I've been feeding the birds since i moved in to my house in March 08. I started to notice regulars among which were a group of 5 sparrows. This group has grown over the past year to a group of 22 sparrows. I read recently that they can breed up to four times a year so i'm guessing the original 5 have been quite busy My neighbour feeds them too and i presume they're all living in the large connifer between mine and her garden as they often all gather to sunbathe on the hedge, they're never far away. I love that they're there, but i've noticed that all the other regulars have gone. I had around 10 different species coming around at one point but now it's just the one. Could the sparrows be scaring everything away? Am i doing the right thing continuing to feed them? Or do birds just come and go? I'm quite new to this so any advice would be much appreciated.
In my garden the sparrows seem to encourage rather than scare off other birds, like a safety in numbers thing.
It's great to hear that your sparrow numbers are increasing, I've had sparrows breeding in my roof every year for 20 years except this year sadly although they are still around.
The numbers of all species visiting me seem to have dropped recently too - I believe because of plenty of natural food available to them 'in the wild' at the moment, such as scattered grain from harvest and hedgerow berries.
Continue to put out a variety of food but not so much until you notice numbers increasing again. They'll be back as it gets cooler and be grateful for it :-)
Hello
Funny but I have recently had finches in my garden and I was worrying that they had frightened off my long standing sparrows. However the sparrows have started to return so obviously temporary blip. My other feeders at my stables have a mix of birds all sharing - the rural birds always seem to be hungrier and less finicky than my urban visitors at home.
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We have been feeding birds in our garden since we moved here just over 5 years ago. We have many regular visitors but they seem to vary from year to year. Last year we had very few sparrows but this year we have dozens Although our garden is not particularly large we have a laurel, a bay and a photinia and these three bushes are alive with sparrows. This year we have seen very few greenfinches but are blessed with daily visits from a group of goldfinches. Starlings have also been with us throughout this year and we delight in their comical performances. I am just a new member to this forum and this is my first posting.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
I agree with Ffroglet, I am sure most garden birds get on well together and as long as you keep putting out good quality food they will keep coming. The species might vary from time to time or from year to year but eventually they return. So keep up the good work and be patient.
We have just moved house in the middle of this year. (landlord wanted our rented house back), and I feel sad that we left our little flock of Sparrows behind.
Recently we had a chat with our old neighbours, and found out that the 'last' garden area has been hacked down. This included the Privet Hedge that the Sparrows lived in. I feel so bad for them being made homeless. They loved the Privet Hedge in our back garden area. I hope that they found alternative accommodation.
In our new house we have a high thicket of greenery (looks like a hedge just and no more) - and there is a colony of Sparrows living in this hedge. It gives us a great view out of the front window - talk about the birds being close to the window area. It is great to see them playing hide and seek in the hedge.
We put a Window Seed box for them and they take a nibble here and there. There is enough natural food stuffs for them at the moment to be getting on with.
So I feel that Sparrows need to be encouraged as they like to like to hide in hedges. Other birds do not hide in the same way., So I cannot see Sparrows being too much of a problem in relation to other birds. They are becoming quite rare in some areas so I think they need to be given a chance to have a nice home in a bird friendly garden.
They have their own quirkiness, but to me they are very endearing and cute to the point of being cheeky.
Love them, and encourage them to your garden is what i would say.
Regards
Kathy and Dave
Unknown said: I agree with Ffroglet, I am sure most garden birds get on well together and as long as you keep putting out good quality food they will keep coming. The species might vary from time to time or from year to year but eventually they return. So keep up the good work and be patient.
We too have a large colony of sparrows in our back garden (although my concern is the conifers they live in belong to the neighbours). But I'd say the sparrows aren't scaring any of the other birds from your garden.
In our garden the sparrows are the main regulars (with over 30 living here), but there is also the collared doves (up to 10). Other birds tend to come and go but the sparrows are always there - in the last week I've started to see blue tits, coal tits and great tits which I haven't seen for a while.
I'd say providing they all have plenty of space and food they'll be ok. From my experience the other small birds tend to blend into the masses of sparrows - safety in numbers :-)
I so wish I could attract house sparrows to my garden and feeder tables. I have all manner of other birds visit, including dunnocks, but have not seen one house sparrow. One long side of our garden has been left to grow very shrubby and it is quite high. Two pairs of blackbirds and a pair of song thrushes reside in there, along with a couple of robin familes but still no house sparrows. Does anyone have any ideas which might encourage them - or is it possible there simply are no house sparrows in the vicinity?
The necessity of bird-watching is a really good reason for avoiding all forms of housework.
The dust will still be there tomorrow - the birds may not be!
Hi Squirrel
That is sad for you, as they are such sweet little birds. I am sure that you miss having them around.
I know that they love Privet Hedges as they are dense and have little space, and light between the branches. Maybe the shrubbines that you provide is not dense enough for them to hide in.
Like yourself, I often wonder why that some areas seen to lack Sparrow population. I have heard of some therories that it is the way that people manage their gardens now. Not enough plants and folige for them to survive. Also too much wooden benching and concrete driveways adding to their decline.
Another theory is that modern houses do not have the roof space for them to nest in. Sparrows love to nest under roof eves and the design of modern houses have no facility to allow Sparrows to nest in.
Have you though of placing Sparrow nesting boxes in your garden area - there are communial nest boxes which are on the market now. I am sure that the RSPB have them. That may help to encourage them at neating time. A lovely des res what more can they ask for - a great house to live in.
I am sure that others will add their thoughts, and ideas too.
I highly recommend mealworms.
During the breeding season my sparrows were taking as many as possible away to feed their chicks and eating quite a few themselves. Now breeding has finished they are still eating the few that I have left and am putting out - so not completely vegetarian :-)
Starlings will always get to them first though and it's great to watch the squabbles, but put some in a dish inside an enclosure (hanging or ground) to stop the bigger birds taking everything
Like you there are no Sparrows anywhere near my house, which is fairly new. In fact there seem to be very few here in Bedford. I get Blackbirds most days, with Magpies and in the winter see Great Tits, Blackcap, Long Tailed Tits, Robins and Dunnocks but never at the same time and can go days without seeing anything on the feeders