Vijayapura: The cute little sparrow, once a common visitor to our homes, is today a rare species in our towns and cities thanks to deforestation, shrinking urban nesting spaces, rampant construction and presence of hundreds of mobile towers. To raise awareness on the house sparrow and sensitise people on the threat to the bird population, various forums and organisations in the city celebrated World Sparrow Day on Wednesday.Staff members of Agastya Core Science Activity Centre visited Government Kannada Boys School No. 6 in Ibrahimpur and Government Kannada Boys School No. 26 in Jalanagar and educated students on how they can do their bit towards safeguarding the sparrows. They demonstrated how to prepare and set up low-cost bird feeders and nests to bring back sparrows to the city. “House sparrows have almost become a thing of the past in our cities and towns. World Sparrow Day gives us an opportunity to work towards conservation of the bird. At our centre we have set up about 15 bird feeders. We are sharing conservation ideas with educational institutions and the public,” said Agastya Core Science Activity Centre head Geeta Patil.Members of Parisara Rakshana Vedike also celebrated World Sparrow Day by tying earthen bowls filled with water to trees at APMC market area on Indi Road.Vedike president Virupakshappa Zalaki said, “This year summer heat is intense and unbearable. Making water available to sparrows and other birds is the responsibility of every individual. We have taken the initiative and with the help of volunteers we are tying water-filled bowls to trees at various places in the city.”

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