Birds 

'Prolific', 'a Fair Number' and ' a Few' are three categories into which I've grouped bird species in this residential neighbourhood.   Estimates are based on casual observations of their numbers made in the course of other day to day activities.  
 
In a city, gardens and trees that line roads and buildings can create a habitat that may support a fair number of birds.   Numbers show one how well a bird can adapt to a city environment which is so significantly shaped by man.  Importantly, a study of numbers may also discern a fall in a species' population that could be reversed if addressed in a timely way. 

About fifteen years ago the Peepal tree in front of our house would host a flock of sprightly green Bee-Eaters in winter.  A Bee-Eater is a beautiful bird a little larger than a sparrow.  I used to love to watch it dart out of the Peepal, make an sortie mid-air to catch food and return to settle on its perch.  Then one year they stopped coming to the Peepal and have never returned since.  Was it a change in migration paths? Had their habitat at some other location changed?  I'd love to understand why they stopped their visits.  

Tree cover is one of the most important factors that will determine the kind and number of birds that will inhabit an area. Besides this, competition from an agrressive brid such as a Crow may result in a decline in the populations of smaller birds.  I've seen a Crow raid a Pigeon nest for eggs, for instance.  The pigeon just about looked the other way in agony.  It can scarcely defend its nest against the bigger and more aggressive crow.  However, where the Pigeon's large numbers help it tide past the occasional loss of eggs other species may not be so resilient. 

In this residential neighbourhood, Crows and Pigeons fall into the first category, the 'Prolific'.  Kites and Sparrows make up the next, 'a Fair Number'.  The group of 'a Few' comprises ten species.  'A Few's' include the Coppersmith, Egret, Golden Oriole, Koel (Indian Cuckoo), Myna, Nightingale, Raven, Rose Ringed Parakeet, Sun-Bird and Tailor-Bird.  There are two species which I last saw several years ago, and not since, the Green Bee-Eater and the Brahmi Kite.

Other than the Kite and Raven which can fend for themselves against Crows, and the Pigeons which exist in large numbers, the rest of the birds in both of the non-'Prolific' categories may see a rise in their numbers with some active, wise and sympathetic human intervention.

Updated:  July 2010