One for Flighty?

[grannyjanny]

For about a week now we have had a little visitor in the back garden. It looks like a baby sparrow but has a white flash across its back & wings. I thought it might be a one off, a quirk of nature but today there were 2 of them & another one with not quite as pronounced markings. What do you think please flighty?

[grannyjanny]

[Flighty]

They could well be young tree sparrows.  At this time of year fledglings start appearing which cause no end of confusion with identification.

[grannyjanny]

Thank you Flighty. I do like to know who our visitors are .

[Flighty]

You're welcome, and lucky if that's what they were! Sadly I never see house or tree sparrows.
I caught a glimpse of what I think was a recently fledged blue tit today.

[grannyjanny]

Without your help Flighty we wouldn't know what the new visitors are. ATM we are plagued by crows & jackdaws, OH is not a happy bunny .

[pumkinlover]

We had a sparrow visiting who had a bit of white on his/her tail feathers.

[Paulines7]

Could they be baby chaffinches?
http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/wildlife/homesforwildlife/f/905/p/51771/346050.aspx

[grannyjanny]

They are sparrows Pauline. They were being fed yesterday . We do have lots of chaffinches in the garden but I haven't seen any babies as yet.

[Flighty]

Grannyjanny you are really lucky to see tree sparrows as they've sadly declined by 95% over the past 30 years.

[green lily]

Flighty I think I have tree sparrows nesting in my hedge [spadger/ bluetit flats]. This is North Lincs and they are just a bit different from the cockney spadger I grew up with. Thankyou for making me feel even more privileged by their company.

[Flighty]

Green lily lucky you. They have a white collar and a black cheek spot neither of which the house sparrow has. The latter's population crashed in the 1990's so in some places they are now rarely seen, which is sad as at one time they were our commonest garden bird.  You're welcome.