The 'Birdman' Of Gujarat Feeds Thousands Of Birds Every Day

Harsukhbhai Dobariya and his family have been feeding thousands of birds every single day for the past 17 years. Parrots, weaver birds, pigeons and crows are some of the species which flock in every morning to the rooftop of Harsukhbhai’s home in Gujarat, India. This generous family spends over £1100 every three months to feed these birds on sticks of pearl millets. “The fact that these birds come is what pleases me the most. The more birds come the more I enjoy”, says Harsukhbhai.

These people wake up early in the morning and get busy preparing food for their early morning guests, who start arriving in flocks with the first rays of the sun. This has been their tradition, and they’ve been doing it for 17 years. To feed this large number of birds, he made a special contraption which makes it easier for him to hang out the sticks of pearl millets.

Harsukhbhai is a farmer by profession and also runs a showroom. Along with juggling work in the fields and the showroom, he also makes small bird shelters which he decorates with beads and glitters to sell to people.

These birds come from as far as 50 kilometres away, however none of them are caged and they fly back to their nests and the tree tops once they are done with the feeding. The birds bring their chicks along and the number keeps increasing over the years.

Friends come over for tea and watch the spectacular flocking in the mornings. And the entire household of Harsukhbhai is equal in their love and compassion for these winged creatures.

Videographer / director: Shams Qari
Producer: Haziq Qadri, Ruby Coote
Editor: Marcus Cooper