By Nausheen Sayyed
"Please help me find my way home!
I am so lost.
I have been flying for hours and I am just getting tired.
My wings feel like they are going to fall off.
I see a light in the distance and I hope it is a sign of help.
I fly towards the light and as I get closer, I see that it is coming from a house.
I land on the windowsill and look inside.
I see a family sitting around the dinner table. They look so happy and I feel so alone.
I want to go inside and be part of their family, but I don't know how.
I knock on the window, but they can't hear me.
I chirp as loudly as I can, but they just don't seem to notice me. I don't know what to do."
Ohh !!! It was a dream, Made me feel nostalgic
In 2009, after I got my bachelor's degree, I
stayed at home a lot.
My dad hung a mirror on my balcony.
We noticed a house sparrow coming and poking the mirror a lot. He may have misunderstood his reflection on others. I call the house sparrow the "universal bird". Because house sparrows are found in most parts of the world.
Although it occurs in a wide variety of habitats and climates, it generally avoids the vast forests, grasslands, and deserts away from human developments.)
One day my dad decided to provide him with a little shelter.
To this end, he put a jar on the wall of the balcony, thinking that the sparrow would regard it as a home. But he didn't.
Then my dad hung a mirror on the jar to invite the bird.
Guess what, he comes, but he did't accept the house. Instead, he sat on the jar all night, gazing mysteriously at himself.
He would fly away, but returned shortly to start the search all over again by himself. It's been two days since this strange behavior.
We couldn't understand his behavior. Later, Dad took the mirror down, and the sparrow finally flew away.
A few years later, the house sparrow became extinct in my town. Even a local newspaper was promoting the bird's "comeback," but to no avail.
I researched why "house sparrows" are disappearing from metropolitan areas in South Asia.
There are many reasons why the house sparrow has disappeared from the South Asian metropolis. One of the most likely reasons is the loss of suitable habitat. As the region has become more urbanized, many of the house sparrow's natural nesting and feeding areas have disappeared. This has made it increasingly difficult for the birds to find food and shelter, so their numbers have declined.
Another factor that may be contributing to the decline in South Asian house sparrows is competition from other birds.
In many cities, house sparrows must compete
with feral pigeons and other birds for food and nesting grounds. This competition can be intense and often results in sparrows being driven from their habitat. The decline of the house sparrow in South Asia is a complex issue.
It's been over a decade now and I haven't seen this bird in my town.
Although I saw these birds elsewhere in my country (India).
When I visited the Middle East in 2013. I saw the same familiar birds, bringing back memories of my childhood. However, I noticed that they are slightly smaller than the sparrows found in my country.
Today I live in America. And, everyday, the most familiar bird I've seen here is my "universal bird" house - sparrow.
By Nausheen Sayyed
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