World Sparrow Day previously World House Sparrow Day falls today

 

When I was small living in Bambalapitiya in the 60’s, I distinctly remember the families of sparrows who lived in the house. They usually made their nests at the top of the cup above the ceiling fan that covered the hook that the fan was set on.

There were so many that we even considered them as pests. “Ge Kurulla” as we called them were plentiful flying in and out of the house through the various air and light filters in the home. My father still lives in the house, and there are NO sparrows to be seen. I went overseas in the 70’s and did not notice when they actually disappeared but they don’t even live on the farmhouse I currently live in!

I know that they used to feed on worms, insects and a whole host of small creatures, including what farmers would consider pests, and thereby control some of the pesticides that we use poisonous pesticides to control today. They were also considered “good luck” to have them around, and if we don’t have them now, QQ

It is right to remember this day as a day where we must understand our behavior and how it may affect our lives, if we have been able to eliminate sparrows. The link to the article in a newspaper today explains it as possibly due to mosquito coils used in homes, where the reproductivity would have been affected by the strong chemicals emitted and in that regard I strongly question how healthy it is for us to use mosquito coils. Sri Lanka consumes the equivalent of 5, 40ft container loads of Coils a day, and it is a huge business for the companies marketing this product.

http://www.ceylontoday.lk/18-27487-news-detail-the-vanishing-house-sparrows.html

I believe it is time that a serious study is done on their use, and if it is considered necessary like the case of Malathion, it may be banned as now the possible health effects outweigh the benefits. We may then be forced to use mosquito nets to sleep under and find an alternative method to distract mosquitoes from biting us during the evenings!

There has NOT been sufficient research into the ill effects of mosquito coils and who knows the reproductive level of our citizenry could be affected by this. A great topic for the BBS to cry foul, saying there is a conspiracy to make all the Sinhala males infertile. “Just Kidding” but knowing how irrational and suspicious they are it will only be a matter of days before that allegation also surfaces!! So much for our tolerance, but more importantly, I want House Sparrows at home###