hi i wondered if this was going to be the case, the council have been happily swapping fences for peoples old wire and hedge borders and now the flock of about 25 sparrows has disappeared. I've been feeding them for about 4 years and watched the numbers grow, which is good considering the number of cats and magpies here in epsom. I do get more finches in exchange but i miss my sparrows, the garden doesn't feel the same without their squabbles and rucks. Do get siskins on a regular basis too.
I know the feeling. We used to get nothing but sparrows but over the years they have def declined . We get a decent variety of other birds though and it seems that the blue/great tits are replacing them? I saw a sparrow hawk a couple of weeks ago, something that I have never seen before. It looked out of place in a city garden. The other birds needless to say gave it a very wide birth 😳