View Record #6505
| ID | 6505 |
|---|---|
| Q1. Name of locality or area you are reporting about | Residential ONGC colony Shastrinagar |
| Rough Address/Area | Nirnay Nagar |
| City/District | Ahmedabad |
| State | Gujarat |
| Location Latitude | 23.06624794 |
| Location Longitude | 72.55123901 |
| Q3. What time period are you reporting about? | 1995-1999 |
| Q4. What kind of general area are you reporting about? | City (outskirts) |
| Q5. What kind of locality is/was this in the time period chosen above? | Old residential area |
| Q6. Roughly how large is the locality/area from which you are reporting sparrows? | Less than 100 metres across (eg, a few houses or shops) |
| Q7. How well do/did you know this place in the time period chosen above? | I lived there |
| Q8. How frequently did you see House Sparrows in the time period and locality/area chosen above? | Always: I saw sparrows every day |
| Q9. When you did see House Sparrows in this time period and locality/area, how many did you typically see? | A few birds: When I saw sparrows, there were usually less than 5 birds |
| Q10. If House Sparrows are/were present in this time period and locality/area, did you observe active nests? | Sparrows observed but no nests seen |
| Q11. Would you like to share a story about House Sparrows from this time period? | It was when we shifted to a small flat in Naranpura, Ahmedabad, in the nineties. All the windows of our flat looked out on tall trees that were home to many birds. We could hear the sunbird trilling, the koel cooing and the notes of a peacock from a distance. We found out that the female koel is not black but pied. There were parakeets that merged with the background. In our balcony, there were climbers that bore small dark blue flowers with a pale yellow dot at the centre. A pot of water was kept for all the winged visitors who wanted to quench their thirst. Apart from a garrulous mynah who used to push the smaller ones of its species away to proclaim its right to drink water, there was a pair of sparrows that very quietly hopped in and out of the balcony. Male, one could tell from its countenance, had a little more black on the face; and the disfigured wing, probably because of an accident, gave an unmistakable identity to the female. So when the children came back from school they were first greeted by the same sparrows, no mistaking that. Sometimes when they did not show up for a few days, we waited and invariably they flew back. Familiarity breeds affection and our fondness for the sparrow couple also grew. That they reciprocated, we liked to believe. But that was then. Come 21st century, our teenaged children left home for studies. And the sparrows? Was that the last pair of sparrows that our children were fortunate enough to have acquaintance with? |
| Q12. What kind of buildings are/were present during this time period in this locality? | Apartment complexes |
| Q13. Please describe this locality/area in your words. | Its a low rise apartments residential area with open spaces. |
| Q14. Does or did anyone feed sparrows in this locality/area, or put out nestboxes? | Neither |
| Q15. If this is an agricultural area, what are the main crops grown? | |
| Q16. How much green space exists/existed in this locality? | Extensive |
| Q17. If you have seen sparrow nests, where were they? | Window, Wall cavity |
| Q18. When did mobile phone coverage arrive at this locality? | 2000-2004 |
