Once upon a time

The humble sparrow, how many of us have grown up to their stories from our grandparents while watching these little birds busily fly around in the neighbourhood. I guess a lot of us may have seen them vanish right before our eyes and before we realised it was too late they were gone from our cities. Depressing as it may sound we no longer can tell the same stories and poems of the humble sparrow to our little ones, they no longer know what they are. Here is a hope among hope that someday all this will change and we can once again wake up to the cheerful chirps of this humble bird.

A young male on a tiny twig surveying his territory however small or big. "They remember us once in a year, when the world's sparrow day is near. Apart from that where do they go, is there any action they do and follow? " In some urban areas the population has fallen by 99%.

Despite being one of the closest bird to mankind, what is it that has caused this drastic decline. Sparrows are known to eat over 800 different types of food. So there is no scarcity of that in the urban world. But the rising glass Facades are undoubtedly encroaching in the habitats of these tiny birds.

Another Male, handsome and alert, looking for a female to flirt? Though Sparrows are said to be monogamous, infidelity is not uncommon or so it has been discovered.

And there she is looking pretty and neat. Looking forward to meet her man as soon as she can.

Oh look "Have no fear my dear, for your man is here" Sparrows are known to aggressively protect their nest from other sparrows.

But before that a nice little dust bath to make himself presentable..

Together now and feeding in peace, making a sweet pair and completely at ease. Hoping to come together and increase their dwindling brood as every responsible sparrow pair should? ( sorry If am sounding like a sparrow granny - purely for rhyming purpose)Sparrows have 2-3 broods each year. Female lays 3 to 5 eggs. Incubation period lasts 12 to 15 days. Both parents take care of the eggs and chicks.

A cute little one looking for a sip of water on a hot summer day. The summer this year has taken its toll on all species. The young ones are ready to leave nest in 2 weeks after hatching. But this is the time they are most vulnerable. Not fully experienced in the ways of life, they are easy prey to cats and other predators.

The nectar of life for the young one. Little does she know that there are still people around who care for their well being and survival. This was in Hampi where Mr.Pompayya Malemath ensures that the tap drips just enough to quench the thirst of all the hopefuls who converge for their daily fill.

The need to stay clean and a thorough preen. some places still provide a safe haven for these little birds. If only we can increase the area of this haven.

Sisters at rest in Ladakh. Sparrows have a lifespan of about 4-5 years and these pictures have been clicked in various locations. I've always felt they were a lucky charm for me and try and click at least 1 pic of a sparrow in each trip, if I can sight them. This is just a small tribute to my favourite birds that I miss around me.

Photographs and work by Tharangini is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.