Rama Krishna Sangem
Former Rajya Sabha MP and Green India Challenge founder-leader J Santosh Kumar’s passion for wildlife is bigger than that of photography. Still, it is difficult to say which is bigger. This Sunday, November 3, he posted social media platform, X, four photos of different birds coolly perched on branches in bushes. We all know, he has been posting photos of nature and wildlife every Sunday, as part of his #weekendphotography drive.
This Sunday, he clicked four small birds – Red Avadavat, Silver bill and a scaly breasted munia, as per Heeresh Dubey, a follower of Santosh, – all of sparrow sized cuties in a delightful green background. This red avadavat bird is also called strawberry finch, is mostly sighted in open grounds and grasslands. The name, avadavat, as per the Wikipedia, is derived from the city Ahmadabad, Gujarat, where it is commonly seen.
Scaly breasted munia is another cutie, spread all over, with little variations. This as well as silver billed munia are commonly sighted birds in our environs. Needless to say, all these munia’s are identified with their adjectives – colour or shape. Though they are not in the list of endangered birds, they all face threat from us – people. Captivated by their beauty, public love to keep them in cages.
We shouldn’t forget a thing – no bird enjoys being in a cage. Human feeding only makes them dependent on us and they lose their natural power to thrive on their own. Green India Challenge better organise a campaign against keeping birds in cages. This caging also encourages illegal pet trade. We must educate our children to stop this practice and love birds in their natural habitats.
Cranes are our guests
Last Sunday, Santosh posted pictures of cranes, mostly migratory birds on X. See this above crane photo, how majestic it is! Hyderabad and its surrounding water bodies are famous for drawing migratory birds from long distances – sometimes as far away as Russia, in seasons. Cranes are a definite sign of affluence – availability of water. We need to allow them their space, during the stay with us.
