Chirpings of Gubbi (sparrow): 2016

Its been nearly three years, I wrote my last blog. Lot has happened in this gap. Got transferred twice during this time. There are many ups and down in official and personal front. My friend Kajari biswas has been constantly prodding me to write. Finally, I am able to write that too about bird which belongs to the same order which Sparrow belongs. All pictures used in this writing are taken from Samsung S6 mobile. Here are the chippings of Gubbi....

I thank the medical shop owners Rudra Narayan Agarwala, Shiva Kumar Agarwala and Viresh Agarwala for allowing to take pictures of Barn swallow and providing information about the bird.

After transferred from Birbhum, I settled down in Dow-hill as a Director of a century old training institute. Dow-hill is small place situated in the midst of cloud on top of a mountain in Eastern Himalayas. The place well known for evil spirits and listed as most haunted place in India. For marketing I had come down to Kurseong town regularly, which is 5 km downhill. Kurseong is a small and beautiful town. The whole market is situated on both sides Siliguri-Darjeeling road. The market is unique for having heritage toy train track along side the road. The Kurseong is also known as Switzerland of India.

In a small town, when you walk regularly, you will get to know every one at every step. Whenever I visited the town, a visit to Ashok agarwala and their sons Tanuj and Nikhil was must. They were of great help in Kurseong. Dhiraj and Vikas were the other two, who are at one phone call reach in Kurseong. I use to regularly purchase medicines from Hanutram Lekhram Medical store. Two Brothers Rudra Narayan Agarwala and Shiva Kumar Agarwal and Viresh Agarwal (son of Shiva Kumar) were the owners of the medical store. After two three visits to the medical shop, very soon they became close to me. One day while I was standing in medical store to purchase medicine, two birds flew above my head. At first sight, with their deep forked tail, I could identify them as Swallow. For further identification I took picture through my S6 Samsung mobile. Soon, Viresh Agarwala said there is nest of these birds in the store. A cup shaped mud nest was found near to ceiling. One of the parent was incubating in the nest. Viresh was kind enough to provide a stool to stand and take picture of the bird from a close distance. After detailed enquiry Viresh agarwala told me that these birds swarm the entire Kurseong Bazaar in the month of February. They build nests in building throughout the Bazaar, raise new nestlings and leave the place by August. To his medical store this pair of swallow is coming from last three years. In coming days, I closely followed these birds, which ultimately led me to the world of Barn visitors.

Hanutram-Lekhram medical store is one of the oldest medical stores in entire north Bengal. Hanutram-Lekhram are the two brothers after whom this medical store is named after. Initially, it was opened as general store in the year 1865 by by Shri. Chanduram Agarwala, son of Shri. Hanuthram. In 1941, the general store was converted in to a medical store. The birds have been coming to this store for many years, probably for more than centuries. The birds were putting dropping below the nest, which was creating problem for the owners in day-to-day business. Some years back the owners decided to place a paper board below the nest to prevent dropping from directly falling on the customers. The birds stopped coming for some years. As Viresh told the birds have started coming again from last two years. This time they have built nest in different place. I became a regular visitor of the medical store. For documentation, clicked pictures from my Samsung S6 mobile. Initially, the birds were restless when i got closer for pictures. After sometime they accorded permission for clicking pics, unless I got too closer. After going through the literature, I could identify the bird as Barn Swallow (Hirundro rustica guttaralis). In breeding season it is distributed from Nepal to Assam in Eastern Himalyas. Another race of Barn Swallow H rustica rustica is distributed from Baluchistan to Nepal. Both these species spend their winter in the subcontinent, where it is difficult to distinguish them unless in the hand. In 2009 during my IGNFA tour to Mandi in Himachal I had taken some picture of Hirundo rustica rustica. One shop keeper in Mandi offered a stool to me take picture of the Barn Swallow. The Mandi was similar to Kurseong. Both are old towns. In both the places, rustica and guttaralis races of swallow, visit in thousands and build nest in shops and houses. Mandi is in Western Himalayas, whereas Kurseong in Eastern Himalayas. In both the places, shopkeepers are kind enough to allow me to click pics by offering stool. After wintering in Subcontinent, these birds swarm the towns in Himalayas in February. Build nest and leave the Himalayas by August. Building of nest by these birds in the shops and houses is considered as good omen by the local people.

Barn Swallows are found in Europe also. These species nest in Barn (Barn means stable or granary in English). Hence, they are know as Barn Swallow. In India also, they nest in houses and market places near humans to get protection for their young ones from predation.

I started visited the medical store regularly once a week, not for the medicine but for the birds. Viresh Agarwala showed me a small opening made in the shutter to allow the birds to come in and go out. He was disappointed that the birds are not using the opening. Even though Viresh created opening in the door shutter, the birds doesn't know what is outside the opening. They will not use it unless they feel safe. During my diploma training in Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun we were taught in one of the class that the elephants in Rajaji were not using the underpass bridges. Then, scientist tried putting elephant dung under the bridges. after which elephants started passing through that area. I explained this to Viresh and asked him to smear the dropping of the swallow to the the door shutter around the opening. By doing so, the swallow will get convinced that this opening can be used as some other swallow has used it. To my wonder Viresh told me in my next visit that the birds have started using the opening in the door shutter. He got relieved that birds doesn't need to wait in the morning for them to open the shutter.

By the end of April, the new ones were chattering and flying through out the shop. In spite of day-to-day busy business work, the shop keeper witnessed the new beginning young Barn Swallows life. The attention of most of the customer purchasing the medicine were drawn towards them by these young ones. Apart from selling the medicine, the shop was distributing small smile medicine to every customer. After a week, when I went Viresh told "the birds have gone". Viresh said, the shop is empty without them, we have to wait till next February. For almost a month I didn't go to medical store. In June, when I again went for purchasing some medicine, Viresh said birds have come again and given birth to new chicks. There were five chicks in the nest, yet to open eyes. Are the pairs again gave birth to new brood? or These were new pairs? For answer I consulted, Shri. Dhananjay Mohan Sir, IFS Addl. PCCF Wildlife in Uttarakhand. He has taught bird watching to most of the IFS officers in India. He opined that being a Passerine, like House sparrow, if the food is available in plenty, the barn swallow might brood two times a year. The Google baba confirmed that Barn swallow broods twice year. By June last week, the second brood grew up and left store. The young ones grew up to join the flock of swallows, which forage insects in the open fields and roost on the wires in busy market of Kurseong. By August, the swallows left Kurseong and the market people started bracing themselves for the winter. The Kurseong market and its people waits for the winter to pass and Barn visitors to arrive with summer.

Kurseong Railway Station.

Heritage toy train engine.

Kurseong market in the morning.

Hanutram Lekhram Medical Store, one of the oldest medical store in North Bengal.

Original Medical store building, which was destroyed in fire.

Antique clock Seth Thomos clock made in USA at Hanutram Lekhram medical store.

Shiva Kumar Agarwala looking after the accounts work medical store.

Rudra Narayan Agarwala (left) and Viresh Agarwala (Right).

Barn Swallow (Hirundro rustica guttaralis), first time when I saw in medical store.

Barn swallow near its egg.

Barn swallow incubating in the busy shop at night. By building nest near to the humans, Barn swallow gets protection from predation.

For many years, Swallow has been building nest at this place. The dropings from this point was directly falling on the customer, which was causing problem in day-to-day business.The owner placed the paper board below the nest to prevent dropings from falling directly below on the customer. The swallow has changed the place of nesting now.