Author Topic: Sparrows - A bird in decline (Read 6658 times)

Garden Manager · « **on:** February 20, 2004, 17:05:24 »

It has been recently reported in the media that the dear house sparrow in in decline in this country. Due in part they say to loss of habitat etc.

In my garden/neighbourhood, we seem to be 'bucking the trend', we have more sparows than any other species put together it seems. Just the other day i watched a flock of them fighting over the food in our feeders.

The bird species that has apparently disapeared from our area is the thrushes, which is bad news since they are the main avian predator of the slugs and snails.

What are your veiws/ thoughts on this. Do you never see a sparrow or do you like me have flocks of them in the garden. Id be interested to hear.

rdak · « **Reply #1 on:** February 20, 2004, 17:09:23 »

never see sparrows here in Reading. Also, what has happened to starlings? I remember seeing huge flocks as a kid but now at the ripe old age of 27, only ever see the odd one or two together. might be due to our cat though!

aquilegia · « **Reply #2 on:** February 20, 2004, 17:28:10 »

I live in a semi-urban area and am surrounded by people who aren't really into plants/nature so most gardens are concrete. So I'm hoping my garden'll be a haven to wildlife in years to come. At teh mo it's a little bare, so all I've ever seen in it are wood pigeons, starlings and a robin. But then you can't really see the garden from the flat very well, so the only time I see it is when I'm in it and, therefore, the birds aren't.

I do hear a lot of thrushes, though, including those that take a bath in the guttering outside the living room at around 9am everyday. lovely!

Mimi · « **Reply #3 on:** February 20, 2004, 17:29:29 »

Ross, I think that they are all here in North Wales. Have seen flocks and flocks around here over the winter. Dont see many sparrows here though. When I was little we used to refer to them as 'house sparows' so maybe there are more in cities. One thing we do have aplenty and that is the dreaded bl**dy seagulls. Cant walk around town for the beauties, and to top it all they use our car for target practice >:(

allotment_chick · « **Reply #4 on:** February 20, 2004, 17:37:56 »

Here in West London I haven't seen a sparrow in years (and I blame the magpies). However, have seen a marked increased of pied wagtails in the locality in the last year.
AC

Garden Manager · « **Reply #5 on:** February 20, 2004, 17:52:27 »

We have gulls, pidgeons and magpies too. Spadgies (sparrows - sorry) seem to thrive in spite of them. Its the blackbirds that seem to have a hard time with the magpies. I suspect the thrushes are put of by them as well thats why we dont see them.

Tenuse · « **Reply #6 on:** February 20, 2004, 18:06:53 »

Last year we had a lovely family of 3 spadges visiting the garden feeders every day. This year? none at all.

:'( :'(

Ten x

Hugh_Jones · « **Reply #7 on:** February 20, 2004, 20:00:18 »

We used to have plenty of house sparrows years ago, but they disappeared some years back, to be replaced by hedge ascenters (hedge sparrows) in large numbers. The house sparrows disappeared at about the same time as our red squirrels - now replaced by hordes of greys. Our original jays seemed to have been driven out by magpies 30 years or so ago, but last year a family of two adults and two youngsters arrived and are still with us.

The biggest population explosion has been in chaffinches and t*ts of all kinds - blue, long-tailed and coal t*ts, all in large numbers.

Carol · « **Reply #8 on:** February 21, 2004, 01:36:31 »

Here in S.E, Scotland we still have plenty House sparrow, but not at my patch until spring. Starling is in decline too but still quite a lot here. I have no Magpies, nothing to mention in this part of U.K. but they are getting ever nearer. The most common bird here is the Chaffinch and Collared Doves are certainly on the increase, as is Buzzards.

Mrs Ava · « **Reply #9 on:** February 21, 2004, 02:05:15 »

hmmm, I don't think I would know the difference between a house and hedge sparrow. Our Asda is home to all of our sparrows I think. They roost up in the covering over the trollies, nice :o, and flit around in the hedges that surround the carpark. We seem to do well for birdlife in this part of Essex. Now, I don't know my birds all that well, but we have owls, woodpeckers, Jays, Magpies, crows and rooks, t*ts, sparrows, starlings (nest in our roof!), blackbirds and thrushes, Robins and wrens and the occassional bird of prey - kestrel I guess, but for all I know, could be a golden eagle! ::) Our little village is surrounded by farmland and just down the road is a huge nature reserve, all part of Danbury Common, so we do seem to have an abundance of lovely wildlife all doing it's thing.

eileen · « **Reply #10 on:** February 21, 2004, 02:58:35 »

So far, thank goodness, plenty hedge and house sparrows around here in West Lothian in Scotland. ;D

Only bird I haven't seen much of is the thrush. I had a mistle thrush in the garden around Christmas time but that's the first I've noticed in 19 years! They are in the surrounding countryside - just not my garden. :'(

An abundance of Great, Blue and Coal t.ts and a few Long-tailed. Not so many greenfinches or chaffinches as last year about this time.

Everything else is holding steady in numbers. :D

Cheers Eileen.

