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So House sparrows are in decline are they?

Not here they aint!!

This year a previously healthy population has simply exploded, as good food sources and nesting habitats has prompted a 'baby boom'.

Impossible to count, but here must be dozens living in our cul de sac alone. At times recently the garden has been alive with them - birds everywhere you look.

We and our neighbours feed reguarly (daily in our case, at 2 feeders a time), yet at one point a week or two ago supply couldnt keep up with demand.

Mind you not all food suplied was eaten, sparrows are messy eaters, spilling as much seed on the floor as they eat (which isnt wasted, as it gets collected up and given to the ground feeding birds, particularly the collared doves and wood pigeons).

Thankfully demand is now a bit reduced, there seems to be more natural food about now (flower seeds and insects).

...so how many in your garden at any one time. Two dozen? More than thirty?
I am the same. Have been for many years. I've a least three males. And I get fledglings (is that the right word?) 2, 3, or 4 every couple of weeks. They get two seed feeders full every Saturday morning,and maybe another belly full mid week. Peanuts are available all the time, so is water. Sometimes they get fat balls too.
I buy the seed and nuts by the 20/25Kg sack full. It works out a bit cheaper. They are a joy to watch. You're lucky to get the doves. It's wood pidgeons or feral (flying rats) here :D :D :D

I'm lucky if I see one, although there are many other birds (including a very handsome pair of bullfinches - and no, they haven't touched the apple blossom).

Like i said its impossible to be sure how many there really are, but it must be getting on for 2 - 2.5 dozen at least.

You are lucky to to have to feed only once a week, for us its virtualy once a DAY refill. they get through that much food. We learned some time back that bulk buying was better  ;D.

We do get other birds as well. Blackbirds most regularly, alongside magpies, the occasional robin appearance, starlings and fleetingly greenfinches, blue and great t*ts. I should point out these last are sighted only rarely but are clearly about somewhere.

Oh yes and we do have a pair of resident pigeons. They are not a nuisance (apart from noise), and do a good job clearing up after all the sparrows!

 ;D My pair of sparrows have had 3 or 4 broods this year. The first lot of babies fed the second lot and so on. So from 2 there is now at least 20!!

They are nesting in a gap on the side extension which is near my peppers and tomatoes. So at daily watering time, when the cat and dog accompany me, all the adults turn up beaks full of food and squak at us to go away.

The broods have stayed in a flock and can be seen daily lining up on the wall, picking insects of my tubs and pots and on the bird feeders.  One casuality flew into the back kitchen window.

Hopefully they will survive the winter.

Sparrows can teach humans a thing or two about cooperating, sharing and working together. 

Quote from: Rosa_Mundi on August 13, 2005, 21:19:48
I'm lucky if I see one, although there are many other birds (including a very handsome pair of bullfinches - and no, they haven't touched the apple blossom).

don't get no bullfinches here  :(  And I grow teasel & thistles and leave the seedheads on me plants.) Still the sparras are a joy to watch. Bloomin' noisy as well at times.  :D :D :D

Quote from: redclanger on August 14, 2005, 13:17:49
Sparrows can teach humans a thing or two about cooperating, sharing and working together. 

Oh they could, you're right. Although my lot are prone to the odd row every so often, usualy over food.

Quote from: Garden Cadet on August 14, 2005, 14:52:36

Oh they could, you're right. Although my lot are prone to the odd row every so often, usualy over food.

The odd row..!! You wanna see my lot. Wings up erect. Beaks out like spears. Wow..!! I love watchin' sparras. (Go on git 'im. Ass'it..!!)

We have lots of sparrows that sem to live between our house

and the next door neighbour - probably because we both supply the

grub for them.

Within our 'colony' of spuggies there are lots of dunnocks which are

very similar to the spuggies, except that they have a distinct hopping

action and more pointed beak shape.

Debs  ;)

Quote from: Debs on August 14, 2005, 22:58:15
Within our 'colony' of spuggies there are lots of dunnocks which are

very similar to the spuggies, except that they have a distinct hopping

action and more pointed beak shape.

Debs  ;)

[/quote

The pointed beak is because they are essentially insect and grub eaters and not seed eaters like the sparrows.]

Quote from: Debs on August 14, 2005, 22:58:15
Within our 'colony' of spuggies there are lots of dunnocks which are very similar to the spuggies, except that they have a distinct hopping action and more pointed beak shape.
Debs  ;)

I have wondered if they are all House sparrows, since some have slightly different markings, even allowing for juvenile plumage. I wondered if some were a different variety of sparrow (there are a couple of others besides the common 'House' ones), but now you have got me thinking......  ???

Same here - sparrows are becoming my favourite birds. They're so happy and perky. We have around 30 regulars in our small garden, largely because we stuck a pond in there and they also love the elderberries/blackberries etc.

Might need to put up some sparrow housing this year to accommodate them all! :)
Melanie

Here you are Garden Cadet, the male has the dark "bib" under his chin, white cheeks, and grey top of head.

Quote from: redclanger on August 14, 2005, 23:38:04
The pointed beak is because they are essentially insect and grub eaters and not seed eaters like the sparrows.]

Quote

Thanks redclanger, I didn't know that about the insects. I wondered why they pass by the seed on the floor. Yet they like my ant mounds. (I don't..!!)

Quote from: dotCompost on August 15, 2005, 13:42:26
Here you are Garden Cadet, the male has the dark "bib" under his chin, white cheeks, and grey top of head.

Thanks thats cleared THAT one up!

Quote from: dotCompost on August 15, 2005, 13:42:26
Here you are Garden Cadet, the male has the dark "bib" under his chin, white cheeks, and grey top of head.

There is also the tree sparrow:

We seem to a few distinct families of sparrows. The ones out the front feed on the fat balls and fly off in one direction, those at the back feed on the seed and peanuts and fly off in another direction and then we have a different bunch on the green.We have loads of different birds, and the dunnocks like to feed under the seed hanger and under the verbena bonari what sit .Starlings always dominate the nuts, but they have specific feeding times. A couple of ring collared doves that won't let any other doves near but will happily share with other birds. I find this bird watching fascinating. A young blackbird flew right next to me when I pegging the washing out, I got too nervous to move so had to wait until it hopped off.Sorry for the ramble...got a bit carried away there.

How loverley Val. I can just picture you hanging out yer washing, being supervised by a blackbird  :D :D :D

 ;D ;DYes it just flew down at my feet , I thought what is it doing...there was a tiny piece of nut obviously dropped by the other birds, it pecked at that then hopped away. :D