One conversation with him is enough to make one see his passion towards nature and its conservation. And he has a simple reason to justify it too. Thirumal Prasad Patil, is a farmer in birth and an IT professional by occupation.

Thirumal’s engagement with NFS began around two years back when he was searching for bird feeders and nesting boxes online in order to develop a safe haven for birds frequenting his garden.

He hasn’t looked back since. Today, not just sparrows but he has successfully managed to lure about 8-10 species of other common birds.

Since childhood, Thirumal was inclined towards nature and its conservation, a belief system instilled in him by his parents. He recalls, “I used to find sparrows frequently visiting my garden and I was finding it very difficult in feeding them especially because I had no clue on how to provide them nesting space. I did try few raw ideas like Carton Box etc, but that did not fetch good results. However, NFS changed it all. Though, these little sparrows did not trust my Feeders and Nesting boxes for about 10 months, I saw them slowly getting adjusted to and within no time, they were making a lot of noise. They started enjoying the food in the feeders and started bringing their friends along. Within no time, they built nests and I saw their families multiplying. Now, they are regular visitors of my garden (though at times they disappear for couple of days), only to return again.”

Thirumal conservation efforts for Sparrow are not only limited to his individual efforts as he constantly strives to involve his friends and family into the movement. At the same time, being active on social media space, he often supports the cause through face book. His roots, attachment to nature and the journey from his serene village life to concrete jungle of city existence further add to his commitment towards Sparrow conservation.

Recently, he has gone a step further and a small creative idea of his is making a difference to Sparrow’s lives. In his own words, “my House is now a “Safe Habitat” for lovely Sparrows. They have occupied all four Houses and busy in building/Rebuilding their Nests. I help them by providing Jute & Other Eco-friendly material to build their Lovely Nests, kept right above their feeders. So whenever, they visit to feed, they also carry along safe building material such as jute to make their homes.”