Pune girl befriends over dozen parrots

Pune: A Pune girl made the best of the lockdown by befriending over a dozen parrots who now call her rented apartment home. With many bird feeders, swings and love, it is a beautiful friendship between birds and a human being.

Radhika Sonawane, a finance professional is being visited by more than a dozen winged friends every day. “Earlier, Indian ringneck parakeet used to come but later on Alexandrine parakeet started coming here in large numbers. They come here every day. There is some kind of bond I have developed with them,” says Sonawane.

Now that the parrots are pally with her and some of them like to be fed by Sonawane’s hands. “I started observing from their timing to what they eat. Eventually, they started trusting and coming here. Many of them prefer hand-feeding too,” she said.

To accommodate the birdies, Sonawane has transformed her balcony with many bird feeders and even small hanging bird stands that double up as a swing. “The bonding with the birds are deep. I have to think before travelling,” she said.