than looking here and there!
Rajiv K. Singh Bais -
Undeveloped area Sector 33A Noida Uttar Pradesh
Sector 33A Noida. This is an undeveloped sector of Noida and Prakash Hospital is the only permanent building in this area. On Sundays, about 50-60 buses are parked here which are used for ferrying office goers on weekdays to different parts of Delhi and other satellite towns. Here I have seen sparrows attempting to build nests on the rear view mirrors of these parked buses without realizing the impermanence of the chosen sites. These birds are also seen making nests in the exhaust pipes of the diesel generator sets placed outside the hospital. At least once I spotted a soot-laden half-built nest of a sparrow lying near the DG set, blown off by the sudden blast from the exhaust pipe during power cuts in the area. Clearly there is acute shortage of nesting sites for these birds. It would be better if we install some kind of nest boxes in our houses and allow these birds to build nests
Sector 33A Noida. This is an undeveloped sector of Noida and Prakash Hospital is the only permanent building in this area. On Sundays, about 50-60 buses are parked here which are used for ferrying office goers on weekdays to different parts of Delhi and other satellite towns. Here I have seen sparrows attempting to build nests on the rear view mirrors of these parked buses without realizing the impermanence of the chosen sites. These birds are also seen making nests in the exhaust pipes of the diesel generator sets placed outside the hospital. At least once I spotted a soot-laden half-built nest of a sparrow lying near the DG set, blown off by the sudden blast from the exhaust pipe during power cuts in the area. Clearly there is acute shortage of nesting sites for these birds. It would be better if we install some kind of nest boxes in our houses and allow these birds to build nests
