A Pledge To Put Water Bowl At Terrace To Save Lives Of Birds – An Act Of Compassion For Summer !!

Manav Rachna is Supporting Project Panchhi

आओ पंछियों से एक नया रिश्ता जोड़े Project Panchhi का हिस्सा बनेl
Introducing Project Panchhi, let’s help them fly !!

• Project Panchhi is an appeal to all citizens to keep water bowls for thirsty birds in summer at terrace or balcony to save at least few of them. This summer may cross 45 degrees and many birds may die due to lack of water.
• Project Panchhi isn’t just an initiative about showing compassion, but also about ethically combating the social and environmental challenges encountered in putting out a clean bowl of water for birds.
• Rapid urbanization, limited carrying capacity of the city and the competition of nesting sites also work against the young ones. In the summer heat, many collapse due to the non-availability of water, lack of shade and extreme weather conditions.
• The number of lakes and green spaces in the city has considerably reduced and with it the source of drinking water for animals and birds has come down drastically. Hence Bird feeding is most helpful at times when birds need the most energy, such as during temperature extremes and migration when natural seed sources are depleted.
• According to a survey, ongoing heat wave killed about 2.4 crore birds in fortnight and rates may further move upwards if temperature continues to remain high. Normally, Mortality Rate of birds is around 2-3% but this summer it has gone up to 7-8%.
• Isn’t it shocking to know that on May 11 2016, 60 birds were admitted in a single day in the summer season according to Nadeem Shehzad, who started a charitable trust in 2003 in North Delhi. They had either fallen off the nest, got injured in collisions or needed hospitalization due to heat exhaustion. Delhi sees as many as 1,000 birds being killed due to the continuous rising temperatures especially during August.
• It was in January 2013 that Sanjana Govindan Jayadev, the head of funding and communications for an international non-profit organisation, noticed that the birds she fed everyday looked increasingly tired and thirsty. “Bangalore had begun heating up and I saw one of the bird drinking from a puddle of cow urine in a desperate bid to quench its thirst.”

So now the question arises what can be done to save our Birds.. Individual and focused acts of concern in the city can go a considerable way in helping the birds over the scorching heat.

• Severely parched birds and animals in the summer is a heart wrenching sight and a small bowl of clean drinking water can go a long way in making the summer months bearable for them. This also battles the issue of premature death caused by dehydration in the summer.
• Place bird feeders or bowls where the birds can see them from the distance. Birds are most likely to eat where they feel safe from predators, including free-roaming cats.
• Windows that reflect the sky and trees around them or that are very transparent can confuse the birds, causing them to see a clear flight path rather than an obstruction.
• Maharashtra-based conservationists at Nature Forever Society launched a countrywide ‘Help Birds in Summer’ Project which suggests using earthen vessels (not metal or plastic) and recommends placing floating sticks in the water so that small birds can roost while they sip. They add that bowls must be rinsed everyday without the use of chemicals or soaps.

Human beings are great in their own eyes but are not much in the eyes of Nature….So Let’s take a pledge to become more humble towards our birds and put a bowl of water in our terrace….