Sparrows -A worrying decline

Wild-Woman · #1 (**permalink**) 06-11-2010, 04:55 PM

Slimbridge- Zero sparrows (this monday) although we counted 62 other bird species
Grounds of hotel- zero sparrows
Arundel- zero sparrows (yesterday)
Local town- zero sparrows (today)
Our garden- 3 sparrows (today)

This is troubling me. It's so noticeable. We know that the London population has crashed- none in the London parks.

Just out of interest- can you keep a sparrow count and add to this thread and feel free to discuss your thoughts about why you think they are in such a crash, particularly in your own patch....if they are of course.

artdemole · #2 (**permalink**) 06-11-2010, 05:09 PM

Opposite my bungalow is a gate to a field.There Sparrows congregate whilst feeding and having a dust bath. Can get 20 a time regularly. That is in Peasedown St John.

artdemole · #3 (**permalink**) 06-11-2010, 05:12 PM

Also several in hedge in a lane near cemetery by Beacon hall.Also P.S.J

rossy · #4 (**permalink**) 06-11-2010, 05:31 PM

plenty still coming to my feeders approx 40 daily, rossy.

Ben Orme · #5 (**permalink**) 06-11-2010, 05:59 PM

Had about 20 regularly visit my garden late August/September time. However this number has since dwindled to around 6/7 regular visitors.

Hoppingmad · #6 (**permalink**) 06-11-2010, 06:21 PM

Sparrows seem to be increasing in my garden from 1 or 2 to up to 12 now. They love the seed I put out for them. Still when I was a child there were loads of them so would agree that overall there has been a decline.

tameblackbirds · #7 (**permalink**) 06-11-2010, 06:43 PM

I'm down to a regular 8 a drop from around 20 last year. Yes very concerned. By mum the drop is much higher and flocks of 40+ have disappeared, but so have the flocks of around the same amount of starlings.

Kayleigh · #8 (**permalink**) 06-11-2010, 06:53 PM

Its hard to say here as there seem to be about 40+ one day the next its down to 20 they seem to come and go..
Later on when the weather changes to very cold they stick around were the food is handy.

Tringa · #9 (**permalink**) 06-11-2010, 07:02 PM

Here in east London the sparrows are variable in number.

The house has an open area used for weekend football and a cemetery close by and most of the back gardens have lots shrubs and small trees.

Two of the three feeders we have contain sunflower hearts and the other has nijer seeds.

We see sparrows everyday on the feeders but not more than one or two at a time. However, if we put mealworms out we will get 10 or more at a time.

But I take your point WW, if I think back about 50 years to when I was a kid in the north east, sparrows were definitely the commonest garden bird.

It could be the food of course. In the late fifties/early sixties buying food for birds just did not happen; the birds got breadcrumbs and the odd bacon rinds.

As I mentioned above mealworms bring the sparrows in - and magpies and even the grey squirrels; and if we put fat cakes out we can almost guarantee we will get starlings.

Sorry this post goes off your point a bit.

Dave

earthdragon64 · #10 (**permalink**) 06-11-2010, 07:10 PM

Over a dozen in my garden today, we were getting flocks of 20+ in the summer. We always get less in the winter than the summer since my neighbour cut down the Leylandii hedge between us. I think it's because there is less cover for them in winter now once my trees and bushes lose their leaves.

There's a path just outside my garden, one end of which leads to the main road. There are quite a lot of small trees, bushes and shrubs planted at the roadside, and that area is full of House Sparrows, I've counted over 50 at times.

They are probably about the 2nd most common bird in my garden on average, Chaffinches being most common, at times Sparrows are in 2nd place, but at other times it could be Siskins or Starlings.

Regards, Audrey.