Hi all,
For a bit of backstory, I’ve been feeding and watching birds in my garden (North London) for over a year now.
I use 2 products from Roamwild (tube and window feeder) who specialise in squirrel/large bird proof feeders. The window feeder is rarely used by blue tits. So, most of the use is at the tube feeder and so far, it’s attracted blue, coal & great tits as well as the occasional robin. Dunnocks and wood pigeons are always on standby to clear up any spillage.
This past week house sparrows have found my feeder. A few male, a few female and some youngsters it seems (~6 in total and always in a group). I was surprised to see that these were classified in the UK as Red under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021).
I put out some coconut shell suets last year that attracted some Starlings and the House Sparrows’ behaviour is very similar. To their disappointment, Starlings are too big to use my tube bird feeder, but House Sparrows are small and light enough to use it. They travel in packs, they’re aggressive around the feeder, eat constantly throughout the day and hence have emptied the feeder within a few days.
Compared to what I see from my usual visitors, this is the total opposite behaviour! It seems their presence has also deterred my usual visitors which is a shame.
I will continue topping up my feeder of course, but I was wondering is this seasonal behaviour or is this group likely to stay for the long term now? I imagine they’re nesting in a nearby park. I’ve never seen them before until this week and have also reported the sighting using the BTO app.
From my research it seems the House Sparrows are sometimes considered pests along with Starlings. I’m not opposed to feeding them but was just curious whether this was common and likely to be the start of a new pattern.
I should also add that I've noticed they often take seeds away in their beaks, presumably for chicks in a nearby nest.
All in all since they spend a large amount of time at the feeder as well as in my garden it’s allowed me to bird watch a lot more than I was able to before.
I look forward to reading your thoughts!
Yes I may need to do something like that which is a shame cause I had none of these concerns before the sparrows!
I've observed them today and they've not been happy with the sunflower seeds switch. They're eating a few but most of the feed has been thrown on the ground, so the other birds can't even enjoy it except the pigeons who like to mop up.
When they get a chance which is seldom; Greenfinches eat them at the feeder with their impressive beaks and the tits usually take them to the nearby tree to break and eat. But the feeder has been totally emptied on the ground now with hardly anything being actually eaten properly.
My nickname of "mini starlings" couldn't be more accurate of their behaviour!