Where did these cuties vanish to ?

When was the last time you saw a sparrow at Chennai ? I really don't remember seeing
one for a long time. The only memory I have about sparrows is from my childhood, when
we were staying at Ahmedabad (GJ) and there used to be sparrows that built nests in the parapet, laid eggs and raised their young.

I am not sure why these birds vanished from our cities - maybe the pollution or rampant
use of pesticides. There is a theory that says cellphone towers drive away these birds. But
my colleague says that in HongKong, they use cellphones a lot, yet there still are sparrows
there. So that might not be a reason.

I clicked these sparrows at a park in Belgrade.

They have many parks here and it adds character to the city. Cellphone use is rampant

here too, but if the sparrows still are here, then that doesn't look like a reason for their

vanishing from Indian cities.

Also spotted was this pigeon, strutting around. One of the most favourite birds of my son.

With Chennai sprucing up all the parks in the city and cleaning up the Cooum, I won't be surprised if we see a return of these avian residents.