Gardengirl · « **Reply #11 on:** February 21, 2004, 11:33:22 »

We still have quite a few sparrows visiting our garden here in Herts. I see we have been asked to put up nesting boxes to encourage them to breed so am going to do my bit. Plenty of greenfinches here though, also collared doves, chaffinch, goldfinch, robin, blackbird, blue and great t*ts and of course the ever circling seagulls at the moment. Also had two beautiful pigeons land on our garden wall yesterday. Don't very often see them in the garden so got the camera out.

georgiesgirl · « **Reply #12 on:** February 21, 2004, 12:48:05 »

Here in the Scottish Borders sparrows are a daily visitor to the garden. Not as plentiful as chaffinches, tits and robins.Other species in large numbers are the collared doves and rooks, who nest in large numbers near my house.
This year we have had visit on several occasions from a greater spotted woodpecker.
The bird that gives me most pleasure is the little wren,that busies itself most days outside my kitchen window..

Debs · « **Reply #13 on:** February 21, 2004, 15:22:38 »

Definitely not in decline in our garden in North East.
We seem to have a small flock living between our house and the next. Also have blue tits,great tits, greenfinches, blackbirds, robin, dunnock, wren, collared dove, wood pigeon, magpie, starlings and dreaded sparrowhawk. Had mistle thrush last year and saw a thrush recently but don't generally see many thrushes.
Also had bats last year so hope they return again.
Debs

Garden Manager · « **Reply #14 on:** February 22, 2004, 18:07:32 »

I consider myself fortunate to have as many birds visit the garden as I do. I would be nice though to have a few more different species.

At present we have Sparrows (mostly house but may be a few hedge ones), blackbirds (one regular pair and a few visitors), a robin, starlings, a couple of wrens, Plus Pigeons, collared doves and magpies representing th larger birds. In the wider area also crows and seagulls.

We have had fleeting visits from other species too. T*ts (Great and Blue) and finches (Green and Bull). The most recent was a Bullfinch that appeared in the garden yesterday. There may have been other but these were so fleeting I didnt get the chance to identify them.

I am fortunate that my garden backs onto open fields (at present), thus offering a greater habit area than just the garden.

A couple of questions before i finish.

We are told to encourage sparrows by putting up nestboxes for them, what type do they use, as there are several designs.

Is there anything I can do to encourage the rarer visitors to return? I already put out food daily.

Can someone clarify which birds prefer which typ of nest box. I am considering putting a couple up, but i want to choose the right design for the local birds.

Thanks

Carol · « **Reply #15 on:** February 22, 2004, 21:22:35 »

Hi Richard
Log on to CJWildbirdfood and you will see the various boxes on offer for the birds. You will see a Sparrow Terrace box, apparently House Sparrows like nesting in communes? I put one up two years ago and was lucky enough to have a pair nesting last year. Do not have a tidy garden, birds like the seeds from weeds. There is all ddifferent kinds of plants you can grow to encourage the birds which you could find out about if you log onto the RSPB site. You will receive all your informtion there,
Good luck, I like my garden but the birds come first.

Garden Manager · « **Reply #16 on:** February 23, 2004, 19:37:14 »

Thanks Carol. I had some idea sparrows were communal birds. Dont know where they nest around here but they are obviously thriving judging by the numbers we've got. A special sparrow box sounds a great idea!

No i am not too tidy, perhaps thats why the birds like my garden ;D . Dont have the time or the inclination to have a perfect weed free plot anyway.

Blackbird numbers have increased significantly in the las couple of days. Apart from our resident pair, who are always around, we now have another 4 females and 2 males! The females yesterday were fighting for the attentions of one of the males - who didnt seem particularly interested! It did not escape the attention of 'our' male, who has made a point of driving the strangers away whenever he sees them.

kujo2big · « **Reply #17 on:** March 23, 2007, 03:04:08 »

;D I think there all eating @ Mcdonalds, we , my wife and I feed them our fries, when we go out

Deb P · « **Reply #18 on:** March 23, 2007, 08:10:30 »

We have intermittent sparrow visits. We have a house martin nest under the eaves of our house, and a few years ago half of it fell off leaving a precarious cup shaped hole. For some reason the house martins did not repair it, and a family of sparrows moved in! They managed to use it for about three years, then the house martins returned, repaired the nest and have been back ever since!

norfolklass · « **Reply #19 on:** March 23, 2007, 09:53:49 »

we get plenty of birds in our garden, despite the local cat who lurks in the hedge under the feeders, and they're mostly sparrows. we're on the outskirts of Norwich so quite near fields, farmland and woods. got very excited this morning when I spotted a blackcap – can't remember seeing one before.

we also get the usual suspects: blackbirds, blue tits, great tits, long tailed tits (my fave!), greenfinches, chaffinches, magpies, a few starlings, HUGE wood pigeons, collared doves, a sparrowhawk and a pair of lost ducks last year.

News:

Author Topic: Sparrows - A bird in decline (Read 6658 times)

rdak

Hugh_Jones