As summer sets in, Kathiroor panchayat sets an example with birdbaths

All 18 panchayat members of Kathiroor, a village in Kannur district, have installed birdbaths in their homes. An initiative of Chiragu Prakriti Nireekshana Club, a group formed two months ago to introduce children to birds, butterflies and nature, the aim of the members was to encourage households in the village to become bird-friendly by installing birdbaths.

“During the months of March-April, when summer peaks, most of the natural water sources in our village dry up. Ours is a water scare region and so animals and birds have a hard time during summer,” says Shaji Chemban, an employee of Supplyco and one of the founding members of Chiragu.

Tickell’s Blue Fly Catcher stops for a sip at the birdbath installed in Shaji Chemban’s house. He shot a video ’Around a clay pot’ to record the diverse birds in Kathiroor panchayat (Source: Special Arrangement)

Keen birdwatchers and members of the Malabar Natural History Society, Shaji and his brothers had installed a birdbath in his house a few years ago. However, he knew that not many people in the vicinity had a similar facility at their homes.

To encourage people in the neighbourhood to install birdbaths in their homes too, they organised a function on February 17 to distribute clay pots mounted on iron tripods, called ‘kilipathram’ to all the panchayat members.

Kathiroor panchayat in Kannur district initiated a project called ‘kilipathram’, to encourage all residents to install birdbaths in their homes under the auspices of Chiragu Prakriti Nireekshna Club (Source: Special Arrangement)

Panchayat president V.P. Sanal says he never expected such an overwhelming response to ‘kilipathram’. He says: “I put up an appeal in my WhatsApp group of residents in my ward to install such birdbaths or keep a container of water for birds. I also requested residents to send us photographs of the birdbaths at their homes,” he says.

Now, Government Higher Secondary School and Tharuvanatheru Upper Primary School in the panchayat have carried forward the initiative. They have formed teams, with students taking turns to fill the container, keep it clean and so on. The local police station has also got a birdbath on its premises.

A still from Shaji Chemban’s video ‘Around a clay pot’ shows a Red- whiskered bulbul and Golden-fronted leaf bird in a birdbath installed in his house in Kathiroor panchayat (Source: Special Arrangement)

To keep up the momentum, Shaji, a keen wildlife photographer, set up a video camera near his birdbath at home. He says he had no idea about the variety of birds that visited his home. The nine-minute video ‘Around a clay pot’ showcases the diversity of the bird population in Kathiroor. “I was surprised to see birds like the Yellow-throated bulbul, Golden-fronted leaf bird, Jungle Babbler, Orange-headed thrush and so on visiting my garden!” says Shaji.

The members of Chiragu hope to start their nature walks in earnest once schools get back to the routine. “Our team wants to take students on butterfly walks and introduce them to the flora and fauna in their vicinity,” he says.