Urbanization certainly has its benefits, but haphazard concretization of cities without adequate bird friendly planning has led to the decline in the number of migratory birds in the last two years. [break]
Despite the increase in the total number of birds sighted -- not to be confused with the number of species -- their habitats have narrowed down significantly. The last urban bird counting conducted by Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN) in 30 different urban locations in the valley in February 2013 recorded thirty-six species in two days. In 2012, the species´ count stood at 37.
In the bird count conducted on 23 January, 2012, 174 house sparrows were spotted in ninety-one percent of the locations. By February 2013, the number went up to 519, but the areas where the sightings were made narrowed down to eighty percent.
Similarly, Jungle Mynah was among the top ten species as per the habitat concentration covering only four percent of the areas, despite the fact that their numbers has gone up to 65 from 15 in the previous count.
And 36 Rose-ringed parakeet that were counted in 55 percent of the areas is no more in the 2013 top ten species list of urban birds.
Among the top ten common species, Rock pigeon was found to have increased significantly with 806 of them counted in ninety-three percent of the total urban locations.
The last urban bird data shows that birds´ population has been growing, but the types of species and the areas in which they are sighted have been shrinking.
“We don´t see Red-rumped swallows in those places where we used to see them,” says Bimal Thapa, a bird expert and coordinator of Friends of Birds, a bird forum in Kathmandu.
When asked about the reason for birds moving away from urban areas, Ishana Thapa, senior conservation officer at BCN, pointed out “bird unfriendly urban environment” as a major reason. She also blamed lack of awareness among people about how important birds are for healthy living.
Rajendra Gurung, one of the team leaders for BCN´s weekly birding program, is enthusiastic about the growing number of birders in the program, but worries that “the number of sightings of resident birds such as Barn Owls and Nepal House Martin are decreasing.”
One of the regulars at BCN´s weekly bird watching program, Ram Mani Sapkota, 29, observed that “the call of Indian Cuckoo in Swayambhunath forest is not as frequent as it used to be.”
According to Ornithologist Hem Sagar Baral, bird unfriendly urban environment cannot be human-friendly, because the birds are fellow members of our natural ecosystem.
He further added that “highly bird unfriendly urban planning leads to sudden and massive health hazards."
The presence of birds´ informs us about environment and climate change because they are conscious about it more than we humans are, he added. When birds disappear from a locality, it is the indication that local environment is degrading and is becoming inhabitable.
In order to deal with the situation, the cities of Toronto in Canada and Portland in USA, among other cities of the world, have introduced bird friendly guidelines. Considering the lists of guidelines introduced by the world famous cities, we could at least apply some of them in Kathmandu. Use of visual markers on the glass of a building to prevent birds from colliding and getting killed and avoiding the use of pesticides in ones garden are some of the things that could go a long way in making urban environment bird friendly.
Ishana Thapa
Senior Conservation Officer
Bird Conservation Nepal
What kind of city is called a bird-friendly city?
A city that has a suitable habitat for birds is a bird-friendly city. Such cities require at least three things: first, bushy and green parks with old trees for birds to breed and hide from predators; second, clean waterholes in the surrounding; and lastly, no use of chemical pesticides in gardens to avoid their feedstuffs getting poisoned.
What role can Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) play to make the city bird-friendly?
The KMC should develop more green parks, stop cutting down trees during birds´ breeding season, which is mainly from March to August, and come up with more bird-friendly policies. For example, the KMC´s ´one house, two trees´ is one of such bird-friendly policies.
What should the government do to introduce more of such policies?
First, the government should encourage more awareness campaigns in the city, for more people live in the city; and naturally they consume more of the natural resources like wood which cause the problem. Second, encourage schools and college to transform their garden into a bird observation center by planting trees that attracts birds; and the children start doing it in their own gardens at home. Third, I request the government to establish a Bird Rescue Centre at the earliest. We, at BCN, get many calls from local people requesting for bird´s rescue.
What could one do, individually, to make our city bird-friendly?
You can make sure that nesting space is available for birds when you design your house, like old houses use to have the space for birds. You could also help the cause by planting fruits-bearing trees and maintaining bush in your garden with a water tub or small pond in it. And, above all, you can keep your pets like dog and cat from approaching birds in your house or garden during their breeding period.
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