Ring-necked parakeet is in no danger of extinction but the bird can rarely be spotted in an urban setting thanks to unbridled construction activity and loss of trees. Yet, thousands of ring-necked parakeets visit Joseph Sekar’s house between 6:30 AM – 8:30 AM and 4 PM – 6 PM in Chennai’s Royapettah area every day.
His mission of feeding the birds started during the times of 2004 tsunami when two birds landed on his doorsteps shortly after the disaster. Since then, the number of birds taking refuge at his home has only increased. For the past 11 years, ‘Birdman of Chennai’, who owns a camera repair shop, has been spending half of his daily income to feed his feathered friends.
Amid the hullabaloo of city life, these parakeets are a sight for sore eyes!
