TIGHTCHOKE Posted June 13, 2019 Report Share Posted June 13, 2019 I have been purposely feeding the Sparrows within my back garden as they were meant to be declining across England. I have got two bird tables, fed them on the concrete path and lawns and have two feeders adapted to prevent larger birds like Starlings from getting to the grain. We currently have the newly fledged youngsters joining their parents and I have 37 of the little chaps! The Wood Pigeons and Collared Doves are happy to pick up spilt grain, as are the Starlings. Last year we had a pair of Blue Tits in one of the nest boxes, but no occupants this year. They are all out there in the bloody awful weather, but are feeding well and hopefully will continue to increase in number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twenty Posted June 13, 2019 Report Share Posted June 13, 2019 Just now, TIGHTCHOKE said: I have been purposely feeding the Sparrows within my back garden as they were meant to be declining across England. I have got two bird tables, fed them on the concrete path and lawns and have two feeders adapted to prevent larger birds like Starlings from getting to the grain. We currently have the newly fledged youngsters joining their parents and I have 37 of the little chaps! The Wood Pigeons and Collared Doves are happy to pick up spilt grain, as are the Starlings. Last year we had a pair of Blue Tits in one of the nest boxes, but no occupants this year. They are all out there in the bloody awful weather, but are feeding well and hopefully will continue to increase in number. Yeah we have two or three good years of house sparrow numbers, at any one time there are about half a dozen in the garden, but some days as many as 15. Lots of youngsters as well,.......we had great tits in our nestbox again this year, they fledged about a fortnight ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted June 13, 2019 Report Share Posted June 13, 2019 The sparrows are well looked after in our garden, its my payback to them for all the sparrows (and starlings) I shot when I was nipper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandspider Posted June 13, 2019 Report Share Posted June 13, 2019 Don't seem to have any round us. Plenty of tits (hur hur) on the bird feeded and the odd nut hatch. No starlings either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted June 13, 2019 Report Share Posted June 13, 2019 26 minutes ago, old'un said: The sparrows are well looked after in our garden, its my payback to them for all the sparrows (and starlings) I shot when I was nipper. same here.............1000's fell to my 177 diana....laying on the sacks of wheat in the barn overlooking the cattle yard........ about 10 years ago i noticed there were very few in my garden...so it suited me to turn parts of the garden wild ...and i started feeding ...not in the summer very much....there were i rekon about 10 or 15 sparrows flitting about...now there are 2 flocks of about 50 plus in the village..............i remember seeing outside the barn during harvest at least 2-300 of them picking up crushed grain from the sacks.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted June 13, 2019 Report Share Posted June 13, 2019 59 minutes ago, ditchman said: same here.............1000's fell to my 177 diana....laying on the sacks of wheat in the barn overlooking the cattle yard........ about 10 years ago i noticed there were very few in my garden...so it suited me to turn parts of the garden wild ...and i started feeding ...not in the summer very much....there were i rekon about 10 or 15 sparrows flitting about...now there are 2 flocks of about 50 plus in the village..............i remember seeing outside the barn during harvest at least 2-300 of them picking up crushed grain from the sacks.... I also remember in the early 60s the big flocks of sparrows feeding on the standing corn, Billy the lad who worked at the local farm would get the 12g from the farm house, load it with a couple number 8s or 9s, then we would sneak down the long dirt track on our hands and knees, once in position I would jump up and start clapping and shouting, clouds of sparrows lifted out of the corn like a swarm of bees, bang, bang from about fifteen yards away and sparrows were tumbling out the sky like snow, thinking about it now I would hate to think of the number of sparrows that flew off injured. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old man Posted June 13, 2019 Report Share Posted June 13, 2019 Hedge and House feeding and doing well here thankfully. A small flock of Starlings but hundreds of Corvids at times. Just 1 lonely Greenfinch but that's better than last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted June 13, 2019 Report Share Posted June 13, 2019 (edited) I have put some boxes on the end of my garage workshop and will put some more. The sparrows are starting to use them and about a dozen come onto the feeders. The downside is the crafty old hen sparrow hawk has discovered she can sweep in low down the drive in from the wood opposite and occasionally nails one. I think back 70yrs when it was my job to thin them out in the cattle yard and feed store with the old BSA air rifle I had. We also had a clap net which ruing the dark night s we would go up hedge rows and I would hold a light(hurrican lamp) out in the field and someone would thrash the thick hedge with a stick. Sparrows would hit the net and the two long bamboo poles would be 'clapped' together hence clap net. Sparrow pie next day. I emember my dad throwing a turnip over the hedge into the net and an uncle shouted PARTRIDGE!! and they all dived on the net. I was only about six at the time and learned lots of new words that night Edited June 13, 2019 by Walker570 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B725 Posted June 13, 2019 Report Share Posted June 13, 2019 We have noticed a rise in numbers of the spuggies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samboy Posted June 13, 2019 Report Share Posted June 13, 2019 Plenty of Sparrows and Starlings in my garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellow Bear Posted June 13, 2019 Report Share Posted June 13, 2019 We have about 40m of 2.2 m high privet round our garden which is popular with the sparrows and I counted 10 nests this year although may have been more I missed. Unfortunately all have been wiped out by crows, I've chased them off many times but you can;t be out 17 hours a day but they kept returning until they got the lot. Now growth this year then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 All the garden birds have declined round here, sparrows, starlings, blackbirds and thrushes are all much less common. There are quite a few parrots (as they are called) and more woodpigeon than I remember in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnfromUK Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 Sparrows are making a recovery around here. Currently watching a (greater spotted) woodpecker taking peanuts from my feeder. The adult has been bringing the youngster and feeding it - but this is just the adult male today (so far). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacko3275 Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 Less sparrow round my way compared to 30 years ago but there also a hell of a lots less privet and more fences nowadays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 3 hours ago, Jacko3275 said: there also a hell of a lots less privet and more fences nowadays That's a good point Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oowee Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 Lots of birds on my feeders particularly goldfinch. Sparrows are very rare here and at most I have seen two or three. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUNKS Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 On 13/06/2019 at 15:25, old'un said: The sparrows are well looked after in our garden, its my payback to them for all the sparrows (and starlings) I shot when I was nipper. Me too! We have a family of crows which increases every year. Virtually no other birds at all now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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