The trees attract snakes, said the neighbours.
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Having technical know-how about soils, I had no difficulty gauging that the residential plot I owned was suited to raise a home garden. We planted saplings much before the construction of the house began. Over a short time, 12 trees helped transform the concrete structure into a lush green abode. A few flowering plants and wall creepers completed the picture.
The trees attracted birds. In the beginning, flocks of house and yellow-throated sparrows frequented. As the days passed, red-whiskered bulbuls, babblers, and others dotted the foliage.
Enthused by the opportunity to indulge in bird watching from our comfort zone, we began feeding them grains and water and eventually succeeded in making them colonise the garden. The sparrows were the first to build nests. It was a visual treat to observe how the mother sparrows diligently wove intricate nests. Some built them in an ivy in the portico, while a few preferred to have them in the trees.
We thanked God for providing us with the luxury of seeing the birds freely fly around the garden and preen at water pits. We got so used to the chirps and tweets of young birds demanding their mother’s attention that quite often we became engrossed in guarding the chicks and the eggs in the nests while she was away. Without our knowledge, the birds became a common topic at home. We discussed what we heard or saw, or what we did not. I cannot recall the number of times we thanked our stars for blessing us with this exquisite and rare opportunity to indulge in bird-watching, sitting at home.
Needless to say, we took pride in our garden. But it did not take long for us to realise that it came at a cost. We had to be vigilant against stray dogs, cats, and snakes that preyed on birds, especially sparrows. The people in the neighbourhood who used to admire the greenery started to make their apprehensions loud and clear about the snakes. They held the trees responsible for the problem. Their grouse was that snakes could enter their compounds too.
To address the issue, I may be asked to either fell the trees or chop off their branches to drive away the birds. I fear I might be compelled to yield to this pressure. If I do, it will sadden me deeply. It seems that trees in a home garden no longer fit into the scheme of things in an urban ecosystem.
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