gardening for birds

Posted on | June 30, 2008 | No Comments

gardening for birds

Even the most ardent bird lover can have a love-hate relationship with the House Sparrow. Despite being very sociable birds they are also known for destroying crops and some people see them as pests.

House sparrows are native to Europe and Asia but have colonised throughout the world and in the US they are known as English Sparrows to distinguish them from native species. They are now the most widely distributed bird on the planet and in the RSPB’s 2008 Big Garden Bird Watch they were the most counted British garden bird.

In the 18th century many parishes in Britain had “sparrow clubs” set up to destroy as many sparrows as possible because of their destruction to crops. Bounties continued to be paid until the 19th century when it was realised that the culling was not working.

Unfortunately House Sparrows are now struggling to survive along with many other common British birds and have declined in numbers so much that they have been put on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. It is thought that lack of food and suitable nest sites is contributing to the decline.

In the 1950s the UK sparrow population was estimated at 9.5 million which increased to 12 million in the 1970s. The numbers started to fall in the 1990s and the population is estimated to stand at about 6 million now.

The male sparrow has a grey crown and nape, edged with dark brown on the sides of the head and a distinctive black bib. The larger the male’s bib, the better he is at attracting a mate. Upper plumage is a flecked with brown, buffs and greys.

Female sparrows are much duller with tawny upper parts and a cream coloured stripe above the eye.

Sparrows are mainly seen in urban areas and near arable farms. A flock of sparrows will often draw attention to themselves by their noisy, squabbling behaviour particularly when fighting for food. They are most commonly seen in the south and east of the British Isles.

House sparrows breed between April and August preferring to nest in colonies of 10 to 20 pairs. They like to nest in holes and under roof tiles or if there is a shortage of holes then they will build a nest in a thick hedge. They lay up to 6 eggs which incubate for about 12 days. Sparrows can raise 3 or 4 broods during one breeding season.

Sparrows will naturally feed on insects during the summer and grain during the winter although they will eat most kinds of foods provided by humans like bread, grated cheese, fat and specially formulated seed mixes.

To help reverse the decline of House Sparrows you could provide them with sparrow flats – special nest boxes that allow them to breed in colonies.

You may also want to create a garden for birds to attract sparrows and other garden birds.

About the Author:

This article was written by the author of British Bird Lovers

The author is a keen gardener and amateur bird watcher,

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – British Garden Birds: the House Sparrow

paradise garden and morning nature sounds of birds in Spring

Why do some birds hop and others walk?

I have wanted to know for years, and can’t find any answers to this, why some garden birds hop and others walk and why some can do both? eg sparrows hop, blackbirds walk and starlings seem to be able to do both! Any ideas?

cOS tHEY aRE bLOODY mENTAL!!

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