S.O.S. - Save our Sparrows

[alan refail]

Acording to this survey house sparrow numbers have fallen dramatically. It seems that a lot of the blame rests on "tidy" gardeners.
Here we have seen a great increase in sparrow numbers over the past few years. But then I am an increasingly "untidy" gardener.
Perhaps the city birds have followed the example of the TV series and made their "Escape to the Country".

[Johnboy]

Hi Alan,
Thirty years ago my records show 40 pairs of Sparrows nesting on the plot. They began to dwindle and in in 1990 we had none and it remained like that until three years ago when two pairs nested and this year it is up to 16 pairs. But for 15 years they were absent.
The strange thing with them is that on 'Deluge Friday' last year they all cleared off and it was not until the end of October did they return!
I think the RSPB is relying too heavily on their garden survey because certainly there are many more Sparrows in this area over the last 5 to 6 years and this seems to say what they suggest from their garden survey. I think that they have moved to the country as you say.

[PAULW]

This year we have loads of sparrows on our lottie, IMO it is lack of habitat that is the main problem all the plastic facias and soffits have blocked up the holes which the birds used to nest in.

[woodenart]

We also have a lot of sparrows this year in our part of Shropshire, but I do think that the numbers have declined since I was a boy

[PLUMPUDDING]

When Dad was alive we had hundreds of sparrows. They would wait for him to go indoors and then dive out of the hedge and eat all the pea shoots and have dust baths in all the seed beds. They have gradually decreased until this year we have only three pairs. Still, I can grow peas without having to cover everything up.

It isn't anything to do with having a tidy garden either, and I grow lots of insect attracting flowers among the veg and all over the rest of the garden, so there should be plenty of food for them. We've also plenty of places for them to nest, so I've no idea why they are struggling here.

[glallotments]

We get lots of sparrows in our garden and put p a couple of sparrow terraces. They have been up for a couple of years and so far have been 'rented' by blue tits and great tits.
Information implies that the hole would be two big for the tit familiy and that they never nest where there are nesting holes close to one another. However they seem to choose the sparrow boxes rather than the boxes that are supposed to be designed for them. Maybe they don't read the same articles as I do!

[Monika]

Glallotments, we have the same experience with the 'sparrow terrace'! We do have house sparrows here but they nest in the ivy on the house and never in the terrace. We usually get a bluetit in there and one year we also had a beautifully constructed wasps' nest in one of the compartments.

[oldherbaceous]

I too have have a Sparrow terrace, in 2007 a Blue Tits nest, in 2008 a wasp nest.
So this year i have moved it next to where the Sparrows have been nesting under the porch tiles, we will see what happens now.

[alan refail]

What a lot you learn from this forum

A sparrow terrace was a new on on me. For anyone else who's puzzled, I found out how to build one here.

I shan't be making one as we are still blessed (?) with scores of sparrows. We have a lot of ivy-covered trees where they nest. The most popular place is a trio of large 10 foot high conifer stumps, now like an ivy tree, beside the back door. Not so much a terrace as a sparrow high-rise housing estate

[oldherbaceous]

Morning Alan, i was just wondering if anyone has one that Sparrows have actually nested in?

The question isn't aimed at you personally Alan.

[glallotments]

This afternoon we looked out of one of our windows to see this looking back. Sadly it was tucking in to one sparrow that we couldn't save!!
I know it is a sparrowhawk and a female but I am not sure whether it is one of last year's juveniles.

My husband took quite a lot of video, as the visitor stayed around for quite a while, whilst I took the stills most of which were a bit blurry but this one was OK! . The video is posted on our website as is a larger version of the image above.
http://glallotments.co.uk/200902Diary.aspx
It's at the bottom of the page so some scrolling is necessary!

[Johnboy]

Hi Glallotments,
Looking at the total wing area this displays the feather pattern of a first year juvenile. In the adult birds the total wing pattern is grey. Male and female show greys but they are very different greys. The eye stripe is that of a female but with juvenile feathering it is very difficult to discern the actual sex.
A super picture.
I have a male Sparrow Hawk that roosts daily in just the one spot on one of my large Apple trees and he is a joy to behold. Sadly he is too far away for me to get a picture. I know that he uses the orchard bottom gate posts as a plucking point judging by the amount of feathers around!
JB.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear glallotment, i've just had look at the filming that you managed to get, it is truly amazing, as is Johnboys feather iterpretation.

[Johnboy]

Hi Glallotments,
The photo's of the bird that flew into the empty aviary to me is not a Sparrow Hawk but a Goshawk.
Make a comparison between the the head of the bird you show in this thread which displays a grey head although it is a juvenile bird showing some adult features. Ultimately the wings will be that colour as well after the final moult. Now the bird in the aviary is totally brown and is an adult bird. I sincerely hope the birds injury was treated by a Vet before being released.
In this area we have quite a few Goshawks because a Falconer used to keep them until some animal rights person liberated them some 30 odd years ago and they have bred quite successfully ever since. The falconers birds were imported from Scandinavia. In the local forest there was a Goshawk nest that was many years old and is in fact about 15ft across and because it was too near one of their tracks the Forestry Commission in their wisdom felled the tree! The wicked bastards only wanted to widen the track and the track could have been widened the other way as there was plenty of room to do so.
We, in the area, tried to have the FC summoned but after trying for 18 months we had to give up.
JB.

[glallotments]

Hi Johnboy,
I bow to your greater knowledge. I just assumed that as sparrowhawks were more common around us that this was what it was. I'll have to edit the page to reflect the new information. Thanks.

I would have thought the FC would have been more sympathetic to wildlife and can totally understand your anger!