Most mornings in a high-rise apartment start with traffic noise, phone alarms, and the general rush of getting to work quickly. But recently, a woman living in one such apartment has found a way to carve out a different kind of morning altogether, which is quieter and more peaceful.A Noida-based woman has surprisingly turned her high-rise balcony into a bird abode, and her space remains filled with birds’ songs all day long.While this might be common for people living with houses lined with gardens, it is quite difficult to achieve in high rises building s especially in cities like Noida and Delhi, where there is less greenery and more concrete cover.She narrated her entire experience to Better India, explaining how she made the impossible possible.
Representative Image
A trip to the hills that changed everything back home
Noida-based artist Ekta Nahar’s journey began far from her apartment, during a 2022 family trip to Mussoorie, where birdsong filled the air throughout the stay. “We stayed at a place where we could hear birds all day,” she said. “It was peaceful in a way I hadn’t experienced in a long time.” Returning to Noida, the silence felt jarring, and she found herself asking why that sense of peace had to wait until retirement instead of starting right away.
So, what did she do to call in birds in her high rise balcony?
Back home, Ekta noticed something she’d overlooked for years: how little room the city left for birds. “There was so much concrete everywhere, and hardly any space for birds,” she says. In 2023, she started changing her balcony into a refuge for birds, adding plants, water bowls and grains. Nothing happened for over three months, leaving her wondering, “I kept wondering what I was doing wrong.”
The first sparrow that changed the story
After months of silence, one faint chirp broke through. “I was asleep when I heard a faint chirping,” Ekta says. “I stepped out, and there it was: a sparrow.” It was the first one she’d seen in her neighbourhood in over a decade. “That one sparrow meant everything,” she told the Better India. That single visit slowly multiplied, and today her balcony welcomes close to 200 birds every single morning, feeding comfortably from her hand.
Birds do not just come for food!
Watching her balcony grow taught Ekta something most people overlook. “We always think feeding birds is enough,” she says. “But it’s not just about food. It’s about safety.” She explains that birds constantly assess risk, checking for escape routes, hidden threats and safe resting spots, telling that even small choices like feeder height “make a difference” for the birds to feel protected.
How can you also invite birds to your balcony?
If you’re hoping to recreate something similar, Ekta’s way of doing it comes down to a few simple habits.She advises skipping the urge to make it look polished or “fancy,” and letting it stay as natural as possible. Prioritise safety over feeding, since birds need to feel secure before they’ll return. Add plenty of plants to break up the concrete around you, and above all, give it time, because trust isn’t built overnight. As she says it, “When birds feel safe, they will come.”
